Surgery with Dr Levick - very detailed account

[ynotme]

Hi,

As you can see from my registration date, I have contemplating this for a long time and have dealing with gyno for over a decade and after it ruling/ruining my 20s I have finally decided on permanently ridding myself of the shame/constant insecurity a few months back.

I live in the UK and had appointments with both Karidis and Levick. I know both have an excellent track record but I went with Levick, as I liked his consultation more, his affable nature and the fact that I would be staying overnight.

I have learnt a lot from reading various accounts on here and so, wanted to share my experience as well as add tips/tricks I think will make the first couple of days more bearable for anyone going through it.

What to take to the hospital


The info pack said garments and toiletries and the other recommended thing was some form of entertainment. As I was going to travel there and back by train, I wanted to travel light as possible, so I packed some bottoms, toothbrush/toothpaste, a few papers from the info  pack that was sent that I think may have been necessary, the pre-op form and my phone/charger/headphones.

Having now been through it, all you really need is a toothbrush/toothpaste, the pre-op form and phone/charger./headphones. Take it in a satchel of some kind as you will need to bring some stuff back on discharge. 

I wore the gown and paper pants for the duration of my stay as it was easiest to remove for toilet trips!

Day 1 


After being booked in, I was talked through the procedure, then went in to have the op. Lasted about 90 mins or so and was back in my room. Like everyone else, I was pretty groggy until 7-8, always keeping my eyes closed but never quite nodding off. 

Then I kept the TV on till 1130ish before calling it a night. I was in two minds whether to take my tablet or not and decided against it due to the weight issue but really, it wouldn't have been much use anyway as the TV is angled perfectly for your eyes and you only really need it for a few hours.

Tips:
1. Get plenty of rest the night before you go in (at least 8-10 hours) as you'll see the first night is pretty restless.
2. Drink lots of water starting as you can after the op, I drank very little until the evening time and as a consequence had an incredibly dry mouth throughout the night no matter how much I downed!

Night 1

I'm a light sleeper at the best of times and never ever sleep on my back, so the night was very restless. I kept my eyes closed most of the night, turning the TV on maybe twice for 20-30 mins but probably only slept 1-2 hours. This is where a very long nights sleep the night before will help (Not like me, where anxiety, entirely unwarranted, meant I had 3-4 hours the night before)

Tips:
1. Don't lie flat on the bed, I tried that for half the night with no luck so raised the bed to approximately a 40-45 degree angle. 
2. Use two pillows, with the second helping provide cushioning for the side of your head if you want to turn it, as I did, to simulate lying on your side as much as possible. 

Day 2

The nurses will do their morning rounds and then the main man will make an appearance. Mr Levick was happy with how the procedure had gone and after a quick chat, was happy to release me. 

Tips:
1. Still keep yourself very well hydrated. I was experiencing light-headedness if I sat up for more than 10 mins which eventually subsided as a few glasses of water.

Overall thoughts on the stay

The staff, both the surgical and nursing team, were all amazing. They were happy to help with everything. Anyone who is considering it, I would thoroughly recommend it.

So that brings everyone up to speed to the present time! Hopefully I will update this as time goes on. I am still very tired as I have had a total of 7-8 hours sleep over the last two nights including naps, so hopefully tonight will be better.

In the meantime, any questions then ask away  

[8008LESS]

I'm exactly a week infront of you. Night times are the hardest as I'm used to sleeping on my side and I'm currently restricted to sleeping on my back 

[ynotme]

Hey! So you have had the first shower by now i'm assuming....can't wait for mine  
Have you sent Dr Levick your selfie's and update report? I hope it's all going as planned.
Night 2 
First night back and it's true, there's no place like home lol. I had 7 hours sleep split into a first 4 hour period, 1 hour break then 3 hours. 
I have the dreaded crater on one side but hopefully will flatten out over the next few weeks. 
Still no bowel movement since the operation, so lots of fibre to give it a nudge along!

[8008LESS]

Yes I've had my shower but I wasn't looking forward to it as it feels so strange to touch my chest and also any movement which requires me reaching across my body, like washing my armpits creates a bit of discomfort. All in all though the recovery has been fine so far and Mr Levick is happy with the 7 day pics 

[ynotme]

That's good to hear mate! Mr Levick's seal of approval must be music to your ears.
As for me, sleeping on the back is still causing issues, i sleep in 1-2 hours fits and bursts. 
I have taken off my gauze from the incisions on my armpits today and will leave it as is at least for the rest of the day but do have back-up gauzes just in case it starts bleeding.
Are you back to sleeping on your side now or you going to wait for a few days?

[8008LESS]

I've been able to do short stints on my side from day seven. 
Day 11 now can probably lay on my side all the while
I've got an issue with my incision under my arm not healing due to the binder and vest rubbing it . 

[ynotme]

I've fallen a bit behind on the updating!
Thanks for that info mate, i am now more than a week post-op so have begun sleeping on my side (cleared  by Mr Levick  as well). 
I've sent my photo's to Mr Levick who was happy with the progress and recommended that I move onto the vest, which I have duly done. I also tried it with the best and binder combo as others on this forum have done and found it very uncomfortable so leaving off it for now. There does not seem to be much swelling so will monitor and see if the extra compression is required.
There is still a concavity on one side although it has become less pronounced and time is great healer, so they say so we'll see!
I've spent the last few days reading, and sometimes re-reading, various journals on here (there's only so many movies i can take lol) and am grateful for the mine of information available here.

My personal survival tips for the first week are to rest, rest, rest!  I had trouble sleeping on my back at night but it got slightly easier with time and I fell into a routine of sleeping on my back for 3-4 hours and then sitting up with a duvet behind me for another 2-3 hours kip. Not ideal and had to be to top-up with nap or two in the day but it's only a few days.

[ynotme]

I wasn't going to update so soon but I've changed my routine so thought I would document it: When I was wearing the binder I was counting down the days til I could put on the vest but it's been a horrible experience so far. The vest is really really digging in at the sides. I know a lot of people have had that complaint and have tried the sock-down-the-sides method with some degree of success. The vest keeps riding up as well so reducing the compression on the chest and when I lie down or lean back the pressure is taken off the straps meaning very little compression on the top part of the chest.
At least with the binder, I could feel the right places being firmly compressed, so for the time being, until I go back to work on Monday, I have reverted back to the binder. That snugness feeling from the binder is something I fully embrace now lol.