Navigating Post-Op Complications: My Journey

The surgery itself was a piece of cake, as the idiom goes. But oh my, the post-op complications have been piling up. A few days ago, I wrote about my ER trip for urinary retention. I didn’t stress how dangerous that was. For those who aren’t aware, I was very close to possible death.

My bladder very easily could have ruptured. Sepsis would occur soon after that. And sepsis is easily fatal. It’s what ultimately killed my Barbara. That was quite a frightening episode, after I was aware enough to understand the danger I was already in. I was beyond lucky that I lived to tell the tale.

Friday I woke up with a significant fibro flare in progress. I fully expected that to happen. It’s going to happen anytime my body is under any stress. So I treated it with my usual OTC pain medication.

Then around 2 am Saturday morning, I was awakened by a gout flare. I’m new to gout as an issue. I hadn’t learned yet that it will also be triggered by stress, like surgical recovery. I know how to treat that with OTC meds too. So I grabbed my diclofenac gel, applied some, and went back to sleep.

And yet, my fun wasn’t over. I also hadn’t had a bowel movement. Again, I initially thought “No big deal.” I didn’t eat anything of any significance on Thursday. I wasn’t hungry on Friday, but I ate a small amount. Saturday my appetite still hadn’t really returned. I realized it had been quite a while since I’d had a movement. But I wasn’t worried yet.

Sunday morning rolled around, and now I was getting worried. I was in significant pain, again. I called the on-call for my surgeon, who responded more quickly than the first one. I still had to page him twice though.

During the approximately one hour while waiting for that call-back, I began treatment with an OTC laxative. That didn’t get the job done. So, next? A glycerin suppository. Those were courtesy of the caring folks I live with.

About 10 minutes before I got that call-back, the dam broke, so to speak. I got some relief. I thought to myself that surely I was done with post-op issues. I got up on Monday and showered. That was the first time post-op I was allowed to do so. Everything seemed to be under control by then.

But alas, it was not to be. This morning, I woke up with rashes in several locations. The worst of those was around the surgical site. I realized that I was reacting to the adhesive keeping the dressing in place. I had changed that dressing regularly, but I have very sensitive skin.

You might remember the fun I had with the external cardiac monitor last year. I can’t find that post at the moment. What it boils down to is that my skin reacts badly to certain medical adhesives.

I made the decision on my own to discontinue those specific dressings. The surgical wound had not bled more than a few drops since I changed it last.

I switched to a simple gauze dressing. The disposable underwear I’ve been using since the surgery helps keep it in place. Sadly, the damage was already done. My body started popping rashes all over. Everywhere that an ECG lead was attached is now itchy with a bumpy rash. There are spots on the back of my neck, and between my shoulders.

I am taking Benadryl for the itch. It isn’t really intended for that, but I know from experience that it will give me some relief. And it has. No, the rash is not gone. But the itching and burning are reduced to a bearable level. I’ll discuss that phenomena with the surgeon tomorrow at my follow-up appointment.

Also, in case there was any doubt, I voted this morning, despite everything. That was fun too. I spent maybe 45 minutes in line waiting to enter the polling place. My fibro flared again while standing in that line. I walked over to the table and checked in.

As I got closer to the woman handing out ballots, she looked at me. Then she asked, “Do you need a chair?” I said “Yes, please.” Everyone one else was completing their ballots standing. She helped me to get settled. I filled in my ballot, and took it be run into the counting machine.

I was finally done with that. To her credit, J was paying attention to me. Even though I had said nothing about my condition, she remained in the room waiting for me. She stayed rather than exiting the building as soon as she finished. She offered me her arm, and walked me to the car.

Once we reached the car, I tried to tell her I would get in by myself. She ignored that and kept assisting me. She opened my door, got me settled, and closed the door. We then took the short drive home. She pulled into the yard putting the passenger door only a few feet from the front door of the house.

I’m trying not to catastrophize. But let’s face it. That little bit of standing affected me very badly. I doubt that I will ever be able to be fully independent again. My fibromyalgia is increasingly taking that independence from me. I’m watching in horror, and in slow motion, as I become seriously disabled.

But for now, my journey continues, even as I become older than my calendar age. I saw people easily 10 years older than I go through the voting process with no difficulty. I’m not giving up, and regardless of all this, I am deliriously happy I was able to get my surgery.

Tags: Election 2024, fibro, fibromyalgia, Gender Affirming Surgery, medical tmi, politics, spoonie, trans, Transgender, USPol