Category: Surgery

Had my 10-week checkup today (yeah, so it’s been almost 11 weeks, whatever)…

Anyway. Everything looks pretty good, and the surgeon is very pleased with the outcome (so am I, since I am no longer afraid to go out in public. None of you, except Jerry, can possibly understand how liberating this is to me).

I have some “granulating tissue” around the wound, which is now very small — about the size of the tip of a Q-tip, I guess. Granulating tissue is, according to what I just read by googling, the formation of outgrowths of new capillaries, and is very important in the healing process. Wounds that do not granulate require further intervention by a medical professional because they’re not getting blood supply. Or something.

This wound, however, is trying to close. He apparently decided that something wasn’t quite right about it, so he chemically cauterized (ouch) the granulating tissue to help things along. Maybe to stimulate further granulation? I don’t know.

I have another appointment in a month, to make sure it’s all closed up and doing what it’s supposed to be doing.

Again, I have nothing but great things to say about the entire staff of that office. They have been a blessing in my life. Never thought I’d say that about a butt doctor, but there it is. I’ll actually be kinda bummed (har-dee-har-har) that I won’t be seeing them all so regularly (har-dee-har-har again).

Take your fiber.

I think I had an apple today. I can’t remember. So I guess I’ll have another one. Or a pear. Yeah, probably a pear, before they get too soft and mealy. But at least an apple.

Because you know what they say…. “An apple a day keeps the laxatives away.”

What? They don’t say that?

Well, they should.

Off to see the doctor for my 10-weeks check tomorrow. The wound is alllllllllmost closed. Praise Allah.

Apparently, I have popped my second doughnut cushion. This does not make me happy. I love my doughnut cushion. 🙁

I don’t think I’ll go buy another one just yet… Maybe try to figure out where the hole is in this one (the last one had a hole at the seam, so it wasn’t really fixable)… Hopefully this one will just have a hole in the middle somewhere and we can slap a bit of duct tape over it. I shouldn’t be needing this thing for too much longer anyway. I’m beginning to make it through most days without taking Advil more than once.

Realized I hadn’t given you guys one in a while, so here it is.

I went to see the surgeon on Tuesday for my 6-weeks post-operative checkup, and he took a look at things. As he said, “I’m not going to touch anything, because if that communication is healing up right now, my poking around won’t help. So I’ll just look.” So he just looked.

And his observations coupled with my observations through the past few weeks indicate that the communication IS indeed healing up, that all looks really good, the repair has been effective, and that I’m very unlikely to need to have any further surgery. We high-fived in celebration.

He and his nurse both agreed that I need to make more doughnut cushion covers and sell them in the lobby of his office.

Suffice it to say, I’m quite pleased.

And then this afternoon at church I saw a gynecologist friend who asked how I was doing. Most people at church when they ask that, I assume that they’re asking because they know. So I said, “I’m doing much better, thanks!” and then he wanted to know … better than what? So I told him. And he made faces. He understood what it meant to have lived with what I lived with for the past 3+ years, and he understood what the past 7 weeks have been for me and my family. He gave me a hug, and said, “Well, I’m glad you’re on this side of it.”

Un.
Der.
State.
Ment.

A month ago, I was not glad that I made the decision to go with this surgery. Today, I’m very glad. I went to church for the annual Lobsterfest with Alice in a stroller, and I didn’t have to do a mental cataloguing of the last time I had a bowel movement so that I could be certain that I wouldn’t have an embarrassing moment in front of lots of people.

That, in itself, is a HUGE victory. I was driving there, and I idly thought, “HowlonghasitbeensinceI…” and then I remembered… It doesn’t matter. My muscle works now. It’s weak, but it works, and it gets stronger every day. But the main thing? I have more than twenty seconds to find a bathroom now.

Thank God.