I was cut on Wednesday. It is now Friday. I think I'm doing OK. I am taking my antibiotics. The actual incision site is very dark. Like it has some blood caught in the skin between the stitches, it is still weeping a little. I know everyone is different, but I was wondering how long that might last.There is no pain in the scrotum. I asked the surgeon to get as much cord as possible. I think she did a good job with that. The cord stumps have migrated up the canal to be level with the top part of my penis. They are somewhat sore. All I have been taking for pain is Tylenol and something the surgeon prescribed me for muscle spasms she warned me I would have in the cord stumps. I haven't been very diligent with the pain meds because, to be very honest, I haven't been in a lot of pain. They did tell me I could take Aleve 48 hours after surgery. I was an ice warrior the past two days. Over the years I've worked with plenty of sprains and bruises to know ice helps the first couple days, after that it just keeps you from healing. So no ice from here out. So far there has been very little bruising. Can I expect that to show up at this point? I'm not the type of person to sit still, so I'm up and about a good bit. Just wondering if all of this is normal. Thanks.

Another thing I was wondering about. I have an appointment with my Endo in about 3 months. She's probably gonna flip when I tell her what I've done. Hope not. I like her. I'm gonna see how this castrated thing goes. Hope it will be well enough that I can go without hormones. But if not... I've been taking D3 for a while. I know I need to add calcium. But what kind? And how much?

Thanks.

Healing sounds about like what I went through... The incision will stay dark for quite a while, not sure just why but I suspect it's a combination of the body reacting to the trauma, and enhanced blood flow from the healing process... I also had a bit of weeping for several days, again I think that is pretty normal as long as it stays relatively clear - not bloody or pussy, and it should generally get less as time goes on, not worse...

Did your doc use the self-dissolving stitches / glue? Mine did and it seemed that they peeled off in short strips or flakes after a few days and when they did it took a lot of the discoloration / darkness with them - I suspect part of this was leakage from the incision mixing with the glue, and part of it was scab...

According to my doc the best form of calcium supplement is Calcium Citrate. It is the form the body supposedly can absorb best. There are some pretty common over the counter Calcium Citrate + D3 supplements - I take 4 of the larger size / day, plus about 5,000IU of additional D3 (- it is hard to get to much D3) You might or might not need as much as I do, since I have additional potential for bone loss issues because of my SCI...

No telling what your Endo will say, but I've been very pleasantly surprised at how little my doctors (and my SCI causes me to see a LOT of them!) have had to say about it... Granted MA is probably more on the LGBT+ accepting side than some other states, but I think that there is also a lot of emphasis these days in medical training to not inject personal feelings into patient care... IOW I'd be surprised if she shows much reaction beyond asking relevant questions - though it's possible she might want to send you to a different doc if she doesn't feel sufficiently knowledgeable about caring for non-cis patients...

Hormones are a tricky question - they are supposedly necessary to prevent bone loss and some of the other effects of being fixed, even with the use of calcium, etc... But T can end up restoring the libido we were trying to get rid of, and E can (probably will) result in some level of feminizing - most notably growing - how much is unpredictable.... I'm happy being on E, and while I've definitely had breast growth, as long as I'm dressed I still fall w/in the 'normal male' range albeit on the edge...

WheelyFixed

Thanks Widely! You have been a wonderful fount of info!

Oh. And Wheely, I don't remember if I told you or not, the PCP I was going to, the one that refused to sign my pre-op clearance, sent me a signature certified letter firing me as her patient!

TheHavier (imported) wrote: Sat Aug 31, 2024 5:48 pm Oh. And Wheely, I don't remember if I told you or not, the PCP I was going to, the one that refused to sign my pre-op clearance, sent me a signature certified letter firing me as her patient!

Well if she doesn't feel comfortable treating you, that's probably for the better even if it sucks to have to find a new PCP...

That then leaves the question of if you want to do anything about it, or just 'fade quietly into the night'...

Does her letter give any reason or explanation - especially anything OTHER than the surgery? Either way, but especially if it has a reason related to the surgery or doesn't give one, it might be interesting to send a copy to the state medical association and the 'ethics committees' of any hospital she is associated with. As I understand the general standards of medical ethics, she probably crossed the line of what is acceptable... (note that I'm not a medical pro, so could be wrong, but...) Downside is that would mean having to be 'out' to some degree....

It is a tough situation as it's hard to improve acceptance w/o advocating for acceptance / rights, but the early pioneers can get arrows in their backs....

WheelyFixed

Wheel, Imma fade quietly into the night. The Dr. who signed my pre-op said he would be fine with having me as a patient. The NP who refused wanted me to go through a urologist and jump through all kinda hoops to get her permission. What she failed to realize is that I didn't need her permission.

Wheely, you might not know, I think you did chemical before the cut. But how long should it take after the testicles are removed should it take before you start to see a decline in your sex drive? It's only been 3 days for me, but my wife says I'm already not as touchy feely. Just wondering if it's real or in her mind.

TheHavier (imported) wrote: Sun Sep 01, 2024 1:12 pm Wheely, you might not know, I think you did chemical before the cut. But how long should it take after the testicles are removed should it take before you start to see a decline in your sex drive? It's only been 3 days for me, but my wife says I'm already not as touchy feely. Just wondering if it's real or in her mind.

No personal experience, but from other reports, I m not sure about the exact timing, but it is pretty fast... Also keep in mind that a lot of the sex drive is in your brain, not your missing balls, so the fact that you are expecting it to go away probably helps get rid of it...

I not only did chemical first, but had been basically non-functional for years due to the SCI... I still wanted to but couldn't quite, and am much happier w/ not wanting to...

WheelyFixed

TheHavier (imported) wrote: Sat Aug 31, 2024 5:48 pm Oh. And Wheely, I don't remember if I told you or not, the PCP I was going to, the one that refused to sign my pre-op clearance, sent me a signature certified letter firing me as her patient!

Strange. Guess the AMA guidelines don't apply to her. Good riddance though... you don't want a doctor which is that fickle treating your for anything, IMHO.