That really doesn't sound good. But the nurse sounds excellent and on the case which is positive.
From a long-term point of view, are you taking some iron supplements? I need to just because of the vegetarian/heavy period thing and I would have thought that vegetarian/heavy blood loss would possibly also mean that you should? Can't do any harm, if you only take the recommended dose, and might make you feel less tired.
Gosh, well this is a definite improvement - I've now taken heart, your advice, and some iron supplements, and - surprise surprise - I'm feeling much less exhausted. I really ought to have thought of that before you mentioned it, but am made of ditz-juice at present - so yay, thank you for the muchly helpful suggestion :)
That's not weird at all - gender nurses are very used to getting photographs of gore in their email inboxes, and new postops crying on the phone. I remember the head gender nurse at Brighton telling me about a patient who, when she hadn't called in tears after six weeks, she was so worried about that she called her herself to check she was OK.
darwinian_woman ... the photograph suggestion is a good one. Keep talking to the nurse, and if the bleeding is sufficiently bad, consider going to A&E (preferably at a larger teaching hospital - IME they're a bit more competent with this stuff). I had a friend who had postop bleeding issues - took her to Addenbrookes in Cambridge where she spent a week in the gynaecology ward, unable to dilate. She is now, I believe, completely fine.
This is a really scary and tough time, but it will all be OK.
You'd be amazed, hun, but the first time I saw your comment, I found myself in tears of relief. This may be partly due to the strange concoction of chemicals they've put me on, but even so, your faith means a *lot* to me.
Actually, I'm feeling better about things at the moment, even if I'm still a little sore about my *THRICE-DAILY BLOOD SACRIFICE TO THE SPACIOUS VAGINA GODDESS*. It's much less of a mess down there than it's ever been before, and this is *good* :D
Bear in mind if she's not use to seeing this kind of wound then her opinion may not be that useful - this is a pretty unusual wound in that you want it to heal open, whereas normally you want them to close over. What you are doing with dilating, though necessary, is against the way your body normally heals so of course it's going to be very hard for you and your body to get used to.
I'm not saying ignore her, it's great that she's sympathetic and talking to the ward on your behalf, just that it is possible that the ward and previous nurse are right and it's not cause for alarm.
In terms of staying clean - there are arguments for and against that. Obviously you don't want to promote infection, but washing too much can mean that you're just agitating the area and washing away the substances that are being secreted by your wound with the aim of healing it over. Are you letting it alone in the times you can (e.g. between dilation?)
In terms of the comment above, an iron supplement is a great idea. Floradix is a good one with lots of
( ... )
Thank you sweetie - on my last occasion of seeing the nurse, I took your tip and made a constructive trip to Holland and Barrett too. After a couple of days of iron and vitamin C supplements, and feeling much better already.
I've also taken greater care to avoid worrying the wound when I wash - I'm not sure whether it's helping with healing, but it seems less bloody there at least, now.
And, yes, I've now seen three different nurses, all of whom have offered different perspectives. Encouragingly, they all seem mainly concerned about how painful it must be for me, rather than focussing on problems with healing. If the pain really is the worst thing, that's OK - I've always been better at dealing with pain than with worry :)
I came across your LJ through Sarah. I've read through your previous few entries and I just want to wish you the best of luck for this situation at the moment. I really hope things work out well and I am sure they will.
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From a long-term point of view, are you taking some iron supplements? I need to just because of the vegetarian/heavy period thing and I would have thought that vegetarian/heavy blood loss would possibly also mean that you should? Can't do any harm, if you only take the recommended dose, and might make you feel less tired.
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This is a kinda weird suggestion, but can you e-mail pictures of wound to CC and ask "really, are you absolutely sure you don't want me to come back?"
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darwinian_woman ... the photograph suggestion is a good one. Keep talking to the nurse, and if the bleeding is sufficiently bad, consider going to A&E (preferably at a larger teaching hospital - IME they're a bit more competent with this stuff). I had a friend who had postop bleeding issues - took her to Addenbrookes in Cambridge where she spent a week in the gynaecology ward, unable to dilate. She is now, I believe, completely fine.
This is a really scary and tough time, but it will all be OK.
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NB that is not meant to be rude, you may well be a) a nurse or b) speaking from personal experience. Er. Yes. But GOOD IDEA.
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:-D
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(The comment has been removed)
Actually, I'm feeling better about things at the moment, even if I'm still a little sore about my *THRICE-DAILY BLOOD SACRIFICE TO THE SPACIOUS VAGINA GODDESS*. It's much less of a mess down there than it's ever been before, and this is *good* :D
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I'm not saying ignore her, it's great that she's sympathetic and talking to the ward on your behalf, just that it is possible that the ward and previous nurse are right and it's not cause for alarm.
In terms of staying clean - there are arguments for and against that. Obviously you don't want to promote infection, but washing too much can mean that you're just agitating the area and washing away the substances that are being secreted by your wound with the aim of healing it over. Are you letting it alone in the times you can (e.g. between dilation?)
In terms of the comment above, an iron supplement is a great idea. Floradix is a good one with lots of ( ... )
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I've also taken greater care to avoid worrying the wound when I wash - I'm not sure whether it's helping with healing, but it seems less bloody there at least, now.
And, yes, I've now seen three different nurses, all of whom have offered different perspectives. Encouragingly, they all seem mainly concerned about how painful it must be for me, rather than focussing on problems with healing. If the pain really is the worst thing, that's OK - I've always been better at dealing with pain than with worry :)
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