stephen54 wrote:Right...so just be patient. There's still so much edema and turmoil everywhere down there. I couldn't even find how to grasp my valve until week 5-6. Even though I did not appreciate any swelling in my sac, my doctor definitely schooled me otherwise. I give you credit for cycling so early!:
I’m one of the guys that has a doctor who believes in “early cycling if tolerated”
I was getting really upset at day 15 that I could pump, but the mish mash of swollen body parts was preventing me from finding deflate button.
The doc set me straight that no two people handle this exactly the same. I bruised worse than all but a handful of his cases, but never really had any pain. I had mild swelling despite not icing enough, except for a few isolated sever swelling areas. Oh, edema could be my middle name.
My doc told me in the long run it would not matter if I was cycling daily from week 2 or week 8. He told me the hardware would get easier to find with time, easier to manipulate, and there would be less trauma or discomfort.
So on day 20-21 here I am, cycling very conservatively once a day and hoping I can get it to deflate enough for comfort afterwards.
Squeaky wheel gets the grease. If something worries you, doesn’t feel right, or just has you curious.....get in touch with the doctor. I’m seeing mine ( or his PA) once a week and while that’s not his normal follow up schedule, I just told them I thought I needed a brief weekly visit at this stage to reassure me I was on track to recover and not doing anything that would delay a successful outcome.
If you have pain, and it is of concern to you, then I would not hesitate to call doctor’s office and insist upon a brief appointment with someone. There are waaaaay too many variables here. And with this surgery a cornucopia of emotions and feelings afterwards are to be expected. However, abject fear of a lifetime of pain should not be one of those emotions.
