Jere's Journey

[Frank Talk Admin]

Wishing you a safe, speedy recovery and lots of fun in your future! Take care of yourself!

[radiodec]

Jere,

Hope you are feeling fine by the time you read this. I am sure you will still probably be uncomfortable. I wish you are better recovery than mine. Join the club, by now you have paid your dues.

You will have to wait a while for your urologist to teach you the club handshake.

Best wishes and hard times.

Dave

[jeremc]

David that was funny, "the hand shake"! Thanks for that.
I'm in the club. Surgery went very well, He did the midline scrotal approach for the LGX.
I can feel the pump and deflate button real easy. So far no brusing, but I'm sure that will come later.
Everything looks fantastic from what I can see, have to move some of the gause around to take a sneek peek.
On a deladin drip so no pain at all. The real pain is the inflatable leggings, be glad when they take those off.

I can not thank you guys enough, this has been an adventure that I think I would do over again and again (Well you get my point)
I will keep you posted. I would write more but the eyes want to cross and don't want to msisellp anything.
Jere

[radiodec]

Well Jere,

Glad to hear you got through the surgery well! If you have the recovery I did, or I hope even better you will not have any significant swelling and the pain level will never get above discomfort. Welcome to the club.

Dave

[Bionic_by_AMS]

Jere,
Congrats! ... and Welcome to the Brotherhood ... hopefully your recovery goes well and you get the outcome you expected.

[jeremc]

I just typed a nice long note to this post and it was lost.
I'll try again later,
Jere

[Terry1094]

Happens to me all the time jere. Hope you're feeling OK

[jeremc]

Thanks Terry, I've been writing today in Word so I can copy and paste.
Jere

[jeremc]

Mike:
Thanks, it's one heck of a brotherhood to join, but all will be back to normal in no time.
You have taught me allot!
Jere

[jeremc]

Jere’s Journey Surgery Day Dec 27

Once getting checked in and getting three arm bands at the Same Day Surgery center at St. Francis, I thanked the registration nurse and gave her a box of Russell Stover’s Turtles. Nurse bribery is always a big hit.

Another aid had me get on a scale to get weighed in and led me to a room where the gown, socks and head cover were laying on the bed. She had some packs of antibiotic wipes and told me to wipe down the arms with this one, chest and back with this one, and legs with this one. I ask her “how was I to get all of my back as I was reaching in my gym bag for another box of turtles. She gave me a big smile thanked me for the turtles and told me to take off my sweat shirt and she would be glad to do it for me. We had some small talk for about a minute and she told me don’t use the wipes below the waist or above the legs. That area would be done in the OR. While I was doing my arms and chest, she snapped all the snaps on the gown for me and told me that these are the worst gowns they have ever had, too many snaps and hard to figure out the” gown” puzzle. She handed me the gown and I put it on, she tied the neck straps for me and told me I could finish up. I went into the bathroom and took off my sweat pants and put on those wonderful hospital socks.I had my last leak with my normal package. I gave everything a good last look and feel, and said my good-byes. I was losing and old natural friend but gaining a new bionic one. I got in the bed, pulled the sheet and blanket over me. Grabbed the remote and started channel surfing. Another nurse came in with all the IV stuff. She introduced herself and said she was going to put the IV in the back of my left hand, I ask her not too, I would prefer it in the lower arm. “I can do that”. She prepped the arm and gave me a shot of lidocaine. The pick line went in without feeling it. She taped everything to my arm, hooked up the bag of saline and off she went. A few minutes later, another nurse came in to draw blood for the lab, not sure why, I did all of that a week before. She only took one vial and she was off too. I laid in bed channel surfing with one hand and my other hand on my package getting the last feel of two testicals and a round soft flaccid penis. This went on for about thirty minutes, till another nurse came in to wheel me to surgery. We chatted until we got into the hall way, and I started to breathing deeply, and getting another last feel. We rolled into the OR past all the instruments that were going to be used. I couldn’t believe how many instruments were laying there on the table. The OR table was skinny with padded arm rest sticking straight out from the table. They raise my bed to the same height as to OR table and three assistants helped me move over. I wiggled around and got centered and a male nurse asks me to lay my arms on the arm rest. I did the left one to get the IV situated and then the right. When I looked over at my right arm, they shoot it to me because that was the last thing I remember.

Surgery is over!

When I woke up in recovery, the only thing I can remember is asking for a coke.
I woke up again in my room and another coke was requested. An ice cold coke always tastes great after anesthesia. They must have really knocked me out; I don’t remember much till later in the afternoon. I do remember the nurse came in to check my gauze pad that had some blood on it so she took that off and put a clean on. I loved the hospital panties that were holding the pad in place. She also set the dosage for the pain drip and said it was set for a steady drip that I wouldn’t have to use the trigger. Thank God! She then emptied to drain bulb that was full of blood. I gave her a box of Turtles, so that took care of the day shift. Not long after that the assistant nurse came in to thank me for the candy and she had to check the gauze too.

It has been a real blessing to have friends locally. After some friends visited, they left and the nurse came back in to drain the blood again and change the gauze. Seems like my package was fair game to anyone that walked in.
Later in the evening she came back to drain the blub, gave it a good squeeze to create a suction. After a few minutes I noticed that it had inflated fast. I called the nurse and she squeezed the air out of it again.
After a few minutes it did it again, and I called her. I was sitting on a blood soaked pad. The tube had come out of my scrotum. She cleaned me up, changed everything and taped some gauze on it. She got me in the chair next to the bed and asks if I would like to sit up for awhile and that was out of the question. Sitting was not fun with a swollen scrotum. New sheets, pad and panties and I was back in bed. Then she called the Doctor. He said just to leave it out and it would be ok, just that there would be more bruising. Boy was he right.

I started reading the “owner’s manual” and started freaking out. I was reading about the AMS 700 MS. I called my Doctor’s office and got his answering service and panicky told him that I was supposed to have gotten the LGX. He called back and said that the Doctor called the rep and reassured me that I do have the LGX. I then called Elizabeth, Sr. Patient Liaison with AMS and she explained that the MS was the pump, not the cylinder model. The MS pump goes with several of their implant models, and the owner’s manual is for the pump only. Boy, what a relief! When I got home and the pain medications were mostly out of my system, I re-read everything and it all fell into place. You know how it is, when all else fails, read the instructions. (MS = Momentary Squeeze)

The night shift came on and again, another box of Turtles. And again, everyone on the night shift had to check “the gauze”. The nurse gave me a Trazadone to help me sleep, after a few hours I took one of my own and finally feel to sleep. About once an hour someone would come in and either just look or change the pad.

The next morning, scrambled eggs, fresh fruit, juice and coffee came early. I had given Victoria a box of Turtles the night before when she brought dinner; I don’t remember what it was. When breakfast came, it looked like she had cooked herself. Plenty of everything and fresh, unlike the usual hospital food.

The Doctor came in and said he wanted me to stay till the afternoon, and have a few more IV’s of antibiotics since the drain tube had fallen out the night before. That was fine with me. I called my folks to let them know about the extended stay and about what time to come get me. So I spent most of the day with the TV on a music channel with the lights out and tried to get some rest. Don’t forget, “gauze check”.

About two’ish, the Doctor came in and said my bail had been posted and I could leave. He left for a minute to get a syringe to take the catheter out. It slid out without me even noticing it. I had a catheter once before and it was horrible. I kept having bladder spasms. Not sure what he did, but I never noticed this one, except when looking at it. He then grabbed my pump and gave it several good pumps and I thought my toes were going to go through the end of the bed. I have never felt shooting pain like that before. The nurse came in and unplugged the IV and said I could get dressed. I sat on the side of the bed for a second and when I stood up I was so wobbly. But it felt so good to get out of that bed. Hospital beds suck! I had two pillows under my butt to fill in the poor support of the mattress.

My folks arrived with a special treat for me, a Grande Latte, extra shot, whole milk, and no foam. My favorite Starbuck’s concoction. I laid in bed dressed and chatted and joked about my new situation with my folks while we waited on transportation to come get me. We finally got a call that they were on the way, and my step dad went to get the car to meet us at the front door. I got in the back seat so I could spread out. With my left leg across the seat and the other stretched out, made for a comfortable ride home.

Once home, I tried to get things organized upstairs in the man cave, where the recliners are. Pillow, blanket and remote, I was set. Getting in and out of the recliner proved to be more trouble and painful than it was worth. So off to the bed, and I’ve been here every since. Lots of pillows behind me, a bed tray with the laptop is very comfortable. I have spent as much time in bed as possible with ice bags. Getting out of bed the first few days was tricky, but keeping the scrotum off the bed till I get to the edge of the bed makes it much easier.