Surgery Fears

[Guest Zenda]

Kia Ora all it’s me again,

Ummm surgery fears...Now I’m no masochist but I welcomed the ‘short’ period of physical pain that followed after my surgery … I was in hospital for six nights and in pain for a least another six - not major pain just hurt when I sat down or tried to cross my legs…I had the more intrusive surgical procedure ‘colonvaginoplasty’ - beggars can’t be choosers when it comes to government funding - where they go into your stomach through your belly button and left and right sides just below and fiddle about with your colon - they pull it down to line the vaginal passage…

Was I scared/fearful ? Hell no !... My reasoning at the time was simple…. It had taken me many years to over come the mental anguish/’pain’ caused by my condition…what’s a few days of putting up with physical pain if its going to rectify my problem? …And was it painful??? Well the simple answer’s no -I was asleep at the time…but when I woke up Oh yeah boy was it bloody painful - till…that is the morphine kicked in…watching pictures come to life and begin walking around the walls of the room is enough to make anyone forget their pain…plus it was better than watching the crap on television at the time…

I personally feel ‘cost’ is the number one reason for many not having surgery [if I hadn’t been selected for ‘government funded’ surgery no way in the world would I have been able to afford GAS] ….’Fear’ for some being a close second-they might have the necessary funds but worrying about the ‘what ifs’ and the pain that follows…

Remember the saying… “There’s nothing to fear but fear its self !” and fear’s just a big ‘sissy’ really…What’s the worse thing that can happen??? And if it does…what can you do about it??? If you can do something about it - why worry??? and if you can’t - what’s the point in worrying ???

I ‘m putting this question into the pre/non op ‘transsexual’ arena…I’m sure some of your answers will help others in some way…

What’s stopping YOU and I mean YOU the eligible[those who are old enough] ‘transsexual’ readers from having the big ‘O’? Is it cost, fear, medical or other reasons ?

I’m fully aware that NOT all transsexual people feel the need to have surgery… I’m sure your reasons for not doing so will also be of interest to others…

Ps Please don’t be offend by my somewhat warped sense of humor…I found when I stopped taking life so seriously I really started to live and enjoy it !!! {This switch in mind set occurred well before my surgery}…

Metta Jendar

[Guest Chris_421]

My issue is the cost. And I'm talking just about top surgery. But a fear other than cost or anything, is well I'm afraid to have nausea from the anesthetics(?) and be sick. lol, it just freaks me out.

[Guest StrandedOutThere]

I'm afraid of the anesthesia in general. A lot of times it is the most dangerous part of surgery. I'm so afraid of it that I wouldn't even get my wisdom teeth out.

[Guest Drew]

My issue is the cost. And I'm talking just about top surgery. But a fear other than cost or anything, is well I'm afraid to have nausea from the anesthetics(?) and be sick. lol, it just freaks me out.

yeah, i'm the same. i have a real aversion to throwing up...understandable...but stupid.

[Guest Jack Solomon]

My single experience with general anesthesia left me a little woozy for about 24 hours post-op (I kept falling asleep). I had nose surgery. I was not throwing up sick or anything like that, although I don't think I wanted to eat - my stomach might have felt mildly nauseous and just overall not very hungry. I REALLY have a issue with throwing up but I found that I actually didn't have any points where I was close to doing so. Mostly, I was just drifting in and out of sleep for the day and night following surgery. There's always slight risk with general anesthesia and I was a little nervous about that going in. However, as it turned out the after effects of the general anesthesia were fairly mild compared to the other aches and pains of the healing process. My face was swollen to the point of being unrecognizable for 3-4 days and I looked like I had two black/green eyes. This was because my post-op facial swelling was gauged in the 90th percentile, or in other words, unluckily high. I really hope the non-facial surgeries in my future don't swell as much!

I can't stress enough that everyone's body will react differently to surgery, and some will experience more tissue swelling/bruising than others. I've even heard some lucky folks experience very little soreness and minimal bruising in the chest area after chest surgery.

Personally, I don't have many fears about the surgeries themselves but rather the after-math - recovery time. I plan to get the works eventually - chest surgery, total hysterectomy/vaginectomy, SRS. Like others, what will ultimately put things off is the cost more than anything else. The one I am least looking forward to (in terms of dreading the recovery time) is probably the total hysterectomy/vaginectomy. That one's gonna be unpleasant, to say the least. However, it's also probably the surgery I feel is the most vital for me to have, so I guess I'll just straw inhaler it up and go for it when I get to the point of having the money! In my mind, the end result is what makes it worth it in the end.

Solomon

[Guest Amanda_Henderson]

I have one the money issue for reason that I have not done SRS, I also have a fear of a few things, I wont wake up, or I will wake up in the middle of surgary biggest one, but I am willing to up all my fears aside just to have this one surgary, My best friend said that she will take the time off work to go down there for my surgary, I am more relaxed now that I do have a very close friend in Trinadad when I have it done.

[Guest Seth]

I'm not scared about anything. Money, pain, nothing.

[Guest harvester52]

The only thing I'm really afraid of is the aftermath of top surgery, particularly, the drains. My aunt had to have a mastectomy because she had the breast cancer gene. She had the drains, and she was so miserable because of them. Anything else doesn't bother me. I have a really high pain tolerance. Pain has never bothered me. As for money... I can always earn some.

[Guest Drew]

yeah, the drains really freaked me out too. i think the only way i managed to not throw up and pass out was by not looking at them. taking them out was actually the worst part.

[Guest Seth]

My mom had to get her gall bladder taken out, so she had a drain. When they removed it, she said it hurt so bad she couldn't breath.

[Guest Drew]

My mom had to get her gall bladder taken out, so she had a drain. When they removed it, she said it hurt so bad she couldn't breath.

yeah, getting drains taken out was extremely painful in my experience.

[Guest jessi72]

my biggest reason is the money. I don't have it so I don't see anyone doing it for free. I don't really fear it at all. I am actualy wanting it to happen so bad that I think it makes what fears I did have obsolete. If it wern't for the money, I would be there right now. Oh well, come on lotery, or some respected surgeon that has a very big heart.

Jessi

[Guest Seth]

The drains might make me a bit nervous.

[Guest raydub]

money is really the only thing stopping me. both to pay for the surgery, to pay bills, etc while i cant work due to recovering from surgery, to pay for the possible trip to wherever the surgery is happening...all of that.

other than that.. PUT ME UNDER and lets GET A MOVE ON!

Ray

[Guest KyleMicheal]

blood. tears. pain.

I have a heart condition.

I pass out at the thought of organs and surgery and stuff like that.

It makes me light-headed now.

[Guest Sheila]

being poor is preventing me from having srs. i wouldn't hesitate for a moment otherwise. however i have had numerous surgeries. over a dozen on my leg alone. then there was my gall bladder. then abdominal for a twisted intestine. also had surgery on my teeth since i'm allergic to lidacaine and benzacaine. being i can't have a local the oral surgeon would only pull my teeth under general anesthesia. my first few surgeries i was scared. a small percentage of people die each year from general anesthesia. a very small percentage. not trying to freighten anyone but these are the facts. knowing i would be all right when i went under didn't make me less scared though. i now just get the butterflies in my stomach before surgery. just an overall nervous feeling. i did wake up once during a debreeding percedure. the i.v. blew, i have small veins, and i remember putting up a fight. they were all on top of me trying to hold me down and i started to stuggle with them. i even remember saying, it'll take 10 of you blankity blanks to hold me down and actually was able to get into a situp position before they were able to put me under again. i felt bad for the anesthesiaoligist as she hurried to get a new i.v. started and the doctor yelling to her to hurry up. i'll never forget the look on her face. afterwards i thought about it and remember feeling no pain when all of this was happening.. they had already started cutting on me. i must add though that this is a very rare occurrence and wouldn't worry about it. the bottom line is, my vein blew. now the pain aspect is why i dread going into surgery. i always woke up in some of the worse pain i've ever had. but let me be quick to add, they are right there administrating pain meds directly into your i.v. and get your pain under control right away. but to me that was the worse part of all of the surgeries i had. believe me, after all of my experiences, i would have srs right now if i could.

sheila