Day 4 & 5 - 1st stage thigh free flap phalloplasty

Day 4

2^nd  day post op

My skin graft donor site still oozing a lot. The nurse had to change my dressing again. My right leg (skin graft donor site) was in stinging pain. I would score it 5/6 from the scale 1 to 10 where 10 is the most painful. I don’t particularly feel any pain on my left leg but it’s very weak. I am not able to lift my left leg up and down from the bed and need help from the nurse to do so.

Today I finally get out of bed with the help of the nurse. The nurse help to wash me while I am sitting in the washroom.

The physiologist visit me today to show me how to do exercise and how to walk again. She bring some walking frame for me after gauging how much support I need by holding her hand while walking. She also told me to do breathing exercise as well. Standing up and take a deep breath so that my lung will expend to the maximum. She was with me for around 20mins I think.

I lost my appetite after breakfast. I think it was because I get out of bed, I feel sick as well. I was controlling my breathing to stop myself from throwing up. I then just lay on the bed to rest and felt a lot better later in the evening. I have some biscuits and tea around 4pm.

I also open my bowel for the first time, it was done with a little struggle. I felt very sleepy and tired.

I spend my time watching the TV and lying on bed.

I have my blood pressure, temperature, O2 level and phallo pulse check every 2 hours.

While I was in pain and lying down on the bed helplessly, I actually question myself. I asked myself why did I put myself through all these. I was a healthy fit young lad 3 days ago and now I am a helpless guy lying on the bed with so much pain. I guess I wasn’t mentally prepare for all these post-surgery effect. It just too much to take.

Day 5

3^rd day post op

I felt a lot better today and my appetite is back to normal. My blood pressure, temperature, O2 level and pulse were checked every 4 hours instead or 2. My neo-phallo is strong and healthy.

The physiologist visit me in the morning after the breakfast. The physiologist suggest me to use crutches instead of frame today, and it turn out that I would do with just walking stick. She teach me how to walk with walking stick and tell me try to walk around more. I could get out of bed more easily today however my left leg is still very weak.

I decided to wash my hair as my hair was very greasy. I sat on the chair in the toilet and wash my hair by leaning over to the bathtub and used the shower.

I was told that the doctor suggest to expose the skin graft area to the air. Well, that was… hell… It was so painful. I score it 20+++ on the scale 1 to 10. I was grueling on my bed, it was too painful that I had to buzz the nurse and ask for more pain killer. I tried to listen to music and calm myself down, I tried to sleep to ignore the pain but it was just too much. Initially the plan was to expose it for more than 2 hours but the nurse cover it earlier as she see that I was in so much pain. After the covering the wound I still can feel a very strong pain in there. I would scale it 7 / 8. 

My right leg which have horrible pain. Skin graft donor site.