Prescriptions - post surgery care

This entry is specially for those that is UK residences where you pay for your prescriptions. Post surgery I have given prescriptions to buy more dressings and antibiotic. I would have been very broke if I have to pay for each of the prescription. I did some research on Prescription Prepayment Certificate as I have came across it few years ago when I was searching for the best way to pay for my hormones.

Basically how PPC works.
You pay

£29.10 for a three months certificate
or
£104.00 for a 12 months certificate.

Following is the link about the PPC.
http://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/1127.aspx

Within the valid date, you can have as many prescriptions you need. Which mean if you have more than 4 prescription in 3 months it will be worth it to get a PPC as 4 x £7.85 = £31.40.

The PPC can be back dated one month. So it is not a hurry to buy the PPC before / once you are discharge from the hospital. If you wasn't prescribe dressing you might not need to PPC. However I think it will be probably worth getting it as most of us need to ask for more antibiotics.

I was only discharge with one mepitel and no other dressing, while my practice nurse run out of the dressing that I need. I was being prescribed and told to order them as it will be quicker.

I end up request for my GP to prescribe me some Nebido and some other stuff. I make sure that I get the maximum out from the PPC. I was luckily that my GP is very nice and understanding. He prescribe me some moisturizer, bio-oil and etc. So, think about what else you will need and get it prescribe while your certificate is still valid.

Back dated the PPC - Make sure you asked for FP57 receipt before you have the PPC. I was luckily that I rang up the pharmacy and asked if I still can claim it as I did not ask for FP75 at the time I paid. The pharmacist told me that she will get it sorted for me. I also have one prescription which I get from boost pharmacy without asking the FP75. Boost pharmacist/assistants gave me the FP75 form to fill and refund me when I gave them the receipt. I knew some of the pharmacy reluctant/ will not  can't refund if you did not ask for FP75 when you paid for prescription. If you forget to ask for that, called up the chemist as ask if they can do something about it, if not, do not back date your PPC!

Post Op Preparation

Post Op Preparation.

I have tried to prepare as must as possible before I become ‘disable’ for few weeks. I was told to have my thigh sutures remove two week post op and phallo sutures three week post op.

Word of advice: Make sure your GP and the nurse is nice and supportive! If not change immediately. Make appointment with your GP and the nurse to chat about your operation and book with that nurse for at least 1 hour appointment for your sutures removal.

Now back to my experience, I make appointment and speak to my GP about my surgery and post op care that I need. I told my GP I need longer appointment and he said he will book double appointment (30mins). At the time, I didn’t know that it takes more than 1hour to remove those sutures on my thigh (or arm). My GP ring me the day before my surgery and assure that he have make the double appointment with the nurse for me.

So I went to my nurse for suture removal after 2 weeks post op… and my nurse remove my dressing and she went into panic mood. There were more than 50 sutures to remove and it was covered in blood crust. She then tell said I was only booked for 15mins appointment and she have to book me back on Monday for 1 hour appointment and she will get my GP to involve helping me to remove the sutures. She removed all the staples and it feel so good to have them removed!
I then checked with Mr Christopher if I could remove my thigh sutures when I am going down for my 3 weeks post op sutures removal with the clinic nurse. He said that’s find so I leave it to that. I think my phallo was not supported properly and it create a ‘folding line’. Over there where the blue nylon sutures were start to get slightly infected.

I could have let my district nurse or my GP nurse remove the sutures on my phallo (after 3 weeks post op). However I opted to go to London and let the clinic nurse remove to sutures to have a peace of mind to know that everything is ok.

3 weeks post op and I am in the nurse clinic with Fiona. I told her that my thigh sutures need to be remove and she wasn’t aware of that. She remove my dressing and start removing the blood crust and the sutures came off easily. She insect and clean my thigh then told me that those are dissolvable sutures and I don’t have to worry about it.  She then removed all the blur nylon sutures the along the bottom of the phallo and around the phallo. She then pass a tube though my neo urethra to check that there isn’t any blockage. She then told me that everything is okay and my phallo does not need to be support with dressing anymore. I was wearing boxer when I went down as my phallo was supported with lots of dressing… and now, the phallo is hanging in my pants… I felt very insecure, felt like the phallo will drop and etc. It is definitely a very weird feeling to have something hanging in between your leg.

So I went back with my phallo sutures removed, fully expose and not supported, my left leg still cover in dressing and my right leg looking good without any dressing on it.

To be continue…