Well, October 21st first came round eeeek!
Now, I'm not one for bricking myself, but I had been warned that this was gonna hurt..ALOT.
So I arrived at the hospital for 8am as instructed, wearing my loose joggers and still unable to wear any knickers so yep, I was commando. I only had little details of what to expect, but as far as I was concerned, I just wanted this flipping itch to go away by hook or crook, or under the knife it would be.
On arrival, I bimbled along to the outpatient surgical department, which is closed off to the public, so anxiously I pressed the door intercom, gave my name and was asked to take a seat.
I was asked to take an overnight bag containing my dressing gown, slippers, medications I am on, along with anything else I'd think I'd need for my stay. I also took my Peri-Bottle (fantastic little bottle with a long angled neck to rinse myself if I needed the loo) proper groovy handy gadget they are. Best tenner I've ever spent. I also took my Andrex wipes, bottle of squash (for after the op) and my Nintendo Switch. I'd no idea how long I was gonna be in for so made sure I wasn't gonna get bored.
After a few minutes, I was let in to the "zone". The nurse introduced herself, and told me not to look so worried, she reassured me I'd be taken care of. The nurse showed me to my very own private room, which would be my home for my stay. I had a lockable cupboard, TV on the wall and my own en-suite. It was immaculate. It didn't even have that awful hospital smell, just really clean and quite pleasant.
After about 10 minutes, the anaesthetic fella came in to see me to discuss what was going to happen. He did a few checks, one of which I will not forget...how far can I open my mouth he asked! Well I've never been asked that one before lol. Apparently he was checking this due to the size of the tube he'd need to insert for my anaesthetic! He did also ask about any false or loose teeth, which I was fine on that as I explained only my one front tooth was a veneer due to me breaking my real tooth years before, but it wasn't loose and all was good.
He thoroughly explained what would happen when I went down to theatre, and I was grateful for the explaination.
Soon after, the nurse came back and took my blood pressure, which is always slightly high anyway, but she said it was fine, and then asked me to do another urine sample. Now, as you've read previously, at my pre op, it was discovered that I actually had a water infection that I'd no symptoms of and therefore no idea I even had. Back then as you know I was given antibiotics to get rid of it before my op. Guess what....I still had it!
The nurse didn't return to tell me this, my Gynae appeared in my room and told me this water infection was still present. Grrrr. So I'd basically took a weeks worth of antibiotics for nothing.
Now I started panicking, bear in mind here, I do suffer terribly with anxiety, I mean on the level of a molehill is actually Mount Everest to me.
I immediately asked my Gynae, who could see the sheer panic across my face, "can you still do the operation?" Bless him, he said he can still do the operation and would just back me up with a shed load of antibiotics afterwards, and as I've no water infection symptoms he was happy to continue. Phew (wipes forehead, stops shaking).
He showed me a picture of where the problem was, and was still totally convinced this was more than Lichen Sclerosis as it hadn't responded to anything he'd prescribed to me beforehand. So the molehill was Everest again.
He explained that he would be putting a vinegar like solution onto my lady bits, which would then turn any affected areas of my skin pure white, and none affected would remain pink. This would show him what he needed to remove.
Ok, cool! Then he told me it may sting a little. Ok not so cool.
At this time, all he thought was my perineum was affected by this horrendous itching. Graphic pics coming your way so be warned.... this is the area he thought was affected that he would be removing via a WLE (Wide Local Incision). Sorry the pic is a bit naff but you get the idea. So this is basically where my affliction was, and what my gynae was to remove. OUCHEE!! OUCHEE!! ....again, not so simple - of course not...
After the explanation off my gynae chappy, I was kind of ok with what he was to do, and was just relieved this awful itching and burning would soon be history yay.
About an hour later 9am ish, another lovely nurse, and they were all amazing, came to deliver me some fantastic new clothes to change into and measured my little feet's. Feet? Yes, for some sexy socks I had to wear to prevent blood clots. So I changed into my new stunning clobber, a surgical gown (they were smart arses tho, one front ways with hole up arse, and one back ways to not show hole up arse, good thinking Batman) my awesome new socks and I was good to go.
The walk! I was collected soon after I'd changed, for what I didn't expect - a nice stroll to my own operation. So picture this - me in 2 surgical gowns one on normal, one back to front to cover me arse, wearing my hiking boots looking like I really couldn't dress myself off to the operating theatre - what a sight. Oh my days. Thank god no one was around to photo it is all I have to say on that.
The Theatre.
I entered the front of the operating theatre, wearing my sexy clobber and hiking boots, to be asked to remove my boots, which the nurse very kindly took back to my super duper room. What came next I really wasn't expecting.
The anaesthetist now approaches me and says, as I can clearly withstand a certain degree of pain and my pain threshold is quite high, he doesn't want to give me a full anaesthesia. After speaking to my Gynae about my biopsy, and how easily I took the injections for that, he thinks I can cope with a local. If he supplies me with a powerful anti anxiety medication along with liquid very strong paracetamol direct into my veins, I will be fine to stay awake during the procedure! Well holy feck feckity feck. Then he said the magic words...."if you want to do that, you can be home by lunchtime" ...no brainer, I agreed. Oopsie.
I'm walked into the theatre, wow, very very bright lights, good job I'm not a gremlin else they'd be thousands of them popping out. "Bright light, bright light" haha.
I'm lay on a very comfy bed, legs akimbo, stirrups yet again, my Gynae on a stool in between my legs with a light shining right on my mary. Here we goooo....
I had 4 really amazing nurses rushing around me, making sure I was ok, reassuring me I was going to be ok and I was in safe hands, which I didn't doubt for a second. The anaesthetist then straps my right arm (being left handed he didn't want to use that one) for a decent vein and pumped me full of liquid paracetamol and anti anxiety meds. I didn't feel any different at all so sorry, but no spaced out stuff in this theatre.
After a few minutes, my Gynae checked I was good and away we went. The operation began while I was completely awake and fully aware of what was happening to me.
Gynae then started to put his vinegar like solution on my Mary. Well he wasn't wrong - shite that stuff stings.
As he was putting the solution on my mary he was saying to his nurse, "wow this has spread really really fast to when I last saw Sally in clinic which was only 3 weeks ago". He was really really worried. The more solution he added, the more my affected skin on my Vulva turned white - meaning that's what was affected. He was genuinely really shocked at how fast it had spread in just those 3 weeks, even using the cream he gave me. All the time he was checking I was ok as I was awake and could hear him. He then had to make a massive decision on my behalf - remove it all, or leave some as the area had increased massively. He was genuienly really concernced.
He decided we had no other option but remove it all, which now involved not just the WLE (Wide Local Excision) but would now involve a "Skinning Procedure" as well. So basically cutting away the skin from the perineum, and then skinning like a razor over the rest. It had turned into a massive "butterfly" type shape.
Another gross pic ....the highlighted edges are the skinning area he needed to remove!
After 6, yes 6, excrutitiatingly painful needles of local aneathestic, he removed the skin of my perineum via wide local incision, followed by the skinning of the areas that had spread out like a butterfly. God knows where they got the idea I could cope with pain!
Weirdly enough, I actually thanked him for removing it all!! .....
Thanks again for reading - theres more to come.
Don't forget "Know your normal, check, check, check"
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