On the fifth day I was finally off of the demerol. Instead, they gave me prescription strength Ibuprophen. It's bad for my kidneys, but I figured since it's only a few days, what the heck. It wasn't even remotely as bad as the demerol was. The nurses were very nice. I've had several. My favorites were Melissa, Anna, Ryan, and Amanda. They're all very nice, and also attractive. I can't complain about that. I do have complaints about other things though...like the food. It was ok, but by far not the greatest. I was also limited to a low residue/low fiber diet. So all the good stuff on the menu was not an option. I was pretty much eating the same things each day. I got so sick of the food that I didn't eat a full three meals a day. I ate maybe two. I just couldn't stomach it. The best part about that is that I wasn't feeling hunger. The anesthesia was still affecting my system so I couldn't feel my stomach.

I'd have to say the most humiliating thing about being in the hospital was using a bedpan. Throughout the week, they would ask us if we were passing gas. That's a good sign I guess. Eventually, on the third or fourth day, the bowel movements finally happened. I was given a stool softener so it would be easier, but still....ugh. Because of the skin graft, I couldn't push. So if it happened, it happened. Just...I never want to have to use one of those again.

I learned in the hospital why doctors tell guys to turn their head and cough during physicals. I had no idea how much of the body was used to cough, sneeze, or laugh until it happened during that week. Sneezing hurt the most. Thankfully it was rare. But still, ouch.

A friend of mine, Miriam, also stopped in for a visit. I met her at a seminar Dr. Schrang gave. She spoke about her SRS experience with him. She's been very nice and has been trying to give me advice on how to make things go smoother. It was nice to have her stop in and say hi.

I waited a few days to look at my new vagina. I had been asked several times if I wanted to see it, but I turned it down because I wanted it to heal a bit first. Finally I took a look and was very surprised at what I saw. It looked nothing like I expected it to. There was this thick black gauze roll towards the top of it that was soaking up a lot. There were stitches and tubes and such everywhere. I wasn't really sure what I was even looking at. It was a bit of a shock. Over time, that would change though. The nurses were telling me that in three months, it would look like I never had anything but a vagina.

Other than that, Friday was pretty dull. There isn't much to do laying in a hospital bed. I just looked forward to Monday, when the catheter would come out.

Luv,

Jess