Labiaplasty, Perineoplasty, Prolapse repair with Dr. Castillo

Labiaplasty, Perineoplasty, entrocyle & rectocele repairs & a mid-urethral sling procedure for stress incontinence done with Dr. Castillo.

I hope this review helps out anyone who is seeking information or considering this type of surgery. I do need to say that everyone's experience is unique in some ways. My experience, may or may not be like yours. (Please note that I wrote this review each day as I was healing and so some of the grammar maybe mixed with past and present tense. I briefly went over this before posting and attempted to correct some issues but not all.)

I started this journey because I had some undesired symptoms that I was experiencing that I wanted to fix.

When I met Dr. Castillo, he was soft spoken and professional. His staff was friendly and the office/clinic was nice looking and clean.

During the exam, he pointed out several issues he was able to see. After the exam, he took his time explaining things and answering any questions that I had. I didn't feel rushed like one of the previous doctors made me feel.

During the next appointment, I had lots of questions and he took his time answering them. I had questions about the pros and cons of surgery and I definitely had questions about the use of mesh in surgery. I probably drove him crazy with all my questions but he was patient and explained everything to me.

While gearing up for surgery, I STILL had tons of concerns and questions for Dr. Castillo. I was concerned about the use of mesh and weight limit restrictions after surgery mostly, and he answered them all without rushing me. I must admit, this is one of the qualities about him that I liked, he hasn't made me feel rushed at all like cattle or just a number.

My surgery took place at the Washington Surgery center in Freemont California. The entire staff was friendly and accommodating. Everyone from the in-take clerk, nurses, and doctors were friendly.
Once prepped for surgery, Dr. Castillo came in to speak to me one last time to go over everything and answer any questions that i had. This actually made me feel a little better and less nervous.

The first thing I remember after surgery is being woken up by being wheeled into an elevator and then to my recovery room where I spent the night. When I woke up from surgery, i didn't feel any pain, I'm guessing because of the drugs that were given to me.

During the night, I was being cared for by 2 nurses. Through out the night, the pain was tolerable if I was on medication. On a scale of 1-10, 10 being the highest amount of pain, Id say that the lowest amount of pain I felt was a 3 when the medicine kicked in and a 10 when it wore off. I was given narcotics every couple of hours to kill the pain and watched tv all night. To be honest, I only dosed off for short periods of time because the pain would come and go. I didn't scream in agony or anything but i did shake like i was cold due to being nervous and in pain at times.

I had a catheter inserted and it felt great not having to pee all the time. I drank lots of water and didn't have to get up to go to the bathroom once!

Around 5:30am, the nurse came in and took my catheter out and removed the packed gauze from my vagina. I thought it was going to hurt more than it did to remove it but it didn't hurt that bad. (a level 2 at the most but it only took 5 seconds to remove it.)

Then I had to go try to pee on my own. It took a while, several minutes, but I was able to pee. I had to produce a certain amount of urine or else I would have to go home with a catheter for a couple of days, thank God I was able to pee. After that, someone from the lab came and took some blood and left.

Not being attached to the catheter anymore and when the pain meds were working, i was able to get up and move around the room a little bit to go to the bathroom, the sink, or get what ever i needed to.

Around 7am, a smiling Dr. Castillo came to my room to check on me. He asked how I was doing and examined me. He gave me my written prescriptions and once I left the surgery center, I headed to Walgreens to get them filled.

Che car ride wasn't to bad, it was uncomfortable and a little painful but not excruciating considering the meds.

Day 1-When I got home, I thought id be a lot more tired than I was feeling due to reading others experiences on the internet but I wasn't. The only times when I was tired was when the narcotics would kick in. The pain was alternating just like in the hospital, it would go down when the meds would kick in and go up around the 3-4 hour mark.

So, the 1st day, I basically spend in bed but i did get up and walk around the house if i needed something. I had to keep reminding myself not to attempt to pick up anything heavier than a couple pounds. When I went to go pee, it did sting a little and a little bit of blood did come out of my urine but i was not alarmed since I just had surgery.

Later on in the day, i was curious, and took a look in he mirror at the new me, and it was swollen and purple! When the pain meds wore off, it hurt! The incisions hurt as well. They looked like they were split open and bleeding. I thought that I might have gotten so swollen that the incisions busted open. This concerned me.

It stung every time i peed and patted myself. The clitoris area stung as well. I emailed Dr. Castillo just to be sure that everything is suppose to be like this and he assured me that everything was normal. He said that the incisions look like that so i wouldn't get suture marks. He responded to my email promptly.
I didn't sleep straight through the night, i did have to re-adjust myself a lot to get comfortable and take pain meds.

Day 2-The next morning, I noticed that i haven't had a bowel movement in a couple of days. I was told the narcotics cause constipation, and was advised to take colace and miralax to help with this. I have been trying to eat a high fiber diet these last couple of days even though my appetite hasn't been very high. I can feel my body starting to bloat and my stomach starting to stick out.

I took one strong pain pill in the morning and quit taking them due to this constipation. Im relying strictly on the ibuprofen now. My vagina hurts......and is still swollen and purple. I go to the bathroom and notice more blood in my urine. I know that Im suppose to start my period any day now so Im unsure if this is from my period or if it is actual blood in my urine.
Through out the day, Im peppered with periods of pain with me laying in bed and periods of me walking around the house, eating fiber rich foods like berries an watching tv.

In the evening towards bed time, I notice having to urinate more frequently. I will pee and 3 minutes later, Im having to pee again. This keeps me from having a restful sleep. Im having cramps like I do when Im on my period yet the pad im wearing only has just a little blood on it. The cramps hurt like hell and i have to lay down in bed. At times i am moaning in pain but not screaming. I contemplating calling Dr. Castillo but decide to hold off to see if these symptoms go way.

Day 3- This morning I wake up this morning having to pee. I look in the toilet as i urinate and see blood in the stream. My vagina burns. I get up, go back to bed and get right back up to pee again. More blood.

I take ibuprofen and the rest of my meds without the hydrocodone. As much as i want to take the narcotics, I still haven't had a bowel movement and so i resist. At this point, im bloated, in pain, my vagina hurts like hell, I have to pee all the time, the pad is sticking to my incisions, and I'm kinda getting nervous.

I try to resist going right back to the bathroom because i literally JUST WENT a minute ago, now I'm leaking blood into my pad. I decide to email Dr. Castillo to get advice. I send an email around 7 am and he responds back promptly. He lets me know that he thinks, i could be a developing uti and says that he will call in an antibiotic prescription for me at the pharmacy.

FINALLY, around 3pm, i have a bowel movement. it wasn't as much as I hoped but at least it was something. It also wasn't painful, the wiping/cleaning was more painful than the actual bowel movement itself.

Day 4- I wake up with energy and little pain. I take my med as prescribed. I go urinate and I'm not peeing blood like yesterday, i only see a little bit of blood when i wipe. I put more Neosporin on my labia.

I walk around the house and make myself a bowl of oatmeal and add a banana to it. After breakfast, I feel like I need to have another bowel movement. YES! I go to the bathroom, it doesn't hurt coming out.

It is around 7pm and I am in bed. I went to urinate again, bloody. My vagina still hurts and my labia hurt as well. I'm poring water on it while I pee.

I don't feel like doing anything but watch tv. Later on in the evening i ended up taking a hydrocoene because the pain was so severe. I was in tears.

Day 5- I only got short naps last night. I took another hydrocodone pill again this morning. Today, I had my 1 week follow up (actually 5 day post op-appointment) I got to the clinic, in pain. Castillo wanted to remove the sutures. The pain was so intense. One of the worst pains I have ever felt.

We tried to numb it up with lidocaine gel, then ice, then numbing shots. I'm sure it helped numb some parts of my vagina/labia area, but trust me when I say this, I could totally feel the pain in certain parts, especially the upper parts near my clitoris. I was scream profanities in the office, it took probably a good almost 2 hours just to remove a few stiches.

The stiches at the bottom, were just going to have to wait. The pain of removal was THAT BAD. Once this was over, Castillo was talking to me and giving me instructions but I could hardly pay attention to what he was saying.

I must say, the pain in the labia/vagina area is no longer a 8 or 9. it is now a 2 or 3, alternating. The pain that I can feel mostly is in my left abdomen/groin area. Its a sharp pain. Pain level is about a 3 or 4, alternating.

Day 15- pain level alternates between a 2 and 6, depends on the activity I am doing or did. I can sit uncomfortable on one butt check if needed for a short period of time.
I have taken car rides, and prefer to lay in the back seat. After a bowel movement, when cleaning, it is painful in the perineoplasty area, feels like I'm ripping myself a little.

General feeling through out the day is like I was riding a horse. The swelling has gone down alot but still just a little swollen. It's not as purple as before. I am bleeding like a light period. The area where my clitoris is and where the pee comes out kinda hurts, its constant. Pain level is about a 2 or 3 and goes up when I pee.

My left side of my groin hurts sometimes, sometimes it's a dull achy cramps feeling with a pain level around a 2 but then can go up to around a 4 or 5.

Day 22- I started driving by myself a couple of days ago. I went to the grocery store. I had to walk slow but was ok. I had to remember not to purchase anything heavy. When I'm sitting upright in the car, I can feel what feels like period cramps in my groin/fallopian tube area. The pain level is about a 2 or 3. I assume its because of the position of being upright in the seat. Maybe from pressure. One thing to note is, be careful of the weight of the car door when opening and closing it. Your not suppose to lift, push, or pull anything heavier than 5 pounds during the 1st 6 weeks and I have noticed that the car door does cause a slight strain. Also, consider the weight of the shopping cart when your pushing it.

The discharge has become lighter in color. I have been changing my pad many times a day and cleaning my vagina area several times a day with a warm wash cloth besides my daily shower. I have started wearing panty liners instead of pads the last couple of days as well.

I have been itchy down there and it has been stinging also while I pee. I started taking probiotics and cranberry pills the last two days and it seems to have started to clear up a little. Also when I pee, the urine has started to become more clear and less bloody.

I am not completely pain free but am significantly in less pain than 1 or 2 weeks ago. I still have a sharp tugging pain on my left side of my fallopian tube area that extends around to my back although not a strong as within the 1st 2 weeks. I still feel like I rode a horse sometimes when I walk. The pain in my lower part of my body internally feels like a sore 3-ish.

Day 26- Its itchy & It stings. Pain level is around a 3-ish. The area where the stiches are in the perinalplasty hurt and sting.

Day 32- I noticed that yesterday and today, the soreness has become less than it was a few days ago. When going number 2 in the bathroom, it doesn't hurt to wipe. I don't feel like I am being ripped in half. It is still tender, don't get me wrong, but I do feel a lot less pain. If I had to put the pain on a scale, Id say it is a bout a 1 when I wipe. However, when I urinate, I still do feel discomfort. I want to say that it stings and burns but not really. Its really hard to describe what it feels like.

When it comes to the feeling of having to pee, I feel like I did before I had surgery. Not worse, not less.

Day 33...itchiness seems to be dissipating a little.

Day 37...last couple days didn't feel any pain really, until yesterday.
Yesterday, I seen a little blue stitch in my underwear. I took a mirror gently spread my lips apart and seen a blue stich. Mind you, my vag has been itching like crazy at times, including the last couple of days. So, I took a qtip and tried to just tap the stitch to see if it would just come out. Nope. So, I sanitized some tweezers and gently tugged on the stitch but it was still attached to something. I left it alone. My vag was sore for a couple of hours just from that little tiny gentle tug.

2 months after surgery....Sex felt different than before surgery. I read that on some reviews of people who's had this surgery, when they had sex afterwards, that it hurt. Well, when I had sex, I was anticipating major pain from reading all the reviews but it didn't hurt to bad. It was sore afterwards, and I hope I didn't rip or tear. I hope it does stretch out a little more over time, not to much tough, just a tad.

3 months after surgery- So far, everything has been worth the pain. I haven't leaked during exercise, coughing, sneezing, or laughing. Sex is way better.

Would I recommend this surgery to a friend?
Yes.
Perinialplasty?
YES
Sling?
So far, everything seems to be working out....
Enterocele & Rectocele?
As far as sex life becoming better if these issues are causing pain during intercourse, and after heavily waying the risk vs benefits (weight restrictions) factors, so far so good.....
Labiaplasty?
yes
Would I recommend Dr. Castillo & his staff to anyone?
Yes. My experience with him has been good so far.
Does the doctor establish a relationship with the patient? In my experience, yes. And I find this question to be important. You never wanted to be treated just like a number.

Things you might want to consider before surgery-
Unless you at the type of person that knows the exact day your period comes every month, its probably better to plan your surgery date right after you have your period. Once out of surgery, you can clearly know if your having any bleeding complications due to surgery or your period. This will help put your mind at ease.

Have an open mind about the pros vs cons, risk vs benefits. Consider the time period you will need to heal and also what you have to look forward to during the healing process. Note, that with any major surgery, you can and probably will go through the "buyer remorse" period after surgery. I know I did, I am a naturally anxious person and react vs respond to things and so this process has been stressful and painful but so far, totally worth it.

Things to consider purchasing before surgery-
Item grabber reaching aid- a stick with a grabber/pincher mechanism on the end to help you pick up things or reach and get things. You wont be doing to much bend after surgery. You can probably pick one up at any pharmacy for somewhere between $12-$20

baby wipes- after surgery, your going to ooze blood. You may want to keep this area as clean as possible to insure proper and fast healing. I cleaned myself several times a day. Also, when you have a bowel movement, its much easier to clean with these. Don't forget, for the first month after surgery (prolasp/perinalplasty), your going to have allsorts of discharge which will have a slight odor to it. Its part of the healing process. I cleaned myself A LOT during this time. You can pick up some baby wipes almost anywhere, usually between $1-$4

Neosporin- I happened to have some in my house. The next few days out of surgery, I was oozing and then drying. The Neosporin helped me out but you might want to double check with your doctor on this. You can purchase it almost anywhere, usually between $3-$8

juice & prunes, high fiber foods- The pain meds, the opioids will constipate you. You will become uncomfortably bloated. It may help to add more fiber to your diet.

miralax & colace- You want the bowel movements to be as smooth as possible without straining. You have to remember not to strain your muscles when doing this after surgery.

pads & panty liners (unscented)- You are going to bleed and have discharge after surgery. Make sure you get unscented, you don't want to irritate that area during the healing phase. plus, your going to itch, you want everything down there to be non-irritating as possible.

slippers or flip flops- you are not going to want to bend down to put on or take off your shoes.

comfy clothes like sweat pants- you are not going to want to wear anything from the waist down for a month.....just get the next best thing, sweat pants.

cranberry supplements- You might want to ask your doctor about this and check your medication interaction with this one. But having surgery down there and having a catheter stuck up there, you could develop a uti, I think this may help prevent one?

Last edited 04/18/16 at the request of the reviewer