Let me start with the ending, I'm fine. Everything was snipped, clipped, prodded, and scraped and a week later I'm wearing pants (with a real button!) and eating like a champ.
Here's the long version....
Monday was prep day, which included 2 bottles of magnesium citrate. This evacuated my bowels with a constant and disgusting urgency. I made S watch TV real loud in the other room. I'm guessing by the end it was just stomach acid, because...ouch!
We woke at the crack of dawn on Tuesday and headed to the hospital. We were both nervous. While we were waiting to get called back an older lady prayed over me, the jewish lesbian. I guess that's what you get when your hospital starts with the word Saint. Actually, she was really nice and really sweet and who knows, maybe she had something to do with the good outcome. They finally called us back and I changed into my hospital issue attire...gown, hair net, compression socks, and these cute purple warm and fuzzy socks that I didn't take off for 3 days. Really.
They wheeled me over to pre-op and S and I said good by. My anesthesiology nurse looked to be about 12 years old and I completely judged her the instant I saw her and (secretly) rolled my eyes, thinking that she was going to butcher my hand trying to get the IV in. 5 minutes later I reprimanded myself (and my very comfortable IV) as I watched the more experienced anesthesiology nurse call for help after several unsuccessful (and bloody) IV attempts on the patient in the bed next to me (he was in for a hip replacement - apparently pre-op is very communal and by the end of my visit I knew everyone's business).
Anyway, just as I was thinking, don't-judge-a-book-by-its-cover, my anesthesiologist introduced himself. His hands were dirty. Disgustingly, disturbingly dirty. Weird smudgy black stuff was caked under his fingernails, in his knuckles, everywhere. (maybe he's a weekend mechanic) I prayed they would start the antibiotics soon.
And then I woke up.
Seriously, anesthesia is a miracle. Up and chatty one minute, sliced, diced, and don't remember a thing the next. The surgery took about 4 hours. The recovery room and transfer to my hospital room remains pretty fuzzy. Once I saw S (oh how happy I was to see S!) and was settled in my room I started to wake up. I was in quite a bit of pain, but within 30 minutes they added morphine to my IV. No pain after that! But VERY sleepy. I slept and slept and slept, the rest of the day and through that night. I just couldn't keep my eyes open.
Although the pain was minimal, going to the bathroom was a nightmare. I could get up and walk over on my own, which was good. But actually getting my body to let go and pee was an act of god. I had to go so bad, but I couldn't. It took crazy amounts of concentration. I even had to ask S to stop making so much noise so I could concentrate on my piss (I am so lucky she puts up with me!). So the night consisted of feeling like I had to be RIGHT THAT SECOND, disconnecting my leg compression wraps, hobbling to the bathroom, concentrating on the toilet, hobbling back, and waiting for it all to happen again 30 minutes later, all mixed in with vital signs checks (ever 4 hours), blood draws, a visit from respiratory therapy, and the wonder and amazement from the nurse tech who was convinced I must already be dead since my blood pressure would not move from 85/55.
I was released after breakfast the next morning (which was nasty, btw). My stomach was hugely swollen for a few days - still is slightly at 7 days out. I have 4 small incisions - 1 in my belly button, 1 on the left of my abdomen, and 2 on the right of my abdomen. I took percocets for the first few days, mostly to help me sleep because I was so uncomfortable. It was definitely hard to walk and move around. But nothing super painful, just hunched over, sore, swollen, and uncomfortable.
My surgeon took out 3 fibroids (1 monster fibroid that took up the entire left side of my uterus. She did not have to cut all the way through to my cavity [YAY] to remove it, which was one of the scenarios I was worried about. There was also 1 small fibroid and 1 pedunculated fibroid. All removed with no problem), 1 polyp (the same same polyp that was removed 2 years ago, hopefully it stays gone for awhile), and many spots of endometriosis (on my bladder, on my ovaries, on both my uterosacral ligaments, in my cul de sac). My pelvis is always such a surprise!
The good news is (and really, I think this surgery came with all good news), I am feeling much better a week later. There were no issues during surgery, everything was removed successfully with the robot (no c-section cut required), and all my path reports came back negative. I've already had my first post-op period (just want you want post-op, right?) and it was virtually pain-free (that might have just been the percocet, but I'm going to attribute it to the new and improved lady bits). Now, I'm benched for 3 months and then...IVF*!
*Pending insurance approval. Bah.
Here's the long version....
Monday was prep day, which included 2 bottles of magnesium citrate. This evacuated my bowels with a constant and disgusting urgency. I made S watch TV real loud in the other room. I'm guessing by the end it was just stomach acid, because...ouch!
We woke at the crack of dawn on Tuesday and headed to the hospital. We were both nervous. While we were waiting to get called back an older lady prayed over me, the jewish lesbian. I guess that's what you get when your hospital starts with the word Saint. Actually, she was really nice and really sweet and who knows, maybe she had something to do with the good outcome. They finally called us back and I changed into my hospital issue attire...gown, hair net, compression socks, and these cute purple warm and fuzzy socks that I didn't take off for 3 days. Really.
They wheeled me over to pre-op and S and I said good by. My anesthesiology nurse looked to be about 12 years old and I completely judged her the instant I saw her and (secretly) rolled my eyes, thinking that she was going to butcher my hand trying to get the IV in. 5 minutes later I reprimanded myself (and my very comfortable IV) as I watched the more experienced anesthesiology nurse call for help after several unsuccessful (and bloody) IV attempts on the patient in the bed next to me (he was in for a hip replacement - apparently pre-op is very communal and by the end of my visit I knew everyone's business).
Anyway, just as I was thinking, don't-judge-a-book-by-its-cover, my anesthesiologist introduced himself. His hands were dirty. Disgustingly, disturbingly dirty. Weird smudgy black stuff was caked under his fingernails, in his knuckles, everywhere. (maybe he's a weekend mechanic) I prayed they would start the antibiotics soon.
And then I woke up.
Seriously, anesthesia is a miracle. Up and chatty one minute, sliced, diced, and don't remember a thing the next. The surgery took about 4 hours. The recovery room and transfer to my hospital room remains pretty fuzzy. Once I saw S (oh how happy I was to see S!) and was settled in my room I started to wake up. I was in quite a bit of pain, but within 30 minutes they added morphine to my IV. No pain after that! But VERY sleepy. I slept and slept and slept, the rest of the day and through that night. I just couldn't keep my eyes open.
Although the pain was minimal, going to the bathroom was a nightmare. I could get up and walk over on my own, which was good. But actually getting my body to let go and pee was an act of god. I had to go so bad, but I couldn't. It took crazy amounts of concentration. I even had to ask S to stop making so much noise so I could concentrate on my piss (I am so lucky she puts up with me!). So the night consisted of feeling like I had to be RIGHT THAT SECOND, disconnecting my leg compression wraps, hobbling to the bathroom, concentrating on the toilet, hobbling back, and waiting for it all to happen again 30 minutes later, all mixed in with vital signs checks (ever 4 hours), blood draws, a visit from respiratory therapy, and the wonder and amazement from the nurse tech who was convinced I must already be dead since my blood pressure would not move from 85/55.
I was released after breakfast the next morning (which was nasty, btw). My stomach was hugely swollen for a few days - still is slightly at 7 days out. I have 4 small incisions - 1 in my belly button, 1 on the left of my abdomen, and 2 on the right of my abdomen. I took percocets for the first few days, mostly to help me sleep because I was so uncomfortable. It was definitely hard to walk and move around. But nothing super painful, just hunched over, sore, swollen, and uncomfortable.
My surgeon took out 3 fibroids (1 monster fibroid that took up the entire left side of my uterus. She did not have to cut all the way through to my cavity [YAY] to remove it, which was one of the scenarios I was worried about. There was also 1 small fibroid and 1 pedunculated fibroid. All removed with no problem), 1 polyp (the same same polyp that was removed 2 years ago, hopefully it stays gone for awhile), and many spots of endometriosis (on my bladder, on my ovaries, on both my uterosacral ligaments, in my cul de sac). My pelvis is always such a surprise!
The good news is (and really, I think this surgery came with all good news), I am feeling much better a week later. There were no issues during surgery, everything was removed successfully with the robot (no c-section cut required), and all my path reports came back negative. I've already had my first post-op period (just want you want post-op, right?) and it was virtually pain-free (that might have just been the percocet, but I'm going to attribute it to the new and improved lady bits). Now, I'm benched for 3 months and then...IVF*!
*Pending insurance approval. Bah.
Glad that it went pretty smoothly! I (also a Jewish-ish lesbian) had surgery in a Catholic hospital once. The intake nurse asked if my partner was my sister, and I woke up to three strangers (hospital employees) staring at me.
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