TVH - Princess Dany's Hyster Story - Hystersisters Hysterectomy Article

		HysterSisters > Vaginal Hysterectomy Stories Articles
TVH - Princess Dany's Hyster Story

TVH - Princess Dany's Hyster Story

From the Vaginal Hysterectomy Stories Articles List

HysterSisters Articles

Options to Hysterectomy
Pre-Op Hysterectomy
Post-Op Hysterectomy
Hormone and Menopause
Intimacy after Hysterectomy
Fitness after Hysterectomy
GYN Cancer
Hysterectomy Stories
Ask A Doctor

Bright and early (well, not so bright, but very early), in a snow-storm, I headed for the castle, on December 14th, 2000. I had to be at the castle by 6:15, therefore headed out of the house at 5:30, after a night of very little sleep.

I arrived to the castle on time, but the Emergency, where I was to first report, was swamped, so I had to wait a little. After signing all the documents and paying for the phone, I head for the third floor. There, they set out to get me ready for my TAH/BSO with Rectocele repair: I don the beautiful

gown, the backless type, the nurse starts the IV, the aide shaves and two nurses try to insert the catheter. Turns out that my delivery of huge babies (9 lbs 9 and 9 lbs 2) has damaged me too much and we will have to wait until I'm under to get the catheter in (so sorry - NOT). Now, all I have to do is wait until they come and get me for my 9:15 surgery. The wait isn't so long, especially since I chat most of it away with my co-roomer, who had a tummy tuck the day before.

The porter is in to get me, with a weelchair. I don the nice

slippers - one size fits all are WAYYYY too big for my size 5 feet

. They I hop in the wheel chair where I'm covered in a heated flannalette blanket.

While I wait in the holding room, I learn for the first time that my doctor is considering trying a TVH - first time I hear of this possibility, so I don't hold my breath. However, once I'm in the OR and have hopped on the OR table, he confirms that he will investigate the possibility, once I'm under: I'll know when I wake up. While he's talking, the anesthologist (sp?) straps me up, I'm given oxygen and something to calm me down before she starts the stuff that sends me to la-la land in no time at all.

The next thing I know, I'm waking up with a lot of pain.... vaginal pain!!! Yes: he was able to do a vaginal hyst!!! Hurrah. I'm then hit with the greatest wave of nausea I've ever felt, which immediately prompts the nurses to have me lie on my side. While they're explaining how the PCA works, my doctor drops in to confirm that I had a TVH and a technician takes a blood sample from the vein in my right hand. By then, the morphine is acting and I'm in much less pain. Shortly after, I head for my room.

The rest of the first day is spent in pain, hitting the PCA to obtain pain relief, sleeping, and back to pain, PCA and sleeping. DH does come in to visit, but I send him home, since I'm sleeping in his face.

At some point during the evening, I notice that my hands and fingers are very swollen, but the nurse says not to worry, that it is due to loosing a lot of blood. Off to sleep I go again. I do try to eat, but am hit by a wave a nausea after the first bite.

During the night, they took the PCA away, because they noticed I wasn't breathing very well. After a few hours of practically no pain relief, they give it back to me. I am not in a lot of pain, but do not have anything else to relieve the pain. I ask to be put on tylenol only, but they can't because of the PCA and they can't remove the PCA until I haven't hit it more than twice in two hours.

In early morning, I eat a liquid breakfast and am able to keep it down. Then, they try to have me stand, walk and sit. Within minutes I feel so bad that I think I'm gonna pass out. The nurse blames it on the PCA. However, a little while later, her colleagues confirm that it is caused by my very low hemoglobin level (7.7). They call the doctor and he prescribes iron. OOOf, escaped the transfusion!! They have me back in bed, on my side where I remain for the rest of the morning.

In the morning, they remove the packing - ladies, that backing created soooo much pressure, that it accounted for 80% of my pain!!! - and the catheter - boy did that hurt :'(
A little while later, they removed the PCA and the IV. I'm now medicated on tylenol 3 and look a lot less sick.

In the afternoon, I feel my bladder very full, causing a lot of pain, but, try as I may, I can't get it to work. A bladder scan confirms that there are 600 mls of urine in there and that I have to get it to work, or the catheter goes. I've already tried drinking water, drinking cranberry juice, running water, walking, nothing works and I'm very desparate. Finally, the nurse sits me in sitsbath full of lukewarm water and run the water: it works... a bit. For the longest time, I can only get it to work by running water and immersing my hands in cold water. I still have to run water. My doctor explained that he didn't touch it, but that it was affected since the fibroid was so large, hence the problems having it work properly.

During the night, I start having really, really bad

pain. I get them to pass by walking up and down the hall and by drinking water, which also works to get my bladder up to par. I finally get to sleep 'til morning.

After breakfast, I have my first shower... Wow... Did it ever drain me out. Took the rest of the day to get back up to par!!! Its unreal what we take for granted: taking a shower, peeing, passing

, etc... so simple, right? When we're healthy that is.

I feel a lot better on Sundy, but opt to remain an extra day - I figure I can rest better in the hospital, than at home with two children. By then, I'm on regular tylenol, in order to reduce constipation, since I'm also taking iron. The day is spent sleeping, walking, eating, reading and not doing much more. I have a few visitors, but just enough to bar the loneliness but to allow me to sleep. In the evening, the nurse gives a suppository, since I have yet to have a BM. It works, a little. But it helps soooo much with the

pain, that I get to sleep all night, from 9:00 pm to 5:00 am.

I have an early shower and settle down until breakfast. The doctor releases me early on. Around 8:30, I start to pack and dress. I give the flowers I receive to the front desk, since I can't take them with me. They're happy. I got good service, they derserved it. Once I'm finished dressing, I'm hit by a weak spell and the nurse tells me to take it easy while she calls a porter. I arrive home, by taxi, since dh had to work. It was worth the expense, to be able to rest for another day.

I'm glad to be home, but it's harder to rest. My daughter is only 5 years old but she's not in school yet and is bored and is prone to tantrums. I also overdid it big time last night by walking to the convenience store and back: it's just a 10 minute walk, but it drained me completely!!

Today, my bowels finally worked properly. Wow did it hurt.

All in all, I'm doing a lot better than I thought I would be and am really glad I did it: I'm not even spotting any more!!! Yahoo!!

Printer Friendly Version

TVH - Positive Post-op Story - it's not always so bad!

TVH - Princess Lavendergrey's Castle Story

Find A Doctor Near You

Marshall Bovelsky, M.D. 200 Banning St Suite 320 Dover DE 19904 302-674-0223	Cherise Hamblin, M.D. 694 Good Drive Lancaster PA 17601 717-544-3737	Terry Grogg, M.D. 4461 S Broadway Suite 200 Suite 200 Grove City OH 43123 614-875-0444
Ellen Wilson, M.D. 5323 Harry Hines Blvd - Dept of OBGYN Dallas TX 75390 214-648-4747	Leonard Rosen, M.D. 3650 Joseph Siewick Dr. #203 Fairfax VA 22033 703-391-1500	Sean Kossari, M.D. 14901 Rinaldi Street Suite 320 Mission Hills CA 91345 818-365-1616
David Shifrin, M.D. 3001 Coral Hills Dr., Suite 300 Coral Springs FL 33065 954-341-2916	Melanie Bone, M.D. 5301 S. Congress Ave. Atlantis FL 33462 561-548-8600	Stephanie Cross, M.D. 1932 Alcoa Hwy Knoxville TN 37920 865-546-1642

Receive support and resources for your hysterectomy related needs: