TVH - Much Easier Than the Wait!! - Hystersisters Hysterectomy Article

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TVH - Much Easier Than the Wait!!

TVH - Much Easier Than the Wait!!

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Hi Ladies!
I wanted to share my story with you. It is so important to our LIW to read these as it really prepares you for what you could possibly expect. This is how my trip to the castle went.

I arrived at the hospital on Wed, March 7, 2001 at 5:30 AM. My surgery was to begin at 7 AM. I was the first surgery appt so I pretty much expected everything to run on time. I did my bowel prep and yummy prep drink (yuk) the day before. At this point let me add that this prep is very important for several reasons. In case anything is nicked in surgery and for recovery purposes. You do NOT want to have to deal with your bowels if you can help it!

I was escorted up to the surgical area right away. And in no time a nurse came into the area designated just for me and started my IV.....she got it the first time..and that was a piece of cake. The numbing they do before hand was helpful and I made sure they knew I wanted it! ( I don't presume anything) Shortly after this I changed into my lovely backless nightgown....LOL....and then the Anesthesiologst came in to chat. (was he way cute!) He was very nice and I again made it perfectly CLEAR that I'm a big baby and had a very low pain tolerance. He understood and assured me they would be on top of this. In a short time they gave me a shot into my IV of a mild sedative to just relax me. This stuff was great! In no time, I was wheeled down the hall to the OR. This was a small room, mostly steel looking and I slid over onto the OR table. My very kind Dr. came in and said hi and the next thing I knew I saw a mask coming and I was OUT. I woke in recovery with mild pain....like a bad period. I told the nurse I was in pain and she had me rate it 1 to 10. I told her 10 because I am a baby and I did want some relief. They hooked me up to the PCA, which was great. And they instructed me on how to use it. At this point I think it is important to remember that whoever accompanies you needs to be told to pay attention to the instructions on the PCA pump as you may fall asleep. I am a firm believe in staying ahead of any possible pain and not playing catch up. I was in recovery (feeling way good on Morpheine) a little longer than normal because they were waiting on a bed to be ready upstairs on the female surgical wing. Around 5 PM I was taken upstairs. I had a private room that was quite pretty and felt peaceful there. My BP sometimes drops with drugs like morpheine and demerol and sure enough it did again. They pumped me up with additional IV fluids and figured I was dehydrated (I have a low tolerance for dehydration). I pushed my pump every 5 minutes like instructed but I have to tell you I was in NO pain! I really did not need to push it at all. I was just worried that anytime I would have some big type of pain, but ladies.......NO PAIN EVER HAPPENED!.....finally the nurses told me that if I wasn't in pain yet, I wouldn't be. I had them remove the pump the following morning because 1) i didn't need it and 2) morpheine makes you feel detached a bit and keeps you "out of it" a bit. Its hard to walk when you are feeling dizzy. I chose to stay another day in the hospital basically just for the rest and the Dr. had no problem with that! I had great plans to walk the halls, etc. but with the grogginess I didn't get to walk as much as I would have liked. Later in that day, after the effects of the morpheine wore off, I did get up to walk...even getting out of bed for the first time was not difficult at all. Mostly due in part to having no external incisions. In addition to the TVH, I also had a bladder sling placed under my bladder by a urology specialst. I have had a leaky bladder for years (from carrying back to back babies)...and I wanted to get this corrected. At 42, I didn't want to be leaking for the rest of my life when I coughed or sneezed. This surgery is suppose to help me so much for years to come. The down size to the bladder repair is you have to have a suprapubic cath inserted right into your bladder. Kind of a "release valve" if you will. At 10 days post op, I am still not going on my own. And I do understand that this is normal and can take some time. (The bladder does like to be messed with and takes its time in getting back to normal).

At the (pushy) suggestion of my nurse that nite, I did get into the shower. I was very tired and really didn't want to but it does make you feel much better. I didn't sleep that well in the hospital (but i never do)...so I was anxious to rest at home. They always want you to pass gas in the hospital and I had no problem with this at all. I went home 48 hours later with my sister who was driving rather poorly....LOL......and I was so glad to crawl into my own bed!

The Doctor sent me home with Vicodin....but the good news is I have had to use this very little. Just once a day when i feel some pulling and little aches.

I am doing well. Of course I tire easily and I realize that I need to rest as much as possible. I always try to tell myself what so many have said which is.........."You only get once chance to heal right".......they couldn't be more right.......my advice is to just take it easy. We all have so many things we see that need to be done, but they will always be there, so pace yourself....trust me, your body will tell you when you need to take a nap or just get off your feet for awhile.

I post my story in the hopes of reassuring any LIW that everybody heals differently and we all have different hospital experiences, but I want to emphasize that mine was really so much easier than I ever would have anticipated. Truly, the wait was the worst part. Once I get this cath removed, I will really feel much better. I don't anticipate any hormonal problems as I kept my ovaries and tubes. If anybody has any concerns, questions, or just encouragement and support, please always feel welcome to write me anytime at Malori33@aol.com. Hang in there ladies, knowing you will be feeling so much better very soon!

TVH with bladder sling repair 3/7/01
(fibroids)

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TVH - Maurie's Castle Trip

TVH - My (short) trip to the castle

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