TAH/RSO - A story with a happy ending - Hystersisters Hysterectomy Article

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TAH/RSO - A story with a happy ending

TAH/RSO - A story with a happy ending

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I am almost thirteen weeks post-op and am very glad I had a TAH with my last ovary out on February 8th. I had painful periods from my very first one. Doctors suspected endometriosis for twenty years. I'd tried every new anti-inflammatory pain pill going and periods were getting worse. I had a lap and one ovary out in '98 and that helped some of the mid-month pains but the doctor only found a little endo - not enough to account for the pain I was having. I had urological complications after a kidney stone was stuck in my ureter in '99. I started having hot flashes and insomnia several years ago and was hoping to be the only woman on either side of my family to make it to the grave with my uterus. But my pains got much worse two years ago and soon periods and mid-month pain required narcotics. I thought I could outlast this with birth control pills but after two different kinds and soon daily pain requiring codeine, I decided to have a hysterectomy. My family doc and specialist had been kindly mentioning it for years. But I was the one who decided to go ahead with it. I booked the tentative date in September for January. This gave me time to see if periods got better or worse. The pain got worse each week and I knew I had made the right decision. I joined this site and read hours per week to decide what options I had and how to prepare. It helped a lot when DH and I were at odds about how our family would survive during my recovery. I knew he'd cook and clean but emotionally I didn't know what to expect.

My surgery almost happened January 13th. I was bowel-prepped and had a hospital bracelet on when I was cancelled due to a big emergency in the OR ahead of me. I had another month to prepare at work and fill the freezer and read this site! On February 10th I proceeded early at 6 am to hospital. I had the first surgery as I am latex-sensitive and it was safer to be first in line. I reminded everyone along the path to the OR that I couldn't have anti-inflammatories anymore due to stomach problems ( I had ended up with a suppository after kidney stone surgery and suffered terribly!). I was into the OR just before 8 am and was prepped and IV inserted and breathed in the mask. The next thing I remember was being in pain in recovery around 11:30 am. My surgery had lasted two hours. My oxygen was a bit low so I had oxygen in my nose. My morphine pump wasn't providing a big enough dose so the pain team reprogrammed it and I was allowed out of recovery to my room about 12:30 pm. I remember my back hurting more than the incision (bikini cut a bit off centre because of previous hernia scar). My DH helped me get stuff ready and headed home to make dinner and pick up DS (aged 12). They returned with a cell phone so I could phone DD at University. They took a photo of me on the phone and emailed it to her so she felt a part of the process!

I was able to manage the pain well with tylenol every four hours and morphine by pump when that wasn't enough. The first night went well and I got some sleep between nurse checks. My doctor came in the next morning (Saturday) and pulled off my bandage and said I was having a textbook perfect recovery. The anesthesiology resident (who looked 19!) came to take my pump away and I refused. I reminded him I couldn't have anti-inflammatories and had been stuck in hospital in horrid pain before waiting for shift changes etc during kidney stone problems. He let me keep it and catheter was removed and I peed buckets in the next few hours. I got solid food by the second supper but had a horrible night's sleep with a snoring and moaning roommate. When my doctor came in Sunday morning I asked if I could go home and she checked me (incision okay, peeing and passing gas okay) and I was home and napping in my own bed by 3 pm. I got 9 hours of sleep that night with a quick break for pain meds and was glad to be home. Our hospital was closed to elective surgeries the next day due to a bed shortage so my timing was perfect!

I followed all the Hystersister guidelines at home and was a perfect princess. Maybe I was just lucky but had no setbacks at all. I stayed off work for 8 weeks and started back gradually and have been full time for almost three weeks. I am now fitting into my baggier pre-surgery pants and am working on adjusting HRT. The post-op report showed very little endo, just some on the cervix which necessitated a TAH, instead of the SAH I'd hoped for. I had adenomyosis which was pressing on my ureter and several other small fibroids. My doctor was hoping the surgery would resolve my period pains but wasn't sure it would help my daily pain much. Now I just take a tylenol at night if I have had a busy day and am achy but I am so amazed that the pain requiring codeine is GONE!!! I am busy planning trips long term and feel better than I have in years.

Kendo

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TAH/RSO - A Good Doctor Listens

TAH/RSO - An Ordeal with Great Support

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Jennifer Cova, M.D. 7700 Washington Village Drive Suite 210 Dayton OH 45459 937-433-6513	Jennifer Schnee, M.D. 3001 Coral Hills Dr., Suite 300 Coral Springs FL 33065 954-341-2916	Mark Richey, M.D. 1200 Airport Heights Ste 205 Anchorage AK 99508 9072724443
Christina Ellis, M.D. 600 E. Marshall St. Ste. 205 West Chester PA 19380 610-903-6200	Anthony Trabue, M.D. 2201 Murphy Ave. #104 Nashville TN 37203 615-342-7425	Iris Orbuch, M.D. 202 Spring Street 2nd Floor New York NY 10012 212-343-3040
Clifford Rogers, M.D. The Everett Clinic, Dept. of Surgery and Gynecology 1330 Rockefeller Ave, Suite 120 Everett WA 98201 425 339 5424	Albert Steren, M.D. 6301 Executive Blvd. Rockville MD 20852 301-770-4967	Sherri Levin, M.D. 929 Gessner Suite 2100 Houston TX 77024 713-464-4111

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