Laparoscopic hysterectomy: LAVH ~ On the other side of waiting! (child mentioned)

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Laparoscopic hysterectomy: LAVH ~ On the other side of waiting! (child mentioned)

Laparoscopic hysterectomy: LAVH ~ On the other side of waiting! (child mentioned)

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I have been in so much pain for longer than I can remember. It got worse every time I had a period.
After endometriosis was removed, the pain was still there. I had a deep cone biopsy done last year, and intercourse was for ever painful after that.
I decided to get it all out; uterus and cervix. My husband and OB/GYN wouldn't hear about it. That's how I found support on the internet, my sisters here. The information here is complete, from all viewpoints, compasionate and freely discussed without taboo. Without my Hystersisters, I would have gone through with it, thank you from the bottom of my heart!
I have found a lot of peace reading the stories in this forum and wanted to share mine, here it goes.
Thursday last week I went into the hospital for my LAVH. We had to be there at 6 in the morning, which was a Royal Pain to me, as I am not an early riser, but it was probably easy too; get up and go. No time to miss my morning rituals, such as coffee sipping in the garden, and no time to rethink. The night before I couldn't drink or eat, the normal, and Wednesday I only ate a soup and a salad. Although, after I was in my patient dress with IV and all, with too much time to think ( DH had to leave half an hour before "show time") I had about a minute of doubt. I wanted to call it quits, but found it a silly thought, pre op jitters. I'd be back the next month after my period, for sure!! The nurse who prepared me was the most unsuitable person for the job. She asked me all the questions on her list, and continued to say I shouldn't be there for such a surgery at my age. Gee nurse, how helpful!! After a year of turmoil in my head, going back and forward on the idea and dealing with the loss of my uterus, she puts that in my head! My gyn surgeon came to talk with me, making sure I wanted to go ahead, he announced my pregnancy test came back negative ( didn't even know they did one!) and telling me not to worry. The anesthesiologist came by too, and he was the one I requested. He did my laparoscopy last time, and I like him very much. Before even coming into my cubby, he said " Hi Christelle, how wonderful you look in a space suit!" ( I was covered with a blow up blanket filled with warm air). He had offered me two choices on the phone the night before and needed to know which one I was going for. The choices were a longer total anesthesia or a shorter one combined with an epidural. I chose the shorter one, because I had asked him the night before which one he would choose for himself, and he chose that one.

At exactly 7:30 the wheeled me to the theatre. It looked smaller than the one I had been in before, older and a tad run down. There were about 20 people in there, unrecognizable with their masks, and they were whispering. We needed a joke to break the ice! I asked if they were waiting for a baseball game on TV ( screen needed for surgery) and got some smothered giggles. Two old wrinkly nurses were on my sides, they were wonderful! I had to lean forward for the back procedure, and the doctor nicely explained everything he was doing, why and how it would feel. That helped a lot, I am a very jumpy person when touched unbeknownst to me and like to know the nuts and bolts. The first medicine in a row made my back and legs feel like there was lead being forced in them. It didn't hurt, but was very creepy. The next drug was supposed to make my legs all warm and tingly but it only went into my right leg. I worried about that, but the crew didn't. Next thing I laid down on the table, and felt some juice running through the IV. It felt like ice and burnt like a bee sting. I hadn't much time to worry, I got all goofy and tired. The nurse put the mask on me and the anesthesiologist asked me where we were going. I told them Kapalua Bay on Maui, we are going snorkeling. The doctor said with a loud voice " Put your masks on, we're going under" and that was the last thing I remember. I learned that it is important to go under with a good thought, because that sets the mood when you wake up afterwards.

Almost 3 hours later I woke up in recovery, the same cubicle I was in before. I had the oxygen tubes in my nose, and had a PCA, a self controlled pain pump with morphine that I could have administer medicine every 5 minutes if I felt I needed it. I had those anti blood clot things around me legs, all they way up to my thighs. It pumped in a pulsating way, quite agreeable to me! I was in no pain at all, and had my two biggest fears over with; not going to sleep and having a lot of pain upon wakening.

I was by myself in a room of 2 for a day and a night, and that was nice. The weather was just awful, storms with a lot of wind and rain that almost caused a bad flood again. I pushed my pump every 30 minutes and had a catheter so I didn't have to get up to pee. I kept on the super pushy thingies on my legs until I could get up and until the itch had me scraping off my skin. ( Good old Benadryl served 2 purposes; itch and ssssleep!!)

The service in the hospital was bad. I didn't get washed for 3 days and got no clean sheets. The first 2 days I was on a clear liquid diet, which wasn't too bad I realized when my real food came on Friday night. Unbearably bad, I couldn't eat it. I am not particular with food, but this was worse that play food in Kindergarten! I sent it back and requested my liquids again.

My husband came by often with our son, whenever I was awake. I begged him for a sugar donut and a coffee, and he brought it to me. It all went down with no problems. The only thing that made me nauseous was the morphine, and Friday afternoon I asked them to take away the pump and the catheter. I knew I wasn't allowed to go home before I had peed 200 CC on my own and before I could get out of bed by myself and walk. The gas they pumped in my belly was very painful I was swollen like a balloon, and remembered from last time I could only get rid of it by frequent walks. Johnny took me on my first walk, and my 2 men held my hands. That felt so good!

My men made me a beautiful crown and I wore it with pride! I had finally done it!!

Friday afternoon I got a roommate, she was the queen of complaint and drama. Very hard to live with! ( For a minor surgery even and she pushed the beep pump every 5 minutes, which kept me awake in the day as well.)

Saturday at noon my doctor came by and I told him I was going home, with or without his blessings! The hospital seemed to have failed to notice I was there most of the time, and I had enough of it! Every hour of the night I got woken up for " vitals" and sleep was what I needed most! I was on Percocet and gasX, and got released. My blood pressure had been up and down a lot, ranging from 110 /70 to 50/ 30. I needed SLEEP!

For 3 days I stayed in bed, and got up occasionally to take my little walk. I was taking my "poopie pills", as the doctor had warned me the medicine has a way of putting a stop on bowel movements. On Monday night that became very obvious.

I needed to go Number Two, but couldn't. I had just enough time to call out for my husband, threw up and passed out. Next thing I laid on the floor with enormous labor pains and convulsions. It was the most painful experience I ever had. Delivering a child had been easier! I couldn't even cry, all I could do was moan uncontrollable. DH called the doctor on hold, and it turned out to be my doctor. I screamed for an epidural but didn't get it. DH sent a neighbor to Longs to get me an enema. Not pretty, not fun, but the only cure for my pain. 10 Minutes later I got rid of something the size of a shoe and I felt better but exhausted!

The next morning I took my last 2 Percocet, or any other pain pill for that matter!

I feel 75% myself again, but tire very easily. Every now and again I get pangs and pinches of pain in my bowels, but nothing to be concerned about.

No house work for me for 2 weeks, but I feel good; in my head, heart and body.

Now I've really won the battle!! After so many years, I am cured!

The doctor sent the uterus to the pathology lab, but so far no results. He did say that everything looked good, I had a text book operation and less than normal blood loss.

I have 3 cuts on my lower abdomen, about a half inch long and they don't hurt. They look a bit bruised and are sore around them. The one on my left looks a bit red and swollen, so I should have that checked out, even though it doesn't hurt unless I touch or rub it.

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Laparoscopic Hysterectomy: LAVH - Still Tired

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Bruce Pierce, M.D. 2 Princess Road Lawrenceville NJ 08648 609-896-0777	Sean Kossari, M.D. 14901 Rinaldi Street Suite 320 Mission Hills CA 91345 818-365-1616	Melanie Bone, M.D. 5301 S. Congress Ave. Atlantis FL 33462 561-548-8600
David Newman, M.D. 10030 Edison Square Drive, Suite 100A Concord NC 28027 704-403-7670	Aram Bonni, M.D. 25108 Marguerite Parkway Suite A-259 Mission Viejo CA 92692 949-916-2100	Aarathi Cholkeri-Singh, M.D. 120 Osler Drive Ste. 100 Napeville IL 60540 630-428-2229
Francisco Garcini, M.D. 1870 Silver Cross Blvd Suite 210 New Lenox IL 60451 815-463-3000	Jonathan Y Song, M.D. 2455 Dean St. Suite A St. Charles IL 60175 (630) 513-9160	Jon Nielsen, M.D. 9825 Hospital Dr. Suite 205 Maple Grove MN 55369 763-587-7050

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