TAH - "The Kat in the Kastle" - Hystersisters Hysterectomy Article

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TAH - "The Kat in the Kastle"

TAH - "The Kat in the Kastle"

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Since reading all the other Princess Tales was so helpful to me, I have decided to write my personal Princess Tale, also.

Once upon a time, there was a very cute Princess named Kathi...but all of her friends call her Kat. She was a very rebellous Princess...and as a result, married the wrong kind of Prince...and had four little heirs by the time she was 21! As much as Kat enjoyed MommieHood...she decided to have her tubes tied at the last birth...which was twins!

As scandolous as it was...Princess Kat divorced her Prince...and went about being a wonderful MommaKat.

About a year or so after the twins birth...Princess Kat started having extremely heavy periods and large blood clots. Some were so big that they resembled...chicken livers! *Plop* Yuck! You can imagine what that was like! Each month, her periods grew worse and worse...getting more painful, heavier, and even larger clots. It got to the point where she would stay in bed for the first half day of her period...whole day, of she could get by with it! Tylenol and Midol never worked...and poor Kat was going through a Super Plus Tampon AND maxi pad....each HOUR! Princess Kat told her Doctor of her woes...but they just nodded in sympathy....and some looked a little green when she was descriptive! None seemed to believe her when she told them that she would be extremely weak...that was how much blood she was losing! They all thought she was being melodramatic...or maybe she just needed to find a sympathetic Doctor?

Princess Kat also had two little "accidents" occur. Since she had her tubes tied...she used no birth control...and she had two preganancies occur...that ended in miscarriage. Both were referred to as "ectopic" and were on the outside of her uterus! Docs explained that when she ovulated...it was somehow absorbed.

Finally...Kat was referred to the best Doctor in the whole Palace and he really listened to Kats concerns and actually acted as if he had heard similar complaints! Princess Kat was not an oddity, after all!

Kat was started on birth control therapy to try and stop her periods all together...as seen in an issue of Cosmopolitan! She was taking three pills per day (at once) and skipping the sugar pills. She then started two per day...then finally to one each day....still skipping the sugar pills and continuuing new packs instead. The bleeding not only did not stop....it got to where it was every single day! It did lessen in flow...but was still there every day! Yuck!

After a PAP returned as abnormal, Doc ran all sorts of tests on his Princess. Some tests she had never heard of! Kat discovered that sonograms could now be done vaginally...when the tech handed her a condom covered wand and said, "Here...place this inside your vagina!" This test revealed that Kat had a "severly enlarged uterus." Kat wondered if that was from having a twin pregnancy...but Doc said no. More tests! Kat had every type of biopsy, D&C's, cyro-surgery, and many other tests. Doc finally diagnosed Kat with having severe dysplasia. He was concerned that part of her cells may have already changed into cancer cells..so she was admitted to the Castle for a cold cone biopsy. The pathology report showed cancer...but it also showed that the margins were clear! Kat was told that she had cancer....and that she was cancer-free...all in the same day! That was a weird day, for her...she walked around in a combination of elation and grief!

Doc and Princess Kat decided that the best choice for her...was to have a hyterectomy. Doc said that would virtually eliminate her uterine or cervical cancer risks...and would also end her bleeding dilemmas. Kat agreed...and asked to schedule the surgery after her 35th birthday...when her Mom, the Queen...would be able to come to the Palace from Oklahoma. This made Kat have a 3 1/2 month wait...but unlike most Princesses...Kat enjoyed the wait! She utilized the time by preparing herself emotionally and physically for the surgery, and her DSO was able to make sure he could take needed days off work. Kat also knew that this would be when all the little heirs would be back in their schooling...and she would have to tend to them a little less. Kat and her DSO had a special bday celebration for her 35th birthday...just three days before her surgery! (He took her on a Gondola cruise!)

Kat went in for surgery on August 21, 2001. She had to be there by 7a.m. and was shown to a private room. Here the Nurses took all the vitals and asked her those same questions she answered at pre-op! They put these funny, white, thigh-high stockings on her legs...hooked up an IV...and had her put on one chic little gown that tied in back. Tiger (DSO), Kats Mom, and Michael (Kats 18 y.o. DS) were able to sit in the room while Kat waited. Because Kat is also hearing impaired...it had been prearranged that Tiger could even go into the holding area with Kat...in case she had any communications problems. Kat was asked to sign papers here...and she refused when she read "TOTAL hysterectomy" because she thought that meant her Doc was taking her ovaries, too! Kat was adamant about being able to keep her healthy ovaries! Doc explained that this was just the term they used....that it was called a TRAH if it were to include the ovaries. (radical) Kat signed and she was then given a wonderful little cocktail that was to relax her. Kat and Tiger had a funny time talking while she was on this! When Doc came back in @9:30...he told her that he had just "warmed up" with another hysterectomy...so he was on a roll!

Beautiful Nurses with masks on, came to wheel Kat away to the OR. They were all wonderful about moving their masks to talk to Kat...and asked her about her hearing aid...so that they could be certain to put it back on her correctly. Once in the bright OR, Kat was hooked up to all sorts of machines and moved to a stiff table. She was cold and a little shaky, but the Nurses soothing voices calmed her. Kat was most afraid of the anesthesia and the idea of the tube in her throat! Doc MedGuy who had said an earlier "Hello"...popped up again...and informed Kat that "the good stuff was next!" All of a sudden Kat heard a loud tinnitus sounding noise...and asked (slurred!) if this were "normal?" They all smiled SO BIG and all seemed to be shaking their heads in UNISON! Kat laughed.......then the next thing you know she was waking up to something pumping on her legs! She was trying to open her eyes...but they did not want to...so she did not fight it...she just slept, and slept...waking only to that aggravating pumping on her legs! Next time she woke...she was wheeling in an elevator...down a hall...and there was Tiger...smiling! Kat waved...then fell back asleep. *bump* Kat was being arranged in another bed....this one softer and the sheets cool...fit for a Princess! Kat continued to sleep...and continued to wake to that pump, pump, pump! Beautiful Nurses came in and checked her vitals and woke her to give her sleepy pills. Kat had all her heirs come visit...and Michaels DGF came, too. Kat remembers saying, "thank you for visiting!" (That's all!) Every time Kat woke...Tiger was there...and Queen Mom, too! After a whole day passed...Kat was staying awake a little more often...and sipping on 7UP, H2O, and juices. They stayed down, too! Kat even tried some sherbet...but she stayed away from the jiggly jello! Kat was still on an IV, but pain meds were being given by mouth. Kat also was told to sit up in her bed...then eventually in the recliner....then she walked to the bathroom! She was so relieved to get rid of the diaper thing she had on...and was thrilled to see absolutely NO BLOOD...the first time in months! Kats intake and outake were measured....and Kat was doing so well...that they removed her catheter that day. Whew! She walked baby steps when she felt she could...and though still fuzzy from the meds...it was not as hard to walk, as after she had her c-section! Kat still had an IV for fluids and a drain tube in her abdomen. She had a 7 3/4" incision, held with internal stitches...no yucky steri strips or staples. She also had a 1" drain tube incision. That was the worse part of the whole visit...was when they removed that drain tube! Ewwww! looked bad...felt worse...but it was over pretty quickly! (Though Kat and Queen Mom, BOTH almost chucked!) The IV also came out...and the instructions on going home were: NO lifting anything over 10 pounds, no tampons or sex for 6 weeks, rest, liquids, no driving for 2 weeks or until Doc says, back to the Doc in two weeks, take Darvocet for pain as instructed/needed, and no strenuous activities until cleared by Doc! Stairs were o.k. as long as she was careful and tub baths were even o.k....as long as she dried the incision well! No one made Kat make poopy before she left...told her that it would happen in time since she did not have much solid foods, yet. (Some smashed taters and gravy...a piece of bread...)

The trip home seemed long...carriage felt bumpy as ever...and Princess questioned being discharged...but once she was settled...she was o.k.! She had to be in court (summoned) the Monday after she was home on Friday...that was rough! She also experienced some gas one day...and it was so severe she thought she was going to wake her whole neighborhood. Tiger rushed over some ES Gas-X and she never had to use them again!

Turns out that Princess Kat was also invaded by several golf ball sized fibroid tumors...which Doc said was probably the cause for all her bleeding problems! Kat never bled from the day of her surgery...on...and here she is 8 1/2 weeks post-op...feeling absolutely wonderful! Her and Tiger have had their romantic moments and report back that "all is well!" Kat is such a happy Princess! Happy to be pain & period free...happy to be cancer free...happy to not have to plan her life around her periods and her pains! She is experiencing some severe insomnia which she is taking meds for...a little incision itch...and an occassional funny feeling where her innards once sat....but she is SO HAPPY TO BE WALKING IN THE LAND OF HYSTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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