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I arrived at the castle at 5:30 AM on Tuesday, as ordered, and it was so smooth I couldn't believe it. They didn't need my hospital id card or my insurance card or anything... everything was pre-booked and they took us to a nice, dimly lit room where I changed into my surgical duds and they checked my vitals, etc. It was quiet and private. A nurse came in to review my identity and the procedures that had been consented. They asked if I had any questions or concerns. I asked them to include a copy of my surgical affirmations (if you are not already familiar with the book and tape "Prepare for Surgery, Heal Faster", then I HIGHLY recommend it) and she made several copies of it... for the surgeons and the anesthesiologist.
Then I was taken down to pre-op and DH had to stay behind at that point. I was glad to see they had a "quiet room" with a couch for families to rest in addition to the regular waiting room with the tv going. I had urged him to take a walk (the U of Washington campus is on a gorgeous hillside overlooking Lake Washington, with views of the Cascades, Mt. Rainier and the Olympic Mountains not far away).
Once in pre-op, they hooked me up to the required monitors, and I let them know I needed to speak to my surgeon one last time. I I was still undecided about the ovaries. That was the hardest decision of all for me. At 48 and with two risks for ovarian cancer (never having kids and not having used BC pills) but with no family history of ovarian or other reproductive cancer, I was right "in the middle" from a medical point of view. After a bit more discussion, I decided to take the easy way out and let the surgeon decide, based on what was found once they got inside. Then it was time for the anesthesia. I chose the epidural. They gave me a choice of either general, epidural or spinal. They inserted the epidural but I asked not to be given any sedative until I was actually in the OR.
So off we went to the OR and my team was all waiting for me. It was twice as big as the usual team because I was at a teaching hospital and there was my surgeon, who is head of the dept of ob/gyn plus two surgical residents, plus the anesthesiology resident and his supervisor, plus the nurses and the student nurses. We talked a bit and they agreed to say my affirmations before, during and after the procedure. My dh had a copy to say while he waited also.
I chose to have a very light sedative so I could waft in and out of awareness. It would have been nice to watch the whole thing and have photos taken, but I was at a teaching hospital and my surgeon kindly explained that if I really insisted, they would do that but that they were really kinda busy with both the surgery and the instructional part of it so I didn't push for it since I didn't have any really strong feelings about it. It would have been interesting, but I didn't have a strong emotional need to watch. I talked to them from time to time as I drifted in and out of the "twilight".
I did ask them to give me a bit of sedative before they inserted the catheter, just because I've had that done while fully conscious before and always found it to be enormously painful. So that's about when I first drifted off.
My surgery was an abdominal hysterectomy to remove the uterus and 5 fibroids each bigger than a grapefruit plus many smaller ones. They were inside, outside, and in the walls of my uterus. Their total mass was a little bigger than a soccer ball. My surgeon reported that all those extra hands came in handy when it was time to lift everything out all at once, after the incisions were made to cut it all free of the surrounding tissues.
They found that one of my ovaries was ovulating at the time, and both ovaries looked totally healthy, so they left them in. They think I might get as much as 5 more years out of the ovaries. They checked out my bladder, bowel, kidneys and liver and said everything looked great. I had asked them to be especially careful with my nerves, since I am looking forward to continuing the amazing sexual relationship I have with dh until we are both in our 90's!!!
It all went much faster than they thought because there were no complications or nasty surprises in there, and my dh didn't even have time to return from his walk around campus before I was in the recovery room.
Recovery room was fast and easy. Not a bit of nausea thanks to that epidural. I was up in my private room by about 10:45. With the epidural still in place, I was spared additional pain killers and as my legs gradually returned to normal, I was up for a short walk down the hall in the afternoon and a longer one later that evening. I never needed any pain meds other than the epidural.
DH stayed with me all day and through the first night, sleeping next to me in a nice bed they provided for him. He went for another long walk in early evening and returned with two sub sandwiches. By then I was feeling kind of hungry, but I stuck with my ice chips. I was sufficiently spacey that watching him eat the subs wasn't even hard. He did tell me to let him know if it bothered me at all, and then he'd take them to the lounge, but it really wasn't a problem.
So it was ice chips only until the next morning, when I got a cup of broth for breakfast, graduated to jello for lunch and then a light supper of pasta, veggies, chicken and a roll. I skipped the salad and fresh strawberries out of concern that anything acidic might give me tummy trouble.
The day after surgery was trickier as the swelling set in and I switched from the epidural to pain pills and they removed the catheter. I was able to urinate by myself the very first time I tried (yippee) and passed a bit of the required gas during the afternoon of the 2nd day. The incision area is very tender and twinges quite a bit when I sit up, turn over, etc. but I think that's hard to avoid.
All the nurses were GREAT! I took a box of Trader Joe's chocolate coins for treats and they seemed very popular and appreciated by the hospital staff.
This morning (Thursday) was the third day (counting surgery as day 1) and they checked me out around 10:30 a.m. Had a nice breakfast of french toast and syrup and cereal/milk with apple juice. For dinner I had cream of wheat and green tea, and later a snack of buttered popcorn! I'm trying to stick with fiber foods and will even add a few psyllium capsules to keep things moving if needed. I'm concerned that these darn pain pills will be a constipation problem. I do have the swelly belly.
I've been up and down the stairs to and from the bedroom several times and everything is going ok. My doc said stairs are fine; walking is fine. I think I'll be sleeping a lot though, because I really do want to heal well inside so I can get out in the mountains again next summer.
All that I read on this site has helped tremendously for me to prepare... and now I'm going to switch over to the post-op message board. I think my recovery will in some ways be easier than for many women because I have no kids in the house and DH is wonderfully supportive. He is taking two weeks off without pay to care for me and provide support and transportation as needed.
To all LIW, it's too soon for me to say how this will ultimately change my life... although I am keeping positive thoughts that things will be much better now. I lived with those fibroids for 13 years so I really toughed it out as long as I possibly could. Just make the best decisions you can, and if you decide to have surgery (ANY surgery... not just a hyst) you may really want to get a copy of "Prepare for Surgery, Heal Faster" because it is really good for any type of surgery you may encounter.
I'm very happy with my choice of epidural ... the docs and nurses all thought I was really bouncing back fast and thought that not having a general made a big difference in that aspect of things.
I'll try to be a good Princess and get my rest, drink my water and take my walks, and spend as much time with my dh as I can while he's home with me.
All the best to each of you from sunny Seattle!
Nancy
Related Titles
Laparoscopic Assisted Vaginal Hysterectomy- My LAVH/BSO Story - long story
My Story: Uterine Cancer - Katerskater's Story
My Story: Ovarian Cancer TAH/BSO - VickiA's Story
tah /bso/hernia repair - my story, THE HOLE STORY)
My Story: Ovarian Cancer - Maria951's Story
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