TAH/BSO - Castle Story - Hystersisters Hysterectomy Article

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TAH/BSO - Castle Story

TAH/BSO - Castle Story

From the Abdominal Hysterectomy Stories Articles List

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Options to Hysterectomy
Pre-Op Hysterectomy
Post-Op Hysterectomy
Hormone and Menopause
Intimacy after Hysterectomy
Pelvic Floor
Fitness after Hysterectomy
GYN Cancer
Grief and Loss
Endometriosis
Uterine Fibroids
Hysterectomy Stories
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Dear Fellow Princesses,

I feel so honored to be a part of your group now. Pre op is way too scary for me.

Day 1

I arrived as instructed at 5:45am at the Castle. They asked me a bunch of questions that they have asked at least a hundred times already. I changed into the famous castle gown and the IV went in. About 1 second after that, I felt extremely nauseated and I started shaking uncontrollably. Nurse talked very soothingly to me for about 5 minutes and then quitely dashed out to get a doc. My blood pressure sky-rocketed and my pulse followed from about 76 to 200 bmp. Yikes. I started to cry. I couldn't control them and all I heard was talk of canceling the surgery.

THey told me that I had a "panic attack" of the worst kind and they had to wait until my vitals all calmed down. THen it all started again. All-in-all it lasted about 15 minutes. Lots of hyperventilating, shaking, sweat, etc. I sure feel for you ladies that this happens to on a regular basis. This was my first experience with them. Apparently I told dh that I felt like I was dying and that is why they considered canceling the surgery. The (A) doc told me that he needed me great in body AND spirit. Fortunately, I have had 4 shoulder surgeries in the past and this anesthesiologist had done 3 of them and knew me quite well. He was baffled. On we went though, down the hall.

The good stuff went in, and I kissed dh goodbye. This A-doc sings in a band for his first job (he says its his first job anyway) and so he sung me to sleep in the OR to an Irish pub song. It was great. All the staff was impressed. I of course, went to sleep.

When I woke up I remember 2 things vividly. One, the pain was far worse than anything I expected and two, I was not nauseas for the first time in my life after surgery.

I must confess though, I had a little liposuction (very little, the doc only charged me $750 total!!) in addition to my TAH/BSO. From all the postings that I had read, the pain was supposed to be very manageable. For me it was bad. I told the nurses about a 15 on a scale of 1-10, I had tears running down my face on the way to my room from recovery. I didn't want the pump, so that was not available yet. As soon as I got settled in my room, I had an injection of morphiene and some anti-nausea drugs and I was happy and out again. I got back to my room about 12:30 (surgery was at 7:30). All I wanted to do was sleep. I had a bladder cath, so was excited about not having to get up. Little things like that excited you at the castle.

Day 2

It is really hard to determine when day 1 ends and day 2 begins. You lose all track of time during that period. Pain still considerable, but drinking like a fish now. The night nurses were so good to me and that is very much appreciated. I took them candy. I did have one nurse "Ratchett" and I tried to sleep during her shift. She did not return. I went in on a Friday so I had the weekend staff. I left Monday morning and didn't have any repeat nurses but one. She was real sweet.

Hung my legs over the bed on day two after the cathater and IV came out (around 10am) and thought I was going to pass out. The nurse made me sit there for 2 minutes until the wooziness stopped. Then I walked from the bed to the chair and one would have thought I completed a marathon. I felt soooo good. THen I sat there for awhile. It felt so good I went from the chair to the door down the hall and I was pooped!!! Had to sleep after that but I walked several times that day and ladies, that makes the soreness and stiffness feel so much better. If you can, walk as much as they will let you. They never came into my room again to get me to walk becuase they all saw me all day walking. I drank a lot of water and would walk back and forth to the kitchenette they had for the patients. I was able to help myself to the pudding, juice, fruit cups, etc. No solid food yet though. However, at the end of day two, the gas was building and I would walk and walked it "out" everywhere but in my room. It was bad, but more manageable than I thought it was going to be. The gas was never "painful" for me. It just came and went fairly quickly. I haven't had a bowel movement yet and I can imagine that will be the mother of all BM's. I am not looking forward to that but taking lots of water, juice, stool softeners and Fiber Con. I think when it does finally hit, it will be dramatic.

Day 3

Visitors would wear me out. I LOVED having them but I would get so tired. Mainly I would love to impress them with my ability to walk so much after surgery. I walked quite a bit. Slept quite a bit and drank water like they were running out. This was my day of "healing" for me. No tubes, monitors, nothing. Just me and that hallway with my water. My fever spiked on this day and the doc had to be called. I started an antibiotic and it went away. I started my HRT on this day and solid food. Boy you never thought jello-like cream of wheat with toast could taste like that!!! It was great. Doc came up and told me my utuerus was 1-1/2 times its usual size and thought I had something like endometreosis but started with an "A". He had not gotten the pathology report back yet. Said I had not only the one pesky fibroid causing the problems but a uterus full of them. I was questioning myself before the surgery as to whether I really needed this surgery and he was convincing me that it is good we did it when we did because things were only going to get worse.

I checked out of the castle on day 4. All-in-all, I had a very uneventful castle stay----the kind each one of us hopes for. Other than the bit of anxeity at the check-in stage, I couldn't ask for a better visit. I had no nausea which was my BIGGEST fear after waking up from surgery. None. I had to make myself walk the first 2 times but it made me feel so good that I did it on my own all the time, all hours of the night.

I am on day 5 today and feel great so far. I have done everything that they have told me and drink fluids like crazy.

All and all it was not the big scary even that I thought it was going to be. The fear was all up front. These people are professionals and are not going to let anything happen to you. I have a wonderful husband and son who kept me company and made me smile. I have a wonderful doctor that I trust completely and would spend so much time explaining things to me. We women are lucky that men like him go into the business of helping women.

I took my recovery into my own hands at the castle though. I didn't wait for anything. If my meds were due, I walked down to the counter and waited for them. If I needed to walk, dh or ds helped me up and off we went.

If you pack nothing else to go to the castle, pack your chapstick. I did pack my Hyster Sister night shirt and pillow and all the nurses loved it. Some had heard of the site and were very supportive of it. DH also brought me my pillow from home and that made an enormous difference to me.

It is an experience but for me it has been good so far and I hope it is for you too.

Jodi Cantu

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TAH/BSO - Castle Story

Find A Doctor Near You

Aram Bonni, M.D. 25108 Marguerite Parkway Suite A-259 Mission Viejo CA 92692 949-916-2100	David Newman, M.D. 10030 Edison Square Drive, Suite 100A Concord NC 28027 704-403-7670	Aarathi Cholkeri-Singh, M.D. 120 Osler Drive Ste. 100 Napeville IL 60540 630-428-2229
Molly Senokozlieff, M.D. 9279 A Medical Plaza Dr. North Charleston SC 29406 843-569-2900	Debra Richardson, M.D. Gynecological Oncology Clinic - SW Med 2201 Inwood Road Suite 106 Dallas TX 75390 214-645-4673	Stephen Zweibach, M.D. 815 S Parsons Ave Brandon FL 33511 8135712777
Siobhan Kehoe, M.D. Gynecological Oncology Clinic - SW Med 2201 Inwood Road Suite 106 Dallas TX 75390 214-645-4673	Gretchen Makai, M.D. 4735 Ogletown Stanton Rd MAP II, Ste 2103 Christiana Care Health System Newark DE 19713 302-623-4410	Kimberly Newman, M.D. 10030 Edison Square Drive Suite 100A Concord NC 28027 704-403-7670

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