Hello, I am writing this detailed account of my surgery because it went rather well and I think Ladies in Waiting need to be told that every case is different and that it is certainly possible to have a good recovery without any of the complications that are often mentioned on the message board.
I am 52 years old and had fibroids for years. My doc. had said to just watch them and that they might shrink at menopause. Well…guess what? They did not shrink. Instead, over the past 2 months they got bigger to the point where I could feel the bulge outside my abdomen. In addition, I started bleeding heavily and clotting like never before. My doc. told me I was ready for a hysterectomy and ordered an ultrasound. The week after the ultrasound was done and before my next appointment with my doc., someone from his office called and said Dr. F. had hurt his back and he was referring me to another gynecologist but this one was also an ONCOLOGIST. Of course, I was petrified.
The oncologist, Dr. K., had his assistant call me on a Tuesday and made an appointment for the following day. Given the fact that I am dealing with an HMO, which is sometimes very slow, the more efficient they became, the more I worried.
On Wed. I met with dr. K. He had reviewed the ultrasound and recommended surgery. He said there was a small risk of cancer. I had the symptoms of a possible sarcoma which is the cancer of the inside wall of the uterus (a bad cancer). I could not get dr. K. to give me any more reassurance than "it's a small risk but it's there".
My husband was with me and both of us agreed that surgery was the way to go. I was not going to live with the cancer threat over my head. Plus, I was bleeding so much that I was anemic and surgery had to be done fairly quickly or I would risk a blood transfusion during the surgery. I agreed to have the TAH/BSO done. Dr. K. gave me the choice of keeping my ovaries if they looked fine but I opted to have them removed. I also had the cervix removed and agreed to a vertical incision. I have not worn a bikini in years and I was told that it's easier to recover from the vertical incision than the horizontal one.
I agreed to have it done ASAP and it was scheduled for the following Tuesday, October 26th. On the day when I met dr. K., we also did the "pre-op visit" and he answered my questions in a very straightforward manner. He did not sugar coat anything but did not frighten me either. So, here I went to get an EKG and a chest X-ray. On the Sunday before the surgery, I would go back to the lab and get the blood work done.
DAY#1 Tuesday
My husband drove me to the hospital, about 10 minutes away, for the 8am admitting time. I was given a gown to put on and had an IV. No other preparation…no enema. The nurse anesthesiologist came in and I told her I had thrown up when I had general anesthesia years ago. She said she'd see to it that they put something in the IV to prevent that but she could not guarantee it. Just before 9am, my husband was allowed to come in for a few minutes. I was feeling OK…they had given me a tranquilizer thru the IV. At 9am, I was wheeled in the operating room and what seems like 2 seconds later, I woke up in the recovery room. I had this little oxygen thing in my nose, so I knew the surgery was done. I remember looking at the clock and it was noon. People were busy around me. I did not ask about the cancer. I figured the nurses or assistants would not be the ones to tell me anyway, so why ask?
About 1pm, I was wheeled into the hospital room.
I remember vividly my husband coming in with a big grin on his face and telling me "everything is ok". He had spoken with dr. K after the surgery. It was not cancer. It was a necrosis of a fibroid. The tissue of the fibroid was not getting blood anymore and had started degenerating, hence the heavy bleeding. I WAS SO HAPPY.
I was a little tired but there was no pain. I had an IV, the morphine pump, a catheter, the oxygen mask and these leg compressors that periodically compress your legs to keep the circulation going…not an unpleasant feeling. I looked at my belly and saw a big pad covering the incision. The pubic area had been shaved. At 9pm on that day, I went for a short walk, maybe 50feet, with the only male nurse I saw during my stay at the hospital. Well, I started bleeding and it was a little embarrassing but he gave me a pad and a pair of soft mesh panties (I wish I had a supply of those. they are actually nicer than the granny panties). This was the last time I bled.
I slept well that night and was so happy that it was not cancer.
DAY#2 Wednesday
I woke up at 6am and went for a walk again…a little further this time, dragging the IV and the catheter around. At 7am, they took the catheter off and I went to the bathroom by myself. Every thing still worked…LOL at that time; Dr. K. arrived and explained everything to me.
On that day, I ate only liquid food, vanilla pudding, Jell-O and bouillon. I remember reading on the message board that it's best to drink very little sips of room -temperature water and that is exactly what I did. I did not get nauseous and did not have any pain. I must admit that I was very concerned about getting off the morphine pump.
DAY#3 Thursday
At 10am, they take off the morphine pump and the IV. They said I would be taking Darvocet. I waited for the pain and nothing was happening. I could not quite believe it. I felt great…went for walks in the hallways of the hospital and chatted with one of my neighbors. I had my first solid food on that day.
The nurse kept asking me if I was passing gas and I said "a little". One of my doctor's assistants comes in and tells me I am doing so well that I can go home in the afternoon. I said I wanted to stay another night. Even though I was feeling ok, I did not want to take any chances of complications. She said I would have to discuss this with dr. K.
At 1pm, my doc. shows up and we had a nice chat. He agreed to let me stay another day for "psychological reasons" and I told him I'd like to leave around 10am the following morning. Two friends from work drop by in the afternoon and even though I did not want any visitors, I was happy to see them.
I take a Darvocet pill at 3pm, I walk around in my blue hypersister long t-shirt and talk about the website to some of the staff and other patients.
I forgot to mention that one of the doctors who assisted mine during surgery was Tamij's doctor. She had recommended him very highly but we had no idea he would be assisting dr. K. He was very nice and, of course, had been advised of the HysterSisters website by Tamij.
Another pleasant surprise was a call from Catie, another sister I had met on the site and who had been so very reassuring when I was scared. We had a nice talk and she also had a very good recovery. She lives only about 2 hours away from me and maybe some day we will meet.
DAY#4 Friday/Discharge
At 10am, my husband picks me up. I had put my civilian clothes back on and was ready. The last night at the hospital was not very pleasant. It was noisy and I wanted to sleep. Even though I was not in pain, I asked for a Darvocet because I knew it would make me drowsy. The ride home was short, only 10 minutes and I covered my belly with a big pillow.
This is Day #6 and I am feeling great. I am not taking any pain medication. I had a little bit of a problem with constipation but I took milk of magnesia and it worked very well. I started premarin on day#2 and have had no problems so far. I tried to cook something simple today but after 20 minutes I was really tired and went back to the couch. I am following all the recommendations from the sisters: do not overdo it, drink a lot, walk and take it easy. I am fortunate that I do not have any children at home and my husband is retired and can take care of me.
I have been very pleased with the results of this surgery and I hope that my story can alleviate some of the fears that are so common when one is waiting for the BIG DAY.
Anybody can email me if they have any questions.
Jeannette
P.S: Day #11
Had the staples removed today and feeling great. The pathology report came back confirming that there was no cancer. I got the OK to drive and I am on my way to recovery.
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