I had my hysterectomy (total abdominal with my left ovary and tube removed) a week ago today (June 6th).
The i.v. inserstion went well as they gave me a shot of lidocaine and put the needle in my arm vs. my wrist as I requested. I had to be shaved (hated that, but the lady who did it was so nice and told me that she had a hysterectomy years ago and I would love it, LOL).
I got the same anesthesiologist that I had when I had my myomectomy in 2011 (he told me, I didn't remember him) and they gave me a patch on my neck to help with nausea and put anti-nausea meds in my i.v.
I remember being rolled into the operating room, having to move from my gurney to the or gurney and putting my left arm on some foam and then that was it.
Some things went well and others were ridiculous. For instance my husband wasn't allowed into my room after I came out of recovery and the guard rang the phone (which was on a wall) for me to answer to approve him.
I remember wondering why the phone was ringing and why no one would answer it. The nurse finally got that straightened out and he was allowed to come to my room and he stayed there with me most of my 2 day stay.
I was in lots of pain and had trouble finding the morphine pump button numerous times so had to get my husband to push it for me or help me to find it. The nurses kept saying that it was hard to get my pain under control (one of my fears) and they gave me something else as well that made me very nauseous (started with a "d" - maybe Dilaudid) that I had told them prior I couldn't take due to nausea.
I couldn't drink water so they couldn't take out my catheter and I got fussed at numerous times by one mean nurse (the rest were very nice) although I kept my husband busy with giving me ice chips. I wasn't sure why the ice wasn't good enough, but she was also the nurse who made me get up out of bed without much assistance and never brought me a stool to put my feet up (because it was pulling my stiches to sit up since I'm short) and wouldn't put a pillow under my bottom because I complained it felt like someone had stabbed my bottom. I had trouble lying down for a long time on my bottom because the right side was so painful (maybe they did something when the surgeon brought in the general surgeon to evaluate my colon when he was trying to locate my left ovary).
I could barely stand the ice due to nausea and so they had to keep my catheter in longer until they finally got rid of the horrible D pain medicine. I was given Percocet instead and while I wasn't as nauseous and could finally eat some and drink water, it didn't relieve my pain and hasn't since although I'm also taking Motrin.
I'm currently trying to wean myself off of it but had to go back on it again when I had a very painful set-back yesterday.
I had my dr. appt. to have my staples removed yesterday and while that didn't hurt, the nurse laid me down flat on the examination table and that hurt so bad I started crying. I haven't recovered from that and had a very painful afternoon and night last night (as well as today) and even Percocet and Motrin didn't help much at all. I tossed and turned all night due to the pain.
I feel like I had a huge set back because I was doing better although still gassy and sore and in pain, but not like now.
I'm not able to get up and walk as much today as it is too painful.
One thing I can say is that the shower stool I bought before surgery has been a lifesaver as well as the Gas-X.
I finally had a bowel movement yesterday despite using a glycerin suppository, eating prunes, tons of fruit, drinking water like crazy, taking Phillips laxative (gentle one) as well as stool softener for days.
I'm also the weird person who took a bottle of magnesium citrate the day before surgery and nothing happened (even after drinking tons of fluids) and an enema the morning of the surgery and still only a tiny diarrhea.
The doctor noticed that I have, what is now confirmed inactive endometriosis, also on my colon (I have to have a colonoscopy when I recover from this) as it was on my left ovary that was removed. I think it was on my uterus as well but can't remember for sure what he told me.
He said that my left ovary was stuck and hiding behind my colon and that he noticed a marble sized polyp or something on it (my colon). He really wanted to remove my right ovary because of that, but said he couldn't see anything wrong with it and followed with my wishes to keep it. The pathology report came back with no cancer and just endometriosis which he is worried is on the right ovary. I am still glad that I kept it and feel I made the right decision on that.
I complained at my appt. yesterday that the right side was killing me even more than the left (and the left is the side the ovary was taken from). He told me that he had to pull a lot and had trouble hiding the knots that he tied at the end of the sutures as they would show through my skin due to my being on the thin side, so not sure if that is the reason or not that it hurts so badly on that side.
In Pain - 1 Week Post Hysterectomy
