Back from the Castle

Hello ladies, Well I am back and I made it through. Thankfully the Dr. said he found the source of my pain and bleeding. He said I had a condition known as adenomyosis. From my understanding tissue from the uterus gets trapped in the muscle wall of the uterus. The conditon is like endometriosis but inside the uterus. He was also able to remove the clips from my fallopian tubes but he was able to leave my ovaries. I aslo had my cervix removed. I had a horizontaL incision with inside stitching and some sort of glue on the top layer. Today is my fourth day out from surgery and the only day that I felt really bad was day of surgery. The reason I ended up in alot of pain is because there was 1 1/2 hout delay with getting some of my pain medication. So unfortunately I was chasing the pain for several hours. So just a helpful tip: do not let those Dr.'s or nurses let that much time go by in between your pain medication doses. You got to stay ahead of the pain in order to manage it. It's amazing how you are up and walking the next day. I don't know about you guys but I felt batter walking and getting out of my room. It also helps move the gas out. The weird thing is I went into the hospital weighing 167lbs. I had a liquid diet the day before surgery (Sunday), no food or water or anything day of surgery(Monday), Liquid diet again on Tuesday and started a little bit of solids on Wednesday. I barely had an appetite so I would eat about half of my meals and they were very nutritional meals. I passed gas Wednesday and today (Thursday) so even though I have yet to have a bowel movement they let me go home today. The surprising thing is I weighed myself at home expecting a dramatic weight loss and I weigh 171lbs!!!! Do you think it is because my belly is swollen to the size of a 6 month pregnant woman? How could I gain weight? Glad I am now on the recovery side. Hope to hear from you guys soon.

Welcome home, Peace!

I don't know if you remember, but we chatted on this message board before our mutual surgeries on Monday. I thought of you on our big day, and am so glad your surgery went well.

I gained weight, too, despite having only clear liquids since Saturday, and only the tinist bit of food since Tuesday evening. It's all the IV fluids, I hear. Once they clear, the pounds will come off. Drink plenty of water, and nature will take its course. I'm already down a couple pounds since I was discharged on Wednesday.

My belly is swollen, too. I had a TAH, with the same type of abdominal incision as yours, because of a fibroid the surgeon said was the size of a canteloupe. Once it was gone, I had dreams of a flatter belly, but I'm bigger than ever! I was told that it's due to the trauma of the surgery, and that in the long run, I'll be slimmer.

Like you, I was chasing my pain on Monday afternoon because my pain med pump's button was broken. Once that was figured out, I had a smooth first night.

Are you getting outside for walks yet? Yesterday, I started going around the block. Once in the morning, afternoon, and evening. I'm so thankful for the nice weather!

Take care, dear! I'm so glad we are on the other side.

And to all of the ladies in waiting, when everyone says the waiting is the hardest part, they are so right!

Hey Peace, welcome back! I've been thinking about you and expecting you to pop up soon, glad you made it through okay and all is well. How scary about your pain meds, though! I remember the instant they put me into the hospital bed I was moaning in pain and they kept telling me to push the button and it seemed like nothing was happening. It was probably only minutes but it seemed like an eternity waiting for some relief - I can't imagine having to wait as long as you did! I haven't gotten on the scale as I know I haven't lost anything regardless of the liquid diet and no appetite; I'm sure our bodies go into survival mode after something this traumatic and our metabolisms go down to nothing (which is probably why it took most of us so long to poop!), plus the swelling and lack of activity. After my last surgery I lost 11 lbs. over the course of the 8 weeks home, so hopefully once everything settles down internally I can look forward to a little loss again, but I'm not counting on it. What I AM counting on is getting better and hopefully starting a brand new life free of pain for the first time in years! Here's to the future for all of us, may it be better and brighter! Again, welcome back, keep resting, drink those fluids and tell us more of your story when you're up to it.

Welcome home

Glad you're on the post-op side now and that your surgery went well. Sorry that they didn't keep your pain management in control there. Hope all is better now!!

Wishing you an uneventful recovery and let the pampering begin.

and

Welcome Home! I can relate with the pain meds - mine had to be reversed because the diluadid wasnt working & started causing complications (not breathing as much as I should) luckily the Thoridol worked great! Get lots of rest, drink lots of water, and walk as much as you can!!

Our experiences sound very similar.... You will love your incision with the " glue". I found that many sisters here complain about stitches on the top layer, pulling and just plain catching on things... You won't have that problem.
I was up walking by 9PM the night of my surgery. I also felt much better walking around.
Also, the next day they missed my pain meds by an hour and twenty minutes. I was a mess...... In that time I spiked a fever also.... I was even crying.... My boyfriend finally made a complaint to the head nurse... and boy did things get taken care of then....
I hope your recovery is as uneventful as mine....

Take Care
Danette

Dear Have Fun, I am so glad we are on the other side and your surgery went well. I know what you mean about dreaming of a slimmer tummy. Mine is a huge bloated swelly mess!! I can see now why we need 6-8 weeks of recovery. This was a big deal!

To all my other sisters: Thanks for leaving me messages and thinking of me. I pray all your recoveries go smooth We are now on our way to a healthier way of life!

home!! Glad you are doing well. Best wishes for an uneventful and speedy recovery . Welcome to the better side now!! Enjoy the pampering