TAH: 3 more days!!

Oh boy.... not long now! I am alternately freaking out, and just keeping busy.

This feels so unreal. Back in mid-June, I had no idea I had a tumour in my uterus - it's a "mystery tumour" that isn't a normal fibroid, and doesn't quite behave like a cancer, but it's about 8 cm big. It was found on an ultrasound I had for some other minor abdominal discomfort - which was probably just a strained ligament. because that pain disappeared. I have no pain and no bleeding from this tumour, but I have to have a TAH/BSO to be on the safe side. Vertical incision, pelvic wash, the whole shebang.
I still feel quite stunned and shocked, even though I've had time to take it in. It has been a hugely stressful year with major earthquakes here, ripping the city apart.... but thanks be to God, the hospital where I'm having the surgery is just carrying on as normal, being a modern building built on base isolators. I haven't even had to wait long at all for surgery - even with a public health system so clogged up with accident and emergency cases earlier on!
I am in awe of all the "team" I met on my pre-op. on Wed. 24th, and I feel in very safe and competent hands.

Anyone dreading your pre-op. - don't! I bet you come out feeling a lot more confident as well as informed!

Keeping busy doing last minute preparations is helpful. I finished at work yesterday (our Friday) for about 6 weeks or whatever I need over and above that. My workmates were/are wonderfully supportive. Now I have Saturday, Sunday and Monday as my last days of pain-free mobility for a while!
But really, it has been such a scary and stressful year, this surgery seems like almost more than I can face, at times. There is no going back, however!
I am a day ahead of you guys, down here in the southern hemisphere. My 30th Aug. is your 29th!

Please spare me some good vibes or prayers, dear Hystersisters!

Good luck!

Good luck with your surgery. I will be having mine on 8/30 too. I am doing the same thing - I am going to work for 1/2 day on Monday and then I will be home getting ready for surgery Tuesday afternoon. It is nice to know I'm not the only one doing it.

Tue is my surgery day.Just got through with labs at the hospital.Preparing for being home healing up.Having LSH type.Heard from hospital admissions person, they had one and got epidural in addition, took away all the pain after surgery.Anybody out there know of such a thing?I'm going to ask for it.

I had a TAH BSO on May 17th. Also 6 inch vertical incision. My hysterectomy was for a large ovarian cyst, plus I had numerous fibroids. All were benign, thankfully.

I understand the unreal feeling. In four weeks, I went from perfectly healthy to my doc finding a mass during my annual exam to being bounced from one gyn doc to a gyn/onc surgeon who said you need a hysterectomy now to being in surgery. The visit to the gyn onc to being in the OR was 10 days apart. Makes your head spin, doesn't it!

Good luck with the surgery. We are here for you and will be waiting for you on the other side

	Quote:
Originally Posted by sara rainbow Tue is my surgery day.Just got through with labs at the hospital.Preparing for being home healing up.Having LSH type.Heard from hospital admissions person, they had one and got epidural in addition, took away all the pain after surgery.Anybody out there know of such a thing?I'm going to ask for it.

I had an epidural, plus regular anesthetic. I would do that again in a heart beat! The epidural allowed the pain meds to be administered directly into the tubing. I took no pain meds orally for the first 18 hours. I also had a TAH BSO - so I was hospitalized for four days.

The epidural also allowed less anesthetic to be used, so I woke up quicker. Another plus. My anesthesiologist recommended it.

First I want to say to you, GOOD LUCK. I am having my surgery Aug 30th. I have know about this surgery since May and I had a panic attack a few days ago. It came out of no where. I am just trying to keep busy so I dont think about it so much. I think I am more nervous about being put to sleep then anything.

Again Good luck and I do believe that we will all be ok in the end.

	Quote:
Originally Posted by sara rainbow Tue is my surgery day.Just got through with labs at the hospital.Preparing for being home healing up.Having LSH type.Heard from hospital admissions person, they had one and got epidural in addition, took away all the pain after surgery.Anybody out there know of such a thing?I'm going to ask for it.

Yes, this is what I was told I'd be getting - I didn't even have to ask, and when they told me why they always did this, I wouldn't have refused, for sure!
Namely, when you wake up after the surgery, the epidural will have carried you over so that you don't wake in pain and have to try and convey what degree of pain you have when you can hardly articulate it. I will have a morphine pump from there on (not sure how many days) so that I can have control over my pain.
Be sure you ask for the epidural and hope you get through this op. OK.

We will meet on the other side... hopefully relieved to have it over.

good luck with everything, waiting is the worse thing ever.I have been waiting 9 weeks now and have 3 to go. not a fun time and I'm sure the nerves are going to get lots worse. be safe! hope you feel better quickly :-)

I will keep you in my prayers. Things are going to be great. For the first few weeks, you will feel like you got hit by a bus, but just take it easy and let DH and family help you. All of my female friends keep telling me to enjoy the down time. As women we don't get it very often. I'm trying, but starting to go a little crazy!! LOL