Scared, Alone, & Questions

I will soon find out when in December I have my surgery.
I will be having stints put in between my bladder and urethra the day before, my endometriosis has scarred things so bad, my Dr. needs them in as a guide. Has anyone had this done? What should I expect. A lady at work has had me in tears telling me how awful it is and she isnt letting up about it.
My Dr. also is doing a vertical cut, will that change things for me compared to a horizontal cut?
I also have Fibromyalgia, will that have any affect on my surgery?
I am single and live with my mom, to care for her with her health issue. I have no partner or children so I don't have the support a lot of you have physically and emotionally. Any suggestions on how to prepare to take care of myself when I get home. Anything special I should do before to make it easier for me.
A person at work says it must be nice to have this "vacation" during the holidays. This dosent sound like a vacation.
A co-worker Deedledumplin is a hyster-sister and says you will give me the encouragement I need. I hope so.
Right now I am feeling overwhelmed and like my nerves are right on the edge, everything is bothering me more than usual.
Help, PLEASE

I am sorry that you are facing this alone. I haven't had the extensive surgery you are looking at, but I want to tell you to find encouragement here. Close your ears to the negativity coming from this woman at work, and seek support from positive friends. You've got us!

Praying for your quick and complication free recovery.

I did not have this type of procedure, but many of the sisters on this site have. Stay tuned and keep reaching out. I think you'll see that good supportive information is headed your way.

This is the best site I found when I was in waiting for my TVH. I had a grade II prolapse and a fibroid infested uterus causing me several years of pain and discomfort and now I'm on the mend and life is WAY better for me now!

Best wishes to you--I'll keep you in my thoughts.

Thanks ladies for reaching out to CinnaNut, she really needs and deserves some pampering and encouragement.

I haven't had this done so I can't help you with any information. I'm having a TAH and when I first found out I was a wreck. I knew it was going to happen some time but not this soon. I had just had surgery to remove a cyst. The waiting is the hardest for me right now. I'm not having the surgery until Dec. 26th. What has worked to calm my nerves is keeping myself busy, not hard to do with a 2 and 6 year old lol.

I am very on edge Cinnanut. Alot of people can be cruel to this surgery and they have no clue what their talking about. This past 4weeks has been nuts for me. Alot of support is on this site and you can ask just about any question you want no matter how icky. Someone always has some kind of advice or first hand knowledge of things. I came in here with no clue as to what was happening to me and now just 2 days B4 I go in I finally feel like Im INFORMED. Sometimes even your docs can be alittle impersonal and thats the worst. Thats why I like it here. Your co-worker has posted for you and thats great. Its nice to have some inside support. Dont lose that. For me, its just myself on my own with 5 boys. And it has been that way for 10yrs now. So I feel lucky to have evn found this site. I have one19 year old, twins17,and twins 11. So hopefully when I get home they will all get it and help out alittle. Keeep reading on this site and ask away. It helps to be helpful.

Cinnanut, I will be home and back on this site well B4 u go in for your surgery. I will look for you again and tell you all the details if you need them. And I have a feeling you will. I sent myself into a straight panic attack last night OVER thinking things so be careful. BREATH........

Oh, sisters! I was right where you are 3 weeks ago. I know its already been said, the waiting is the worst part. Too much time for the "what if's" to creep in, and for some reason we always imagine the worst, don't we?''

Let me tell you this because it's what I know. My surgery, though different in method than yours, was not, I repeat, NOT awful. Any pain I had was minimal at best. Somedays, just annoying or uncomfortable, but NEVER awful. In fact, my problem during these 3 weeks of recovery has been trying to make sure I don't do too much because I feel so good! I spent two nights in the castle. The day I got home, I was walking up my stairs (slowly), taking short walks outside (slowly) and getting around pretty well.

You are going to do great! Block out the negativity. People who say negative things to you when you're already nervous and need some reassurance are not worth listening to, in my book. I do not remember reading one story so far about how any sister's surgery was "awful". Most come out saying, "Oh, if I only knew it would be this good and I'd feel this great!!!" Honestly.

It is completely normal to be nervous. Feel the emotions, but don't let them take control of you and don't feel bad about having them. There would be something wrong with you if you weren't a bit nervous.

Lean on the people you can. Your co-worker, our sister, I'm sure will be there for you any way she can. If you are involved with your church or other community groups, ask them for some help, during your recovery, if possible. Prepare a week or two's worth of meals and freeze, or buy some frozen entrees. Also stock up on canned soups and other easy to prepare simple foods. All I was even able to eat my first week was chicken broth, crackers, toast, applesauce and white rice, and I had to force it. You will be stronger when you're home than you imagine.

No, it's not a vacation -- I was hoping to do a bunch of different things during my recovery and really haven't done anything. I still tire easily so I can only go out a few hours at a time, especially if I'm going to walking or on my feet. I have overdone it several times and then have pain and pressure at the end of the day. Knowing when to slow down and take it easy is difficult. Like I said, this is not a vacation. It's recovery.

I pray that you can find some peace this week. Please try to relax and know that we are all here to support you. I hope at least a little of this helped!

Remember to breathe!!

Peace to you,
Christine

Hi CinnaNut,

s to you!! I have not gone through my TAH yet, but go in next Wed. for the pre-op. I am a bit nervous about whether the incision will be vertical or horizontal, but I hold faith that the doctor will do what he has to do in order to get to everything taken care of. They really don't want to do surgeries nowadays unless they're necessary. Whenever I start questioning whether or not I am making the right decision, I remind myself of that.

Your co-worker probably means well...but it sure would drive me crazy ! I understand how you are feeling. My hubby, work, and extended family weren't real supportive once I made up my mind to have the surgery (go figure!). My depression dipped real low until I stood firm by the choice I had made. I now have hubby and work support, thankfully. While it isn't the "support" I dream of, at least it's not a bunch of negativity thrown my way! My point is, that's what it may take for you. Stand firm in the decision you have made, you will become stronger. (BTW: You may have weak moments, when you question everything, but those moments do pass. Like ripples of water to overcome.)

I wish you the best, take care !
Heather

Hi CinnaNut!

I am glad to see you are receiving support here on the site and I hope you find it helpful! Many people around us do not understand the ins and outs of a hyst so they can make comments that are hurtful and not helpful. But we here on the site have walked a similar road so we have plenty of shoulders to lean on and hands to hold!

And no, recovering from a hyst is not a vacation! My recovery affected Thanksgiving and Christmas and on into the next summer thanks to complications! Sure didn't feel like a vacation at all! Some ladies however do very well though they can be tired and sore and they still need time to let their bodies heal. You only have one chance to heal right the first time!

Who will be putting in the stents for you? A urologist or your GYN? Do you have an endometriosis specialist? With endometriosis involved you do want a very skilled surgeon!

I would suggest making a list of any and all specific questions you have regarding your surgeries and procedures and sit down with your doctor prior to your hyst. Your doctor may be able to ease your mind regarding many issues if you can sit down and have a chat.

Who treats you for your fibromyalgia? I would suggest talking to this doctor and letting him/her know you are having surgery and ask for suggestions as to how to help you during surgery and recovery. I have myofasical pain syndrome and possible fibromyalgia and my neuro and I work hand in hand whenever an event or health issue arises that could affect my pain. We try to be on the offense rather than the defense, staying ahead of the pain rather than waiting until I am completely flared up as then it is much harder to get everything under control.

Do you have close friends or family or do you belong to a church or other group who can help out a bit during your recovery? As you care for your mother, will she be able to help you or will you be able to have someone come in to care for the two of you? You may want to consider cooking meals ahead of time and having a cleaning service come in once or twice a week during recovery. Teens and college students might be willing to help out for a reasonable fee. Rearranging your living areas so that you don't have to stretch or reach much can be helpful as well. You may find several helpful ideas and suggestions in the Hints section of the site and in the Pre Op Articles.

I wish you all the best for a successful surgery and a super recovery! S