LSH: BlueHobbit's Story

Hello Ladies!
Well, I finally feel like I can get up and write a little. So here goes

My surgery was on Tuesday the 13th of December but my story starts before that.

I've always had bad periods. Lots of pain, lots of bleeding, and lots of time in bed. On average I was sick for 15-20 days and as I got older, it got worse. I tried hormones (birth control pills) and diet, and other drugs to help with PCOS (cysts on my ovaries). Nothing worked and all of my doctors and family members recommended a hysterectomy.

I did NOT want a hysterectomy! I was pretty sure it would mess up my very active 'bedroom' life with my husband. I was told by one of my doctors that they could do something called and ablation. That is where they burn the lining of the uterus and that could possibly make it so that I would not have anymore bleeding. YAY! I would get to keep my uterus and lose the horrid periods.

They scheduled me for the ablation and a D & C to remove a polyp. They put me to sleep for the ablation and when I woke up I was in a lot of pain but I figured it was worth it if it would take away my periods. Then the doctor came in and told me that the ablation had not worked due to my unusual anatomy. They had tried everything and a procedure that should have only taken 30 minutes actually took 2 hours because they went through all sorts of procedures to make it work. My doctor told me she was so sorry and that she would call me the next day when I felt better. Then she left. And I cried. I was still sleepy from the anesthesia but I knew what that meant. It meant that I was hurting from the D & C and it also meant that my periods weren't fixed and I was still sick. They took me into a recovery room where my husband, mom, and sister were waiting for me and I cried all over again. I was so disappointed. When I was awake enough, they sent me home. I curled up in my bed with a heating pad and went to sleep. When I woke up I talked to my husband about getting a hysterectomy. He said he wanted me to be well.

My doctor called me the next day and I told her to schedule the hyst as soon as possible. She said that she would and that she could do a TVH. She told me to get some rest. I slept a bit more and then got on the computer. I looked up all of the types of hysts and then researched them all. I wasn't content with the regular Internet info though so I started reading medical journals too.

I realized that I did not want to lose my cervix. I called my doctors office and told the nurse that I wanted to keep my cervix and she passed the info on to my Dr. My hyst was scheduled to happen 3 weeks after my ablation. That gave me time to find the HysterSisters and get some much needed support and information. My Dr. still wanted to do the TVH but by then I knew I needed a different surgery to keep my cervix. My doctor finally agreed to do a LSH.

Over the last 6 weeks, I have had so many emotions. I was excited and nervous about having the ablation. I was afraid of going under the anesthesia and not waking up (dying!), I was afraid of getting nauseous from the anesthesia, I was happy to be finally taking steps to becoming healthy, I was angry that my uterus didn't work like it was suppose to, I was so sad and disappointed that the ablation didn't work, I was unexpectedly happy that the anesthesia didn't make throw up (and I didn't die), I was worried that I was making the wrong decision to have a hyst, I was afraid that my sex life would be changed forever for the worse, I grieved the loss of my uterus, I was confused about the decision to keep or lose my cervix, I was happy with the decision to keep my cervix, I was SO glad that I found the HysterSisters, I was embarrassed to bring up the sex issue with my doctor, family members (who thought that there was no 'down side' to getting a total hyst), and to my best friend/husband (who I talk to about everything...but still...), I was anxious about the hyst, anxious about getting everything done and the house & family ready, I felt crazy, and tired (couldn't sleep for the whole week before the surgery), and I just wanted to be done with the whole thing, I felt disgusted with the bowel prep and hope I never have the 'gooey-fooey' for that many hours straight ever again, I was angry at my husband for picking a fight (he was anxious too), short tempered with the other family members, and pretty much paced the house the day before the surgery looking at stuff that needed to be done still and realized that I had no desire to do anything but pace the house!

Then Surgery Day!
I wore my jammies. I didn't feel like dressing up and knew that I wouldn't be wearing anything nice after the surgery. I just put my big coat on over everything and some slip on shoes. My husband drove me over and my mom and sister met us there. I kind of went emotionally numb at that point. They checked me in and a nurse came and got me and my husband & took us to a 'pre-surgery' room. They handed me one of those heinous open in back (show your butt to the whole world) gowns and a pair of pressure stockings. (Sexy) I got dressed and sat on the bed. The nurse came in and asked my name, b-day, allergies, and a bunch of other stuff. They gave me a few hot blankets because I was so cold. That was wonderful. She started and IV. She put some stuff in the site to numb it first but I kind of wish she had just gone for the IV instead of getting poked twice. Then my doc came in and talked to me about the surgery. Then the nurse asked me if I knew what kind of surgery I was having and I was proud of myself for pronouncing all of the big medical words right Then the anesthetist came in and asked all of the same questions that the nurse had just asked. He told me to take out my contacts and I asked him if I could keep my glassed until I fell asleep. (I can't see anything but pale color and fuzzy shapes without them.) He said yes and then gave me something in my IV that made me feel dizzy and sleepy right away. Then I kissed my husband & told him I loved him and they wheeled me in to the operating room. I loved it in there! It was so alien. Fascinating and very interesting. Machines everywhere and huge lights. It was VERY cold in there but all of the doctors and nurses were in scrubs. I recognized my doc and smiled. Dr. smiled back and asked if I was ready. I said yes and they had me scoot myself onto the operating table/bed. I laid down on the pillow and I was so sleepy by then. I think that they but an oxygen mask on me & I saw my doctors face again.

Then I woke up. I was in recovery. My throat was scratchy and dry and I was glad that I had put chap stick on before going in to surgery because my mouth was so dry. The nurse was there and she put my glasses on me and gave me some ice chips and pain meds. I had these weird 'cuffs' on my legs that were hugging my legs from the ankle to the knee. The nurse said that was to help my circulation & keep me from getting blood clots. I liked it. It felt nice and warm. I missed my husband but the nurse said that he was waiting for me in my room. It seemed to take forever to get someone to come and take me to my room but finally they sent a very nice man who wheeled my bed around, into and elevator, down a hall, and into my room. (He even warned me when there were bumps in the floor and said sorry if that hurt my tummy.)

And then I was in my room. My Love was there waiting for me, my mom and sis were there too and they all smiled and said that they were glad to see me. My first question was,"did it work?". I guess I could have asked the nurse in recovery but I was afraid she would say "no" and I didn't want to cry all over her. My husband assured me that everything went well and that I could go ahead and sleep. It was about then that I realized that my pee hurt. I know that sounds funny but it felt like I needed to pee, I hurt inside where my uterus had been, but there was a lot of pressure where I should pee. I asked my husband about it and he said that I had a catheter in place and not to go pulling at it. I didn't like it. It hurt and was uncomfortable. Then I was too tired to care. I fell asleep again.

The nurse came in to give meds and take blood pressure and temp fairly often and then that evening they took out the catheter and I was able to pee on my own (it took forever to relax enough to go pee, I finally had my husband soak a washcloth in hot water and I held it against my upper thighs). I walked around a little and slept a lot. By the next morning I was ready to eat a little bit and get a shower. That felt great. I was so 'stick' from the surgery. I washed my hair and then put on deodorant and face lotion. Then I put my jammies on and told the nurse I was ready to go home.

It is Saturday now. I finally feel good enough to sit and write for a while. I started crocheting a blanket and am just trying to take it slow and drink a lot of water.

Hope this helps some of you.
~BlueHobbit~