DVH: Farewell my beloved womb.

I first discovered a round, hard area near my uterus about two and a half years ago. I could feel it more when I lay on my back. It was located on the right side of my lower abdomen.
I discussed it with my family doctor at my yearly physical and all he said was "it’s probably a Fibroid tumor, which is benign; we’ll just keep an eye on it". Since I didn't suffer from heavy bleeding or painful periods he didn’t seem too concerned. I decided to let it go and not worry about it for the time being.
Later, the following year, the fact that it was getting bigger scared me, it was already reaching my belly button. So at my yearly physical I brought it up to my doctor again. He ordered a Pelvic Ultrasound and I had it done right away. The results showed in fact a fibroid tumor that was on the right upper back portion of my uterus and was the size of a softball.
My doctor didn’t seem too concerned about it, so I seriously considered getting a second opinion. At work I asked one of my coworkers, another LPN, if she could recommend an OB/GYN. She said she had had a hysterectomy a few years back and her surgeon was great. She gave me his name and phone number and as soon as I was able, I called his office and set up an appointment for my second opinion.
On the day of my appointment, I felt very comfortable with the OB/GYN. He checked me and ordered another pelvic ultrasound. He spoke about the kinds of surgeries available for Hysterectomies or Myomectomies. I was really interested in the Da Vinci Robotic method. I was very excited to learn that there would only be five small incisions, no bigger than my fingernail, on my belly. He said the recuperation time was shorter and the risks for infection & bleeding were minimal.
I went home and thought about it. At first I wanted to just have a Myomectomy, that’s when they remove only the tumor. I would keep my uterus and ovaries. The thought of having a “crater” after the removal of the tumor and the risks of hemorrhaging scared me a lot. So sadly I decided, since I didn’t need my uterus anymore, I would get the hysterectomy but keep my ovaries. Keeping the ovaries is very important to me. I don’t want to start taking hormones if I don’t need to.
At my second office visit with the gynecologist, I told him I wanted to have the Hysterectomy but to save my ovaries. He said he would but only if they were healthy. The interaction with this doctor made me feel very comfortable. He went on to explain the procedure and we unofficially picked a day for the surgery. After about a week later I received a small package from his office with the date of surgery 2/29 and the bowel prep with instructions to be done the day before the surgery.
I needed to have a pre-op clearance with my own doctor which I did two weeks prior to the surgery. He ordered an EKG, chest X-ray, Urinalysis and some blood work. Results came back normal so he gave the OK to proceed with the surgery on the scheduled date.
I finally had to tell my kids and other family members that I was going to have surgery. One way I broke it to my youngest son, who is twenty six years old, was by telling him that his “old home” was being “condemned”. He looked at me and said, “old home”? I said yeah, remember, you lived there nine months before you moved in with me twenty six years ago. He laughed at that but at the same time looked worried. I assured him that it was because of a benign fibroid tumor.
I have such a wonderful and supportive family!
I had stocked up on chicken broth, apple juice, jello and Gatorade for my bowel cleansing day which was on 2/28. I was able to have my one cup of coffee, no cream. At 10am I dissolved the packet of magnesium citrate oral solution in 8 ounces of water, and drank it. At noon I took the 4 bisacodyl tablets. I had to drink 8 ounces of water every hour on the hour, so I set my kitchen timer. That helped a lot. Thru out the day I had jello, chicken stock, apple juice and Gatorade. I didn’t feel hungry at all. It felt good to clean out my system, except I didn’t like the irritation. I did gratefully, lose a couple of pounds.
I felt the need to say goodbye to (Her), my uterus; so in the shower I did. I thanked “Her” for keeping my three babies safe and allowing them to grow healthy while they were in her. I just stood there under the shower enjoying feeling whole, even if for a little while longer. I would not be able to have another child, since I had a tubal ligation back in 1985. Saying goodbye to a “part” of me that has allowed me to have so much happiness in my life was sad, but necessary.
Surgery day 2/29: My husband and I report to the nurses’ station at 5:45am. I go into a room where I get weighed and the nurse checks my vitals. We proceed to my room and she instructs me to remove everything except my socks and change into one of their hospital gowns with the opening in the back. Then she attached a compression device/wrap to each one of my legs. She said it was to prevent blood clots in my legs.
Afterwards, I just sat on the bed and watched T.V. until the anesthesiologist came in. He started my IV on my left wrist, and said he was going to give me something to relax me. A few minutes later the doctor that is going to do the surgery, walks in. We go through my signed consent form and that is all I remember. I would’ve liked to have seen the operating room and the Da Vinci operating system, but I guess it was for the best. I didn’t feel nervous at all.
Next thing I remember was hearing my husband telling me that my youngest son was there to see me, but had to leave because he had to go to work. I was really out of it. I had a catheter in me and it felt weird each time I tried to move my left leg. I also had the compression device still wrapped around my calves. It would compress each leg alternately about every 5 seconds. First it would start gently squeezing the bottom of my calf, then the middle and then the top, quickly releasing its pressure on the whole calf. It was an annoying but necessary precaution.
I was on a liquid diet still after my surgery that whole day. Nurse came in regularly to check my vitals and a nurse’s aid would come in to empty my catheter bag. They would also stick around and talk to me, it made me feel glad to have good, caring nurses around me.
My daughter and her boyfriend as well as my grandchildren came to see me; they brought me flowers, a plant and a huge butterfly balloon. It brightened up my room.
Next day after my surgery 3/1, my catheter was removed, what a relief! I was able to move my leg easier without feeling that uncomfortable tug. My IV was discontinued and I was informed by my nurse that I would able to have solid food. She gave me a menu and I was so excited to eat after having nothing but liquids for two days. I called the number on the menu and ordered a piece of whole grain toast with butter and jelly, a scrambled egg, a fruit cup and decaf coffee. It tasted like the best breakfast I ever ate.
My husband and son came in after breakfast to keep me company. My son was telling me that when my husband told him that the tumor was so big the surgeon had to shave it down to be able to remove it vaginally, he responded, you mean shaved it like a truffle? Oh my God, we laughed so much! Actually all I could do was make these quick small sounds so as not to bust my stitches. I love to laugh and I can’t wait to be able to belly laugh as hard as I can, real soon.
My doctor came in around 11:30 am; said surgery was a success and told me that my ovaries looked healthy so I got to keep them. He gave me a quick checkup and gave me some instructions for when I go home. I was able to go home after lunch today. He picked up the phone and made an appointment for me for 3/20; what a wonderful doctor, surgeon, person.
At around 2pm I was all dressed and ready to go. So I called my nurse and she sent a nurse’s aide with a wheelchair, she took me all the way to the car. My hospital experience was a good one. Thank God it all went well with no complications.
Having Hystersisters.com to go to when I have questions or to just read other women’s stories, has been wonderful!
Thank you, HysterSisters.