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TAH, BSO, Appendectomy, omentectomy - Trick or Treat (long story)

From the Abdominal Hysterectomy Stories Articles List

Hello

I was taken ill at work one afternoon last October with abdominal pain and nausea. Somehow I managed to get home where my DH took me to the DR. The diagnosis was muscle spasms in my back and she prescribed painkillers and muscle relaxing drugs. I tried to explain that I did not feel like I had a bad back but she insisted I did. I went home, took the drugs which made me drowsy. By the evening I felt worse, the pain still radiating down my legs and felt extremely unwell. I went to the bathroom where my husband found me flat on my back, covered in water/sick and had wet myself. I had blacked out with no warning, no feeling dizzy. An ambulance was called and I was taken to A&E.

Nurses gave me anti-sickness injection and pain killers. An hour later I was seen by a doctor who diagnosed kidney stones and sent me down for a KUB X-ray (11pm by this time). The X-ray showed no stones, so it was presumed that the stones had passed and I was prescribed more painkillers for spasmodic pain. I was sent home at 1am, still feeling unwell and the nausea returned as soon as I went outside. I just wanted to lay down so went home. I laid in bed all night, hoping the pain would go away, afterall the stones had passed (right). I was unable to take the painkillers due to continuing nausea. The next day my DH (bless him) called our DR again and insisted they visit the house. This different dr immediately referred me back to the hospital requesting a CT scan.

I stayed in hospital overnight and had the CT scan the next day. Kidney stones were still suspected at this time. The scan showed a 8.5cm complex cystic mass on my left ovary, which looked suspicious. The Urology doctor said that this was not her area of expertise and the staff had gone home in the Gynae unit. She said if I was feeling better I could go home or I could stay in - it was up to me. I elected to go home, where I could rest better. The doctor explained that my case would referred as urgent for the Gynae Consultant, and in the UK Government Guidelines say this should be within two weeks as a mass had been confirmed.

Needless to say I was in total shock, thought I had cancer and there was no hope. I felt very sore but could eat and drink okay.

Two weeks later I saw the Consultant. I explained everything to him, he said the ovary may have twisted and gone gangrenous. Upon examination which was very painful, he decided to do the operation as an emergency and that I was to be admitted.

I had the operation on 31st October - trick or treat !

Everything was taken, womb, ovaries, omentum and appendix. The consultant did say the ovary and cyst had twisted and was gangrenous and although everything looked okay (not cancer) he couldn't be sure because of the condition. He said CA-125 blood test was normal.

My recovery was good, apart from feeling sick due antibiotics and 6 days after the operation developing severe sickness. I remained in hospital for 10 days.

I remember the Consultant asking me about symptoms, pain in the top of the leg, feeling full, distended stomach. I did have all of these symptoms for sometime, but thought I was just getting fat, was always on a diet and no one feels full on 1,000 calories, the pain in my leg I put down to overdoing the exercise. I also had an urgent need to urinate often without warning.

The whole process was a shock, no chance to prepare, no chance to formulate questions to ask. I just wanted the mass out and pain to be gone.

Eventually, four weeks later after complaining, the hospital did give me the test results. Thankfully there were no evidence of malignant cells.

I do not have a follow-up appointment, but the hospital will be happy to see me if I have any problems. I do feel well now and know I would not be happy to see them.



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