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I have only recently found this wonderful web site and wish I would have known it was here five months ago. Until I first logged in two days ago, I felt so alone and confused. Now, I know there are other women experiencing the same thing as me.
So, I suppose I will start this journal with what has happened thus far and add on from here.
I went to my ob/gyn last year because of heavy menstrual cycles since the birth of my last child (March 31, 2004) and urine leakage with coughing, sneezing, and such. He put me on Detrol for the urine problem and then on the Nuva-Ring to help regulate my cycles. The only problem was I could not keep the ring inside of me. Every time I would stand up, it would fall out. I explained to him what was happening and he did a urodynamics study on me as well as a thourough pelvic exam. These confirmed the diagnosis of a prolapsed bladder and uterus. He said I needed a hysterectomy and an anterior repair. It sounded simple enough, so I scheduled for December 6th, 2005.
My anterior repair and hysterectomy turned into an anterior and posterior repair, a Burch procedure to lift the bladder, synthetic mesh to repair the pelvic floor and a hysterectomy while I was under general anesthesia. Apparently I had much more damage than he anticipated and my two hour surgery turned into over five hours.
The recovery has been anything but easy. I had a tremendous amount of pain after the surgery and found out I have a very high tolerence to pain medication. I was also having a very difficult time urinating. After being released and sent home for two weeks, I started feeling worse and running a fever. I was re-hospitalized for a urinary tract infection and was released on Christmas Eve.
Since I still had a tremendous amount of back pain, the doctor did a CAT scan which showed a partial blockage of my left ureter. After a week of anti-inflammatories, another CAT scan showed the ureter clearing up although I still had the pain.
Every two weeks I was back in the doctor's office with another bladder infection. The voiding became harder and harder until I could hardly go at all at which time I went to the ER. I received a Foley catheter to drain my bladder which stayed in place for two weeks. I was then taught how to self-cath and have been doing this ever since.
The pain still persisted. The first week of March, I went back to the doctor and he referred me to a urologist. The urologist did a cystoscopy which showed no damage to the bladder and an MRI which revealed the blocked ureter again, this time with hydronephrosis. He scheduled me for a stent placement right away. That Friday, I went under general anesthesia for the stent and they were unable to place it. The next Wednesday, I was sent to try for the stent from the kidney down using a radiology procedure in which you are not asleep. VERY PAINFULL!
They were able to place the stent, but I was only able to tolerate it for 8 days. The urologist removed it two weeks ago in his office via cystoscopy which was also VERY PAINFULL! Last week, I got severe back pain and cramping so I returned to the doctor to find out I had severe pyelonephritis and the ureter was again not draining properly shown on an IVP. I was put on IV antibiotic last until Thursday to clear the infection and scheduled for another video urodynamics study on Wednesday which was yesterday. This study showed my bladder was not functioning at all, there was no activity. As well, my kidney was still swollen and the urine not draining properly.
I was scheduled for a balloon dilatation of the ureter and urethra today which I had at 7am this morning. I received another stent in the left ureter and now have another Foley catheter until at least Monday because of the swelling of my urethra. The doctor talked to my husband and assured him all this is not due to my surgery. I do not believe him.
I am young, thin, was relatively healthy all but some bladder leakage before the surgery and now since the surgery I cannot urinate and my bladder is completely non-functioning. I just do not understand how this wasn't caused by the surgery. At first my gynecologist thought I was having a reaction to the mesh but then decided I wasn't. Then, he thought I was having inflammation from the stitches placed in the Burch procedure, but he is sure that is not the case either. Basically, no one knows why my bladder has decided not to work, but they keep telling me it is not from the surgery.
I am in a great deal of pain now from the procedure this morning and have had chronic back pain and pain in my right hip and down my right leg since the day of the original surgery, December 6, 2005. I am frustrated and very tired of hurting all the time. I cannot take care of my children or my house and have not worked a full week since that day.
I can only hope and pray things get better from here. Hopefully this stent will not be as terrible as the previous stent and some of the back pain will disappear. This is terrible and I cannot stand it much longer. I am going to stay optimistic that my next entry will be much more upbeat and I will have great things to write here about my improvement.
This web site has been the best thing I have come accross and I am so thankful for everyone here. I no longer feel so alone in all of this. I think writing here will help me work through some of the anger I have about all these issues from the surgery.
Amber
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