Surgery #1

After months and months of test and doctors appointments it is finally the day of surgery.  I would finally be finding out what this was in my stomach.  The test concluded there was a cyst but no one was really too sure where it was.  I was told that I had fibroids and that my uterus was very enlarged so the decision was made that an abdominal hysterectomy would be performed.  I was fine this with due to fibroid surgeries in the past and I just wanted this to be over.  I wouldn't have to keep dealing with all of this if I didn't have a uterus anymore so the plan was put in place.  The biggest issue was that no one knew what this 11.5 cm cyst was so I was going to have to be cut which is the most invasive way to have this surgery.

Once Dr Veronikas finished he explained to Matt that I had stage 4 endometriosis and that they cyst was an endometriosis cyst and that it has spread and was compacting my bowels and bladder.  He said as soon as he opened me up he knew that is what it was so he called in a second surgeon to help him because it was so bad.  It took both surgeons 4 hours to completely remove all of it.  They removed my left ovary, uterus, cervix and my fallopian tubes.  They had to work hard to clean up my right ovary so that I could keep it so that I wouldn't be thrown into menopause.

Recovery was a nightmare!  Doctors and nurses do not really get that I do not handle pain meds well.  I had an epidural drip of morphine and it was torture.  It made me itch like crazy and I was so out of it I couldn't even stand.  I was supposed to be out of there after two nights and I was ready for it.  I was ready to walk and get the recovery started so that I could go home but with all the drugs they were giving me they were making it impossible.  I had not ate since Monday or had anything to drink since Tuesday so by Friday I was a mess. Gretchen came up and finally got them to understand that I would not get better unless they stopped the pain meds so they took the epidural out and finally gave me Tylenol!  Instantly I was a different person.  I was up walking and showering so that I could pass the gas from the surgery.  Once I passed the gas I could have FOOD!  Saturday morning I was finally able to have something to drink and eat and let me just say "toast never tasted so good"!  Dr V came in a little after lunch and said I could go home and I was so relieved.  I couldn't handle staying another night.  I was a little disappointed when I found out that I had to keep the JP drain in but I accepted it and was discharged.  After a few days home the drain was the worst.  It was the only part causing me pain and made me so sick and dizzy to have to mess with it.  I finally called the office due to the amount of pain I was in because of it and they told me to remove it.  My body was rejecting it so it kept making its way out of my body so it was no longer working properly.  I had Beth come over and remove it and it was instant relief.  The hole left from the tube was hard to handle, made me sick and dizzy to clean and dress but at least the pain was gone.  After that each day things got better and better.