Catherine's Story Part 2
Surgery Time
After much research, many tests, discussions with my doctors, & lots of prayers, I decided that I would proceed with surgery without delay. Because my uterus was enlarged (a vaginal ultrasound was done to confirm the size), the suspension surgery was not a feasible option for me. Fortunately, my gyne had recently spent a year in additional training to perform a new type of hysterectomy which is performed COMPLETELY laparoscopically & leaves the cervix for pelvic support. Because of my history of prolapse, my gyne would
also pull the cervix back in position & "suspend" it w/permanent sutures. It was agreed that my gyne would do the LSH (Laparoscopic Supracervical Hyster) &
the rectocele (posterior) repair, & my urologist would perform the
Transvaginal Sling & the cystocele (anterior) repair. It took some time to coordinate both of their schedules -- the first available date was Tuesday, December 5, at noon. The WAITING was the worst!
FINALLY, the day approached. I spent the week before surgery sub'ing 1-2 meals a day with a smoothie from Jamba Juice, hoping that it would act as a "pre-cleanser," & would also boost my health a bit. It was decided that my gyne would handle everything, & I had my pre-op appt. with her one week before surgery. I had to have blood drawn for an AIDS test, & met with the surgery coordinator to sign all of the scary papers & was given a folder full of pre-op & post-op instructions. I then sat down with my doc, & we went
over everything, including the list of questions that I had in hand. I left
there with my questions answered but still feeling oddly like, "is this
REALLY happening to me?" My pre-op instructions were as follows:
-- Discontinue birth control pills 3 days before surgery (I was told not to worry if I started bleeding).
-- Continue to take all other meds as prescribed (I take a beta blocker for tachycardia; I was told to take this the morning of surgery with a teensy swallow of water).
-- Prior to surgery, do not take aspirin, ibuprofen or Vitamin E. These thin the blood & could cause complications.
-- Take 2,000 mg Vitamin C daily to enhance healing. 500 mg Magnesium per day may also be helpful.
-- Do not eat or drink anything for at least 8 hours prior to surgery. This means water, ice chips, gum, etc.
-- Drink one bottle of Magnesium Citrate the day prior to surgery at 3:00 p.m.
-- Give yourself a Fleets enema & a Betadine douche the morning of surgery.
Because all of this was occurring around the holidays, I was like a mad woman trying to get everything *ready.* The Christmas shopping had to be done, the tree up, the house cleaned well, etc. I was a nervous wreck, needless to say. My kids were anxious, as well. The weekend before surgery was a hectic one!
The day before my surgery (a Monday), I had to be at the hospital early for pre-op testing -- blood work, an EKG & a chest x-ray. I picked up my kids from school, & came home to drink THE GREEN MONSTER! LOL! I'd heard all manner of horror stories about the mag citrate, but oddly enough I didn't think it was that awful. It was terribly bitter & wasn't that pleasant to drink down, but I guess my Jamba Juice'ing had worked because I didn't spend the evening in misery, either. I probably had 2-3 trips to the bathroom ... &
that was it! I had a normal dinner & tried to get a good night's sleep
(yeah, right!).
The next morning I woke up very early (wonder why?). I went downstairs to pray, & try to put my fears to rest. I'd had a lifelong fear of surgery, & was truly afraid that I wouldn't wake up. Thoughts of what would happen to my children plagued me all those weeks while I was waiting for THE BIG DAY to roll around. Oddly enough, my Bible was open as I prayed. When I opened my eyes, a verse "popped out" -- Psalm 3:5 -- "I lay down & slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustained me." I was at peace from that moment on!
I had to be at the hospital 2 hours before surgery, at 10:00 a.m. My husband & a very close friend were with me. The hospital already had all of my insurance information, so registration was quick. I was taken back to get ready. Had to shed my clothes & put on the lovely gown, & then was taken to a curtained off "waiting area" where I had to lie down on a gurney & get my IV started. They also put on "pneumatic hose," which resemble blood pressure cuffs & are placed around your calves. These alternate "pumping up," & help with circulation. (A sidenote: I absolutely LOVED these things, as they give a great leg masssage! The nurses told me people either love 'em or hate
'em -- I kept them on until the morning of my release!) At this point, my hubby & friend were brought back to wait with me. Both docs (my gyne & uro) came in to talk with us, & we were told the surgery could easily take 4 hours. Then the anesthesiologist came in & introduced himself, & went over my medical history. I asked him about nausea, as I'd heard many stories about people throwing up in recovery. He said he did use medication to prevent that, but that some people still get sick in spite of it. He asked if I was particularly "weak-stomach'd" (i.e. do I barf on roller coasters) -- he said these were typically the people that had trouble with nausea.
We probably spent about an hour or so in the waiting area, until finally a surgical nurse & the anesthesiologist came to get me. I said bye-bye, & was then wheeled away. I DO NOT REMEMBER A THING BEYOND THIS POINT! My first conscious moment was when I was being wheeled out of recovery -- I distinctly remember the "bump-bump" as I was rolled out of the elevator. I recall mumbling, "owwwwwwwww!" (or something like that). I also remember being
moved into my bed, & telling the nurse that I needed to pee. She said, "You have a catheter, honey. Go right ahead!"
I had NO nausea at all, nor any other unpleasant reaction to the anesthesia (no headaches, dizziness, etc.). My husband, 2 kids, & my friend came in a bit later to visit me. I was in some pain, & the nurse came in to give me a pain shot. I'm not "needle-shy," & normally don't mind shots at all ... but those pain shots **HURT**!!! When the next time for pain meds rolled around, I requested pills instead! Unfortunately, they didn't help much, so the 3rd time, I asked for another shot. OUCH, again. That was it for me -- no more
shots! (They were given in the hips; those spots were sore for weeks ... seriously)
The next morning, the gyne came in to see me; then the urologist. The uro removed the Foley catheter & the packing. I felt sooooooo much better after the packing was removed, & I was able to stand & walk to the restroom (with help). I had no trouble at all urinating. I was brought breakfast, a liquid diet to begin with. Juice, tea, broth, jello, etc. I was also given crackers to eat every time I took pain meds. I had no trouble at all tolerating food. I did have a very sore throat from the breathing tube, & was plagued for the first several days with some annoying "tickles" that caused a coughing reflex. I kept some hard candy nearby, as well as a bottle of water, to soothe my throat. I was encouraged to get up & walk around several times a day, & was told this would help with gas. Although I had been told that it was common to experience shoulder/neck pain (due to gas used during the procedure) after laparoscopy, I didn't have any of that. I did, however, have terrible gas pain abdominally. I had stocked up on Gas-X
prior to surgery, but the hospital nurses told me not to take it. I
should've listened to my own common sense, & the next morning I began taking it.
I spent 2 nights in the hospital, & went home on Thursday morning. I was given Keflex for 10 days, Vicodin for pain, & told to use stool softeners for 12 weeks. I was instructed not to lift over 5 pounds & no baths for 6 weeks, no sex for 8 weeks, & advised to keep the lap incisions as dry as possible. I was very sore & absolutely terrified at the thought of the first bowel movement. I was diligent w/the stool softeners & also ate prunes, apricots, raisin bran, etc. The "Big Event" occurred on Friday evening, & didn't hurt a bit. I was thrilled to notice almost immediately that I could stop urinating, mid-stream, with hardly any effort at all. This was a major feat for me!
Our house is a tri-level with my bedroom upstairs, so I slept for the first week on the sleeper-sofa on the main floor. I did take the stairs on Friday morning to go up & shower, & didn't have a problem. I just took it slow.
For the first 2 weeks, I didn't do much at all other than watch an ungodly amount of television!
I finally ventured out for my 2-week check-up with both docs. I saw the gyne first, who was anxious to check & see how my cervix had survived. She did a pelvic exam (OUCH), though spared me the speculum, at least. She was pleased that things were where they should be. I then saw the urologist, who did not do a pelvic but just asked some questions. She was most interested in whether or not I had experienced any leakage when coughing or sneezing. She was pleased to hear that I had not! I did report that I was having to "go"
more frequently, & that it seemed to take a long time to "get the job done." She said this was normal due to swelling, & should improve with time. I was told to come back for another check-up in 4 weeks.
I resumed driving at about 2-1/2 weeks post-op. I was still quite sore, sat very gingerly, had a hard time standing for any length of time, & got tired easily. Overall, though, I was so pleased at how much better I felt than I thought I would.
At 4 weeks post-op, I had to rush back to the gyne's office to be checked. I had had constant spotting since my surgery, but one afternoon I experienced bleeding to such a degree that it soaked through my jeans! My doc was in surgery, so I saw a nurse practitioner at her office. She said things looked like they were holding up well, but she did see some red areas that appeared to not be healing well (though not infected). She applied silver nitrate to these spots. She also said that the bleeding could be due to one of the following: a) that sometimes a "pocket" of blood forms behind a stitch, that it is not exposed to air & therefore does not clot & that on occasion a stitch might "pop" & the blood is released; or b) it could be my first "cycle" since surgery. Because I still have my cervix, I was told that I might possibly experience some monthly spotting. The good news is that the
bleeding has eased up significantly -- yesterday (a little over 5 weeks
post-op) was my first day w/o spotting! I was excited, but today the
spotting has returned. I am also presently experiencing some abdominal discomfort -- it's very hard to describe all the different "sensations" &
"twinges." Every little ache & pain causes me to panic & immediately assume that I've pulled something loose!
I do have some recommendations for some items that made recovery much more
bearable:
-- a pillow for the car ride home from the hospital
-- white cotton briefs, 2 sizes too large (these are non-binding around the belly; very comfy)
-- Dermoplast spray (safe to use & numbs up the perineal area well; I
couldn't have made it w/o this stuff!)
-- an elevated toilet seat w/handles (I was SHOCKED when I came home from the
hospital, after having been spoiled by the tall one there w/the handrails.
My toilet at home was soooooooo low, which strained everything, & nothing to hold onto. My hubby purchased this in the home healthcare section at Osco drugstore for about $60. It was worth every penny!)
I will continue to update on my recovery. My next check-up is with the urologist in one week, & my understanding is that follow-up is quite
extensive with the uro. The gyne has released me until my next pap!
If anyone has any questions at all, please feel free to e-mail me at
catwright@aol.com. I would be happy to help in whatever way I can!
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