So I usually post about DIY tricks and hacks, but this was too important not to write about. Hope this gives you some peace of mind going into your surgery.
SOME INFO AND BACKGROUND:
So I'm sure a lot of you are reading this because you've already become aware of having fibroids, for those of you that are unaware, fibroids are very common in women; they're tumors that grow on/in/around your uterus. They're usually not cancerous and often times go completely undetected. However, if you have unusually heavy periods: cramping and loss of blood, you may want to ask your OBGYN to check for fibroids. Fibroids *CAN* be dangerous to some people, and also may hinder child birth, if that's what you're into. ;)
Ok, so I just had my first myomectomy (which is an open surgery, in the form of a cesarian cut, where they remove the fibroid...s) I had some anxiety going into it, but my doctor is experienced and his yelp reviews were high, and this is actually a very routine procedure, so I went into the hospital smiling because I'm soooo ready to live pain-free. Also, my underwear are all ruined, completely.
Here are my stats: I'm a 31 year old, Korean-American, 113lbs, 5'6'', gal in ehh... decent shape.
My doc said I was pretty young to be having such troublesome fibroids. I was on the verge of becoming anemic because of all the blood I would lose during my periods and my cramps never-ended. I mean, I didn't have to be on my period to be bleeding/ cramping. And sex was becoming painful. My largest fibroid (I had three) was also pressing on my bladder, so I was having to relieve myself every 3ish hours, even through the night.
The OBGYN performing the surgery was Dr. Roy Silver, his office is located in the Cedars Sinai Towers in Los Angeles, CA. The surgery was performed at Dignity Health California Medical Center in Downtown Los Angeles.
PROCEDURE:
So the day before the procedure I went to the hospital and had some pre-operative blood work done. They also checked to make sure I wasn't pregnant. They want to make sure they know your blood type because there is a good chance of losing a lot of blood, so a blood transfusion might be necessary. And just generally make sure that you're healthy enough for surgery. I was told to show up to the hospital the next day at 7am, and was given body wash to prep my body the night before and day of. I also had to wash my bedsheets and pajamas as well as the clothes I'd be wearing the day of the surgery. They wanted to make sure I was at a low risk for infection.
7am day of surgery: Arrive at hospital, they gave me a hospital gown, hospital booties for my feet, hair net, body wipes, a bag for my belongings, and half of a hospital room. My boyfriend came with me and helped me wipe my body down and gather my belongings. Then from 7am-12pm we waited. At noon a nurse came and carted me into the waiting lounge, my boyfriend was allowed to come with. Here we were introduced to the doctor(s): Dr. Silver and a resident doctor, the nurses that would be in the surgery room and my anesthesiologist. They also had me sign papers, one of which said that if something were to go terribly wrong, he may have to perform an emergency hysterectomy, but the resident doctor assured me that Dr.Silver has never had to do that before. If you're being asked to sign one of these waivers, you may want to ask your surgeon if they've ever had to resort to that. Then, very unceremoniously, they wheeled me off to the surgery room, I had just enough time to steal a kiss from my boyfriend.
Once in the room I was moved onto the surgical bed, where they strapped down parts of my body. They also wrapped these warm thingies around my legs that kept them warm, but I think is for blood circulation? Then the anesthesiologist gave me an oxygen mask and before I knew it, I was out.
Next thing I remember is waking up in the recovery lounge, but I was so groggy and tired that I kept going in and out of sleep, just waking up for moments at a time. I can't tell you much about what happened here, except I know they were monitoring me and taking some notes. I also remember being carted out of here, and back to my initial room.
As the nurse was wheeling me down the hallway, I kept asking her if my boyfriend was on his way. She said she would get him and left me in the room. Then another nurse came in and asked me if I wanted apple juice and crackers, I said, "yes, and water and my boyfriend, please." Then another person came in, completely unrelated to me, and I asked her for my boyfriend, too. I was probably in that room for about 10 mins before my boyfriend finally made it back to me. Moral of the story being, don't stop asking till you get your boyfriend in the room. He then helped me get dressed. Then the nurse said that I was being discharged, the surgery went well and that my boyfriend should go and get the car.
As the nurse helped me get unhooked and gave me some last minute instructions about taking off the dressing the next day and showering, I started to get nauseous. So she hooked me back up to an IV and I fell back asleep, maybe just for a moment or so, and once I was feeling better, she helped me into a wheelchair and we were off to my car!
Once in the car, I started to feel nauseous again. I recommend taking a pillow with you to the hospital, so you can rest it on your belly between you and your seatbelt. I popped a breath mint in my mouth and fell asleep till we got home. And once I was home, I slept pretty much all day long. I wish my doc would've prescribed me a slightly stronger medicine, because I haven't stopped feeling pain and discomfort, but it's been manageable.
One thing I regret is not asking the nurse for a abdominal binder. They have them at the hospital, and your insurance will cover it if you ask for it there, at least they should. It'll just be one less errand to run, and you'll be able to save $30.
It's been one day since my surgery. Last night, my tummy got pretty swollen from all the liquids I had been drinking, and it was really uncomfortable. Peeing was nearly impossible. The pain was so great. I was making involuntary "uuuuhhhhhhhhh" sounds and freaking my boyfriend out but only drips would come out at a time. I imagine that's what a UTI feels like, I've never had one, so I can't say for sure. But it's not a bad idea to have cranberry pills nearby, since they'll most likely be putting a catheter in you, so better safe than sorry. The pee-pain has subsided some, and I had my first fart this morning. It wasn't easy getting out a fart. People suggest walking or sitting on the toilet, or just sitting in general. My doctor prescribed me stool softener, and hopefully that helps with my first poop-- because I am scared shitless (boom).
I haven't had much of an appetite. I find that the smell of food makes me nauseous. I'm drinking tea and water and pedialyte, eating rice porridge with soy sauce. Last night I had two bowls of porridge and this morning I've had 3/4 of an apple and cereal. Since getting my abdominal binder, I've been feeling slightly less pain. My whole lower abdomen area feels like it's coming apart. Everything down there seems to be floating in a sea of swollen-ness and it's extremely uncomfortable. The binder helps keep it all together. it's not very tight at the moment, but I will tighten it as time goes on. I haven't taken off my dressing yet, but I will.
One weird thing: I've been having trouble speaking out loud. I guess it puts too much pressure on my stomach, my body just doesn't want to do it. I'm just whispering-- you may not experience this, but wanted to give you a heads up.
List of things to take to the hospital:
- pillow
- list of medications
- slip on shoes (Toms are my go-to)
- extremely comfortable clothes. I wore a casual, button-down dress. Easy to get in and out of, and very relaxed fit.
- chapstick (you'll be pretty dehydrated)
- phone charger
- cough drops/ hard candies (helps with nausea and coughing because post-op coughing pain is death)
List of things to get before procedure:
- at LEAST 3 days worth of easy to digest, fiber-heavy foods. I suggest fiber cereal since thats easy to prepare and quest bars. But thats only 1.5 of your day's worth of meals.
- ScarAway
if you're woried about a nasty scar.- Pedialyte (I use the CVS knock off)
- cranberry supplements (ward off that UTI)
- high-waisted granny panties (you want to make sure the panty line sits several inches above your incision)
** DO NOT FORGET TO ASK YOUR NURSE FOR AN ABDOMINAL BINDER!!**
Check out this site, it's the most informative site I've found. It's by a doctor located in Santa Monica, CA. I actually wish that I had gone to him instead of my doctor. My doctor was fine, but this doctor seems GREAT:
http://www.fibroidsecondopinion.com/caring-for-yourself-after-surgery/
I'll update with new posts as things come up, ask your questions and I'll try to get to them as quickly as I can.
It's the second day post operation.
I've been struggling to poop. It's been really, really uncomfortable to relieve myself in every way. The pee-ing has gotten easier, but it's still not back to normal. Farting? Nearly impossible. I read somewhere to try to walk and sit up and that that'll help with farting- which was true. But my FUPA has never been this healthy. The bloating is possibly worse.
I stopped taking painkillers last night because painkillers stop you up, and I'm desperate to poop. I spent more than 2.5hrs on the toilet yesterday, to no avail. Well, at 6:30am today I pushed out a little turd. It should be noted that I've been taking stool softeners since the day of the operation. I pooped 3 more times today.
Anyway, that's the big news of the day.
I took my first shower since the surgery. I've been scared to, unsure if there would be pain when the water hit the stitches, but surprisingly, there's no pain! So the shower was a huge success.
Not much else has changed. I walked around the block once, it usually takes me about 12minutes, but it took me about 30 minutes. Haha. That walk tuckered me out and I took a pretty long nap after that. My boyfriend has been incredible, trying to help me as much as possible. I'm still letting him bring me food and water and stuff, but I'm trying to get up by myself and move around as much as I can by myself.
I've also started wearing compression bottoms, like Spanx. The binder is great for going on walks and activities, but I like there to be constant compression.
Six days post operation.
Last night I started getting these weird stabbing pains at my incision. I was woken up from the pain and my boyfriend suggested that I take a painkiller. The pain was worse than the idea of constipation, so I took one and eventually fell asleep (and I haven't been stopped up).
I did a little research and I think the pain might be caused by my nerves "waking up," which would make sense because the swelling is starting to go down. Also and the area around the incision has been numb since the surgery but last night it started to tingle and itch!
I've been having morning nausea. I don't know what's causing it. But it's been happening for the past couple mornings. I get my boyfriend to get me food as soon as I wake up to stave it off, and usually it helps. By the afternoon I feel great. Yesterday I did the dishes and that tuckered me out for a 2hr nap. Haha, it makes me laugh.
I've been keeping up with walks around the block. Today I went on two walks around the block, and I've gotten a little bit faster and progress feels great.
The stabbing pain has continued through the day. :(
Also, careful not to laugh too hard or to sneeze or cough. The minute I feel a sneeze coming on, I hold my nose and stop breathing. and to stifle a cough I grab water and slowly let it drip down my throat until I can get a cough drop in my mouth. I pretty much always have a cough drop and water by my side.
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