The month leading up to surgery has just been CHAOS, utter chaos. Normally we have little stress pockets here and there, but just seems this month it was all on. Work projects, family commitments in all directions, trying to do it all, not that I mind as I love being there for those closest to me, but it was a juggle, a struggle and I was sure I could handle it. Which I did, in my normal stride, until 5 days from surgery when I got sick, just a head cold but all the same, it coincided with my father developing pneumonia and just about ended up in ICU again. That was the straw that broke the camels back I think. Again, I was fine, I could handle it, but my body said "enough is enough". It was time to ask work for a little bit of leave to mend myself pre-surgery. The anesthesiologist was ready to pull the plug if needed. Not what I had planned at all.
Sunday night pre-surgery was a lot calmer than last time I think as I felt ready, bit nervous still about my head cold, but ready. My surgery was a Monday morning with a reasonable pre-admission time of 8.30am. IU chose a morning surgery as we were not sure of what outcome by surgery would have this time and thought recovering in hospital would be the right call, oh and it was! DH and I arrived early as they had wanted to see me a little earlier if they needed to perform a health check and just so happened that surgeries were on time that morning and I was called upstairs to see the pre-admission nurse.
My temperature was fine, I was so relieved as last time I had surgery I remember it was slightly elevated (both surgeries in midst of winter) so that meant we were full steam ahead. they took my height, weight and talked through all the paperwork. The anesthesiologist came by to check in and talk about all his important stuff then it was tim to get my gown, robe, stockings etc on. We were lead down to the 'waiting room' which you each get your own individual one, and given your 'relaxing' dose of x3 paracetemol. Meanwhile i had to do a pregnancy test as it is mandatory for women, results were negative, DH and I had a chuckle at that, wondered what we would do if it miraculously came back as positive! haha.
My Surgeon OB/GYN popped in to check on me prior and seemed pumped. That made me happy, we had talked about this moment for a long time! only question i had for her was "you reckon you can do all of that in 1 hour!" maybe that was the meds talking. IT was funny. She left us to wait it out until it was my turn.
I was called. This was it. The familiar walk down the hall to the operating theatre. Such a serene space with the best mural on the wall, lots of smiling staff prepping in there (haha wonder if they knew what my file looked like). Climbed on the table and went through all the procedures of anesthesia with the team, totally calm, I actually like the part of drifting off as weird as it sounds... I was not afraid.
So my operation went good and FAST! I woke up in recovery very out of it this time as think they had given me a good dose of pain meds before I woke up. My pain scale was still at a 6 though so was given a good dose of Fentanyl and IV Tramadol. Wow. wasnt in pain anymore but man, was I out of it. They gave me some water, IV fluids and checked my wounds, i had bleed quite a bit so they had to change my gown and sheets but gave me a chance to see my tummy. Very bloated and 5 entry sights! I knew then at that point that she had got it. They confirmed for me in recovery that they were able to remove my right ovary. After all these years and talking about it, it had finally happened!
I was wheeled up to my room before DH was called this time, I think because last time i was quite emotional and asked for him repeatedly. This time I seemed to cope fine but once im my room, i wanted him there so asked them to ring him. I didnt want to be wasted as in my room alone. It was a beautiful day outside so when i could open my eyes i could see blue sky and treetops. that was nice. DH arrived and was able to hold my hand while we did obs and got water into me and got me comfortable. Thank goodness for electric beds as MAN I was uncomfortable. i could not sit up though, or sleep, or eat, they ended up giving me anti-nausea via my cannular as that tramadol knocked me all over the place. All he could do is hold my hand while I rode that woozy rollercoaster, patient man that he is. They topped me up with codeine (instead of Tramadol or Ibuprofen) mid afternoon as i was ready to get up for my first pee, I had not been catheterised this time as very short surgery, thankful for that too! With help from the best nurses Ive ever had, I was up to the toilet, eating and drinking by mid afternoon and ready to sit up for some dinner by 6pm.
My surgeon popped up to see me not long after I had been in my room as she couldnt wait to tell me what she got up to while i was asleep and show me the photos!
Laparoscopic removal or right ectopic streak ovary and tube
(salpingo-oophorectomy) + adhesiolysis of left ovary and relocation
(salpingo-oophorectomy) + adhesiolysis of left ovary and relocation
I was still completely out of it looking at the photos but could not believe what she was saying, DH, the nurses none of us could believe all that time my right ovary and fallopian tube were 'together'. A deformed structure that reached all the way from the base of my liver, down to by pelvic brim (hip bone) then through to underneath my uterus. All that time... there will be photos posted at some stage soon. We are awaiting results from pathology as its currently being dissected, im sure they are finding it very interesting, was a first for my clinic, not sure if a first in my hometown, hope it helps with research.
The next surprise was that scar tissue from my previous endometriosis excision had somehow adhered my left ovary to my abdominal wall, no wonder i was starting to get pain again, not sure why that wasn't picked up on ultrasound prior to surgery, but thankful she discovered that.
My endometriosis in all of this is infact pretty stable! the saving grace there was there was very little on my ureter but loads scar tissue, so she decided to leave it alone as the complications that could of happened with my only ureter were not worth the risk at this stage. It is clearly very slow moving so now I just need to meet with her at 6 week followup and decide on having the Jaydess in place, or waiting to see how long I can remain pain stable with it.
That was not the last surprise tho, on asking about my cystoscopy also performed during my surgery so confirmed there was no 2nd ureter which means the mass in my pelvis isn't piped through to my bladder, she did however discover a very unusual lining of my bladder that mimicked 'fibrous plasterboard' was the only was she could describe it. I am now being referred to a Urologist, as its about time we got my bladder and kidneys looked into properly and the possibility of that ovoid mass being a pelvic kidney (non functioning).
So recovery in hospital was to be expected overnight, i actually slept 8 hours in 2 hour lots just on paracetemol. They gave me some more codeine and morphine in the morning to get me up and through the shower and it was time to get packed up to go home. Silly as it sounds tho i made my husband take me via the mall on the way home for supplies and then push me into a homewares shop to buy new pillows (I blame the drugs but i love the pillows!). Home to try and get settled in, more meds on board and figure things out.
I was nothing like i had planned! Moving was hard, peeing was hard, eating was hard, breathing was hard. The first nights sleep was hard, especially seem we were both nervous as I had started bleeding a little. I did not expect to wake up unable to breathe either so phoned into the nurse at clinic who confirmed the bleeding was probably my next cycle that was brought on (with vengeance) which was right, but ended up down at the GP office that afternoon after struggling to clear my airways, she confirmed I had a sinus infection but my lungs were clear... to just watch my temperature and do inhalations and rinses and I would eventually come right. The pain with breathing ended up being severely bruised ribcage which is improving, and distended bowels pushing against my diaphragm until the 'gas' situation sorted itself out, but it was worth getting checked out. needless to say im still on 4 hourly Paracetemol and 6 hourly codeine until it all resolves to get me through the worst of it. Not ideal as the codeine is no good for my chronic IBS but beats the tramadol alternative!
So recovery is going well. Today I managed a day at home on my own which is good as DH already had to book an extra day due to my 'state'. Today I washed my own hair and got dressed on my own. Today is was worth it and im grateful. Today I'm thankful for my DH, for without him I would not have made it through. <3
The road ahead is unknown, im sure there will be more updates soon, but right now I marvel at the human body, modern medicine and the minds ability to just push on through even when you think you are at the hardest point, almost like it knows best.
