Week One Post Op update!

So...it has been seven days since my hysterectomy. I wish I could come here and say that everything has been wonderful, perfect, and pain free but that, my friends, would be a lie. This last week has been a tough one. I've found myself feeling on top of the world. I've found myself digging out from under the boulder that has fallen on top of me and pushed me down into the dirt. I've had slight aches to full blown pain. I've had days when nausea was so bad that I've prayed to vomit. And there have been days that my prayers were answered. Post op week one has been a mixed bag, to say the least.

It's frusterating to feel this way. Especially when I see a close friend who had the same "procedure" (a hysterectomy) done just five days prior and seems to be doing great. Granted, she didn't have the bladder sling or the additional six incisions (TVH vs LAVH) but she appears to be doing so good. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a teeny bit jealous. Just a teeny bit! :)

My pain today is a pretty strong ache. I feel an ache in my groin, mostly where the incisions are at. My inner groin aches from the position and the tissues/muscles that they went through. It's equivalent to doing a lot of squats or lunges maybe. My right inner groin incision is open and Tim has had to butterfly it. The left inner groin incision is closed up, thankfully.

The incision under the urethra must be healing. It's itching, as if the sutures are disolving. The area is still swollen and it rubs on the underpants. That's enough to drive you crazy.

The internal sutures that form the vaginal cuff don't cause me any problems. They are internal, high in the vagina. Obviously, if I were having intercourse, they would be causing problems but since that isn't an option (or even remotely on my mind), we're okay.

The umbilicus incision is fine as well. It seems to be healing nicely.

The lower right abdominal incision is open. It's slightly tender. It isn't oozing and doesn't appear to be infected. I've bandaged it up again and so far, seems fine.
The lower left abdominal incision is open too. It's also slightly tender. It looks slightly different than the other side and requires a bit more attention. I've let the doctor know about it and have been instructed in what to do and watch for.

So, now that you have the low down on the incisions, let's talk about the bowels. Okay, so I was only half joking! For any of you that face this surgery, let me just say that if you were once the type of person who kept information about things like bowel movements and gas on the hush hush, you will learn a possible mortifying lesson (or two). So, let me help you with that.

First of all, the gas pains that I (as well as many others) experience post op are horrific. I'm talking about gut-wrenching pain. I have found Gas X to be a necessity in my traveling medicine box. The gas produces such a swelly belly that you begin to question whether the doctor took stuff out or put stuff in! There are times that my tummy swells up so much all the way up to just beneath my breasts. To some, it just looks puffy. To me, it looks very bloated and feels like my insides are being rolled over by a steam roller. OUCH!

And, well...we all know that what is in...must come out! Now, any of you with children know what I'm talking about. You know, kids can say (and do) the darndest things. So, have you ever been in a public restroom and heard the poor soul a few stalls over who obviously needed and wanted a bit of privacy to let wind fly and of course, just after they do, your sweet and innocent toddler begins giggling while shouting something like, "who farted?" Well, now, I have been on both sides of the stall. I've had the sweet little children who giggled (heck, I may have giggled a time or two as well) and I've been that poor, mortified lady who just wanted a little bit of privacy to let it fly.

Now, lets talk about M.O.M, or commonly referred to as Milk of Magnesia. Let's just say that by Sunday evening, five days post op, things hadn't started moving. We made a stop at the store and a few hours later, I had results (and felt slightly relieved). It's common to be "stopped up" post op especially considering the medications that you take. So, if you're feeling "stopped up" and all else fails, get your hands on M.O.M. 'Nuff said!!

So, back to my pain. My abdomen is swollen today and tender. My groin is sore. My neck aches, unrelated to the surgery but just thought I'd throw that in there. My bladder becomes almost achy when it is full. I've been peeing alot and although starting the flow sometimes requires great concentration, I do feel that I am emptying my bladder completely. I did have the leaking a bit when I had my vomiting episodes but NOTHING like it was before. Plus, I'm not completely healed yet. I spoke with the doctors office today and they reminded me to not overdo it, that healing takes at a minimum 12 weeks, and that if I need anything to call them back.

The nausea is almost gone. I have had bouts of nausea that comes and goes but it's not as overwhelming as it was the first 4 days. Yesterday it hit hard but not for too awful long. We only had to pull over on the side of the road once.

I still experience some soreness in my lower back. I'm not sure if that's from the position they had me in or if it is from a previous back injury. I do notice a difference in the feeling of my lower back from pre to post op. I also notice it in my abdomen. Pushing (gently) in on my abdomen doesn't have that "hard as a rock" feeling, as if I'm pushing on something enlarged. (unfortunately, I never had those abs of steel...darn it)

The kids are back, on summer vacation, and learning to sever my last nerve. Lord knows that I love them with my whole heart but I have to admit that my nerves are quite shot by early afternoon. Maybe it's the constant bickering that is to be enjoyed by all during summer vacation. Did the teachers slip some kind of "bickering compound" into the last snack of the year for the kids? (I'm just kidding, to all of those hard working, under paid, important teachers out there reading). I am hopeful that in a few weeks, my nerves will be improved. I'm sure it's all a part of the journey.

So, a few of you have called and emailed asking about the pathology results. I don't have the report here to share with you but what I do know (and have been told by the doctors office) is the following:

I had adhesions both on the uterus and the bladder. I don't know if they were adhered to the abdominal wall or what. I'll look for that in the surgical report.

I had fibroids in the uterus.

The uterus had a weight of 83 grams.

There was no cancer of the cervix, uterus, lining, ovaries (which they left), etc.

There was no endometriosis noted on the pathology report.

Adenomyosis was suspected.

So...everything is looking A-OK! Time to go grab a quick bite to eat. I'm not able to eat big meals right now so it's a lot of little meals. I hope you are all doing well. Psst: I am not proofreading or spell checking this entry!

Until next time...