The Hysterectomy Saga, 1/4

Part 1: The Lead Up & Aftermath

At the start of the year I took had a wonderful winter holiday in England. I planned to return to the US, meet with my Ob/Gyn and get the hysterectomy scheduled ASAP. That meeting took place the day after my return, and I was prepared for the 6-8 weeks of recovery after surgery.

My procedure was scheduled about a month into the future, and I studiously ignored the topic until the eleventh hour. For 28 days I did not researched the procedure, look for tips on healing up quickly, or talk about it outside of my doctor’s office. Instead I found a wholly unrelated topic about which I became obsessed for the duration.

This is me, avoiding...

In true avoidant fashion, I fixated on this idea fully; daydreaming about this alternative, imagining it throughout my day, and letting it occupy much of my runtime. This deep concentration led to intense feelings of guilt. In avoiding the impending surgery, I didn’t even tell my best friends about the procedure until days prior to surgery. So there I was, not talking about my fear of general anesthesia or potential surgical complications. Instead, I looked fairly normal, went about my days as usual, but was perpetually preoccupied, losing sleep, having almost no appetite. 

I lost about 10 pounds between January 1 and surgery day.

24 hours before my surgical appointment, I got a call from my best friend and unburdened myself completely. I told her about my fixation, my guilt, my lack of sleep and food, and the cold I had cultivated by internalizing my stress. She posited that perhaps my obsession was masking my concerns about having a major surgery. WHOA! It was like the clouds parted and the sky cleared from that conversation. It made sense, and we wrapped up our chat talking about my actual worries (and not my manufactured non-problem...which suddenly no-longer consumed me).

By the time we hung up, my appetite was back and wanted to eat for the first time in weeks. That night, I spilled the beans to hubby and we had a good long chin-wag about my anxiety about surgery and also about my fixation. Then I downed a bottle of Gatorade and we went to bed. I slept like a baby for the first time in weeks.

Procedure Day 

I brought my Aural Rehab textbook, so I could pretend to read while lucid...didn't last long.

 

Mug from HardToFind.co.au...sez it all

The next morning we left for the hospital, I checked in, ate a cup of drugs-as directed by my nurse, and was whisked off to the surgical theater…high as a kite. I told my British anesthesiologist that I’d lay back and think of England, then I was out for the duration. I awoke in the recovery area, under a pile of warmed blankets, with my toes frozen and my arm in a Blood Pressure cuff. I was recovering without my uterus!

In the second stage of recovery, hubby joined me and made small talk with the nurses and my surgeon. She joked that mine was a textbook procedure, and reminded me to get a follow up scheduled.

This is Important…

The nurse in recovery reminded me that I was coming down off of some heavy duty opioids, and shouldn’t make any big life-changing or financial decisions, or major purchases. I laughed this off. But at some point while in the hospital, I turned on my phone, opened my favorite app and selected TWO interesting-looking audiobooks to keep me entertained during my recovery. I point this out now because it was not until days later when I opened the app that I noticed the books. Good lord, on was a Percy Jackson story!

Hubris & Prescription Drugs

WikiHow: Ondansetron

Later, at home I stood in the kitchen scoffing, “They must think I’m stupid. I’m not taking anti-nausea pills!” The packet read, big as day, may cause constipation. I was already stopped up from the mammoth dose of fentanyl they used to knock me out, I was not going to add to my potential discomfort. I pushed the Ondansetron ODT and the Oxycontin bottle to the side and swigged a cup of lukewarm tea, and was immediately treated to a wave of nausea that propelled me toward the kitchen sink. 

Mind over matter does not work against a gag reflex, apparently.

A Note About Bodily Functions

I didn’t use the bathroom that day. Instead, my first number 1 arrived the following day, after quaffing perhaps 2 gallons of tea and water. The first solid waste didn’t turn up until day three. 

 

I opted to use the 800mg Ibuprofen for pain management instead of the prescribed opioid, and took one every 6  hours in the first three days. By day four, I was in no appreciable pain. So moved to taking one every 8 hours. On day 5, I forgot to take them at regular intervals and had just one pill during the day. Today, a full week later, I have taken no more pain killers and nothing hurts. Since I’m not in work, I make the most of my prescribed walks and take in a few miles each time. Hopefully, at my three week follow-up I’ll get a positive report and can hop back on my bike before week eight. I’m taking it one day at a time for now.

Oh, the Walking After Hysterectomy

I almost forgot. My doc, surgeon, nurses, and technicians all said, make sure that you walk as soon as you are able. I took that to mean about 24 hours after the procedure, when the opioids would have not more affect on my perception or falling risk. The first day after surgery I walked with hubby a couple miles to tea and a scone. The next day I walked more, and the day after that I walked even more. 

 

Apparently, walking helps to increase bowel motility and mitigate development of blood clots...that can lead to pulmonary embolism (PE)...my sister-in-law got a PE after her hysterectomy years ago, she wishes that she had walked more. You better believe I’m walking. 

One last thing...this week I pulled out my Tibetan / Crystal singing bowls and recorded a few calming sound compositions for my post-surgical recovery...I'm listening to them regularly for a lovely energy boost before my daily stroll.

Coming in Part 2, my signs and symptoms…