On the Road to Recovery: Six Weeks Later

I made it!  I survived despite all my emotion and fear in the days before leading up to my surgery.  I am officially down one uterus! Things did not go as the doctor planned.  A forty-five minute laparoscopy turned into three hours of abdominal surgery.  Then I had a hard time coming out of the anesthesia.  I almost think some of my emotion came from a premonition that things would not be as simple as originally thought.  Endometriosis reared its messy, icky head again and was all over everything. Like a drunk, handsy guy at a wedding.

When I went into pre-surgery, I had a panic attack because I was told they would cut my wedding ring off if I couldn't get it off.  I'm sure having a person who could not put in an IV and insisting to the nurse that it was fine even though I was saying it burned, started me off on a bad note.  The ring thing just put me over the edge.

I usually remember going into the OR and being put under but, when the Doctor offered me something to calm me down, I said yes. I remember nothing after that. I also usually wake up in the OR as they wheel me out.  I woke up in recovery this time saying over and over, "Are my chickens OK?"  Not my health, children, cats, or dog.  The chickens.  Must have been hungry for omelettes.  It would be quite awhile until I ate or drank anything that was not a wet, star shaped, mint flavored, sponge on a stick. Really.

Let me just say that I really enjoy a good morphine drip.  This is probably why they take it away from you so quickly.  I did have pain that only ibuprofen would help. I can't even get doped up properly on the good stuff.  Yes, the catheter was a bit pinchy.  I, of course, had to go to the bathroom numerous times after that.  Thank goodness for the wonderful, wonderful nursing and nurses aids and technicians without whom this would never have been possible.

I did suffer another panic attack when I was told I'd need a blood transfusion.  I was already quite anemic going into the surgery and coming out, my blood pressure and oxygenation levels were low.  It took the doctors all day to make a decision and finally, at 10 at night they started it.  It took a mere four hours. I was very happy to go home after two nights.  

The best part was and remains that I feel so much better than I did and don't regret this decision for a minute.  I didn't realize how horrible I felt due to the blood loss until I was better.  I can also now sneeze without incident, thank you oft criticized and litigated surgical mesh. I am perfectly fine with permanently ending my unproductive reproductive years.

  I am eternally grateful to my husband Chris. My son Owen matured an enormous amount over those first few days and cuddled with me all night on the second evening I was home. My daughter Maddy was having a fabulous time at Camp Ma-He-Tu in Bear Mt., NY and I didn't have to worry about her. 

Thanks also to all my amazing friends who took care of my son by driving him places and picking him up, supervising him at the movies, having him sleep over, and having him for play dates. Thanks to them as well for the well wishes, texts, and dinner. I don't think I ever mentioned it to her but, in case I didn't make it, I had designated my dear friend Laura H., as official homeschooler of my children, because I knew she would do right by them.  That's the kind of friends I have supporting me; the kind who would take my whiny kids and educate them.  We would have paid her too, so no worries!

I can now get back to writing about less dramatic and hopefully more humorous takes on my life.