I'm not quite up for busting out into celebratory dance just yet, but give me time!
Monday was my surgery and it went smoothly, besides the off & on mild anxiety attacks, that is! I went in Friday to have bloodwork done and got pre-registered so I was adorned with this lovely bracelet. Which wouldn't have been a big deal, but Friday was also mine & Randy's 10th anniversary! So I was stuck wearing this stupid thing all weekend.
Luckily I have this cuff bracelet that covered it nicely so when we went out to dinner, I didn't look like an escapee from a mental hospital. Sparkly spiders are better than hospital bands anyday!
Sunday was kind of rough. Randy & Angel were both off doing their own things, so I was alone, doing the grocery shopping & laundry (I had to have clean sheets, towels & pjs the night before going in - and I had to scrub down with anti-bacterial soap the night before and morning of surgery) So a couple freak-out moments happened. Jack and Chester were my little shadows. One of them was always close by and if I were sitting, one was touching me. My sweet baby furboys!
I checked into pre-op at 0600 Monday. I never had to wait long for anything. The nurses did their thing and I met the anesthesiologist and my doctor popped in to say hi and explain all that was going on to me & Randy. They took me back pretty close to 0730. I remember being wheeled into the OR and getting moved onto the really narrow table and looking up at the lights. The anesthesiologist said something about straightening my arms so he could tuck me in and that was the last thing I remember until they woke me up!
Apparently when they put me under, all of my innerds relaxed and dropped, so they didn't do the surgery laprascopically (using 2 small incisions and a camera thru my belly-button). She was able to cut & remove the entire thing vaginally, so I will heal faster! So my uterus with all the fibroids & polyps, my cervix & fallopian tubes are GONE!!! Hooray! But I still have my ovaries, which should prevent early menopause. Hooray, again!
Time didn't exist for me. I have no idea how long I was in recovery and then they told me they were taking me to my room and that they'd tell my family where I'd be. I swear the transport people took me thru a maze with all the turning they did, then they went up a ramp and I distinctly heard my Mom say "yoohoooo" I opened my eyes and waved, then told kids pushing me I was going to pretend I didn't know that woman! Heehee! It was about noon when I got in my room. Randy said Mom had gotten there about 0830 so at least he had company.
The office my gynecologist works out of has a Dr. Love! I've talked to him on the phone but never actually met him. He was at the hospital and made a point of tracking Randy down in the waiting room to meet him! Heehee!
So the anesthesia gave me the worst cotton mouth and my throat was sore from the breathing tube they'd given me. It took a couple days to lose that soreness / gunky feeling. It really hurt to cough.
I drifted off & on all day, and they finally took the catheter out a little after 3 and took the cuffs off my legs (that inflated & deflated to prevent blood clots) around 5 so I could get up and use the bathroom. They were really started to get annoying so I never put them back on, altho I was supposed to have them on while in bed. Hell, once I went pee that first time, all the water I'd been drinking due to cotton mouth caught up to me so I was getting up plenty! I was only woozy the first time standing, but the nurse's assistant was there to help me. The second time, Randy was there to make sure I was OK, but I felt pretty steady and could toddle around on my own, with my trusty IV stand.
Angel came up to visit and I was messing around with her about my socks. I'd been wearing the usual grippy socks but had them off since my feet were getting warm. I told her I wasn't able to do turns in second or my arabesque (dance moves) while wearing them. So I had Randy take this picture of me later (wearing said socks, tho!) and sent to her.
Man, I look rough, but I don't care!
Once I got to my room and got my initial pain meds, I never really felt actual pain. They didn't give me enough to actually remove all the pain, it just dulled it down to mere discomfort (bloated belly, sore from the catheter, achy lower back, etc) and that's all I've felt until today. I've even had a little bit today where I felt completely normal!
I have learned that if I go anywhere in the car, I need to wear the belly binder they gave me in the hospital. It's basically a wide elastic band that velcros to however tight I want it and helps hold everything in place. Randy took me to Tim Horton's yesterday and I didn't have it on, so I felt every single bump on the road - and around here? That's a LOT. I told my sister I'd go to her house and check on her inside cats while she's gone for a few days, so Randy is taking me out there tonight. I will have the binder on! I cringe to think of bouncing down a dirt road! Don't worry - the heaviest I will lift is a cup of cat food to refill their bowl.
I have my follow up visit with my doctor on the 25th and the gyn said that's when most people drive for the first time. So we'll see what she says about going back to work. I let my boss know all this and she said to keep her informed and if I'm not ready to come back, then I'm not allowed to! She'd rather have me as close to 100% as possible so I don't hurt myself.
I've been enjoying my impromptu naps. I've been taking around 2 a day, plus sleeping all night. Feeling no guilt at all! Randy took sick days Monday & Tuesday (but the assholes from work still called him just as he settled in to nap with me!) and is working from home the rest of the week. So between him & Angel, I'll be taken care of.
I really appreciate all Randy has done for me. He stayed at the hospital from 6am Monday until 10:30pm and was back again at 7:30am Tuesday morning. I know he had to have been bored to tears just sitting there, but he never once acted like it!
Nope, won't be doing Zumba for a while!
Feel free to send some prayers & good mojo to help with recovery, I'd appreciate all the help I can get!
