Monday, June 06, 2016

Trim Your Toenails & Other Bits of Wisdom




At the top of the screen, I say I update monthly, but I feel like I’ve been away for too long. I figured it was high time I let you all know I’m still here.
You know that saying, “Life is what happens when you make other plans”? It’s true!


Almost a month ago I was deciding what to update this blog with when I got a phone call from my surgeon. My hysterectomy surgery could be moved up but I had two hours to decide if i wanted it in four days. Long story short...I did it. To say that it was life changing, even for just the short term, is an understatement. Hysterectomies are done in staggering numbers, I did my research, the doctor and I had a plan A and a plan B all figured out.Except for a small case of nerves five minutes before the surgery, I was ready.


WARNING, IF YOU ARE SQUEAMISH, SKIP THE NEXT PARAGRAPH
When I woke up though, I was reminded that no matter how ready we think we are, life doesn’t always play by the rules. I had asked for the surgery to remove 4 large fibroids, but when the surgeon went in, she found I was riddled with endometriosis. Surprise! One of my ovaries had calcified to a section of my bowel, further complicating things. So a general surgeon was consulted, my incision made bigger and the section of bowel was temporarily removed from my body. Plan A was to remove the Fallopian tubes and uterus. The endo kicked that plan out of the park and in kicked plan B. Everything had to come out. In the end, all of the endometriosis was apparently removed, my bowel put back in and I was sewn up. Now, let me say that I think the world of my surgeon. She’s efficient, ready with answers to my questions, willing to discuss every concern I had and didn’t bat an eye at a same-gender relationship. And holy crap, can she sew! Once I got home, things were okay for a few days, but my incision got infected. In two days I went from being okay to having a fever of 102 F and a pocket of infected, gross stuff that burst when I stood up. I admit, I freaked out a little when I saw all that running down my leg. Three seasons of Walking Dead did not prepare me for this!


OKAY, YOU SQUEAMISH FOLKS ARE SAFE, THE GROSS STUFF IS OVER
So now that I’ve taken all my antibiotics and I’m almost a month post-op, I can tell you I’m glad I jumped at the early date and had it done. The only pain I’ve had (besides the normal recovery pain for a couple of weeks) is when I bent down the wrong way. In case anyone is reading this that is expecting to have a hysterectomy done, or knows someone who is, I have a couple of pieces of advice.


First, the day before you think you’re going in, trim your toenails. Sounds like a no-brainer, right? You won’t be able to do them yourself for weeks afterward! So either trim your toenails a couple of days before or get a pedicure. I wish I had thought about this before my surgery.
Also, if you know when your surgery will be, shave your legs a few days before. Same reasoning. Hospitals and surgeons don’t all want pubic areas shaved before surgery anymore, ask about this. I did. But I do wish I’d shaved my legs.


Next time, what’s on the needles?