Hello my Lovely Kernutties!

This is a quick note to update those of you who don’t follow me on Facebook or Twitter.

I survived surgery.

The end.

(Bwahahahaaa. I crack me up! Ok, so I’m probably the only one who found that funny, but whatever, it’s my blog. NO, dammit, it is not the pain meds that made me write that. Sheesh.)

Ok, so you want non-gory details… (gory details and pics are at the very bottom, beneath a huge warning.)

I got a pair of socks in exchange for my uterus. (See above photo for picture of socks, pictures of uterus available upon request.)

The long-awaited surgery FINALLY happened Tuesday morning. I got home late Wednesday night, and it is now Thursday afternoon.

My patient advocate is terrific! Besides being a truly kind and caring person, she really got things moving forward for me. She came to visit me right after surgery and again the next day. She is continuing to monitor my situation and report back to all involved. Knowing how much she has helped me when I had no one in my corner made me want to do that for others. I’m not sure what is required to be a Patient Advocate, but I would love to help others as she helped me when I needed it most.

And the nurses at Seton were wonderful!! (No, it’s not my pain meds making me say that.) I honestly have never met a more caring and compassionate group of nurses. These folks showed genuine care and concern, and were of particular help when there was a last minute change to my procedure… a fact the doctor didn’t tell me until fifteen (yes, FIFTEEN) minutes before I was due to go under the knife.

As you might imagine, this did NOT go over well with me, the panicky blond lemming. Especially since I, the one having the surgery, was the last to know. Seriously, WTH?

It was heartwarming to be surrounded by the very supportive nurses and anesthesiologist when they learned I had not been told about the change in procedure prior to that moment. This was especially meaningful because I didn’t have any friends sitting with me then. (One came shortly after.)

My doctor and the assisting physician had done a few similar procedures, but none exactly like the one they were planning to do on me. The new procedure was due to the fact that power morcellators, a focus of recent lawsuits, have been removed from the market (or at least Seton), and I was adamant about keeping some essential and quite useful parts. This was a simple workaround.

After some contemplation and a load of questions for the doctors, I agreed to move forward. Despite the lack of communication, my decision was based on the compassion I experienced from my doctor, and my trust in her ability to perform a procedure few have done.

So far, so good.

I tire easily, am dizzy and/or nauseous off an on, and don’t feel like talking on the phone. The pain isn’t that bad, except when I cough – and then it’s really bad. (I acquired a cold and a cough a few days before surgery. Why? Because I didn’t already have enough going on. Apparently.) I opted for the lower of the two doses of pain meds, and that seems to have been a good choice.

But the anesthesiologist who taped my eyes somehow managed to scratch one of them. This pain was FAR worse than anything I felt after surgery. They eventually called in another doctor to look at it and give me eye meds.

Not sure which of my meds is causing it, but all food is tasteless to me. Even bacon and chocolate (and you know I had to have that as soon as I got up this morning and felt well enough to cook).

And there are photos, people! Photos of what?, you ask. Awesome photos of my innards before and after the surgery! They’re fascinating, to say the least!! I would love to post them here, and describe all the gory details, but I’m not sure if the majority of you all would care to know THAT much about me. (No, there is no nudity or anything remotely close to that in the photos, just interior abdominal pics.) The colors are vibrant and the clarity high-def quality. There was even an anomaly that perplexed my doctor. (I feel special all over again! LOL) Anyway, if enough of you comment requesting it, I will post the pics of my innards.

Something is Definitely Different

The most interesting thing (besides the photos), and something I noticed immediately after I awoke from the anesthesia: The feeling of “space” in my abdomen. More room, in a good way. Not a void as if something is missing, but as if something cumbersome is now gone. It’s a good feeling, a lightness. Since I wasn’t in very much pain, I didn’t realize how heavy the main fibroid had become, and I had no idea they were taking up so much extra room.

Most of all, I want to thank all of you who’ve sent prayers, good thoughts, and well wishes, or left comments on my Facebook page or sent messages. Your thoughtfulness means a great deal to me and I appreciate every one of you. Thank you.

UPDATED for those of you with a taste for gore, the before and after surgery pics are below.

Do NOT read below this line if you don’t like medical photos, gory stuff, or cannot tolerate seeing my innards.

Also, do NOT make any rude comments – these are my innards and I love them – even the ones that no longer served me well.

But, if you have an interest in medical oddities, keep reading! Mine aren’t really all that odd considering all of the women who have encountered the same thing.

Remember, Be Kind or Be Silent.

This is looking south/down through my belly button before the surgery. The fibroid (bulbous thing, upper right) is melded with my uterus, so it’s sort of hard to tell where one ends and the other begins. A normal “never been pregnant” uterus is the size of a small woman’s fist. The fibroid was the size of a man’s fist. The doctor said it was pulling my uterus to the right.

The anomaly that perplexed my doctor: a mysterious hole in the membrane between my right ovary (white mass in back) and uterus.

Same direction as first photo, but after the surgery. And this explains the feeling of “space” in my abdomen. Ahhhh, so nice.