I had my surgery last week. They did try to do it laparoscopicly, but I think that the size of fibroid (12 cm, which is like a softball) was too much, and I ended up with a traditional incision. Because of that and the severe nausea, dry heaves, I was having right after recovery and the next morning, they kept me in the hospital for a couple of days.
On Sunday morning, I had a little bit of blood seeping through my bandages and, on the advice of the hospital, had friends drive me back to the ER so they could check it. I had a fresh dressing put on, and they sent me home again. There’s been no further blood.
I’ve been home since the weekend and have been feeling much better, although somewhat limited in getting around the house, lifting objects, etc. Plus, there’s the effort of keeping the cats off my lap. I’ve been doing some quiet work from home the last couple of days, and watching lots of movies.
That’s the hard part, resting and recovering. You want to get back to normal but if you don’t take the time to rest and heal, you’ll be off your feet longer. Take it easy!
I’m glad you’re home and recovering, although confusing your cats. I’m also glad you’re doing the right thing and resting, resting, resting. You’ll be tired for awhile. Even when you think you’re recovered, you’ll sometimes be hit with tiredness. Totally normal and it will pass. Listen to your body.
I went through some bleeding and seepage. I think it’s fairly normal, too. Sometimes things just aren’t aligned very well for healing and they get pulled apart. Eventually, they do heal.
I have been anyway–for the last year or so, I was expecting any given period to be the last (as it turned out, that was September). But I haven’t noticed any obvious hormonal changes sans uterus.
Good luck with the cats. When I had my knee replaced it took a long time to train them not to jump on the right side! And I hope you keep on feeling better.
“Mommy loves the kitty, but she can’t have a kitty in her lap right now” or some variation of that phrase has become common this past week. They seem to take it as a personal rejection.
Even Annie, the one I still call Tiny Kitty even though she’s over a year old, is more than 10 pounds. I’m not allowed to lift anything more than 10 pounds.
And they don’t give up. If they can’t use the direct, over-the-knee route, they’ll try going around to the other knee, or try sneaking around behind my back like I won’t notice the cat under my arm.
I had my two-week follow-up visit with my surgeon this afternoon, and drove for the first time since the day before the surgery. He took off all the bandages that were still left on to examine the incision and lapro-punctures and said I was okay to do anything I wanted as long as it didn’t cause pain. I may try going in to work before the week is out.
He also said not to put on any fresh bandages and let the area “breathe”; I’m doing so now, but my abdomen feels weirdly unsupported when I’m up and walking around.
The fibroid was completely benign, but enormous, nearly 1000 grams and distorting the uterus. I suspected that the size was why they ended up doing an incision, and the doctor confirmed that today.
I’m seeing him again in two more weeks. Now I just need to work on the recovery part.
I can’t hardly get my head around how big that thing was. Must be a big relief to have it gone! I’m glad your recovery is going smoothly, and hope that continues. And don’t rush back to work! Enjoy being a little “lazy” with a good excuse.
I manage a website. I’ve been working from home on my laptop for 6-7 hours a day since last Monday and doing okay, but I have decided to go on working from home until next week.
I’m okay to drive now–after barely being out of the house for more than a week, it felt great to be on the freeway yesterday with the windows down and the music up. But there are other considerations. Even the close parking at my office building is still a block’s walk, and I’d have to carry the laptop, and that still feels like too much.
It’s not something I noticed much when lying or sitting down, and the bandages helped to cover and support it, but without them I can see I’ve got layer of fat just below the navel overhanging the flat area where the fibroid and uterus used to be. It’s not a lot of fat–I was just under 130 before the surgery and am down to 122 now, and my tummy is still a bit puffy–but it feels weird when I stand up too long. Feels like it’s pulling down. I’m trying to find other ways to support it without covering the surgical areas that are supposed to “breathe” before I go out into the world again.
Re the size of the fibroid: “baby’s head” and “softball” were the terms I heard used to describe its relative size. According to Mom, my sister had a bigger ovarian tumor removed earlier this year, but that’s not a competition I want to get into with her.
As long as a majority of the time it is uncovered, I don’t think using a support band for 6-8 hours would be that harmful, but could you call your doc’s nurse line?
I had a pea sized tumor run up to ping pong ball sized in a month the first time through [right ovary] and last time it went from ovary to fist sized tumor somewhere over about 3 years [I get periodic abdominal ultrasounds done, and that had been the previous time they checked the remaining ovary.]
On the plus side, I had an abdominal set done yesterday, and I can confirm that with the exception of my whatever got removed by the robot 6 years ago, everything is safely tucked in the right places in my gut. [Though I think the gallbladder is getting a little frisky and wants out to play … ] <and I felt a little like I was a Ghostbuster, I was slimed
No, I still have my ovaries. My surgeon did take out the Fallopian tubes, though; when we discussed it before surgery, he said that most ovarian cancers actually start there and not in the ovaries themselves. And it’s not like I had any further use for them.
I tried a criss-cross of cloth tape yesterday, and that worked okay but left red marks when I took it off in the evening after my shower. Also ticklish to take off, since the surface of that whole abdominal area is weirdly numbed yet sensitive to the touch.
For sleeping, I used one of the spandex body-shaping garments I own but hardly ever wear–folded down into a band just around my hips (with the arm-straps flapping at the sides), it worked really well. My oversensitive abdomen didn’t feel like it was sloshing around every time I turned over, and I slept much better than I have the last few nights.