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[cathubodva.livejournal.com]

Finally, an update.

I had my hysterectomy on December 19 (my last final exam was December 16). The operation, a laparoscopic-assisted vaginal total hyst (including my ovaries and cervix), was scheduled for 10:45am. I arrived at the hospital around 8:30 with my fiance, and went through pre-op. My mom got there around 9:30.

I was told I'd be able to leave the hospital as soon as I passed the nurses' tests - pain under control, able to be up and walking, and able to urinate. I told them I'd be leaving that evening. The nurses weren't sure they believed me. :)

They wheeled me into the OR at about 11:15 (the surgery before mine took longer than expected). I guess I was in post-op at about 12:30pm, and back into the room where my mom and fiance were waiting about about 1:00.

The pain wasn't nearly as bad as I expected it to be - I've had two laps before this, and this wasn't any worse than they were, possibly even milder. I was given hydrocodone immediately after surgery, but took nothing but extra strength Tylenol after that. I had some crackers and ginger ale while lying in bed. I usually doze off a lot after surgery because of the anaesthesia, but this time I felt really alert pretty much the whole time.

By 3:30pm I was up and walking around. I was discharged at 4pm, four hours and forty-five minutes after going into the OR. Headed home (an hour trip) with my fiance. We stopped on the way and I had chicken nuggets and a milkshake at McDonalds. I was hungry. :)

I think the worst day was the day after the surgery, after the drowsiness from the surgery had completely worn off. I bled pretty heavily at first, and then off and on up until about four weeks after the surgery. It's been over five weeks now, and I'm feeling almost 100% - definitely better than before the surgery, except for the occasional bad hour or two when I do too much lifting or bending. Most of the pain has been pretty concetrated in my back.

Post hysterectomy changes -

The hot flashes have been unpleasant. I can't do any hormone treatments for another month or so, so I have to tolerate them on my own until then. I go from being too cold to being too hot almost instantly.

My skin is clearing up! I've always had very oily skin with pretty bad acne. It's starting to go away - I hope it continues to get better. My skin all over my body is starting to dry up, which will be annoying, but I'd honestly rather have dry skin than bad acne.

I have to urinate more frequently, but not enough that it's caused me any problems. This happened after my last two laparoscopies, as well (though it didn't last as long), so it might just be a side effect of the surgery that will go away as I finish healing.

My vagina has been very dry. Almost no discharge at all, which is weird, because my body used to produce a lot. It's dry enough that it gets itchy occasionally.

I haven't had post-op sex yet. I just don't feel ready, and I'm very lucky in that my SO understands completely. It'll probably be at least another week or two.

Comments

[cathubodva.livejournal.com]

I appreciate it. While I wish I hadn't had to, I really do see it as something that needed to be done. So in that respect, it wasn't too traumatic, because I'm so looking forward to having my life back - or actually having a life, for the first time in ten years!