My little tips for a smooth hysterectomy

I am now 5 days post surgery. Friday morning, I had an abdominal subtotal hysterectomy. I have kept my ovaries and my cervix. Two hours prior to surgery, my consultant told me that he would also be performing a bilateral salpingectomy to “avoid complications”. At the time I did not care, but I have looked it up since then and I had not even realised that you could have an ectopic pregnancy after a hysterectomy.

During my pre-op time, I spent a lot of time online and the wealth of information I found really helped me get over my anxiety. I am just going to put bits of my experience out there in the hope that it may help someone. The background is quite simple: I am a 37 year-old, married woman with no children. I have a history of fibroids and had a myomectomy in September 2013.

Before the surgery

• Make an appointment at the GP. You will need to see a nurse week after your surgery to remove your stitches. You also need to see your GP to get your note for work.
• Join Facebook groups, read blogs. It will help make you feel better. Everyone is different but you are bound to find some information helpful.
• Practise your exercises. Before being admitted to hospital, I attended a Pain Management Training (it was the same before my myomectomy). These sessions are the best! They last about 3 hours. During that time, the dietitian, the physio, a nurse come to talk to you. Among other things, you discuss how to get in/out of bed, breathing exercises, pelvic floor exercises,etc. I think you definitely need to practise how to get out of bed without twisting your midsection.
• Organise your help. You need to have someone with you for at least, the first 2-3 days after getting home. That is a bare minimum; have someone with you for as long as possible. My mum is staying with us for another 2 weeks and I feel very lucky to have her. If you can’t have someone, then I’m afraid you’ll have to plan carefully (cook in advance, do your food shopping). Sorting out how to get home from the hospital can be a last minute thing so I wouldn’t worry.
• Pack smart. Quite frankly, I did not need the things I packed. I took 2 pyjamas, 2 magazines,my Kindle, a notebook, underwear, pads, toiletries, socks in case the hospital was cold, snacks, a towel, my phone charger. I could have done with less than half of that. At the hospital (Whittington, London, NHS), I was given a towel and wore the hospital gowns I was provided with, everyday. I did not need any of the things in my bag. The one I think you need to pack is a good moisturiser and an excellent lip balm. The air at the hospital is so dry that I’m pretty sure I left that place with wrinkles.
• Read about homeopathy. I have been taking Nux Vomica to fight nausea for about 20 years. It really works for me and I used it after the surgery. Just sayin’
• Poop. Yup. Poop. Just make sure you do the morning of the surgery, it will make the following days more bearable.

When in hospital

• Speak up. If anything feels off, if you’re in pain, if you have any questions, make sure you ask. I was my surgeon’s second hysterectomy that morning. It’s a routine surgery for them and a life-changing event for us. Do not feel bad for wanting to know what’s happening or for asking for help.
• Don’t let the pain settle. After my myomectomy, I woke up with virtually no pain. After the hysterectomy, I felt like I had been hit by a bus. If you’re in too much pain, then you need more painkillers. Ask.
• Get up as soon as possible. I got up the next morning. I wanted to get out of bed the evening following the surgery but I was so light-headed that I stayed in bed. I still moved my feet and bent my legs to avoid clotting. Try your best to get out of bed. You will find it very glam to carry your catheter around.
• Drink up. Water is always the way to go and it will help you eliminate.
• Don’t expect to rest much. Hospitals are very noisy and I have to say that I have always had the strangest people in my ward, every time I was admitted. It will be loud, some people will be rude to staff, rude to you. The staff is overworked. It’s not a restaurant, it’s not a spa.You will find yourself on edge and wired most of the time but don’t worry, you’ll soon go home. 
• Have a shower. Having a shower always leaves me feeling great. I asked if I could shower the day after surgery and I was given the green light (the dressing was waterproof). Instant invigoration.
• Get over yourself. I have been looked after by the same consultant for the past 3 years. I saw him on the morning of my surgery and just when I woke up. However, I reverted to feeling like a 5 year-old because I only saw the junior doctors during my hospital stay and however stupid it sounds, I could not help feeling that sense of abandonment. Now that I think about it, yeah, really get over yourself!

Back home

• Keep an eye on what you eat. There is nothing more comforting than staying in bed with hot drinks and chocolate biscuits. Well, for me, anyway. Dangerous slope…
• Document your journey. You never now who it might help.It’s also empowering to look back and think “made it!”
• Brace yourself for that first poop. It’s something else. Breathe, relax.
• Keep a pillow handy. You will need the pillow against your stomach in the car, when you laugh, when you cough,sneeze,etc.

I can’t think of anything else for the time being. I really hope this helps someone somehow.

I’ll keep you posted.

Many,everywhere!

Still documenting my journey with fibroids for women like me who run to forums and blogs the second a doctor tells them there is something wrong. Before my myomectomy (2013), I read all sorts of testimonies and went to loads of forums. I have to say that it did make me feel better and more informed in terms of what doctors cannot really tell you ie. how you will actually feel (both physically and morally),how to organise some practical aspects of your life during your recovery, etc.

Yesterday, I went to the hospital to get my pelvic MRI done. I never had an MRI before and did not really know what to expect. Everything went much better than I thought: the noise was not that loud, yes it feels like a coffin but I closed my eyes so it did not really make a difference. My nurse was amazing! I went in the machine (donut) the first time for about 20 minutes. When I came out, the nurse said, “give us a few minutes, the doctor will have to take a look at the images”. When he came back I asked what the doctor saw and my nurse replied “Fibroids”. I asked, “How many” and he replied,”Many. Everywhere!” while making a sweeping motion with his arm. At that stage I said “But my scan showed 5 fibroids!”. He said “definitely more than 5”. Then, he probably noticed my face and said, “don’t worry about it. Most women over 30 have loads and don’t even know about it.” I asked him if he thought that they could be removed and shared with him that I feared having a hysterectomy.He smiled and said “of course, this  is not a bad scan and your file says that you’re here in preparation for fertility-preserving surgery. I am not a doctor but I doubt they’ll do a hysterectomy”. I have to say that it made me feel a lot better.Especially after seeing quite a few doctors telling me that it is not always beneficial to have a second myomectomy and that they may not be able to save my womb.

The nurse then injected me with a dye and I went back in the donut for about 10 minutes. When I came back out, the nurse said that the image was clearer and that it was actually 5 fibroids and nothing else. (Honestly WTF?!). He told me that I will get a letter for an appointment with the consultant in about three weeks. This is taking sooooo long…

In terms of how I feel, I was on medical leave this week and will also be off work next week. I have never been this tired in my life.  I literally spend my days in bed and I wake up from every nap knackered. I have a review with my GP next week. I will ask for my blood to be checked because I feel that I am probably still quite anaemic. I am still bleeding. I am starting my 3rd month of bleeding next week. I am still hopeful.

 

They’re back!

It seems like it was only yesterday that I was writing about recovering from my  abdominal myomectomy. Well, it was in September 2013 and, less than 3 years later, my fibroids are back with a vengeance!

I have now been bleeding for 12 weeks straight. I was first referred to the gynaecologist by my GP on April 8th. The gynae clinic did not contact me, and on Monday 9th May, I had a severe bleeding episode at work that ended in me going to A&E at the end of that day. I honestly thought that they would send me away but I was admitted and kept under observation for 3 days. I was transfused three units of blood during that time and was sent home on Thursday 12th. A scan revealed that I have 5 fibroids. The largest is 6.5cm (so considerably smaller than the ones I had 33 years ago). During my hospital stay, I saw many junior doctors but not my consultant. Before leaving, the doctors said that I would receive an appointment letter for an MRI and a second letter later on for an appointment with my consultant.

I was sent home with Tranexamic acid, iron tablets and Provera. I was told that I should take the Provera for 21 days and the Tranexamic for 5 days. The bleeding was supposed to stop. It did not.

I kept going with life although I felt exhausted. The bleeding was still heavy. On Thursday 26th May, I experienced something that never happened to me before. I was at work and within literally 10 seconds (no exaggeration) I found myself standing in a pool of my blood. There were no warning signs and nothing that I could have done. I was wearing two pads and they made absolutely no difference. I ended up leaving work in an ambulance (first time for everything,woohoo) and going straight to the local hospital (not the same I had been admitted to before).The amount of blood I lost on that day really panicked me.It was everywhere and it was not stopping. I had to get up for a nurse to take my clothes off and felt dizzy. They decided to keep me overnight and I was transfused with a further 3 units of blood (so a total of 6 over a period of  3 weeks). Before discharging me, they also doubled all the dosage of my medicines and extended my treatment. I have an appointment for my MRI in 3 days.

This whole situation has created a real emotional roller-coaster. I had doctors frowning at me after asking me “Do you have any children?”. I was also told that it is very unlikely that I will undergo another myomectomy as there were complications during my last one. The word “hysterectomy” was mentioned a few times and I was horrified. I am turning 37 in a few months and have been married for less than a year. It has been more difficult than I thought to try to get used to the idea that I might get advised to have a hysterectomy.

Mu husband is being really supportive and said that he has made peace with the possibility that we may not have biological children. I am not too sure what to think.

Another summer gone.

So much has happened since the last time I wrote.
On the myomectomy front, nearly a year post-surgery, I was told by my doctor that the pain I have been experiencing is due to abdominal adhesion. There is not much that they can do as the surgery to repair the issue will create more adhesion. The surgeon told me that I will just have to take painkillers when in pain. Weirdly, I feel much better now that I know what the problem is. I only wish I had been informed beforehand of the likelihood of this happening. Some of my fibroids have also already returned but I do not want to think about that.
My scar has also changed and is now a keloid scar. 4-5 months after the surgery, it kind of “opened” and puffed up. I was offered plastic surgery on the NHS but was warned that my skin may create another keloid scar after the corrective surgery. There is no point in having it done.
On a more positive note, I got engaged in April. We went on a “let’s do absolutely nothing” holiday in the Vendée region, in France and he proposed during a hike on the coast there. It was a complete surprise and I burst into tears. We have been together for a very long time and although I was quite happy and at peace with our relationship, I am super excited about our wedding. I hope it does not actually change anything.
Here are a few pictures I took on my engagement day.

Since January, I have not even tried to get back out running. I was in a lot of pain after exercising and since I did not know the reason behind it, I decided to just give it a rest. Therefore, I did not go to my Easter race.
However, the upcoming wedding is more than motivating. I have joined a gym today and I have signed up for another 10K with my fiancé. I really want to look great in my dress (no idea what it will look like) and feel confident on my special day.

Much harder than I thought

So…I went running.

I went back at the beginning of November for one quick run and felt great but had to stop because the doctor said it was too early.

I gave it another go this week and I thought I was going to die!

Before my November attempt, I had not run in a year because of all my health issues. My 10K seems like a distant memory but I really miss the sensations brought by finishing a jog at the end of a day at work. Therefore, I signed up for the Easter 10K in Regents Park in April.

For some reason, I thought that I (probably the most unfit person I know) could just step out and run a 5K without too much suffering and just a few beads of sweat on my forehead. Boy, was I wrong!

It was awful. I was going the slowest I have ever been (about 7’57/km) and was still struggling. I was panting very loudly and although I felt more of less comfortable after 10 minutes, I had to stop at 16’38. It felt like I could just not move forward anymore. I started again but stopped at 20 minutes. Verdict: 2.46km! I felt so crap…

At least, on the positive, I need to buy new workout clothes. Since the surgery, I have obviously lost quite a lot of weight around my stomach (I had 8lb worth of fibroids removed). I realised after 2 minutes of running that my running bottoms were slipping down so I had to sometimes pull them up (comedy gold).

Anyway, it looks like things are going to be difficult and that I have a lot of work to do. It doesn’t matter, I’m up for the challenge.

I’ll keep you posted. 

 

I want to be patient but this is taking too long…

My second post of the day is not food-related at all.

I had my myomectomy over 3 moths ago and things are still not back to normal. I have a constant dull pain in my lower stomach (left side) that sometimes becomes quite sharp on both sides of my tummy.
When I stand still for a long time, it hurts. IF i sit down still for a long time, it hurts. If I carry heavy bags, it hurts. I have no problem with long walks.
Before going back to work (after week 8), I felt fantastic. Since then, things have considerably slowed down.
I decided to go back running in the beginning of December and I felt great. I was actually surprised. However, when I mentioned it to my GP (in passing during an unrelated consultation), he categorically said that since I am still experiencing pelvic pain, I should be very careful and not exercise until an ultrasound is completed. My appointment is on the 13th… I really miss running…  (I’m typing this and I can’t believe it! Haha! I used to hate it! )
I feel so frustrated, angry, tired.
2012 was amazing. I took up running, lost weight, felt healthy, had a promotion and was happy. 2013 was hell because of the fibroids and I was hoping to start 2014 without the leftover nuisance.
I am reading posts of other women on various websites talking about how their lives dramatically changed and it angers me to think about how long my full recovery is taking.

Friends and family are getting annoyed because they say that I am being too impatient and that it takes about 6 months to fully recover. Not sure…
Sorry, just had to write about this as it really bothers me.

First attempt at Chicken Biryani.

Had a bit of a lazy day today. Went out for a short walk and started regretting offering to come back to work earlier. I am actually exhausted and struggle to sleep more than 5-6 hours. Well, we’ll see what happens.
I think my stomach has started going down. I don’t want to be disappointed so I haven’t weighed myself but it is quite visible (to me).  I still have 2 fibroids in there that the doctor said he will not remove (“if we go on the hunt for everything, it will weaken your womb”) so I doubt it will ever be flat. Another thing I have noticed is that I cannot suck in my stomach since the surgery.

I tried to make chicken Biryani today since I really like this dish.  My friend Shaz sometimes makes it for me and it’s always delicious. I try to keep an eye open when she prepares it but I am hopeless.
So here is my take on chicken Biryani. I more or less used all the curry spices I had in my cupboard so I don’t know have exact quantities.

I browned 6 onions in olive oil, fennel seeds, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, ground coriander, a cinnamon stick and garlic.
When my onions reduced and formed a paste,  I added the chicken pieces. Mine were too big for a Biryani… 
Do you wash your chicken? I keep being told not to do that because it spreads bacteria but old habits die hard. I’ve always seen my mum and grandmother wash their chicken in water and vinegar. Nothing ever happened to us. Anyway…

Here's my chicken in cold water and vinegar.

I covered the chicken and the onions with garam massala, grated ginger, coriander powder, cumin powder, curry powder, salt, 3 clovers, chilies snd coriander leaves. I then covered the whole thing and left it for about 20 minutes. 
In the meantime,  I cooked some basmati rice.
In a pot,  I layered the chicken + onion paste ( managed to do 2 layers of each) and covered the pot on low heat for 10 minutes.
I am quite happy with the results. It was quite nice and tasty.

Next time, I think I’ll use more onions so I have more paste. It makes everything more moist.

7 weeks post myomectomy.

Yesterday marked the 7th week since my myomectomy.
I am obviously much better in terms of mobility, morale and independence.
I feel normal 90% of the time, then get a reminder of why I am off work. It’s generally a dull pain on my incision site after walking for a long time or carrying heavy bags.
On Tuesday I had to see my GP for a review consultation before the end of my medical leave.  He decided that I needed an extra 2 weeks because my stomach was still quite sore. I am not complaining but a part of me is quite worried/disappointed that my recovery is taking so long.
I think that he based his final decision on the type of work that I do.  I will have to stand and move around most of the time (that includes taking stairs, stress, conflict resolutions, meetings, late nights and the occasional panic run).
I am now supposed to be back at work on the 15th. However, I did call my boss to ask if I could use the week of the 11th for a phased return as this will make it much easier for me. She agreed. Therefore, I will come in the morning, stay in my office to prepare my files for when I come back and leave at lunchtime. That means, I will do no real work (I can’t because I wouldn’t be insured) but will have a feel of what it will be like.
The stitches in my bellybutton that were supposed to drop at the end of week 2 are still there!! I seem to be the only one worried about it. All doctors/nurses just mumble when I mention it. It’s not dramatic in itself but I feel it when sleeping on my stomach.
As for the dreaded 1st periods, they came at the end of week 6 and I am still dealing with it. The first 4 days were beyond awful but I survived. My GP said it will take about 2 cycles for me to notice a difference.

Today, I made bulgur wheat for the first time. Not sure I cooked it properly. It stuck to my saucepan… There were 2 methods on the packet.  Next time, I’ll try the other one.
I made it with courgettes, peppers, chorizo, onions, garlic and tomatoes.

As a starter, we had grilled aubergines (is it grilled or fried if it’s done on the griddle pan?) and halloumi. My aubergines burned a bit but they still tasted very nice.

I am going back to cooking a bit more and I am loving it.
See ya peeps!

Week 2 post myomectomy

Yesterday marked the end of week 2 after my myomectomy.

I feel much better than last week but these are dangerous times… The words to describe this week are: imprudent and silly.

While at home, I am very mobile and I can walk up and down the stairs quite comfortably. Therefore, Tuesday, I went out for my first walk. Walking indoors is really not the same as going out. I only went out for 20-25 minutes and I’m glad I did it but I was very happy to get back home. It felt great at the beginning but after about 10 minutes, I felt that my stomach was pulling down a bit and that was very uncomfortable. I think that if I had a washboard tummy, I wouldn’t have that problem but that is sadly not the case. On Wednesday, I paid for my outing and felt a bit more sore from the very morning. I had to take it easy.

On Thursday afternoon, I had another appointment with the nurse to check my belly button stitches. She had to shorten it and as a result, the end of the thread now pricks me a bit when I sit down but whatever… I am still bleeding. It is not constant or heavy but I was a bit worried about it so I asked. She said that most people stop bleeding after 2 weeks but that everyone is different. My bleeding doesn’t look like it wants to stop.

The surgeon said that I would get a letter about my 6th week appointment and I still haven’t got anything. By then, I should be better. I will need to talk to him about my hysteroscopy to remove the last 2 fibroids. I need this to be done sooner rather than later.

Thursday was also my birthday and my mum made me my favourite dish: fish court-bouillon. It’s a dish from back home. She used parrot fish (because I love it) and served it with rice and kidney beans. The whole thing was delicious. My boyfriend made me my favourite chocolate cake. It is soooooo chocolatey… My cake was in the shape of a heart and I devoured it. The only glitch was buying a “healthy” custard instead of making one and it was disgusting.We ended up having it with double cream (little piggies).

This picture does not do it justice.

On Friday, I had friends over and really managed to relax. It was refreshing to talk about other things see different people and get all the gossip from work (mwahaha).

This week, I realised how tricky it was to be at that stage. The pain is no longer constant and most of my days are very good. Consequently, THREE times this week, I cried out in pain because I went in bed the wrong way. When your stomach doesn’t hurt all the time, it’s difficult to remember to sit, slide and roll.

I also really struggled with the whole “don’t carry anything, don’t push, don’t pull” thing. This morning, I decided to load the washing machine and do the washing up. I had to stop halfway through and ended up in the sofa, crying. All the meds they gave me at the hospital are now finished (ibuprofen, antibiotics, paracetamol) but I still popped a couple of pills because I was in a lot of pain. I still have to take iron tablets. I think I may be a bit anemic since the surgeon told me I lost a litre of blood.

It also still feels a bit uncomfortable to laugh hard, sneeze or cough but it is much easier than it was last week.

I am really getting tired of sleeping on my back; it’s not how I used to sleep and I don’t seem to get used to it. I have now mastered a technique that allows me to stay on my side for quite a while (tucking my side of the duvet or a pillow under that side of my stomach) but it’s SUPER painful when I return to lying on my back. I really want to try to lie on my stomach but it feels like a dumb idea because the voice at the back of my head is telling me that it will definitely hurt. In addition, I can’t think of a may to go from facing down to facing up without twisting my midsection, causing some sort of pull (no).

This afternoon, I had to use out of date creme fraiche (1 day) and rotting clementines so I made a little tart instead of throwing it all away. Half-way through, I realised I didn’t have enough clementines and had to finish off with some plums. It probably looks very strange but it was delicious.

My mum flew over during my first week and I can see that she is getting a bit bored because I can’t go out with her and she doesn’t want to go out on her own. Last time we went out (yesterday), I went to a few local shops with her and I got weird looks because she was carrying everything. I found it a bit funny. People judge so much… To be honest, I would have probably thought the same.

I am really hoping that by next week, I will be able to stay out with her and wander about. I actually need to pamper myself, get my eyebrows done, feel like a girl again.

Have a great week!

One week post myomectomy

Hi! It’s been ages…

I had my open myomectomy done last Friday.

I was absolutely panicked because that was my first surgery and I was dreading everything; from the pain to the hospital stay and the recovery at home. My surgery lasted 4 and a half hours and I lost a litre of blood. When the surgeon went into my uterus, he realised that there was a massive fibroid in there that did not appear on the prior ultrasound. They removed 5 but he told me that there are 2 more left that I will have to remove with a hysteroscopy later.

The pain was more manageable than I thought thank to the morphine pump. I did not get out of bed on the first night but I could walk a few steps the next morning. The morphine gave me itchy skin so my dosage was reduced.

I got very sick because of the IV antibiotics. My wrists actually swelled up and they could not push anything in. I had to take tablets instead.

The women on my ward were terribly noisy so I was glad to get home on day 3.

I try to walk every day and had my stitches taken out yesterday. My biggest fears are sneezing, coughing or laughing hard. I nearly sneezed this morning and I thought I was going to die. I don’t have to get back to work before November so I will use my time off to recuperate and rebuild myself. This is the perfect opportunity to start from scratch: eating well, moving more, finding the right balance. I can’t wait to get back to running.