this was our first cycle, post-surgery, to TTC again. it has been sort of exciting to feel hopeful and optimistic, though i am definitely keeping myself under control when it comes to expectations.
i've been using the clearblue easy ovulation monitor for a long while, now. even before we were TTC i was using it for birth control, and to let it get to know my body. while it's very well-reviewed and my ob-gyn and even the fertility doc said it was a great tool to use, the fertility doc said we shouldn't take it as law. he said, given that my cycles are fairly regular, that we should just starting trying around day 10 from now on.
so i went back and looked at my charts from previous months, and i found a couple of cycles that didn't make much sense. of course there is some variation expected in everyone's cycle, but typically (from what i've read) the luteal phase (time between ovulation and getting your period) is generally consistent in each woman, even if the time of ovulation and cycle length varies a bit. over the past 14 cycles that i've charted, my luteal phase is almost always 14 days. but last month, for example, the monitor said i ovulated on day 12/13, yet my cycle was only 24 days, meaning my luteal phase was only 11(ish) days long. that seems way too short for me, indicating that i probably ovulated earlier than the monitor said. this happened two other times over the past 14 cycles, too, and i know there were months when i was caught off-guard by the monitor's timing. so, as it turns out, i'm glad i tried to get back in touch with my body this month.
truth be told, it wasn't an intentional TTC try that got us going this cycle... it just so happened that day 9 fell on the first weekend since my period ended and we were allowed to have sex after the surgery. so that wasn't too difficult. by yesterday i was having serious ovulation cramps, the worst i've had in a long time, and i definitely felt ovulatory... but the monitor still said low fertility! sure enough, today it jumped to ovulation mode, completely skipping the "high fertility" day that usually precedes it. so i guess it's possible that i ovulated today, but i actually feel like it happened yesterday and that the monitor dropped the proverbial ball this month, somehow.
in any case... here's what we've got:
cycle 1 of phase 2 (post-surgery)
O Days: 11? 12, 13
Attempts: 9, 10, 11, 12
and maybe we'll give it a shot tomorrow, too, though it's going to be a busy day and night, so that might be it for this round. but it was a late afternoon try today, so even if today/tomorrow are the actual O days (according to the monitor), we hit them right in the middle, which is perfect. i feel really good about this try... we definitely did our best. and now the two-week wait begins again! i will try not to obsess this time around. we still have a plan in place, and i like plans. plus there's so much going on these next couple of weeks... i'm sure they will fly by!
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Post-Op: The Plan
Today the hubby and I had our follow-up appointment with the doc to discuss the surgery results and to make a plan for next steps. I feel like it's taken an eternity for today to arrive; perhaps it's just because work has been so busy, but the surgery already feels lightyears back in history and I am so ready to move on.
First he showed us the photos from the surgery, which were really cool to see. It's amazing -- first of all -- that there were cameras INSIDE MY BODY! and, secondly, that they took this amazingly clear photos. It was like looking at space telescope photos, with all the bright colors and contrast and odd shapes that you can't quite identify. He showed us glamour shots of everything, from my cervix and birth canal and uterus (which all look Hollywood gorgeous... according to the expert) to the actual endometriosis.
Our doc said that while there was a bunch of it, it wasn't what he would call a serious case of endometriosis because it hadn't advanced past Stage 1 or 2 (out of 4 stages: http://womenshealth.about.com/cs/endometriosis/a/endotreatdiagsu_2.htm). My understanding is that that means it hadn't progressed enough to cause any major physical problems. But, as I already knew, the doctor reminded us that when it comes to endometriosis, it doesn't matter how much you have, because even a tiny spot creates whatever kind of autoimmune or chemical reaction that inhibits pregnancy (they still don't really know the exact connection).
So, as we saw in our endometriosis photo gallery, I had a bunch of lesions that just look like little black spots, and also some scar tissue, which looks more gross... like big fleshy growths. The worst of it was on my left ovary (which, I learned today, is defined by the doctor's view looking AT your body. So it's what I've always thought of as my right ovary, make sense?). There was some scar tissue on the ovary, and around the tube on that side. But it's all gone now, and both of my ovaries and tubes look healthy and functional.
The doctor said that, all things considered, he is very confident and optimistic that this may solve our "infertility" issues. He said sometimes the endometriosis comes back, and sometimes it doesn't; however, the earliest that it will come back is usually in six months post-surgery. Thus, the next six months are our target range... when our chances of conceiving are highest. His advice was for us to try to conceive on our own for a couple of months, and if we're not successful then we will move to Step 2: IUI (intrauterine insemination) with hormone injections to increase my egg production. He wasn't keen on jumping to that right away, although he said it was totally up to us. Of course the hubby is totally relaxed about the whole thing and just wants to see how things go, but I don't want to take our time too much.
Our compromise is to try on our own for two cycles. If it's unsuccessful, we'll move to Step 2. The timing of this works well for me, because it'll be summer vacation by the time we hit Step 2 (if we do), making it vastly easier for me to get to the doctor for hormone injections and insemination. And, while the doctor says I absolutely should NOT be thinking about how my pregnancy fits in with my work life, I'm not really able to ignore that entirely... and if I am pregnant before the end of the summer, I will still be on track for my ideal plan of having the baby before the end of next school year.
All in all, good stuff today. And how fun will it be to start trying again with a hope that it will actually be successful? Heck, in these long weeks post-surgery, how fun will it be to just have sex again?
First he showed us the photos from the surgery, which were really cool to see. It's amazing -- first of all -- that there were cameras INSIDE MY BODY! and, secondly, that they took this amazingly clear photos. It was like looking at space telescope photos, with all the bright colors and contrast and odd shapes that you can't quite identify. He showed us glamour shots of everything, from my cervix and birth canal and uterus (which all look Hollywood gorgeous... according to the expert) to the actual endometriosis.
Our doc said that while there was a bunch of it, it wasn't what he would call a serious case of endometriosis because it hadn't advanced past Stage 1 or 2 (out of 4 stages: http://womenshealth.about.com/cs/endometriosis/a/endotreatdiagsu_2.htm). My understanding is that that means it hadn't progressed enough to cause any major physical problems. But, as I already knew, the doctor reminded us that when it comes to endometriosis, it doesn't matter how much you have, because even a tiny spot creates whatever kind of autoimmune or chemical reaction that inhibits pregnancy (they still don't really know the exact connection).
So, as we saw in our endometriosis photo gallery, I had a bunch of lesions that just look like little black spots, and also some scar tissue, which looks more gross... like big fleshy growths. The worst of it was on my left ovary (which, I learned today, is defined by the doctor's view looking AT your body. So it's what I've always thought of as my right ovary, make sense?). There was some scar tissue on the ovary, and around the tube on that side. But it's all gone now, and both of my ovaries and tubes look healthy and functional.
The doctor said that, all things considered, he is very confident and optimistic that this may solve our "infertility" issues. He said sometimes the endometriosis comes back, and sometimes it doesn't; however, the earliest that it will come back is usually in six months post-surgery. Thus, the next six months are our target range... when our chances of conceiving are highest. His advice was for us to try to conceive on our own for a couple of months, and if we're not successful then we will move to Step 2: IUI (intrauterine insemination) with hormone injections to increase my egg production. He wasn't keen on jumping to that right away, although he said it was totally up to us. Of course the hubby is totally relaxed about the whole thing and just wants to see how things go, but I don't want to take our time too much.
Our compromise is to try on our own for two cycles. If it's unsuccessful, we'll move to Step 2. The timing of this works well for me, because it'll be summer vacation by the time we hit Step 2 (if we do), making it vastly easier for me to get to the doctor for hormone injections and insemination. And, while the doctor says I absolutely should NOT be thinking about how my pregnancy fits in with my work life, I'm not really able to ignore that entirely... and if I am pregnant before the end of the summer, I will still be on track for my ideal plan of having the baby before the end of next school year.
All in all, good stuff today. And how fun will it be to start trying again with a hope that it will actually be successful? Heck, in these long weeks post-surgery, how fun will it be to just have sex again?
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
one week post-op
it's been a long week, but finally today i went back to work. a half-day, but still. it felt good to be back in the real world, though i'm definitely not back to normal yet.
a quick recap of my days post-surgery:
- the gas pains and overall exhaustion and discomfort lasted until friday.
- i watched a whole heckuva lot of tv and movies and was waited on hand and foot by my mom and hubby. that part was ok.
- friday morning i thought i was ok to take the dog for a walk. a half-block later i realized i was wrong.
- my mom left friday afternoon.
- by the weekend i had developed some serious cramps. i'm guessing this was more from the d&c than the surgery. they basically felt like period cramps, but instead of being isolated in one spot or another it was my whole uterus contracting all at once. not fun. i also started spotting more than i had the first couple of days.
- then i got a cold. suh-weet. i figured if i was going to be home doing nothing anyway, it wasn't a bad time to get sick.
- saturday i went out for coffee with a friend, walked a total of about 10 blocks round trip, and it wrecked me for the rest of the day. so sad. i didn't do anything else. back to the couch.
- sunday i took a couple of short walks, which felt ok. i just needed to be back on the couch for awhile afterwards to recover.
- i walk really slow.
- i am SO SICK of my living room and my couch.
- monday i decided to stay home from school because of both my cold and the fact that i still wasn't able to get around very well. i will still spotting, most noticeably when i moved around a lot. i knew my hour-long subway commute was likely more than i could handle. but i worked from home most of the day, took another nice walk to the store, and did some laundry. which felt ok at the time.
- mostly i felt normal, except for my belly button. that incision seems to be the most sensitive, which makes total sense. bending over is still very uncomfortable.
that brings us to today. i had my first post-op appointment at the fertility institute, to check my incisions out and make sure that everything looks ok, at 10 this morning. so i slept in a bit and then planned to go to the appointment and then to school. when i got out of the shower, i saw that there was blood all around my belly button.
uh oh.
sure enough, the incision in my belly button was bleeding. i figured this wasn't a great thing. i took my sweet time getting to the hospital for my appointment (i still walk really slow), and when the nurse took a look at it her reaction was the same as mine. "oh!" she immediately left the room and brought back a doctor to check it out.
but the doctor didn't seem alarmed. she poked around in there with a q-tip and drew out some fresh blood. not a ton, though. she cleaned it out with betadine and said that some of the dermabond is coming off and that's why it's bloody. she said it shouldn't be coming off yet and warned me about picking at it (i haven't been) or getting it too wet (i MAY take excessive showers. sigh). but she slapped some gauze on it and said it should be fine, so i'm taking her word for it.
i went to work and did a pretty decent job with a half day of school. my principal sent me home before our after-school meeting, so that helped matters. i'm a bit sore in the middle but the spotting has really decreased. my belly button seems to have stopped bleeding after this morning, but i'm nervous about what will happen when i shower tomorrow. i guess i will try not to get it too wet. i cannot underestimate how GROSS it looks now. it was gross before, but now... blech.
i plan to work the rest of the week, assuming i continue to feel a little better each day. and of course if the bleeding doesn't stop i will give the office a call and see what they think. but it doesn't seem to be anything to worry about. a week from today the hubby and i go for our big follow-up with the doc... can't wait!
a quick recap of my days post-surgery:
- the gas pains and overall exhaustion and discomfort lasted until friday.
- i watched a whole heckuva lot of tv and movies and was waited on hand and foot by my mom and hubby. that part was ok.
- friday morning i thought i was ok to take the dog for a walk. a half-block later i realized i was wrong.
- my mom left friday afternoon.
- by the weekend i had developed some serious cramps. i'm guessing this was more from the d&c than the surgery. they basically felt like period cramps, but instead of being isolated in one spot or another it was my whole uterus contracting all at once. not fun. i also started spotting more than i had the first couple of days.
- then i got a cold. suh-weet. i figured if i was going to be home doing nothing anyway, it wasn't a bad time to get sick.
- saturday i went out for coffee with a friend, walked a total of about 10 blocks round trip, and it wrecked me for the rest of the day. so sad. i didn't do anything else. back to the couch.
- sunday i took a couple of short walks, which felt ok. i just needed to be back on the couch for awhile afterwards to recover.
- i walk really slow.
- i am SO SICK of my living room and my couch.
- monday i decided to stay home from school because of both my cold and the fact that i still wasn't able to get around very well. i will still spotting, most noticeably when i moved around a lot. i knew my hour-long subway commute was likely more than i could handle. but i worked from home most of the day, took another nice walk to the store, and did some laundry. which felt ok at the time.
- mostly i felt normal, except for my belly button. that incision seems to be the most sensitive, which makes total sense. bending over is still very uncomfortable.
that brings us to today. i had my first post-op appointment at the fertility institute, to check my incisions out and make sure that everything looks ok, at 10 this morning. so i slept in a bit and then planned to go to the appointment and then to school. when i got out of the shower, i saw that there was blood all around my belly button.
uh oh.
sure enough, the incision in my belly button was bleeding. i figured this wasn't a great thing. i took my sweet time getting to the hospital for my appointment (i still walk really slow), and when the nurse took a look at it her reaction was the same as mine. "oh!" she immediately left the room and brought back a doctor to check it out.
but the doctor didn't seem alarmed. she poked around in there with a q-tip and drew out some fresh blood. not a ton, though. she cleaned it out with betadine and said that some of the dermabond is coming off and that's why it's bloody. she said it shouldn't be coming off yet and warned me about picking at it (i haven't been) or getting it too wet (i MAY take excessive showers. sigh). but she slapped some gauze on it and said it should be fine, so i'm taking her word for it.
i went to work and did a pretty decent job with a half day of school. my principal sent me home before our after-school meeting, so that helped matters. i'm a bit sore in the middle but the spotting has really decreased. my belly button seems to have stopped bleeding after this morning, but i'm nervous about what will happen when i shower tomorrow. i guess i will try not to get it too wet. i cannot underestimate how GROSS it looks now. it was gross before, but now... blech.
i plan to work the rest of the week, assuming i continue to feel a little better each day. and of course if the bleeding doesn't stop i will give the office a call and see what they think. but it doesn't seem to be anything to worry about. a week from today the hubby and i go for our big follow-up with the doc... can't wait!
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
laparoscopy, hysteroscopy, and d&c
one of the things i hate most about cooking is that the actual event -- the meal -- is so much of a blip compared to the preparation and the follow-up. eating what you cook takes all of 15 minutes, when the shopping, chopping, stirring, and whatever you do to make the food as well as the cleaning up and the washing dishes that follow are such huge time and effort sucks. turns out that surgery is much the same.
i had my surgery yesterday, and i can't believe how fast it was over and how relatively simple it was for me. but of course, the prep and now the recovery are much more substantial. here's how it went down...
i followed the liquid diet on monday, the day before the surgery, as planned. it wasn't awful until that evening, when the hunger had given way to a general feeling of wooziness. i stayed up as late as possible to drink water, since i knew i couldn't have any the next morning. i actually woke up briefly at ten minutes after midnight and took an illegal sip from my water bottle... just to hold me over.
7:30am woke up, showered and got dressed to go. i couldn't wear any kind of lotion or cosmetics at all, or my contact lenses, but i did put on some deodorant. c'mon, it was going to be nearly 80 degrees. i have some standards.
8:30am my mom and i walked to the hospital. it was a lovely walk on a lovely morning, and i soaked it up, knowing i probably wouldn't get much more exercise or outside time this week. i was supposed to be there at 9, and we got there a few minutes early.
9-11am in the surgical prep area, they took all my vitals and i had to pee in a cup (difficult since i had hardly any liquid in me). they gave me a gas pill and a pain pill (and i got to drink a tiny bit of water with them! glorious.). they put in the IV and explained how everything would go down. they said the surgery would likely take between an hour and an hour and a half. i spoke with the anesthesiologist and her assistant (who warned me that i'd get a breathing tube down my throat), as well as a couple of nurses who would be helping with the surgery, and signed a bunch of paperwork. they put me in a ridiculous purple gown and pants and socks, and mostly my mom and i sat around waiting. i really wasn't nervous, though... just so anxious to have it over with.
11am i walked with the nurse into the operating room, which was pretty cool. it was huge and looked just like in the movies, with the huge round bright lights above the table and all kinds of tables and trays with instruments all around. there were about six people in the room when i got there, including the doctors and nurses i'd met so far, and the doctor who would be doing the surgery. they got me up on the table and situated correctly (my butt had to be in a hole, which made me giggle) and then they took my glasses off and the nurse delivered them to my mom, who was waiting outside.
they hooked up my IV and wrapped that arm tightly to my side with my thumb in one of those pulse monitors. my other arm was stretched out on a little board next to the table. they told me that they were going to start my IV with some medicine to "relax" me, and then they'd put on a mask to start the general anesthesia. once i was really under, they'd put the breathing tube down my throat. i'd probably wake up as they were removing the tube, and the whole thing would be over. the anesthesiologist specifically said, "we'll tell you when we're starting the anesthesia, because it works really quickly." so i thought i knew exactly what to expect.
so i have no idea what actually happened, because the last thing i remember was them starting the IV, which was just supposed to get things started. the assistant anesthesiologist said, "you're probably starting to feel a little relaxed, which is fine..." and then... i was out.
they did three things during the surgery: one was the laparoscopy, when they looked for endometriosis to remove; the second was the hysteroscopy, when they looked into my uterus to make sure things looked normal; and the last was the D&C (dilation and curettage) when they removed the lining of my uterus since it a) had at least one polyp, and b) wasn't properly formed to support a pregnancy. i knew nothing of any of this while it was going down, thankfully.
1:15pm the next thing i remember, i was being wheeled out of the room, and the assistant anesthesiologist was over my head, saying something. i thought i had accidentally passed out before the surgery even started, and i said, "i'm sorry, i think i fell asleep for a few minutes," and she laughed and said, "yes, you fell asleep. you're all done now." i had NO clue. it's still a little baffling that so much happened to my body without me even being aware of it.
at that moment i was mostly aware of my throat, which was super sore from the tube, and i was so dehydrated. i was also super groggy from the anesthesia still. they pushed me into a station in the recovery room, and after a little bit my mom could come in and say hi for a couple of minutes. she said she was starting to get a little worried, since i was in surgery for over two hours, which was longer than we were told. the nurses were checking in, making sure i was waking up and feeling ok. they brought my some water, which was fantastic, but i think i drank it too fast and then i got nauseous. when i tried to get up the first time, i was super shaky and couldn't even sit up. i was also pretty sure i was going to throw up, though i never did. but i ended up being in the recovery room for about two hours, because they needed to rehook me to an IV to give me some sugar water.
the nurse went over the post-surgical instructions with us (which my mom had a sign as a "responsible adult" since i was still under the influence). basically i knew all of the directions: take it easy for a few days, start off easy on food and move onto more solid and heavy things, "nothing in the vagina" for four weeks, expect some bleeding and cramping and soreness.
3:15pm eventually, the nurse and my mom helped me get dressed and took out my IV and all, and i stumbled my way to the elevator and downstairs (i said no to the wheelchair... i wanted to pretend i wasn't a total invalid) where the hubby was waiting in our friend's car to take us home. i was still pretty dopey at this point, and having trouble swallowing. i spent most of the car ride home thinking i was going to throw up. but again, i didn't.
when i got home, it was straight to the couch where i dozed and watched TV mindlessly all evening. i made myself stop dozing after awhile because the "dreams" i was having when i passed out were vivid -- almost psychadelic -- and frightening. i was definitely still feeling the effects of the anesthesia. the biggest physical side effects were my incredibly sore throat and the burping! they had to pump my abdomen full of gas during the surgery so it was still working its way out, which made my chest and shoulders/neck sore (weird) and made me burp like crazy. i actually drank a whole can of soda (which i never do) to help me with the burping. it was like in charlie and the chocolate factory where they have to burp to float back down from the ceiling... burping felt so good. i also had trouble peeing at first, which i didn't expect, but i guess was from the anesthesia. i wanted desperately to eat, but my throat was too sore to tolerate anything other than tea and yogurt. even my mom's homemade vegetable soup was too much, so i just drank the broth.
7pm the doctor who did the surgery called to check in, since they were so busy at the hospital that we weren't able to talk to her in the recovery room. the good news is that they found a LOT of endometriosis during the surgery ("extensive," was the doctor's word), which is why it took longer than expected! she said that everything went smoothly during the surgery and that both of my tubes are open and healthy. that means that my doctor was right, and that this really could be all we needed to do to conceive. what a relief!
10pm by bedtime i was just starting to get a little sore around my incisions. i have three incisions: one in my belly button, one a little further down on my left side, and one right at the top of my pubic hair on the right side. unfortunately, this soreness made sleeping difficult. i could really only lay on my back because of the soreness, but the gas pains were making me really uncomfortable. i did a lot of tossing and turning.
DAY 2
today is much better overall. the anesthesia has definitely worn off and my throat is less sore so i can eat most normally, but the soreness of the incisions has increased. i am fine when i sit or lay or stand still, but moving between those positions is not fun. i took a shower, and that was a huge undertaking. i had to ask the hubby to dry off my legs and feet because i can't really bend over. my abdomen is still bloated, and the area around the incisions is bruised. the belly button one is the worst. but i am feeling much more human, and trying to move around and do some stuff as best i can. but, in truth, i have spent most of my time on the couch not doing much of anything. which i think is fine.
the doctor's office called to check in again, and said that even though i have dermabond (skin glue!) instead of sutures on the incisions that i should still keep my one-week appointment so that they can see how things look. and now it's just more of the same. hopefully the gas and the bloating will continue to decrease, and the soreness doesn't get worse before it gets better. my mom and my hubby are both taking really good care of me, so i can't complain. i am just so glad it's over, and that the results were positive... i can't wait until we can try again and really cross our fingers for success!
i had my surgery yesterday, and i can't believe how fast it was over and how relatively simple it was for me. but of course, the prep and now the recovery are much more substantial. here's how it went down...
i followed the liquid diet on monday, the day before the surgery, as planned. it wasn't awful until that evening, when the hunger had given way to a general feeling of wooziness. i stayed up as late as possible to drink water, since i knew i couldn't have any the next morning. i actually woke up briefly at ten minutes after midnight and took an illegal sip from my water bottle... just to hold me over.
7:30am woke up, showered and got dressed to go. i couldn't wear any kind of lotion or cosmetics at all, or my contact lenses, but i did put on some deodorant. c'mon, it was going to be nearly 80 degrees. i have some standards.
8:30am my mom and i walked to the hospital. it was a lovely walk on a lovely morning, and i soaked it up, knowing i probably wouldn't get much more exercise or outside time this week. i was supposed to be there at 9, and we got there a few minutes early.
9-11am in the surgical prep area, they took all my vitals and i had to pee in a cup (difficult since i had hardly any liquid in me). they gave me a gas pill and a pain pill (and i got to drink a tiny bit of water with them! glorious.). they put in the IV and explained how everything would go down. they said the surgery would likely take between an hour and an hour and a half. i spoke with the anesthesiologist and her assistant (who warned me that i'd get a breathing tube down my throat), as well as a couple of nurses who would be helping with the surgery, and signed a bunch of paperwork. they put me in a ridiculous purple gown and pants and socks, and mostly my mom and i sat around waiting. i really wasn't nervous, though... just so anxious to have it over with.
11am i walked with the nurse into the operating room, which was pretty cool. it was huge and looked just like in the movies, with the huge round bright lights above the table and all kinds of tables and trays with instruments all around. there were about six people in the room when i got there, including the doctors and nurses i'd met so far, and the doctor who would be doing the surgery. they got me up on the table and situated correctly (my butt had to be in a hole, which made me giggle) and then they took my glasses off and the nurse delivered them to my mom, who was waiting outside.
they hooked up my IV and wrapped that arm tightly to my side with my thumb in one of those pulse monitors. my other arm was stretched out on a little board next to the table. they told me that they were going to start my IV with some medicine to "relax" me, and then they'd put on a mask to start the general anesthesia. once i was really under, they'd put the breathing tube down my throat. i'd probably wake up as they were removing the tube, and the whole thing would be over. the anesthesiologist specifically said, "we'll tell you when we're starting the anesthesia, because it works really quickly." so i thought i knew exactly what to expect.
so i have no idea what actually happened, because the last thing i remember was them starting the IV, which was just supposed to get things started. the assistant anesthesiologist said, "you're probably starting to feel a little relaxed, which is fine..." and then... i was out.
they did three things during the surgery: one was the laparoscopy, when they looked for endometriosis to remove; the second was the hysteroscopy, when they looked into my uterus to make sure things looked normal; and the last was the D&C (dilation and curettage) when they removed the lining of my uterus since it a) had at least one polyp, and b) wasn't properly formed to support a pregnancy. i knew nothing of any of this while it was going down, thankfully.
1:15pm the next thing i remember, i was being wheeled out of the room, and the assistant anesthesiologist was over my head, saying something. i thought i had accidentally passed out before the surgery even started, and i said, "i'm sorry, i think i fell asleep for a few minutes," and she laughed and said, "yes, you fell asleep. you're all done now." i had NO clue. it's still a little baffling that so much happened to my body without me even being aware of it.
at that moment i was mostly aware of my throat, which was super sore from the tube, and i was so dehydrated. i was also super groggy from the anesthesia still. they pushed me into a station in the recovery room, and after a little bit my mom could come in and say hi for a couple of minutes. she said she was starting to get a little worried, since i was in surgery for over two hours, which was longer than we were told. the nurses were checking in, making sure i was waking up and feeling ok. they brought my some water, which was fantastic, but i think i drank it too fast and then i got nauseous. when i tried to get up the first time, i was super shaky and couldn't even sit up. i was also pretty sure i was going to throw up, though i never did. but i ended up being in the recovery room for about two hours, because they needed to rehook me to an IV to give me some sugar water.
the nurse went over the post-surgical instructions with us (which my mom had a sign as a "responsible adult" since i was still under the influence). basically i knew all of the directions: take it easy for a few days, start off easy on food and move onto more solid and heavy things, "nothing in the vagina" for four weeks, expect some bleeding and cramping and soreness.
3:15pm eventually, the nurse and my mom helped me get dressed and took out my IV and all, and i stumbled my way to the elevator and downstairs (i said no to the wheelchair... i wanted to pretend i wasn't a total invalid) where the hubby was waiting in our friend's car to take us home. i was still pretty dopey at this point, and having trouble swallowing. i spent most of the car ride home thinking i was going to throw up. but again, i didn't.
when i got home, it was straight to the couch where i dozed and watched TV mindlessly all evening. i made myself stop dozing after awhile because the "dreams" i was having when i passed out were vivid -- almost psychadelic -- and frightening. i was definitely still feeling the effects of the anesthesia. the biggest physical side effects were my incredibly sore throat and the burping! they had to pump my abdomen full of gas during the surgery so it was still working its way out, which made my chest and shoulders/neck sore (weird) and made me burp like crazy. i actually drank a whole can of soda (which i never do) to help me with the burping. it was like in charlie and the chocolate factory where they have to burp to float back down from the ceiling... burping felt so good. i also had trouble peeing at first, which i didn't expect, but i guess was from the anesthesia. i wanted desperately to eat, but my throat was too sore to tolerate anything other than tea and yogurt. even my mom's homemade vegetable soup was too much, so i just drank the broth.
7pm the doctor who did the surgery called to check in, since they were so busy at the hospital that we weren't able to talk to her in the recovery room. the good news is that they found a LOT of endometriosis during the surgery ("extensive," was the doctor's word), which is why it took longer than expected! she said that everything went smoothly during the surgery and that both of my tubes are open and healthy. that means that my doctor was right, and that this really could be all we needed to do to conceive. what a relief!
10pm by bedtime i was just starting to get a little sore around my incisions. i have three incisions: one in my belly button, one a little further down on my left side, and one right at the top of my pubic hair on the right side. unfortunately, this soreness made sleeping difficult. i could really only lay on my back because of the soreness, but the gas pains were making me really uncomfortable. i did a lot of tossing and turning.
DAY 2
today is much better overall. the anesthesia has definitely worn off and my throat is less sore so i can eat most normally, but the soreness of the incisions has increased. i am fine when i sit or lay or stand still, but moving between those positions is not fun. i took a shower, and that was a huge undertaking. i had to ask the hubby to dry off my legs and feet because i can't really bend over. my abdomen is still bloated, and the area around the incisions is bruised. the belly button one is the worst. but i am feeling much more human, and trying to move around and do some stuff as best i can. but, in truth, i have spent most of my time on the couch not doing much of anything. which i think is fine.
the doctor's office called to check in again, and said that even though i have dermabond (skin glue!) instead of sutures on the incisions that i should still keep my one-week appointment so that they can see how things look. and now it's just more of the same. hopefully the gas and the bloating will continue to decrease, and the soreness doesn't get worse before it gets better. my mom and my hubby are both taking really good care of me, so i can't complain. i am just so glad it's over, and that the results were positive... i can't wait until we can try again and really cross our fingers for success!
Sunday, May 1, 2011
pre-surgery
as my surgery approaches, my anxiety and anticipation are both increasing. of course i'm worried about the surgery itself, about being unable to lead my normal life for a few days, about missing almost a week of work, etc. but i am also excited in a way... to be moving forward in our journey and to have this over and done with.
last week i had my pre-surgery appointment, at which they took some blood, got all of my vitals charted, and gave me more details about the things i needed to do in the couple of days beforehand and on the day of the procedure. today was the first day that i needed to do anything to prep, which was altering my diet. as best as i can figure, they're trying to go easy on my digestion over these next couple of days, perhaps to make it less stressful for my body to be under anesthesia, and also to limit my gas production. apparently lifting and moving around all of my inside parts is made easier when there is not a lot of gas. i have a prescription for a gas-reducing drug that i will take all day tomorrow.
but for today, it was all carbs. which doesn't sound that bad when you first think of it... bread! pasta! but i also couldn't have any dairy products or protein, OR fresh fruits or vegetables (canned/jarred were okay). so it wasn't a glorious eating day. but it wasn't so bad -- i had a bagel with strawberry preserves, some crackers, and pasta with tomato sauce and canned corn for dinner. my favorite part was dessert: canned peaches. tomorrow is all liquids, which is a lot less fun. but luckily it's a work day, so i will keep myself busy. i made some jello tonight in preparation, and bought some juice. and... that will be it for tomorrow. the worst part, though, might be the "nothing at all after midnight" tomorrow. i'm not so worried about being hungry, but i drink a lot of water. imagining waking up tuesday morning and not being able to drink any at all doesn't seem like much fun at all.
but of course... i'll deal with it.
my mom arrives tomorrow, and will be helping out all week. she's even going to cook to give the hubby a break from his usual duties. the hospital will call me tomorrow afternoon to tell me exactly what time on tuesday i should report there on tuesday morning (i'm hoping for as early as possible). i can't bring anything with me or wear any kind of lotion, makeup, nailpolish, jewelry, contact lenses... nothing. but once i get there i shouldn't notice anything at all until i wake up a few hours later.
so that's that -- one more day. one day closer to hopefully being able to conceive a baby! or at least knowing our fate. either way, i'm ready.
last week i had my pre-surgery appointment, at which they took some blood, got all of my vitals charted, and gave me more details about the things i needed to do in the couple of days beforehand and on the day of the procedure. today was the first day that i needed to do anything to prep, which was altering my diet. as best as i can figure, they're trying to go easy on my digestion over these next couple of days, perhaps to make it less stressful for my body to be under anesthesia, and also to limit my gas production. apparently lifting and moving around all of my inside parts is made easier when there is not a lot of gas. i have a prescription for a gas-reducing drug that i will take all day tomorrow.
but for today, it was all carbs. which doesn't sound that bad when you first think of it... bread! pasta! but i also couldn't have any dairy products or protein, OR fresh fruits or vegetables (canned/jarred were okay). so it wasn't a glorious eating day. but it wasn't so bad -- i had a bagel with strawberry preserves, some crackers, and pasta with tomato sauce and canned corn for dinner. my favorite part was dessert: canned peaches. tomorrow is all liquids, which is a lot less fun. but luckily it's a work day, so i will keep myself busy. i made some jello tonight in preparation, and bought some juice. and... that will be it for tomorrow. the worst part, though, might be the "nothing at all after midnight" tomorrow. i'm not so worried about being hungry, but i drink a lot of water. imagining waking up tuesday morning and not being able to drink any at all doesn't seem like much fun at all.
but of course... i'll deal with it.
my mom arrives tomorrow, and will be helping out all week. she's even going to cook to give the hubby a break from his usual duties. the hospital will call me tomorrow afternoon to tell me exactly what time on tuesday i should report there on tuesday morning (i'm hoping for as early as possible). i can't bring anything with me or wear any kind of lotion, makeup, nailpolish, jewelry, contact lenses... nothing. but once i get there i shouldn't notice anything at all until i wake up a few hours later.
so that's that -- one more day. one day closer to hopefully being able to conceive a baby! or at least knowing our fate. either way, i'm ready.
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