Monday, November 3, 2008

My Second Laparscopy - 11/07

After about six months of trying I went in to see Dr. T for my annual exam. He decided to do another laparoscopy to remove any new endometrial implants.

My first laparoscopy was a nightmare. I had a different doctor back then - and in the end he was a really great doctor - but at first I think he thought I was just a big crybaby about cramps. An ultrasound revealed a tiny cyst on my ovary and I kept raising hell about my cramps so he decided to do surgery. As it turned out, I was chock full of endometriosis! I was really happy to have a diagnosis that proved I wasn't a wussy but recovery was a lot harder and more painful than I had anticipated. I really couldn't use my abdominal muscles at all and so my husband (back then he was still my boyfriend) had to carry me back and forth from the bathroom and even lower me onto the toilet. He did this about a zillion times since I immediately got a bladder infection from the catheter they used during surgery. After about three days I decided to grow a pair and start behaving like a human being again. DH made me some soup and gave me a bath because by this time I smelled really awful. About three minutes in I leaned over and threw up all over the side of the bathtub and while he was cleaning it up I nearly drowned in six inches of water. Apparently you (or at least I) need your stomach muscles to hold your head up.

Anyway - at this point I probably do sound like a wussy. I promise I'm not. The back story is only important because I was really dreading my second surgery and it turned out fine! The worst part was that they made me do a bowel prep ahead of time and that was - for lack of a better word - awe inspiring. I didn't realize that I was supposed to dilute the laxatives in water ahead of time, so not only did it taste really nasty but the effects were a little more concentrated. I was still running back and forth to the bathroom five minutes before my surgery and I was really worried I would poop myself on the operating table. Maybe I did and they just didn't have the heart to tell me.

The hospital up here where we live is about the nicest hospital I have ever been to. Everybody, right down to the janitor, will stop what they are doing to ask you how you are and make sure that you don't need any help. That didn't keep a few mistakes from almost happening. At first the nurses kept telling me I was going to be awake for the operation with only twilight sedation. I figured I could handle that (see - I promise I'm not a wussy). Next, somebody walked in and said, "So, is this Dr. T's hysterectomy patient?" (!!!) But in the end it all got sorted out and everybody had a good chuckle and my surgery went swimmingly. I was hardly uncomfortable at all - I think afterwords I took a whopping two Advil. We drove six hours to Thanksgiving dinner two days later and I went back to my teaching job the next week. The worst part is that I guess the more times you have anesthesia the crazier it makes you and I really don't remember anything for about two weeks.

Dr. T removed some endometrial implants from the usual places and even found some on my bladder (which explained why I kept thinking I had a UTI every time my period was starting) but he didn't see anything that he thought would keep us from conceiving. So we went home and tried again.

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