The pre and post-op thread

[JiminyCricket]

Just starting a new thread for Demolitionduo, Slinky, almostfifty, pilates brightness falls, squashed squirrel and all the other kind mumsnetters on our other thread, pasting my last post again and will link from the other thread -

Slinky I hope that you are OK, do you have much to prepare before you go in, or can you start to concentrate on you? I was so emotional, I couldn't even speak to anyone without welling up, think some of the school run mums will be very wary of me now!

This is me so far -

Emotions - I have had one bout of tears, from feeling overwhelmed from trying to do too much. A nurse told me that some days I would feel up to anything, and that i should 'potter' rather than stay in bed, but that other days I would feel not able to do anything. Its really true, except that I didn't really imagine what 'too much'meant. e.g. I can make a cup of tea, open the curtains, fetch the post - but if I do all three at once that's me exhausted for an hour. So iyswim I can DO more things than I thought I could, but manage LESS things than I thought I could.

Scar - took my dressing off today and put on a new one they gave me, scar seems fine, hiding underneath my belly overhang . Sometimes it feels like its getting loads better, then sometimes feels sore, I guess when I am moving around more.

Sleep - apart from the first night in hospital I have slept really well, especially last two nights - I think stress and fibroids have been affecting my sleep for a while. And I am positively luxuriating in not having to get out of bed in the morning (even to go for a wee, good riddance fibroids). Having an hours sleep in the day too. I recommend a V cushion, I got my old one out and its so comfy.

Pain - not too bad, taking pain killers less frequently now, haven't had too much wind (sorry tmi), although I understand this can get bad

Occupation - sadly have developed an aversion to daytime tv already, but watching some good taped things (The Mentalist today), and reading a bit. But happy not doing too much at all so far (OK AlmostFifty?? )

Dd's - I am hating not being on top of school trips/book bags/etc, but am learning to step back otherwise everyone turns to me to find things and I get stressed and emotional, if I leave them to it it all goes fine. DH is fab, despite still trying to get the kitchen fitted and go to work as well (he's had some days off and time off since I came out though). I am doing homework with them though, and card games and some other nice bits. And lots of tv. And trying not to be grumpy.

All in all not bad for week 1 - thanks for the support, it means a lot

Thank you for your lovely reply Jiminy....so glad you are feeling so good! You have made me feel so much better. Feeling very emotional again today and had a little cry at work. Will finish work tomorrow and will miss it so much.

Am glad I've got half-term next week before op. as we have lots of sickness bugs going round school so at least I have a chance of being "germ-free" beforehand!

Met the Physio last week and she said I should "potter". It's funny because afterwards I was thinking "what does she mean...I don't really know what "pottering about" is!!"

I bought myself a V cushion the other day..didn't have one when I had the kids and it's soooo comfy! I've bought everything I need to take into hospital. I've got things planned for most days next week...meeting up with friends for lunch/shopping etc so should keep my mind off it.

JC you sound like your doing very well. Can I ask whether you have a follow up appointment because I haven't and most people who I talk to find this quite strange.

I'm week 8 today and back to a fairly normal routine. I went back to work last week but still get quite tired of an evening.

slinky I remember feeling emotional the week leading up to my op.

Just to mention I found sleeping with a normal pillow between my legs quite comfortable.

Hi there Slinky - worth being prepared for a late cancellation - there were five of us checking in at the hospital at 8 am and they said 'we don't have any beds yet, so you might be going home', but they managed to fit us all in.

DD2 looked amazed today when I said i had been pottering! Going up in her estimation. Bit tired today, didn't sleep so good, stressing about work, pointlessly.

Pilates, I hadn't expected a follow up because everything I read said it would just be with the GP, but apparently I will have one at 8 weeks - could you request one maybe if you have any particular issues? Interesting hearing your progress, must be hard being back at work and still tired, hope it eases off.

Well done Jiminy, you'll be ok if you listen to your body and rest when it tells you to. Good girl!

Slinky, I was ok with my hysterectomy, it was my sterilisation that got me. I suppose when it came to the hysterectomy I'd already realised there wouldn't be any more babies, so I could just look forward to feeling properly human again.

Jiminy, are you on HRT yet, or are they waiting till the tests are back on your fibroid? I am so, so much better since I started HRT. I used to get lots and lots of headaches, but I'm almost headache free now (apart from if I've had a few drinks). I also feel really well in myself, probably better than I have since I was pregnant.

Hope DD's op went ok.

Hello ladies, I'm posting from the comfort of my hospital bed :D

Op went well but took longer than anticipated as the fibroid he'd seen on the scan was in fact attached to 2 more behind it so was much bigger than he'd evisaged. I also had a 'belly full' (his words!) of smaller ones.

Initially post op I felt OK. Morphine helped! Yesterday started off OK- catheter & drain out etc but by early afternoon I was knocked sideways by an horrific migraine. This put paid to me eating or drinking much as I felt dreadful. Meds finally kicked in around 10pm and I havebeen improving since.

Managed some fruit salad for breakfast & am back to drinking water. I also managed a long shower so hopefully I'll feel better as the day continues.

Glad you are OK Jiminy- even the smallest task is exhausting so we must learn to take it easy, even if it goes against the grain! I'm dreading returning home to the mess that will have been created...as 'DH' (loosely termed) is such a pillock he is happy for the mess to accumulate & let me or my friends deal with it :(

Slinky, I hope your last day at work is OK & you make the most of half-term. I'm not saying this is a breeze, but so far I feel a whole lot better (save for the migraine interlude!) than I had expected.

Catch up soon.

great to hear from you. Sounds like those fibroids were taking over in there. Surgeons have a great way with words, don't they. Hope your pain relief is going well and no more migraines - take plenty of water and hope you are comfortable. Is the hospital nice? Are the boys coming in today?
I'm not too bad today - no one is home until half six, so i am just doing a bit, sitting down for a bit, doing a bit etc etc. and trying not to spend as much money on the internet as I did yesterday.

Not on HRT Akmost Fifty - I have kept my ovaries. The surgeon said that on average people who have my op go into the menopause 18 months earlier than they would have, but occasionally the ovaries do fail straight away, in which case HRT will be prescribed. I was wondering if they would biopsy the fibroids - no one said anything about that.

I think they do as a matter of course, just to confirm there's nothing there Jiminy.

Glad to hear you're both doing well, keep taking it easy.

Jiminy, my boys have just left- a bit bewildered as I'm not myself, but at least they know I'm OK. Had another migraine earlier but managed to nip it in the bud. I'm certain it's the anaesthetic that's caused 2 in a row :(

The hospital is lovely. I am very fotunate to be in a private hospital as I really wouldn't want to feel as rough as have done on a bustling NHS ward. At least I've got quiet & darkness when I've needed it.

I'm going to have a quick 40 winks before my dinner & my evening visitors arrive.

I hope you are taking it easy & 'pottering' at a VERY leisurely rate!

Thanks to all for their good wishes.

Must affect them a bit seeing that you're out of sorts - but give it a week and they will be assuming you are fine again 'You don't look ill Mummy, and you can walk fine' (My dd2 wanting me to help her get dressed..). Are they on half term now?

I had a weird flashing light thing in my vision one night, only momentarily - did wonder if it was going to be a migraine, but have never had one and it didn't develop. Hope yours have eased off.

A milestone today - when dd came in this morning I turned a bit in bed without thinking about it, and although I did 'feel it', it wasn't wince inducing any more.

Anyway, only came on here to do the shopping, so back later, take care - how has today been?

Another migraine today & horrendous night sweats last night- all attributed to the GA. If I hadn't had the migraines I'd say I felt pretty good but boy they have knocked the stuffing out of me :( When I get migraines I can't face any food and very little drink so it becomes a vicious circle so everything seems slower to recover.

Fortunately I have felt a bit better this afternoon and managed to eat a reasonable amount of food- not really a meal but more than the nibble I'd managed before. Fingers crossed these migraines wear off soon!

My boys are OK- I'm trying to not to think about them (not because I don't want to but because I'm trying to not stress me out). They are with their Dad & no matter what I think of him, he has to step up to the mark & get on with it for once. Half term next week so they'll be home looking after me.

Mobility wise I'm surprised at how well I am managing- it's uncomfortable but not exactly painful to turn/sit up etc. Maybe that's because I have a vertical incision??

Hospital have said I should stay until Monday as I've lost recovery time with my migraines, so for once I'll do as I'm told!

Hope everyone else is managing pre/post surgery.

Oh sorry you're having a rough time, hope tomorrow is a better day.

Done very little today, good I guess. Might even step outside the front door tomorrow, woo hoo.

I'm considering having this done, interested to read your thread Jiminy.

My next gyne app is 26 Feb, and I'm hoping I can discuss the risks of having the op versus the bleeding, heaviness (permanently 6 month pg not a good look!) and anemia that I have at the moment.

Sadly I have lots of internal adhesions so this makes the op more complex, or I'd love to be shot of the whole lot pronto tbh!

Hi Glitterkitty - Everyone's issues are so different - do you have a list of questions all worked out? In retrospect i think mine would be - 1. if I don't have an op, are there any things you would recommend that might improve my symptoms/quality of life 2. what are the risks of the op, and if they happen how would they be addressed 3. what are the different procedures that could be considered, and their pros and cons. My pre-op nurse read out the letter from my out-patient gynae doctor and it made me laugh because it said 'we had a very long discussion of all the options', and it really wasn't a long discussion - I found out everything I needed to know, and I knew a bit about the options from researching it before, but it really wasn't a long discussion! The nurse said, 'oh, for them that probably WAS a long conversation.'

Having a frustrating day. my Kindle 3g is letting me down, keeps freezing, just when I need it most - want a newspaper and have just bought lots of books on it. And its out of warranty so I am having a very unsuccessful fight with amazon customer support. Otherwise all ok.

How are you Slinky? Demo?

Hi everyone. I got home yesterday. Sadly it was to a bombsite. That idiot I share my living space with had done nothing in 6 days......tell a lie- the dishwasher had been on once. Everything else was chaos & I just cried. I cannot live like that.

It was clear that because I was walking, the boys thought I was OK so they were off the hook on chores. I ended up doing everything I shouldn't. I won't even tell you what because you will all shout at me like my friends did. But suffice to say, I paid the price with an absolute stonking migraine & ended up in bed at 8pm feeling VERY VERY ill. I promise I won't be silly again.

My friends came round & read my boys the riot act about helping out. I think the fact that by then I looked quite deathly they realised I wasn't well at all. My friends drew up a list of simple tasks the boys need to do & although they moaned they know they have to do them. My mother (who I don't really have a relationship with) has promised them £100 each if they look after me, so hopefully this will be an incentive-not that I agree they should be bribed!

So today is a new day & I hope a better one. I am back at the hospital tomorrow for a few holding stitches to come out- the rest are invisible/dissolvable.

I still feel disorientated/confused & have a very limited memory & attention span. I am hoping these are all just as a result of the shock my body has been through in the last week.

I hope you are feeling better Jiminy- hopefully your headstart on me will now be showing in the progress you are making.

Hello all!

This thread has been an absolute god-send, thanks girls.

Jiminy.....have been following your progress and have been so impressed by how well you're doing!

Demolition...glad you're home, but so sorry you had to return to the mess :( I remember that horrid disorientated/fuzzy memory feeling after I had my gallbladder removal a couple of years ago.

Well...for me it's 4 more days :( Have been incredibly tearful since I finished work (Friday was my last day as it's half-term...had lots of fuss made with cards/flowers etc which set me off again, then in the evening they had arranged a "get-together" at the local Chinese which I knew nothing about).

Have been feeling very low to the point where I don't want to see anyone. Have had a cry most days, DH has been an absolute star! Last year, he went through some CBT therapy and he has been helping me a bit with some of that. Am having a "get-together" with the girls tomorrow....did want to cancel as am feeling a right bitch...but they've all said they are quite happy to put up with me for a few hours :)

This morning, am feeling a little more positive....(thanks to DH's "list of positives") that he has printed off :o.....and am having a bit of a "spring-clean" around the house.

That's my little update for now....carry on with the recoveries and taking it easy :) xx

Slinky, sorry to hear you are still feeling teary. I didn't go through that stage but I can understand why some would.

I agree with your DH- focus on the positives & draw strength from those around offering support. It sounds like you have a great bunch of people around you.

I have not had a card/text/email or anything from my boss. In fact he probably doesn't even know/care if I survived surgery! It is usually company policy to send flowers when someone has been in hospital (I've arranged it for others enough times!), but I clearly don't qualify.

I cleaned like mad the day before I went in- totally random things, but it kept me occupied & I felt more in control. My car & glass display cabinet are gleaming! :D

Enjoy your time out tomorrow & focus on how much better you will feel in 6-8 weeks time.

Oh no, what a c* situation to come home to demo - just concentrate on making the small zones you are living in (mostly the sofa i hope) nice for yourself, just wash up one cup for yourself at a time if you need to, and get the boys to spend some chill out time with you watching movies or something (in between their chores - which will do them good to realise that unlike their Dad they can be helpful and independent), and try to underdo it for at least the first two weeks - just imagine me and almost fifty being strict. And lean on your friends. I find just making an effort to put some moisturiser on or something stupid (clean pyjamas woo) makes me feel a bit better. And I have let go of the mess in the house, even though i would dearly love to hoover, that can wait and hopefully when i ask someone to get the hoover out for me they will offer to do it . Flash wipes are my friend.

Slinky, I think i was a lot like you emotionally before i went in - at the time I didn't think it could all be the op, and while it probably wasn;t entirely (was also v stressed about work) I realise now that I was struggling to let go of things and take the time off as well as being unclear if I was doing the right thing and really exhausted by my symptoms - writing down pros and cons really helped me (your DH sounds lovely). I also think i have been really lucky that things have gone smoothly so far (I know others on the ward had complications and effects of anaesthetic like demo) and that i have a good situation, but I fully expect some setbacks. Hope you have a resful time.

Had a bit of a bleurgh day yesterday, mood wise, and have done nothing today but i have a poorly child with me so that's my excuse (she is just sleeping so v low maintenance). Take care all

Hello all

1 week post surgery & I'm OK. The pain has been a bit worse since I got home but I attribute that to having to do more 'pottering' than when in hospital. I'm also rubbish at remembering to keep on top of my pain killers!

The migraines have returned which make things hard going at times. I'll see my GP if they don't settle by early next week.

I had a few stitches out today- it took 30 seconds but obviously involved an hour round trip to the hospital plus getting up/showered & dressed so by lunchtime I was totally exhausted.

My boys have done pretty well in helping me since my friend read them the riot act. However being cooped up during half term means they aren't tired and bed time is noisy & stressful!

Generally though I think I'm doing better than I thought I would. I've not had mood swings like I have experienced with GA before, though I guess the migraines more than make up for that!

I hope you are doing OK Jiminy & feeling you are heading in the right direction.

Slinky, I hope seeing your friends helped take your mind off things for a while. If there is anything bugging you that you want to ask, I'm happy to try & answer. I'd definitely recommend the peppermint oil capsules as they seemed to help with wind/trapped air.

Am kind of wishing it wasn't half term at the moment, even though it makes life easier in lots of ways - and tryikng to remember that feb half term is always quite trying. Am tired ++, bit headachy, and my tummy area is a bit more tender - maybe becasue I'm doing more (but seriously, am not doing too much, I am barely doing anything some days). Tomorrow should be ok, I have the pm to myself. And i have enjoyed a couple of walks in fairly sunny weather with the dd's, v pleasant (eve thought I'd rather be running :) ) - excuse the typos, mouse is playing up. How are you guys doing?

Jiminy I'm with you re half term. I planned my surgery so that I was home this week so the boys could help me.

In reality it's been very stressy! Too much noise & lots of mess. They have attempted to tidy up but what I deem as acceptable & what they manage to achieve are poles apart!

I am looking forward to them being at school next week- less mess for a start!

Are you still taking painkillers? My diclofenac run out tonight & I'm not sure if I'll need more. Maybe ibuprofen will be enough? Also, are you still wearing your (super sexy) support stockings? I was told to wear them for 6 weeks but battling to get them on/off each day is tiring me out before the day has even started!

My headaches are still quite bad & my tummy pain really variable from virtually non-existant to burning & agonising.

On the plus side I have lost half a stone! I'm guessing most of that was fibroid & body organs!

Hello ladies :)

Just a little update as I'm going tomorrow morning at 7.20am! All packed and ready to go...including my peppermint capsules :)

Have been quite relaxed over the last couple of days, but have been a bit teary tonight....but I think I'm just tired.

Am glad that your recoveries are all going well....will update on my return. Thank you for all your kind words and support over the last week :)

xx

Hi Slinky. All the very best for tomorrow. I hope it all goes to plan and you are back home when you feel ready. Focus on the positives.....this is the start to feeling better.

x

Slinky - all the best - update us when you get home - take it easy and hope your wait tomorrow is not too long x

Oh - they never sent me home with any diclofan, and I liked that one in hospital! Am jealous now. I took the painkillers (paracetamol and ibuprofen alternating) for the first week but haven't bothered much since - but actually now I think about it its stupid, becasue i have been quite headachy and today tummy painful, so i might take some tonight and tomorrow.

As for the stockings, i was advised to wear them for two weeks, so they went in the bin today - interesting that you were told different? The idea of thrombosis always bothers me, so not too sure what to think about that. Every twinge in my calf will have me pulling them back out again. However, not such a good look, are they?

Slinky, hoping you might be home tomorrow if all has gone to plan. I hope you are feeling OK & perhaps relieved the nasty bit is over with.

Jiminy, how are you doing? My pain increased over the weekend & I feel really bruised & sore inside- have you felt like that? My Diclofenac ran out on Friday which may explain the change in pain levels, but I found some more in my drugs stash so I've started taking them again. Hopefully it will ease up.

Even 'pottering' is still in an effort - I just about manage to throw some bits in the slow cooker each day so we get to eat in the evening. The person I have to live with has not said one word to me since I got home & is happy to watch the boys clean/tidy & vacuum whilst he does NOTHING. Luckily for him I don't have any energy to challenge him because it would not be a pleasant exchange!

I hope you are all progressing as expected & enjoying the peace now half-term is over!

Hi demo sorry to hear you have more pain. I have had days where i felt a bit bruised and sore (and noticed a 'thumbprint' bruise had appeared just by my scar - I realised someone must have had to hold my belly out of the way during the op, what a job eh), and there feels like there is a kind of ridge of scar tissue just above my stitches, but generally not too bad. It pulls a bit on the rigt hand side occasionally which I take to mean I need to sit down. Saying that, my belly is noticably less swollen this week.
The weekend felt really hectic, luckily I felt pretty good. DH has been very focused on finishing fitting the kitchen (which will be great to get finished - we did agree to put it on hold, but it seems the housework and everything else has been put on hold instead, but never mind), my Mum has been taxiing the dd's around, and I have been doing everything else (but lots doesn't get done) but only as much as I can (eg changing bottom sheets on beds one at a time, dragging a load of washing downstairs or bribing dd2 to hoover - badly- ). DH will do anything, and he's keeps things ticking over and doing some cooking and washing etc, but less than usual in a way because he's working so hard on the kitchen, and also taxiing the dds around, and working. We have been living on ready meals or easy foods but trying to do some more home cooking now, due to hints from everyone that they are fed up of the other stuff (my master plan to get my cooking appreciated more). DH's family are not big on sympathy, so I think he only really notices occasionally that I am not able to do much!
Today is my first day at home on my own for a while. I have been for a walk down the high street (aftrer going back to bed for a bit), but feeling a lot more 'fuzzy' today so going to sit for a bit.
Have you been doing some gentle abdominal exercises or does it hurt too much? I guess your op might have left you with more bruising because of the number of fibroids and might have been more complicated? I think I only had one. But hopefully what you're getting now is the deep bruising, and it will ease off soon. Have your emotions been up and down? I have been ok so far - am hoping that me and Slinky got all the tears out of the way beforehand! Hope you have an ok day.