Recovery from a Laparoscopy Myomectomy and Hysteroscopy Myomectomy
Hi friends! If you have been following along, you know that I had Laparoscopy Myomectomy and Hysteroscopy Myomectomy surgery to remove two fibroids in my uterus last week. This was my first time having major surgery. I had never been put under anesthesia before, never been cut open, never had to experience recovery, and never knew what the hell to expect throughout this whole process.
I wanted to share my recovery process in hopes to help anyone else who is suffering with fibroids and is in need of surgery, or for anyone just curious and is wanting to know answers.
Ya’ll know I found out about the fibroids through our Fertility Dr. (Dr. Vermesh). Dr. Vermesh performed an ultrasound on me and saw a giant orange sized Fibroid in my uterus and another smaller fibroid embedded in my uterine wall. – No wonder why I haven’t been able to get pregnant. I have not one but two built in birth control road blocks. Surgery is the only solution.
The night before surgery was pretty relaxed. I had to fast (no food or water) for a full seven hours before surgery. My surgery was scheduled for 7a.m. the next morning, so the night was pretty normal for me. The hardest part was not being able to have water or coffee in the morning.
I was a little nervous to be put under anesthesia (probably due to one too many Grey’s Anatomy episodes) but the last thing I remember was the nurse holding up the oxygen to my nose and telling me to take deep breaths. I asked if it was “normal” that I was feeling a little loopy and the anesthesiologist cracked back with “Every time I talk, I seem to put women to sleep”. My entire surgery was completed in 90 minutes but to me it felt like 90 seconds. I woke up in the recovery area in excruciating pain in my lower stomach along with the severe feeling of needing to pee (because of the catheter that they inserted during surgery). I was in so much pain, the nurse gave me four doses of pain meds and I still wasn’t feeling relief. They cut into my stomach and through my muscle to get inside my uterus. Which is the same procedure as a C-section. Except I didn’t get to go home with a baby but I did get to go home fibroid free. Normally with this kind of procedure, one would stay in the hospital for three to four days (with the aid of morphine) but since I don’t have Medical Insurance, and we paid out of pocket, I elected to have the surgery done at the Dr.’s outpatient clinic. Which meant that my husband picked me up and took me home an hour after my surgery was over. (Completely unheard of from everyone I know who has had similar surgery! But I did and still do feel like a total badass for making it through on my own).
Day 1: A Wheelchair was required to transport me to my husband’s car. Walking upright was impossible. Laying down and Getting up was extremely painful. I couldn’t get up on my own, my husband had to help me. Having to use my arms to prop myself up was a hard lesson to learn. No one told me not to use my stomach. All of the years of workout videos embedded in my head “Use your core”. Do not use your core after surgery! It hurts! I was able to eat a few crackers and take my pain medication (Tylenol with Codeine and another med for inflammation). I drank about a cup of water and that was it for the day. I spent the rest of my time sleeping on and off. Day one down.
Day 2: The pain really started to set in. I now had pain from my incision and pain from my ribs down my entire stomach. It was bloat and pressure. I didn’t know that I would have trouble passing gas or going to the bathroom. Another thing no one told me! I stocked up on laxatives and stool softeners in hopes of finding some relief. I started to get the hang of using my arms to prop myself up but it was still difficult. I was able to get up on my own but every time I stood up, I got a sharp, twisting, knife like pain in my right shoulder. It felt like a pinched nerve but from what I hear it was likely air/gas that made it’s way up (from being cut open during surgery). The only thing that helped it was an Ice pack to numb it out. I also had two large blisters on my upper lip that made my lips swollen and look like I got massive lip injections. The cause of the blisters were from the oxygen tube during surgery. The codeine from the Tylenol medication was making me nauseous, so I added an anti nausea medication to the list of meds. I was able to drink Sprite and water and eat crackers and easy mac. Day two was long!
Day 3: I binge watched “Firefly Lane” and season two of “Dead to me” (A favorite by the way, I can’t wait for next season to come out!). I was able to start walking upright and easier. I was able to pass gas and get a little bit for stomach pressure relief. The cramp in my shoulder got worse though. Ice packs were my best friend. Coughing was super painful. I learned to take a pillow, fold it in half, place it on my stomach pressing towards myself and bracing as I coughed. Very very painful. An Instagram follower suggested I get a Belly Band (often suggested for post C-section surgery) to help my stomach heal as well as support me while trying to get up and down. (My new favorite fashion accessory by the way! It’s been a HUGE help!). Adam and the dogs had been sleeping downstairs on an air mattress so I didn’t have to worry about them jumping all over me while recovering. Poor Pippi barked all day while Adam was at work. She couldn’t understand why I was upstairs and separate from her. She ended up hopping the doggy gate and hightailing it up the stairs and tried to break into the bedroom to get to me. Little baby has severe separation anxiety.
Day 4: I removed the outer/padded bandage from my incision. I showered! I was super nervous to get close to my incision but washing my hair and my body was so satisfying! I was exhausted after the shower, so I spent the rest of the day binge watching “Big little lies”. Still in pain, Still taking the laxatives and stool softener but no luck. Still eating only easy mac and crackers. Still trying to stay positive!
Day 5: The days are starting to feel pretty much like Groundhog day. I started to feel pain (on the inside as before) as well as a sore pain from my incision and around the area. I started bleeding/spotting again. My belly bloat started to decrease on my upper stomach but remained bloated and tender on my lower stomach. I kept waking up every time I would fall asleep scratching myself because the Tylenol with Codeine was making me itch. It still didn’t help to relieve much of the pain either at this point. Laughing, crying, and coughing still really hurt. I terrifyingly removed the clear bandages from my incision. (They consisted of about 10 thin, clear strips that looked like tape). I was so nervous to remove the bandages in fear that I would rip open my stomach – no joke, I was petrified. It took me several attempts but I finally did it. My wound still fully intact, thank the good Lord above!
Day 6: I completely broke down. The surgery and the recovery process was A LOT more Emotional than I thought it would be. I’m not used to not being able to do things on my own for myself. Having to ask my husband to basically do everything for me was starting to wear on me. I wanted to be able to make my own food, clean up after myself, dress myself, get things for myself, and just feel like my normal self. But each day just felt the same and never ending. I was slowly making progress but it wasn’t fast enough for me. Everyone told me to slow down and take it easy but it was super frustrating and I literally felt like I had zero control over anything, including still not being able to go to the bathroom. I felt defeated and emotionally and physically exhausted. It was probably my most difficult day.
Day 7: I was FINALLY able to go to the bathroom! Such a relief! I was starting to be able to do things with a bit more ease. I had an emotional shift as well. I realized that my body was healing (slowly but healing). And that I just needed to allow myself to heal. Let my body guide me. I was able to rest and enjoy doing nothing. My body is super strong and I am capable of a lot more than I thought I was. I started to feel more sore than actual pain. My incision felt uncomfortable, kind of like a sunburn. But barrable! I started to feel like things were going back to normal.
Day 8: My post op check in with Dr. Vermesh! He performed an ultrasound and it was so amazing to see that my uterus was clear and not blocked up with fibroids! My uterus is still a little swollen from the surgery but looks healthy and is healing! I also found out that I do not have endometriosis! I am ecstatic because endometriosis is not only painful (especially during periods) but can also hinder pregnancy. The best news of all, the Dr. told us to wait a month for my body to fully heal and then we can try on our own to get pregnant! We originally planned on having to take the next necessary steps (artificial insemination) but he was super confident that we should be able to get pregnant on our own naturally, which came as a huge shock to both Adam and I! A happy shock! We are so excited to have the surgery behind us and are so looking forward to moving on with the next chapter!
Thank you so much to my mom, my husband, my friends, my co-workers, and my followers on Instagram for supporting me, helping me, sharing your stories with me, motivating me, giving me tips and advice, and just being there for me throughout this whole journey! I love you! And stay tuned to see what’s next on our Fertility journey!
XOXO
