To my minimal followers, you can tell I've been absent from my blog. The following blog may be "too much information" for some. You've been forewarned.
Well, I actually have a better reason than just failing to blog. November 7th, I had surgery. I finally had a long awaited hysterectomy along with some other issues dealt with.
For the past 4 years of my annual pap smears, they have all come back abnormal. And during those four years my periods have become increasingly worse with severe cramping. (I'll just leave it at that). And within the past 2 years, my C-section scar had begun to stretch vertically causing pain, inflammation and bleeding under the skin.
My GYN has been offering to do a hysterectomy or other procedures during these past few years to help correct the bleeding issue but after the 4th abnormal pap smear, he highly recommended a hysterectomy. "It's best to do the hysterectomy now before we are dealing with more than just 'abnormal' pap smears." And I fully agreed. However, there were issues that prevented the routine hysterectomy. Scar tissue from my C-section had attached itself to my uterus. This is what was causing the issues with my scar. It had gotten to where if I did any length of walking or mild exercising, it would become inflamed and blood to pool under the skin. The scar tissue was being pulled and, yes, I could feel it. I didn't know what it was but I knew it hurt, kind of like sharp pains.
In order to fix this, my C-section scar was going to have to be completely removed and then the tissue under it was going to have to be cut out and removed from my uterus before they could remove it. And then I would have to be closed back up making a new scar.
Because of my C-section and the size my stomach became carrying twins to a full 37 weeks, my abdomen was a wreck with rolls over my C-section scar. These rolls had to be removed in order to make the new scar and to successfully remove the scar tissue for the uterus to be removed.
My GYN told me he could do this but that I might want to seek the opinion of a plastic surgeon. I was so very appreciate of my GYN being honest with me. "We GYN's are the one who made the C-section scar, we don't have much training in removing them and dealing with all the scar tissue. I've done it before and I can do it again. But if you would like the opinion of a PS, I'd support you on this." To which I took his suggestions. After consulting with the PS, he read and talked to my GYN and agreed that he would be best at fixing the scar, removing the scar tissue and fixing me a new scar.
So the surgery went as follows: My GYN wanted the PS to open me up. The PS then shaved and cut away the scar tissue and removed what needed to be removed in order for my GYN to do the hysterectomy. What happened next is a confirmation that getting the PS to do this was the right choice. His skills were so good that he was able to remove the scar tissue from the uterus so precisely that my GYN was able to remove my uterus laproscopically. It was questionable going into it if that would be possible or if it would have to be removed abdominally. This is one reason my GYN suggested the possibility of a PS dealing with the scar tissue.
My GYN removed my cervix, uterus and tubes. (I'll explain the tubes later in a following paragraph.) After my GYN did his thing, the PS removed my C-section scar and then had to repair the muscles and other tissue that had been cut from removing the scar tissue. He did remove the lower "roll" of my stomach to aid in making a better scar. One issue that had been a possibility that I had hoped wouldn't be was having to move my belly button. It did, in fact, have to be moved. With the amount of scar tissue that had to be removed, which had also attached itself to my umbilical tissue, he felt removing it and replacing it would prevent a future umbilical hernia. Yet, another reason I'm grateful I sought a PS to do this. When researching the option of a PS doing all this, I had read several testimonies of umbilical hernias happening if it wasn't done correctly. This gave me more confidence in my GYN...I guess in the years he's been doing this, his experience with outcomes was valuable.
So, with all that done, my recovery has been harder, longer and slower than a routine hysterectomy. Not that a routine hysterectomy is an easy recovery...my surgery required more than a conventional approach to a hysterectomy.
If you have had hysterectomy, you may not have had your tubes removed. Keeping your tubes was the standard if there was no reason to remove them. That's not the case these days. My GYN had already planned to remove my tubes, especially if they were damaged from the scar tissue but also because he does this with the routine hysterectomy. He said that in the recent years, studies have shown that ovarian cancer may actually start in the fallopian tubes so removing them has shown fewer cases of ovarian cancer. But this doesn't come without a trade off. Removing the tubes can cause ovarian failure because it cuts off the blood supply to the ovaries. There is a high chance that I will go into early menopause. I guess early menopause is a better case than ovarian cancer. Removing my tubes would have most likely been the case anyway just due to the damage they had from the scar tissue wrapping around them.
There you have it. This has been the reason for my absence the past month. I have a one month post op appointment with my PS next Monday. At my one week post op, I had my drain tubes removed and he was very pleased with my progress. I already feel better without the sharp pains shooting through my lower abdomen. While I have pain from the surgery, the sharp pains aren't there anymore. And the best thing....neither are my periods!!! This is the best aspect of this surgery.
And I can't end this blog without mentioning God's humor...I started my period the day of my surgery. It made for a great laugh when going into surgery.
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