Just a quick post from me, sitting at the computer is not at all comfortable right now. My lap was on Thursday and I'm still pretty sore. It went ok though. I was very nauseous after the surgery was done and I actually got sick twice so I had to stay at the hospital a little longer than is usual so they could make sure I'd be able to keep liquids and food down. I didn't get to talk to Dr. T after the surgery but he did talk to Danny and my mom. It sounds like I have pretty bad endo, not sure what stage though. I think he did take care of the cyst but Danny and my mom aren't sure if he said he did. I also got my appendix taken out, I'm guessing because it was covered in endo. Dr. T took some pictures and gave me copies, it's really interesting to see my insides! Now the not so great news. My left tube is really inflamed and he also found endo on my colon. Since I didn't do a bowel prep before the surgery I get to have another lap I'm not sure when it will be but he'll take care of the endo on my colon then and also will probably remove my left tube. I have a post-op appointment on the 31st so I'm guessing he'll go over the game plan then. I'm really not sure what to think about losing my tube. I know I've heard success stories from women with only one tube so that gives me a little bit of hope.
And just to add to the fun I've been having, Danny had minor eye surgery yesterday and will have another one on Wednesday. Plus, we got a certified letter last week about Danny's other son, Jarrod. Apparently his step-father has been abusing him and he was put into foster care. There is a hearing on the 25th so we'll be going to find out if there's any chance he'll be able to come live with us. He's 14 and I'm not sure I'm ready for a teenager but I think it would be the best thing for him to be in a stable home with someone he's actually related to.
1 day ago
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Oh Rachel. Endo? Wow. I'm so glad you're back to blogging. Missed you. (((HUGS))) I'll be praying for you! Hang in there and relax!!
ReplyDeleteOh Rachel!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear you have so much on your plate. Try to get as much rest as you can. I've had 7 surgeries. Trust me, you want to maximize rest. I've tried skimping on the recovery time and it doesn't work.
I'm sorry you're going to need more surgery. If it's on your colon, I would strongly recommend that the doctor in this next surgery is highly skilled at removing endo from the bowel.
Obviously I have no idea if your surgeon this time around fits the bill for that or not. Removing endo from the bowel is a tricky thing, though.
In 1996, I had a laparotomy where one of the things they did was a hemicolectomy/bowel resection. That's where a foot of my colon was removed.
Anyway, my endo doctor and a colorectal surgeon he worked with a lot arranged their schedules to do a "double surgery"... In other words, they both operated on me at the same time, working as a team. They did this with many patients.
The endo doc removed endo (which in my case was not on the bowel) and the colorectal surgeon removed part of my colon (which was actually for a non-endo problem).
I know of several women with endo on or in the intestines and they all needed a General Surgeon to do the bowel stuff.
Yes, there are some GYNs that do remove endo from the bowel. I am not trying to worry you that your doctor is not one of them. He/she may be perfectly capable of that. I don't know.
I would ask lots of questions though to determine how experienced your doctor is with this.
Also, some doctors (in my experience) can be overconfident.
So don't be afraid to ask for numbers. For example, ask the doctor "how many surgeries have you performed where you have to remove endo from the bowel?"
I would take someone with you to the post-op to help you take it all in, take notes, etc.
I would suggest requesting a copy of your operative report (I do for every surgery).
It's important for you to know exactly what happened in this surgery. If your doctor moved out of town tomorrow, you'd want to know what was done.
It's helpful to have operative reports for many reasons:
1) it can raise questions that the doc wasn't going to cover
2) you have it to refresh your memory later
3) you have it if your doc leaves town/the practice, etc.
4) you have it in case you have to switch docs... you can show them in black and white what the other doc found
To make the most of your post-op appt, I would make a list of your questions (i.e. why was my appendix removed? what happened with the cyst? etc)
I would definitely take a list going in and I would take notes in the post-op.
Especially nowadays with appointments going so quickly, it helps to capture the vast amount of information that can come up in any medical appt, but especially in a post-op appt.
Sorry to hear about Danny's eye surgery. I'm also sorry you have the stress associated with Jarrod's situation. While having a teenager move in will certainly be an adjustment for all, it certainly sounds like it's what is best for Jarrod.
Rachel, you're in my thoughts and I hope things start calming down for you soon.
Try to use coping techniques (meditation, relaxing music, reading a book, deep breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation) to de-stress as best you can.
Having high stress while recovering from surgery is not good. You can't control much of what's happening but you can use coping techniques to try to get through it easier.
Take care,
Jeanne