Post Laparoscopy

I went in this morning for the laparoscopy and cervical dilation. It went well. The good news is that I don't have endometriosis. Dr. A found severe adhesions/scar tissue holding my uterus and bladder together. He was able to remove all of it, so hopefully the bladder pain I've dealt with for years will go away now!

I'm staying on top of the pain... taking one percocet 5/325 every four hours for now. I don't like taking pain meds so this is a challenge for me. Dr. A informed me that I can take up to 4 pills every 4-6 hours and I can piggy back with ibuprofen if I need to. DD and I have had several laughs the last couple of days about Dr. A being a "pill pusher". I think it's that as an RE involved with IVF and all kinds of painful fertility treatments, he knows that we need pain relief. Some doctors (especially males) have a tendency to undermine the amount of pain... "you'll have a little discomfort". Dr. Awesome is not one of those guys.

I know every woman is different, but I thought that posting a summary of what I'm feeling/experiencing here may help someone else prepare for their procedures.

I checked in at the ASC (ambulatory surgery center) at 8:00. I changed into a weird looking disposbale gown that was made out of what felt like flannel paper, it was thick and soft and actually wrapped around the back to tie on the side for coverage. Once I was seated in a nice recliner, a hose was hooked up to my gown and it blew warm air into it. AWESOME. If you have to be there, the air gowns are a definite bonus. I've had surgery before but this is the first time I got warm air. :-) The IV took two attempts... bummer. But I'm used to that. My veins don't cooperate and I get more nervous because I know they don't cooperate so all in all it's a challenge for the nurses. Luckily, the second one worked, I'm not sure I could have held out for a third!

Dr. Awesome was running a few minutes late... he is a very busy man. He walked in at 9:08 which isn't bad at all. Chatted with me for a few minutes, signed the papers, listened to my heart and lungs... and said "see ya in the O.R. in a few minutes" as he jovially walked out the door.

I was able to walk into the O.R. which is great... it gives a little sense of control in a situation we really have no control over. I've been wheeled in on a gurney and allowed to walk in a couple times and I definitely prefer walking myself in. That's actually on my list of questions for the hospital once we are well pregnant and ready for a tour. I'll be a scheduled cesarean because of my L&D history. I want to walk into the O.R. ... I know that seems like a small, inconsequential thing but it really helps me cope.

Once in the O.R., I manipulated my I.V. line (we had to place on the right arm which isn't the best for the O.R.) and climbed onto the surgical table. The Dr.'s joked about how I could have done a triple dismount there. We started chatting about cheerleading and my almost 7 year old daughter's innate abilities. The anesthesiologist says "I'm giving you some medicine now to relax you". I can feel it in my body, makes me feel a little strange. We keep chatting about cheerleading and that's the last thing I remember. I don't even recall the part where he says "you'll be going to sleep now" or whatever it is they tell you as they put you under. Definitely no counting backward for me. I was out.

When I woke up in recovery, I couldn't open my eyes... it was like dreaming. I remembered conversations and thought I responded (or was I hearing people and only responding in my head?). Once I was able to open my eyes, I was able to have conversations better and woke up pretty quickly after that. Once my eyes were open and I could see the nurses, I asked if my husband was coming back in. One of them said something about him doing grading out there and she'd go check. It was nice to have him back in with me. Plus I knew he was really stressing about me having surgery so he needed to be back in with me... to see I was okay.

I had taken some gluten free crackers in with me to eat afterward, since I knew they would want me to keep some food down and saltines were out for me. When I was waking up, I did have pain in my abdomen... at first it was a deep pain, then as the nurse gave me meds in my IV it changed to just a superficial pain at the entry sites, she gave me more IV meds. Then I ate my crackers and she gave me an oral percocet because I didn't want an IM shot (ouch).

My throat hurt (and still does 12 hours later) from the breathing tube. My husband spoon fed me ice chips which helped a lot. Then I had sips of water with the crackers. Once I was awake and medicated, they had me moving out of there pretty quickly. I was up and dressed and discharged. I was allowed to walk outside to the car with the nurse holding my arm, another nice treat since wheelchairs make you feel like an invalid.

I do have quite a bit of bleeding. Dr. A said it would be more than from a laparoscopy because of the cervical dilation. I would call it medium flow vs. the normal spotting from manipulation of the uterus during the lap.

I pee'd blue for a good part of the day today. This was from the blue dye Dr. flushed through my tubes to make sure they were clear. Mixed with the blood, I had purple toilet water. This was kind of entertaining.

I've been able to eat normally. I've gotten up and walked quite a bit. I've done a little too much but it's really hard for me to be still, especially when there is a household to run. I'll try to rest a lot tomorrow because then Christmas and it's busyness will be upon us.

I'm bloated... a lot. My belly is hard. I know this is from the combination of fluid left in to keep my organs floating (which helps prevent new scar tissue from forming) and leftovers of the gas that was placed in my belly to inflate it for better viewing. I've had some minor referred pain in my shoulder also from the remainder of gas... nothing serious.

My incisions are still covered with band aids, but the belly button incision has done some bleeding, it is also the more painful incision. Dr. A only had to make two incisions since I wasn't an endometriosis mess like we feared. Even the band of my yoga pants is tight and uncomfortable on my abdomen.

Dr. A gave DD pictures of my insides before and after... I'm kind of a medical geek, so I like that. Some people are all "gross" and don't want to see it, but I love it. I also have pictures of my placentas and of my cut open belly during my cesarean.

And I think that's it... obviously, I'm coherent enough 12 hours post procedure to write. I was nervous (mostly about general anesthesia)... it's a relief to be done and have answers.