I had my surgery on the 29th of January and I am quickly approaching my 3 month post-op appointment. There were so many if’s and but’s surrounding the outcome due to the amount of internal scar tissue and the damage to my bladder but I’m pleased to say that when I came around that my stoma was still sat where she should be.
Day 1 to day 7
The first two days post-op are a little hazy. I remember requesting that a NG tube to be placed whilst I was under due to my previous issues with post-op ileus.
I had my husband and mum in hysterics telling them I would be home by Friday, and I can confirm, that was not the case.
I had to swallow my NG tube back down with the gastro team helping on Thursday morning as I had been vomiting which caused the tube to be displaced. Thankfully it was removed on the Friday morning and I was allowed a soft diet only due to a bowel repair during the surgery.
I was up and walking on the Thursday and I just continued to grow stronger. I had my drain removed on the Monday and I was discharged on the Tuesday with a catheter.
My bladder had to have a pretty major repair and I was still passing blood in my urine up until a few days before the catheter and stents were removed. I was struggling with cystitis due to the balloon aggravating my bladder, the leg bags and being active. So I stayed home and garden bound until they removed it 6 weeks post-op.
Recovery 6 weeks post-op until now
This has honestly been the easiest surgery to recover from. I was so ill and in so much pain pre-op. Having it all taken away has had such a positive impact on both my mental and physical health.
Having my pelvis unfrozen, and having had the hysterectomy meant that my vagina was no longer prolapsing and I can finally pee without passing out. The prolapse was causing issues being intimate and the pain was also something that I don’t like to talk about.
In typical Louise fashion I’ve run before I could walk but that’s just me, I’ve always been the same. I finally have my house looking spotless and I’ve finally had the energy to sort out my patio and stop the slugs from eating my dahlias.
I’m also no longer on any pain medication other than my nerve blockers so my brain is back to being mine and I am so happy about that.
Actual menopause
I was on Zoladex for close to 18 months and I can honestly say it was the hardest 18 months of my life, I had insomnia that bad I was having audio and visual hallucinations where I was so tired. The flushes and mood swings were also something else. It was the darkest period of my life, I have always tried to contain my emotions as I don’t like being vulnerable.
Now the Zoladex is tapering off, actual menopause hasn’t been too bad. I’m sleeping better, more active and the flushes are manageable. I am still on Sertraline to help stabilise my emotions until I find out if I can have HRT due to the severity of the endometriosis that was found – I was at stage 4, however they did say that they removed over 90% of the adhesions.
Due to my age I will need some form of hormone therapy to keep my heart healthy but that is a problem for then and not now.
I took a month or so off of social media so I could focus on getting my house back to pre-ill me. My mind is focused and I am back to going out, spending time with family and friends and making sure that I show my appreciation for all the help and support I received during that dark time.
I still get really tired easily, however my husband is now back in the office as my bad days are less and my good days are more so I finally claimed back our living room for us instead of the mini office that it had been turned into. I am finally back to being my independent self and living our life and making up for lost time.
We had a date day at Plumpton Horse races and it was amazing, it helped us to reconnect to being equals in our marriage and Ben no longer having to be my carer.
I am just hoping this was the last surgery and I never again have to see the inside of a surgical theatre.
As always,
Many thanks for reading
Louise
@crohnsfighting
Xx
