[4/23/12] Monday Memories: The curve ball.

Warning:This post is long and might contain TMI for some readers. If so, I'm sorry, but I need to record this past week's happenings. I will do it in as delicate a manner as possible. :o)

I had one of these thrown at me last week:

A few weeks ago I mentioned a "technical difficulty" that was affecting my running. Thursday morning I went in for some laproscopic surgery to try and figure out what's been causing the "technical difficulty," and the end result is that I get to have a hysterectomy.

That is quite the curve ball.

I'm still trying to get a grip on what all this means because I thought that I'd gradually go into menopause and figure things out then. But since I no longer have that luxury, I'm trying to learn as much as I can about the procedure and what happens after the procedure. Thankfully one of my mothers-in-law is a Pharm D and she is also really smart, so I know she'll be able to help me navigate this new learning curve.

Monday morning John and I went to visit my OB/GYN and then to the hospital for all the pre-op stuff. I love my OB/GYN. He didn't rush us (like has happened with other doctors we've had) and fully explained everything that would happen and even told us a couple of stories. We felt much better when he said he'd performed over 1,000 of these laproscopic procedures. I'd been pretty nervous about everything because of all the unknowns: what is going on, what will happen, what if it's "_" or "_". And I found out that I would be under general anesthesia, which is not a good thing for someone who likes to be in control as much as possible. The doctor's staff was also wonderful, and the lady that was checking me out at the check-out desk could tell that I was a bit nervous about everything and she kept patting my hand and saying "The Lord will watch over you, the Lord will watch over you." Priscilla, the midwife practitioner I usually see, met us at the check-out desk and patted my shoulder and said, "We're going to find out what's going on and then we'll fix it. Everything will be fine."

Tender mercies, I tell you.

We then headed to the hospital. Everyone at the hospital was so nice and helpful! We went to several different places, and someone would always take us to the next destination. This is a good thing since it's very easy to get lost in a hospital, especially one you've never been to before. The nurse who took my vitals hummed a song the entire time. That was a tender mercy. The nurse who did my pre-op workup was so kind. The anesthesiologist PA was also kind and willing to take the time to answer any questions we had. We left the hospital feeling that everything would be okay.

One funny thing: when the nurse was going over everything I needed to do/not do the morning of the surgery, one of the things was to not put on any lotion or chapstick.

Really?!

John heard this and instantly looked at me.

I put lotion on all day long, and go a bit crazy when my hands are dry and there is no lotion in sight. John keeps lotion in his truck for me. I have lotion placed strategically all over my house. I always have chapstick in my pocket, as well as in several spots in my house (when I get nervous or concentrate I lick my lips, therefore, chapstick is one of my very best friends).

He thought, "Oh boy, this is gonna' be worse than the surgery!"

Wednesday night before I went to bed I hid all the lotion and chapsticks, because I kind of use them unconsciously. Strange. I know.

Diane and Doug came over Wednesday night so Doug could help John give me a priesthood blessing. They are such good friends and it was really comforting to receive a blessing.

Thursday morning when we arrived at the hospital the lady who checked us in was also so very nice. John said that while I was in surgery she would direct people as to where to go, and then would take the person who was waiting during the surgery back when their loved one was done with their surgery. He thought that it was amazing that she remembered who everyone was and didn't have to call out names or anything. A small thing, but an important thing in this setting.

And I got a new pair of hospital fuzzy socks! I got a pair of these when I had my thyroid surgery a couple of years ago, and wondered if I'd get to add another pair to my collection. Evidently, I'll be adding yet another pair to my collection. I could really do without that third pair, to be honest. 

And I must also say that the warm blankets they put over you before and after surgery are about the most awesome thing on the planet. They offer warmth and comfort in my book.

The nurses who helped me before, during, and after surgery were also so very nice and kind. I know, from previous experience, that nurses aren't always nice and kind and loving. Some are a bit grumpy and not so nice, so this experience was pretty amazing. When I was wheeled into the operating room and we were waiting for the doctor, I mentioned to the nurses that everyone at the hospital had been so nice and kind. She said, "We all love our jobs," and it definitely showed. The nurse and the anesthesiology PA who were helping with my surgery said we'd just chat a bit and wait for the doctor to come, and that's the last thing I remember. I guess I wasn't very chatty.

I woke up awhile later and the first thing I remember was trying to figure out why my IV was now in my right hand instead of in my left hand where it was when I was wheeled into surgery. This really had me confused. I'm sure it was a humorous event to watch. Then my OBGYN came to talk to me. I don't really remember anything he said except the words "endometriosis", "adhesions," "hysterectomy," and "HRT." 

Then they wheeled me into the second recovery room and brought John back. He told me that the doctor had met with him and even showed him pictures of the procedure. He said the pictures were pretty cool. I get to see them during my appointment this Thursday. I guess instead of finding my tubes and uterus in a "T" shape, the tubes are adhered to my uterus. The doctor couldn't even get to my ovaries to check them out, and that it was too dangerous to try and do anything right then. The doctor also told John that he was amazed that I've only been having pain for a couple of months because this had been going on for years. He said I must have quite the threshold for pain.  I prefer to think of it as a tender mercy.

Thursday night Diane brought us the yummiest dinner. She's also been checking in on me regularly, as have other friends. I have the best friends! My family has also been absolutely awesome. The kids won't let me do much. John, of course, won't let me do much either. He's always been so good about doing whatever needs to be done, surgery or not. We were discussing during dinner Thursday night when would be the best time to schedule the next surgery. I was worried about taking care of dinners, etc., and the kids, in unison, said, "Mom, we can cook and do whatever needs to be done." Awesome kids.

So here we are.

Thursday we find out what the next step is. I have a boatload of questions, too. The conundrum right now is to A: have the surgery as soon as possible so I can be kind of recovered before Parker's senior activities and graduation and family come to visit on May 23rd. B: wait until the beginning of June when all these graduation-related activities will be over, which also means enduring this pain for another 6ish weeks, and spending most of the summer recovering. I'm not too happy about that plan because that means a pretty lame summer for all of us. I'm hoping for plan A, but I guess we'll see what the doctor says on Thursday.

I also dropped my class on Friday. That was really hard to do. I was going to try and tough it through, until my younger-but-oh-so-wise sister asked me why I would want to do that? I hadn't realized yet how long the recovery period is for this surgery, and when I realized that, her advice meant sense. I'm going to need several weeks to get back to whatever my new normal will be, as well as deal with whatever stage of menopause I'm going to be thrown into. I guess this summer will be about learning how to navigate this new season of life and spend some much needed down time with myself and with my family. I'm already feeling a bit "lost" without schoolwork to do, but I think that's okay. And dropping this class doesn't affect my intended graduation date, which is a relief. Another tender mercy is that I was able to drop my class before the deadline after which my tuition wouldn't be refunded. 

It was an interesting week, but a week filled with tender mercies.

And I'm so thankful for that.

*Image courtesy ofhttp://vlad4040.blogspot.com/2011/08/curve-ball-another-study.html