pollyblog

I’m five days out from having had a hysterectomy and here’s what I have to say: WHAT TOOK ME SO LONG???!!!

Actually, I know what took me so long. Accuse me of new age mumbo jumbo but the fact is there were many things that needed to take place before I would be ready. First, I needed to explore all my options (thank you, Mona). That way, I can never look back with regret and say, “I should’ve tried such and such first.”  Secondly, I needed to be in this neighborhood with these great neighbors and friends who took such good care of me and my family with food, rides and moral support. Thirdly, I needed to find my doctor. That was the final piece to the puzzle. I only found him at the beginning of the summer. At the time, I didn’t realize that I wasn’t all that comfortable with my previous doctor. But once I found him, the decision was clear.

 If you have to go through this, make sure it’s laparoscopic because it makes a WORLD of difference. I’m not one who can stomach watching medical procedures on TV, or even looking at pictures of surgeries in progress. I get all queasy and woozy and my buttocks squeeze together kind of like when I’m looking over the side of a high cliff. But I am really curious about how this surgery is done. Details, I’m talking. I’m curious about the nitty gritty details. Because I have a hard time wrapping my brain around how they were able to figure out what was going on inside, prepare things, then remove my 14-16 week pregnant-sized uterus from a one inch incision. I have 3 incisions total. One, the largest measuring about 1 inch, was cut right on top of a previous incision scar. That’s where most of the work was done, I was told, which explains why it was the most sore of the three. Another, just above my belly button is about ¼ inch in size, and the third is about ¾ inch. That’s it.

I’ve been up and around from the get go. That’s what they want. But it’s been mostly confined to the house. Today, I’m going to take a short walk, get some fresh air and sun on my face for a dose of Vitamin D. After that, I’ll rest a bit. But I’m happy to report, recovery is coming fast and I’ll be back to the routine in no time. Though I think I will milk this a bit longer while I can!