2010

It's been about 6-7 weeks since surgery. I feel great! I didn't realise just how bad I was feeling with endo. I had forgotten what it felt like to be a normal healthy person.

My stitches have all come out now (some of hem I gave a little tug). My scars are tiny.

I can pretty much do everything as normal now. If I'm going for a long walk I have to take it a bit slower than usual but that's all. With the Mirena I have had mild cramping and spotting every now and then but that's all- none of the other side effects. I've been really lucky with how fast I've healed.

2010 is going to be awesome. I feel like I'm starting a new life.

The biggest change is that I can think clearly and concentrate now. I feel like a real person.

Post Surgery Day 7

I feel great!

I went back to work today without any problems. 9am-5pm including two 15min walks. I had panadol and ibuprofen in the morning and the afternoon. I still haven't noticed any Mirena side effects except for slight bleeding.

On Friday I got bored and went on my first post-surgery excursion in the afternoon. I went to the library and some surrounding shops. I felt pretty sick and needed to sit down quite frequently due to pain. I ended up being stuck in the city for a lot longer than I expected and got completely worn out and felt awful!

Saturday night I managed to clean up the house and at night I was still well enough to go out to the theatre and have a couple of drinks (I was off the heavy meds by this stage!)

Sunday I spent lying in the sun and well... anyone can do that! Although, I do now have a sunburn to go with my stitches.

My stitches are tiny! Two tiny little crosses either side of my belly like a cartoon.

My belly button, on the other hand, is a bit more of a war site.

I attribute my speedy recovery to a fantastic surgeon, brilliant nurses, a wonderful partner, the sweetest cat in the world and having regular doses of arnica every day after the surgery.

I hope everyone else's goes as smoothly as mine!

Post Surgery Day 3

I got my discharge summery report back from the hospital today. They had to remove part of my pelvic wall on my the left hand side because the endo was so bad. They did explain this afterwards- and show me pictures- but I was probably too high to understand. Still no pain on that side though.

I have been in more pain today. I assume it's because my anesthetic has worn off. I'm not sure if it's pain from the op or pain from the Mirena. I get quite hot and feverish for short periods of time- but only a couple of times a day.

I'm starting to feel more myself again. I have more energy. Tomorrow I'll be up to reading a book, painting a picture- making something. No more naps and B grade movies for me!

Oh and I managed about 10 minutes out in the garden today too.

Post Surgery Day 2

I'm doing really well. I'm actually quite surprised. I had expected my recovery to be as awful as when I had my appendix out last year. I have some cramping and occasional sharp pain but I have meds to handle that. I was having hallucinations from the hospital meds but they've settled down now and I'm only having a few lucid dreams. I'm still quite light headed and tired and need to be resting most of the time. Unfortunately, the meds make my vision blurry so it's hard for me to read my books but I have lots o movies to watch- it's amazing that this is my biggest problem!

I haven't even noticed the Mirena (apart from very, very minimal bleeding). The shoulder pains from the gas that they inflated my belly with is only just coming now- it's just uncomfortable more than anything.

I'm due to go back to work on Monday and that should be fine. I'm still quite overwhelmed with how smoothly everything went and how amazing the staff at the hospital were. The anesthetist even said to me "we're going to take really good care of you, we'll have someone by your side the whole time."

Tried to go out to my vege garden for a look today. I was able to get out there for about 5 minutes. Tomorrow I'll try for longer. Mr Big and Gingin have been taking excellent care of me too.

Post Surgery Day 1 -UPDATED

I did it!

Surgery seemed to go really well. I'll start at the top.

I left my phone at work on Sunday so went and got it in the morning and came in to the hospital early at around 9.30am (they asked me to come at 10am for surgery at 12pm).

Shortly afterwards, I was taken through to have my blood pressure checked and to have a pregnancy test. Then back to the waiting room.
Mr Big split his time between work, looking after me and checking on Gingin at home.

At 12.30 they called me through to gown me up Mr Big managed to get back in time to say goodbye and wish me well before I was lead into..... my next waiting room! But only for a little while. The anaesthetist greeted me there, went through my medical history and allergies, lifestyle etc and explained the process of anaesethic really clearly and thoroughly.

My surgeon, Dr. Kristian Locke, came in next. I mentioned I had some questions (I had written them down but forgot to take my list out of my bag when they took it for me).

Which technique to remove cysts? Dr. Locke said she would be "peeling" them off so that there is less chance of damage to the ovaries.

Will they take a biopsy for testing? Yes. They'll also test the different kinds of cysts and tissue removed. Everything will be checked under a microscope.

Does Mirena increase cyst development? Yes, but only the development of normal cysts that come and go in the body, not endometriotic cysts. I also think she may have said that if the Mirena stops the menstrual cycle then the cysts stop developing as well but don't quote me on that- I'm still rather drugged up!
Can the insertion of Mirena damage the cervix? Nope.

Dr. Locke went over the details of the surgery and the Mirena really thoroughly and clearly as well. Both women were lovely and completely calmed my nerves. When I was taken into the surgery room (around 1pm) the team greeted me and were calm, relaxed and charming. They again checked my blood pressure and put a drip in my hand, undid the back of my gown and put those little sticky things on my chest and my back. I was appreciative of their attitude, they made so comfortable.

I don't remember being given the anaesthetic. I don't think I counted backwards this time. I was already pretty tired and probably fell asleep straight away.

I woke up around 3pm back the final waiting area I had been before with a nurse at my side. I reminded myself not to say anything ridiculous under the medication- but I think I may have said this out loud...
Dr. Locke came to see me briefly (asking first if I could handle a conversation yet). She seemed really pleased and said that she had removed cysts from both ovaries. When I was involved in a good conversation with two of the nurses they decided I was awake enough to be taken to my ward.

I'm in a private ward, hooked up to a tramadol drip with a button to press whenever I need more pain relief. The nurses check my blood pressure, heart rate and temperature ever 4-5 hours. The pain is quite bad so I stayed here over night but the tramadol is keeping it mostly at bay. I also have oxygen hooked up to my nose. OH! And they made me a vegan tofu curry for dinner!!!

I feel really blessed to be in New Zealand and have such a high standard of free health care. Everything seemed to go great and I have been looked after so well.

I'm still quite sore and the tramadol is making me so itchy (histamines) and I can't get out of bed yet. My tummy doesn’t look too swollen. I was able to eat and drink. Last night I got a bit feverish but not for very long and it was the only time I needed something for nausea. No throat pain from the tube as yet, no shoulder pain from the gas yet either.

Dr Locke will come to see me a few hours or so to discuss the operation in more detail.

UPDATE: Dr Locke just came to see me. She said that my left side was actually much worse than my right even though that's where the most pain has been and the only place they could see the cysts when they did the scan. She said I definitely have endometrisis cysts but I don't have the chocolate endometrioma cysts that they were expecting. I have some narly photos that I will scan and put up via a link so you do't have to look if you don't want to!

1 Day to Surgery

Deep breath in...

Deep breath out...

Being in so much pain the past few weeks has actually been really helpful. I definitely want this surgery. I'm excited to know what's actually happening in there- but nervous too.

Knowing me, there wont be much of anything or it will be severe. I don't seem to ever have a middle ground in anything.

I went to the last endometriosis support meeting in Wellington where they had a surgeon discuss the surgery and how to prepare for the day. Her main advice was to prepare a list of questions to take in for the surgeon and the be very direct with them.

I'm lucky enough (hmm) to have had a laparoscopy before, for my appendix last year. I have a fair idea of what to expect in that area.

My main questions are:

Which method are they using to remove the cysts?

Cysts can be removed three ways:

Excision: Cutting away and removing the tissue
Coagulation: Destroying the cysts by burning them using a diahemery (to electrocute them) or a laser (to vapourise them).

Research is still being done to see which technique is better. Out of the two options for coagulation, the laser seems to better as it's more precise and less likely to cause tissue damage. People seem to be agreeing that excision is more effective on the whole.

I'll need to ensure that they are in fact going to take tissue for diagnosis.

Diagnosing- Visual Inspection vs Biopsy: They will look for the characteristics of the disease and visual indications during surgery and/or take tissue for testing. As long as the surgeon is well educated and experienced in what endo looks like, visual inspection should be enough apparently. I think biopsy should be done too. Tissue is taken to be viewed under mircoscope so they glands and stroma can be inspected.

In animal tissue, stroma (from Greek στρῶμα, meaning “bed, bed covering”) refers to the connective, non-functional supportive framework of a biological cell, tissue, or organ.

A gland is an organ in an animal's body that synthesizes a substance for release such as hormones or breast milk, often into the bloodstream(endocrine gland) or into cavities inside the body or its outer surface (exocrine gland).

I'm going to try to get to the library today to get some books. I have films to watch. The house is clean. I have someone to pick me up from the hospital and to look after me. I have fresh fruit and veges. Oh, and as of yesterday, I have a kitty to keep me company.

Haere mai Gingin

So... I'm ready then.

Let's hope I actually get the surgery this time!

Sources:
http://www.answers.com/topic/laparoscopy-for-endometriosis

http://www.endometriosis.org/laparoscopy.html

http://www.endometriosis.org/endometriosis_surgery.html

http://www.endo-resolved.com/laparoscopy_advice.html

http://www.endo-resolved.com/laparoscopy.html

http://www.thewomens.org.au/TreatingEndometriosiswithLaparoscopy

http://www.womens-health.co.uk/endo2.asp -has some icky photos- you have been warned.

http://www.bioscience.org/books/endomet/endomet.htm

http://www.centerforendo.com/endoq&a.htm

3 Days to Surgery

I have been killer sore.

I don't know if it's part psychological because I'm having surgery soon or maybe I'm more aware of it. I think I've spent years ignoring it and getting used to it- now I'm finally seeing just how frequent it is.

When I was 13 I was told that it would all settle down in a year in two and that it was all normal.

When I was 16 I felt like I was being treated like a silly teenage girl, overreacting to the pain. Mum took me for scans around this time and cysts showed up but we were told they were normal for a girl my age. I wonder if they're the ones I still have.

When I was in my early 20's I was told that the only time it would start getting better is after I have children.

Awesome.

And here I am. About to go under the knife. I'm terrified.

I've been having so much pelvic pain (mid-cycle). Yesterday was the worst. Every morning it feel like I'm in more pain, more bloated and sick than the morning before. Now that I know cysts can rupture I can't stop thinking that it's happening to me. Sometimes the less you know the better!