My Reproductive Surgery Story
Four months ago I never dreamed I would be recovering from reproductive surgery. When I finally did decide to go through with it I was honestly terrified. I suffer from anxiety and tend to fixate on my fears. What helped to ease my mind and make me feel more confident and prepared for surgery was reading about others' experiences. I was so thankful for those women who shared their stories because it helped me know what to expect, even though some stories were worse than my own. It's my responsibility to pay it forward. Here is my story..
In late April I went to my PCP because I was having sharp pain in my lower abdomen. It was implantation pain, my fourth pregnancy at age 35. Fast forward to June, I was referred to a reproductive endocrinologist (RE) following my forth miscarriage because my OB found what she thought was a uterine septum (a heart-shaped uterus. Google it). The RE couldn't find any other cause for multiple miscarriages and years of infertility so he suggested a Hysteroscopy of the uterus to allow him to perform a septum resection. (He would cut the septum out of uterus.) He also suggested doing a Laproscopy to check out all my other parts (ovaries, tubes, etc).
The idea of having a baby sounds nice to a many people. They especially enjoy the "trying" part, or at least that is the joke, but when you've struggled with infertility and child loss for ten years it doesn't sound nearly as charming or romantic. Every month is scary and painful - a roller coaster along the emotional spectrum from Hope to Devastation. At some point you must decide how far you are willing to go. How much pain can you handle? How much money can you spend? How much are your body, your partner, and your family able to endure? Where do you draw the line?
Ultimately, we decided to move forward with the surgery. It was a risk, and the doctor had no way of knowing if it would work. The insurance was unable to tell me how much it would cost. I don't do well with anesthesia. It slowed my heart to a dangerously low rate once in the past. The doctors have no idea if the septum was the reason for the miscarriages and infertility, but they couldn't come up with any other answers, so this was a shot in the dark.
In simple terms, they would fill my abdomen with gas (to create space) and enter the uterus vaginally with a scope. This was the Hysteroscopy. Once inside, the RE would cut out the piece of tissue dividing my uterus (a septum resection). Then, they would enter my abdomen with a scope through my belly button (laproscopy) and explore my lady parts to check for any blockages in my tubes, tumors, endometriosis, ovarian abnormalities, or other issues. I would be in and out same day. The surgery would be on a Friday and I would be back to work by Tuesday at the LATEST, Monday at best.
The surgery went fine. The last thing I remember is hearing rock music and moving myself from the cot to the surgery table. When I woke up I was having a panic attack (normal for me - not necessarily for everyone). They calmed me down before telling me what happened in surgery. They found and removed the septum but they also found a fibroid tumor and some endometriosis, which was also removed through an extra incision in my pelvic line. They would talk more about it at my follow-up in six days. They handed my friend discharge instructions and made her sign something. Once I could feel my toes again I had to drink, eat, walk, and pee before they would let me leave. (I only puked a little.) My best friend drove the 1.5 hours home while I slept in the back seat. I puked again when we were pulling onto my road.
Here are the bad parts that no one facing this type of surgery wants to hear.. The doctor instructed I should not be left alone for 48 hours because of the effects of anesthesia. Oh yeah, I HURT LIKE HELL for the first couple of days. The worst of it was the gas they filled my abdomen with. I'm not sure how this occurs but it causes pain in the chest, shoulders, and rib cage for a day or two. They said I would have some "mild or moderate discomfort". It felt like I was having a damn heart attack! I'm not over-exaggerating. I'm serious. It is exactly how heart attack survivors describe it. I thought my chest would explode. The weakness was really bad all the way through Tuesday. And to top it off? I got my fucking PERIOD a couple days after surgery!!! 😡 It hurt SO BAD!!! They gave me Norco for pain but it made me SO CONSTIPATED!! My stomach bloated up like a balloon, which stretched my incisions. Talk about PAIN!! So, I took Milk of Magnesia and Collace twice a day to force bowel movements. The bloating and constipation eased up by 4 days post-op.
The blood coming out of my vagina was just THICK and heavy - mostly because of my period I assume. I went through 60 pads in 8 days. Most of the pain stopped about a week after surgery. I think a lot of the pain had to do with my period. I wish they had warned me that could happen. Honestly, if it weren't for that I would have gone back to work on Monday. Depending on the patient's individual situation, they could prescribe birth control pills to prevent a period but since we are trying to get pregnant and I would be on hormones after surgery that was not an option for me.
Post-op instructions: No tampons, sex, or anything else in the vagina for a minimum of two weeks. No swimming or tub baths for two weeks. Note: this sucks when all you want is a bath to ease the cramps from your period that started right after surgery. No unprotected sex until October! (My surgery was July 29th.) We can have sex but I CANNOT get pregnant before I ovulate in October. My uterus needs time to heal. Its a six-week, light duty recovery, adding walking and light exercise as tolerated. I went back to the massage therapist and chiropractor within 11 days post-op. I am on estrogen until the end of August, will take a month off from all meds in September, and will start Fermarra and Progesterone in October. I am to start those and call the RE when I get my October period.
It's been 12 days. Inwent back to work 4 days post-op but only worked a half day. I worked a full day on day 5, was off day six due to my follow-up with the RE, and have been back to work full-time since. I have stitches in my belly button still. The super glue fell out of my belly button and off my pelvic incision in small pieces over the first 8-9 days, usually after a shower. I'm still tired all the time. My abdomen is tight, a little tender to the touch, and gets sore by the end of the day but I don't have any real pain. Every so often I get a little sharp sting in my "insides" when I move a certain way, cough, sneeze, or make a sudden movement. I mostly feel fine, besides tiring easily and being emotional all the time from the estrogen.
I'm INSANELY scared to see the bill!!! My insurance paid the pathology at 100%, but that was only about $150. I have no idea how much the surgeon, facility, and anesthesiologist will charge or if it will be covered at all. My insurance company was not helpful at ALL with those questions before my surgery, and despite calls made to the surgery center's billing department, they never called me back. Postponing the surgery would mean having to put it off until October because of my work schedule so we just went for it and are keeping our fingers crossed in regard to the bill.
My hope is someone else facing any of these same procedures will read this and it will help them make their decision, ease their fears, or at least help them know what to expect. (I recommend the birth control if you can get it!!!) Thanks for reading!
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