Health Saga Part-3-- I Have a Surgery Date!

When we last left off with my health saga part 2 I was trying birth control pills for three months to see if we could regulate my hormones and get the bleeding/ pain to minimize enough that I could put off having a hysterectomy.



Only problem was I had never been on birth control pills and we weren't sure how my body would handle them (I know! Who in this day and age has never tried the pill?!)  What can I say I am very anti- medicine of any kind and usually only resort to pills as a last resort.

By my third week of pills I began to wonder if I was imagining how I was feeling. Obviously the pain was no different but I started having other "symptoms?"... maybe?  He did tell me to watch for hormonal surges and that some people have problems with migraines and blood pressure but I didn't feel like that was my problem.



I woke up one night mid- February literally feeling like my abdomen was on fire and sending out heat throughout the entire body.  I was so hot I thought I was going to throw up.  I even thought maybe I had a stomach virus.  I was dizzy when I stood up and I haltingly made my way to the closet where I changed into a tank top and shorts. Once I cooled off I felt better but still "off" for the next 24 hours... queasy, dizzy, and like my heart was racing off an on.  I began to worry that if there were hormone side- effects what would happen if I did have a hysterectomy and need Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)?  Does that mean I'd feel like this anyway?

For someone who's always cold I was suddenly hot all the time and putting out waves of heat.  I gave it another week before calling the doctor but he assured me that everything would level out soon... I was up for hours at night feeling awful and just not like myself.  The sleep deprivation left me tired and irritable.  Three months felt like an eternity.

Of course we had no idea that by month 3 we'd be in the middle of a pandemic and doctor's office wouldn't be seeing patients.  We had a virtual visit and both agreed that nothing we were trying was working.  Our only choice was to go the hysterectomy route; something I was not only on board with but anxious to get on with. But, again, with a pandemic going on that wasn't going to be happening anytime soon.



When we had our visit the operating room was still shut down and my doctor warned me that while they had plans to open up within the next week or two there would be a huge backlog of procedures and risk-wise I fell towards the bottom.  He was hopeful for a surgery date in early fall.  

By the beginning of August I really was wondering if I could make it to fall.  The pain and the bleeding were getting worse.  So you can imagine how thrilled I was to take a call in the middle of the grocery store and hear the doctor's office asking if I'd like my surgery scheduled for the end of Sept.  I don't think she even finished speaking before I blurted out YES!

Then I hung up and fear and anxiety took over.  How will I do this with the boys' back to school schedule?  What if this surgery didn't work either; would I live with chronic pain forever?  What if I had to have a more invasive procedure and ended up taking longer in the hospital and with my at home recovery?  What if the hospital shuts back down?  Am I going to have to go this completely alone or can my husband come into the hospital with me (pretty sure he can't but shouldn't he be nearby?)

I decided to write down every worry and question I could think of and wait for me well check/ pre-op visit and just lay all my fears out there.  Wish me luck; I'll keep you updated!  Both my pre-op and my operation are later this month. 

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Comments

  1. Praying for you Joanne- so glad you are getting the surgery- I am sure you will feel so much better after- stay strong!

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    1. I am glad too; but I just want to blink my eyes and be on the other side of it; ya know?!

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  2. I'm glad you're finally making some progress! Will be praying for you!

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  3. Praying peace over you and relating to your story. I’m going through something similar right now with fibroids. It can be so painful and frustrating. I’m glad you have some answers and a plan.

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    1. They are quite painful at times and it has been a frustrating year trying to get answers and a plan in place. In my doctor's defense I started this all with "I don't want to hear I have to have a hysterectomy"... but not I am so ready for whatever they need to do.

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  4. Oh gosh! It sounds like you've really been through it.
    Sending love and hugs. I hope the surgery goes well and you make a speedy recovery x

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    1. It has been quite the year! Who would have thought that 12 months later I'd still be suffering from all the same symptoms and problems?! Thank you for your wishes, love, and hugs.

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  5. Hormones are no joke. I am so glad you have a surgery date and the end is in sight for you. I am in menopause officially at the end of September. So unknowingly, we have been going through similar things only on different levels. So I am sending you a big hug because as we both know, it isn't an easy path we are on. But I am so glad that relief is on the horizon for you. Being a female is hard, it isn't for the faint at heart. You are stronger than you realize. :)

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  6. Keeping you in my prayers, Joanne, that all goes well and kicks all of your pain to the curb, never to return!

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  7. Hopefully they can do a laparoscopic hysterectomy as the recovery is supposed to be so much quicker but he did warn me that they won't know until they get in there.

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  8. A vaginal, partial hysterectomy was the answer for me. Hope you will get the relief you need. I am sure you and your body are exhausted with all of this. It is a wonder you are able to function. Praying that all goes well, that there are no extenuating circumstances...like a longer hospital stay or a last minute closure of the operating room.

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    1. Thank you! I read your comment earlier and on my drive home this morning I was thinking about how I bet that is why I feel so physically tired ALL the time. I feel so lazy these past few months not wanting to clean house, prepare foods, or do much of anything but sit and read... I can't wait to just have all this behind me and hopefully feel 100% better.

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  9. What a lot of things to be worrying about, it's a good idea to write them all down. I forget everything once I'm face to face with a Dr. I wish you all the very best and hope it all goes really well and gives you the best solution for your problems x

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    1. Yes, I too tend to go blank when faced with the Doctor. Even writing them down I end up skipping a few and then wish I had asked them later. I am trying so hard to be a better advocate for myself.

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  10. Good luck. I didn't even think about family not being there. I need to address that as well.

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    1. Yeah, I am not loving the idea of being alone until they take me in... I need something to distract me from what is actually happening so I'm not a complete basket case.

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  11. Wow! Just getting caught up from all your posts about this. Oh I hope this fixes your pain and everything. I'm about to write a health update post about a procedure I'm having at the end of September, which I am super anxious and nervous about.

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  12. Thank you! Taking all the good luck wishes I can get. :)

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  13. Joanne, Writing down your questions to ask your doctor is a good approach. It may help to have someone calm with you to listen to the doctor's answers and take notes while you're there. I wish you all the best and that everything goes well.

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  14. Good luck! I had a fibroid removed a few years ago. I was scared, but afterward all the heavy bleeding was gone. Praying for you! I know you’ll be glad to get on the other side of it.

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    1. Oh I just can not wait to be on the other side of it! I know it will be so much better.

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