Back from surgery

[neotoma]

I had my surgery yesterday (thanks, fabrisse for sitting with me beforehand), and stayed the night at meri_oddities because even with outpatient surgery, one really shouldn't be alone the first 24 hrs afterwards.

I had a laproscopic hysterectomy due to uterine fibroids that were approximately the size of my fist and were causing menorrhagia and anemia. The surgery itself was fine, but it turns out when your discharge papers include 'muscle aches' as part of the side effects, what that actually means is muscle spasms.

About two hours after I was discharged, I couldn't put any weight on my right shoulder, and by 6pm, when I was trying to get ready for bed, I realized I couldn't lay down because I from the point of my shoulder down through my right lats to my waist would seize up if I tilted enough to slump against pillows, never mind lay flat.

I'm talking so painful that I couldn't do more than pant and whine (and curse, because omg!OW!). I did contact the on-call doctor at my gynecologists' office. It turns out that since they pumped CO2 into my pelvic cavity for the laproscopic surgery, I was getting the muscle spasms from that. The solution was to take a hot shower for as long as I could stand it without getting dizzy, pile pillows on the bed to make an inclined surface to rest on, use a heating pad to loosen my muscles, and take Percocet at 4 hr intervals instead of the 6 hour interval listed on the label.

By about 2 am I could lay flat, and this morning I managed to take a shower and dress myself. I'm going to be very cautious about lifting anything with my right arm for the next few days, but hopefully it won't be a problem by the end of the week.

And maybe I'll actually be hungry soon, since I've eaten two pudding cups and two cups of yogurt, but the attempt at soup and soft bread I had to give up on after only a few spoonfuls. Ginger ale seems to help, or at least has calories -- I can get a 32 oz glass of water down, but it takes a couple of hours... and a straw, since my neck is still stiff.

Anyway, I seem to be on the mend, and hope to be up to light socializing soon.

Comments

[lexin]

Thinking of you; I hope you recover quickly.

[neotoma]

Thank you. I'm already feeling a lot better than last night and expect to sleep on and off for the next few days.

[ellen_fremedon]

Hoping for a quick recovery.

[neotoma]

I'm feel pretty good now that the muscle spasms have mostly gone away. From now on I think it's a matter of sleeping, eating enough (though I can only handle about a yogurt-cupful of anything at a time), and being able to eliminate waste.

Of course, I also have to talk to my insurance company and schedule a follow-up appointment with my doctor, and probably a half-dozen little details that I won't realize until I come up against them.

[pleasance]

*hugs* Thanks for the update! I was worried for you. I'm so glad the surgery went okay. Hope that everything turns around for the better soon!

[neotoma]

I really appreciate you and greenygal coming by on Saturday. I might not be able to have that soup I bought at the deli for a few more days, but I'm really glad that I have it in the fridge. I don't think I'll have the energy to cook anything until next week.

[dorothy1901]

I hope the pain and physical limitations go away quickly, leaving you to enjoy life without fibroids to the fullest.

[neotoma]

I think I'm improving at a good pace. We'll see what happens when I cut my Percocet down to one pill instead of two -- I'm hoping to switch to the extra-strength ibuprofen by Friday.

[madripoor_rose]

Keeping you in my thoughts, hope you have a quick recovery.

[neotoma]

Thanks!

[lilacsigil]

Glad it's over and I hope you continue to recover well.

[neotoma]

Thank you!

[greenygal]

Ouch. I'm sorry the effects were so painful, but I'm glad the surgery itself went well, and that you're recovering.

[neotoma]

I think I would have handled it better if the nurses had told me that muscle spasms in my shoulder was a likely side-effect and that I should just take 2 Percocet and a long hot shower. It was the not knowing what was going on that made it really scary.

[nugatorytm]

Ouch! Been there, done that so I know what you're going through.

Feel better soon, hon.