myo report

[Guest guest]

I had a myomectomy on 12/11 with Dr. Glassner in PA, and I thought I would

share my experience for the record with you all.

Prior to surgery I had minor symptoms -- somewhat heavy periods but

nothing desperate, a somewhat distended abdomen, and some difficulty

initiating urination when my bladder was very full. The reason I chose to

have the surgery was because I want to have children and was advised that my

particular fibroid presented a risk. I also tried for 6 mos to conceive with

no luck. Oh, I am 36.I feel very fortunate to have found Dr. Glassner who

repeatedly made it clear that preserving my fertility was a primary goal of

his. (He said I could try to conceive in 3 mos., which seems really soon to

me).

I also feel pleased that I did my research and was in the hands of a

skilled surgeon because, as it turned out, my myo was a very difficult one.

We knew that I had one very large (grapefruitish) fibroid that was

intramural, and was completely distorting my uterine cavity. When Dr.

Glassner opened me up, though, the fibroid was so low down that it was

effectively separating the uterus from the cervix (the uterus was sitting on

top of the fibroid) and he had to move things around in there quite a bit in

order to properly identify all anatomy and make sure that in removing the

fibroid he did not dislodge my cervix from my uterus. He said that I was

" the challenge of the year " and that I would be very, very bruised because

my muscles and organs were moved more that usual. He said that my situation

is very rare.

My one reservation about how things went was that I had had an MRI which

I presented to him on 2 visits. He never actually looked at the MRI (he just

kept the report), and when I look at it myself it seems that the location of

the fibroid is very obvious, with the uterus sitting on top. I don't know if

the report makes that so clear.

Altogether he removed 5 fibroids, some as small as seeds. The good news

was that they came out very easily (loosely attached), and that he did not

have to disrupt the endometrial lining. The surgery was about an hour and I

lost only 100 cc's of blood altogether.(that's very little).

I had my surgery early in the morning, and I got myself worked up about

the fact that I had not had a bowel movement that morning (I was constipated

by nerves I think). I pretty much fixated on that and have no idea if it

really mattered in the end anyway. I had gotten a couple of books out of the

library about preparing for surgery which were REALLY helpful because I knew

what to expect. I don't remember the names, but I really recommend learning

as much as you can about the step by step details of what will occur.

The last thing I remember was being wheeled into the OR -- I never saw

the room itself -- and the next thing I remember was being in the recovery

room with other patients around and lots of noise and nurses. I was very

nauseated and very very anxious. I felt little pain, but wanted desperately

to move my legs and in my stupor kept asking if I could get up. I got meds

for the nausea and never vomited. I didn't see my husband until I was

wheeled into my room which he had set up with all my things. I had a single

room (luxury!) and the hospital gave him a cot to sleep with me for the 2

nights. This was the greatest, to have him there all night. I could not

remember anything about the OR, obviously, but right away I had a sense of

it being tough, and I did not want to talk about how it went for a few

hours.

After the surgery the DR. came out into the waiting room and told my

husband how it went and drew pictures for him to explain.The resident came

in to check on me about 4 times during my stay. The surgeon came in once,

the afternoon of the myo, and there was a student who checked on me every

morning about 5 am. They were all great.

The first day in the hospital I was very out of it, with a pain med pump

that I could regulated myself. I fell asleep constantly -- in mid-sentence,

in mid-meal -- and I had very little sensation of pain anywhere. I was

catheterized after I had been anesthetized, and this stayed in for one day.

I hardly felt it and only had a pulling discomfort when it was removed. They

got me walking the next day and encouraged me to sit up and stay awake.

Since I had been intubated I had to do breathing exercises every hour for

the first couple of days with a gadget that I was given. I did feel that my

lungs were less powerful and my voice was weak for a few days.

The hardest part for me was the gas pains I experienced on the second

day. I have never had such severe pains before. They were torture, but were

helped by something equivalent to " Gas-ex " and the next morning I moved my

bowels for the first time. The gas pains came and went for about 3 days, but

less excruciating. The pain meds are very constipating, so once I was off

all that my bowels started to return to normal, but at 3 weeks are still not

100%.

While in the hospital, I had a disc-man set up next to my bed and my

husband put on a lot of soothing music for me to listen to even while I

slept. This was very very calming and I highly recommend it. I was very

dehydrated and so I also recommend having chapstick with you. I wished I had

a system for drinking water more easily (like those pouches with long tubes

that back-packers use) because it was hard to reach the water and I would

tend to fall asleep with the cup in my hand and dump it on myself. The pain

meds make you very itchy, so a back-scratcher was a good idea. Being in my

own nightgown was comforting and I had also brought some of my own healthy

snacks -- although the hospital food wasn't actually as bad as I expected

and I was so hungry I would have eaten anything. All I cared about was

comfort food.

Aside from the gas pains, the hardest days for me were the 2 days after

I left the hospital. I wasn't able to get myself in or out of bed without

assistance and I was exhausted, shaky and starting to feel very tender in my

belly. I also got an unbelievable headache on the 4th day, it was torture,

and only went away with a cup of coffee, which I had quit. By the 5th day I

could walk around the house easily, but was moving very, very slowly

outdoors. I had trouble with doors and getting in and out of cars for almost

2 weeks. I spent a lot of time lying flat, and had to pace the amount of

time I spent upright, getting a little better day by day..

The Dr. was right, I had very large bruises and my abdomen was

incredibly tender for two weeks. At three weeks I can walk, still at a

slower pace, for 11/2 hours straight. My belly now feels less tender, but

still is quite " stinging " to the touch. It's a very odd sensation, kind of

numb, but also tender. It's like when you have the flu and can't stand to be

touched, but only below my belly-button. It leaves me feeling very raw, and

vulnerable. This also makes me feel emotionally raw as well. I also feel

unbelievably tight in my abdomen and raising my arms up high or bending back

creates a strong pulling sensation which I haven't heard others talk about.

My scar is very clean with very little roughness to it. I had a lot of

fluid around the incision for the first 2 weeks, (I could " slosh " it

around), but this is going away well and my belly is flatter, though less

toned, than before. I still have a little pouch around the incision, but

minor.

I have a slight pulling sensation at the completion of urination, which

is by no means a burn, but concerns me a little. I see my DR. in one week.

My bladder had been smooshed by the fibroid, so peeing is generally easier,

but feels weird.

That's the long story, but if anyone has questions I'd be happy to

answer them.

Carol Holyoke