The big day

My day started at 3:45am on March 5th, 2009. I had a hard time sleeping the night before my surgery. I was a little bit nervous but not really scared.

I got up and took a shower. I had to be at the hospital at 5:30am so I needed to get going. I had to finish packing up my bag and get the kids lunches together for the day. I made Alex and Bryce's lunches and put little notes in them. I told them to have a great day at school and that I loved them very much.

I got Bernie out of bed at 4:30am. He needed to get up and get going so we could get to the hospital on time. My sister-in-law was supposed to be at our house about 4:55am-5am. Well, of course...she was late. I don't even know why I even asked her to help, she is never on time. We left our house at about 5:20 am. We were 5 minutes late getting to the hospital.

Once at the hospital, we were taken to the pre-operative surgery area and I had to be prepped for my surgery which was at 7:30am. The nurse had me change into my beautiful gown. My blood pressure, oxygen levels and temperature were checked. The nurse put my IV in. She only had to stick me once...yeah to her. I have such bad veins.

The anesthesiologist came in and told me that since I get so sick from medicine he will give me a spinal and see what I will need after surgery for pain control.

My doctor came in and told us that the surgery will only take an hour, then I will be in recovery for about an hour and then my husband can see me.

A nurse from the Operating Room came over to make sure I had everything needed in my chart and gave me my wonderful hat to put on. At 7:20am I was wheeled back to the Operating Room for my surgery.

I got the the OR and the anesthesiologist said "I just put some sedation in your IV you should feel tired soon." Right after he said that I was out sleeping. While I was sleeping he gave me my spinal anesthetic.

I woke up in the Recovery room at 10am. I guess I had been there for about 30 minutes. My surgery took 2 hours instead of 1 hour. My uterus was attached completely to my abdominal wall and bowels by adhesions from my previous c-sections and gallbladder surgery. I had a cyst on my left ovary that he removed and then sewed up my ovary.

I was having the most pain I have ever had in my life!!! The anesthesiologist immediately turned me over and gave me an epidural for pain control. I get very sick from morphine so he thought the epidural would work much better for me.

I got back to my room around 11:30 or so. I guess my mom was there and my mother-in-law also. I was throwing up every couple of minutes. Thank you sedation. My husband got to my room as soon as he picked up little Drew from school. I don't remember much other than I was throwing up like crazy so he took Drew for a walk around the hospital and let me rest for a while. Bernie went and picked up the boys from school at 3pm and they came to visit for a little while. I think they were only in the room for about 30 minutes...I was still throwing up.

I asked Bernie to take the boys home to do their homework. I couldn't visit and I was only getting sick and listening to them all talk at once would make my head hurt and then I would vomit. My mother-in-law and father-in-law and mom came back by around 6pm. Oh I wish they didn't. I hadn't thrown up since about 4pm and I was sleeping on and off. Everytime I went to talk, I threw up.

While all this was going on, the nurses kept calling the anesthesiologist and they kept giving my different drugs called anti-emetics to help with the vomiting. Finally later that night I was given the miracle drug and I stopped throwing up about 3am.

The nurses were in my room constantly checking on me. I found out the next day that they werre looking for internal bleeding because of the extent of cutting my doc had to do.

At 3am the nurse came in and I felt pretty good. I asked to sit on the end of the bed with my feet dangling. I was actually able to stand up for a minute.

Bernie came with Drew on Friday morning to see me. I was up sitting in a chair and actually eating a decent breakfast. I got up and took a shower later that day and the boys came to visit for a while after school. I walked the halls also that day.

The doc came in and told me that my uterus was a "nightmare" because my pelvic area looked like a bomb went off in it. Yeah!!! just what I wanted to hear. He told me that I could go home Saturday night if I continued to make progress.

I did well on Friday and Saturday morning came and I was able to pee and my bowels were moving around making gas. I was walking around a lot so my doc said he would write my discharge papers and I could go home anytime. So I called Bernie and told him to get to the hospital and get me out of here. I was tired of not resting enough.

I was home by lunch time.

My pathology came back and everything was fine other than I had severe adenomyosis in my uterus. Which is mostly why I was having so many problems.

I am at day 6 right now. I just had my first bm...I know tmi! I am only taking motrin every six hours and I am feeling much better.

What amazes me the most is how 12 hours of rest make a difference in your pain level and such. Every day I feel much better. I get tired whenever I do anything, but I am feeling better.

Thank you all for thinking of me.