8 days post-op...
What a crazy week it has been. I am not even sure where to start... speechless I guess!
Crazy thought huh? I have been mildly speechless both from nerves and in awe often this last week.
Since this entire process began 6 months ago it has been a whirlwind and I haven't had a lot of time to actually think about what I was doing or what this would mean for us... or John. I have always known that I had an amazing husband, but this last few days has proven why I married him... and why I am so happy that he chose me. I know that I am not always the easiest to "deal" with, and that is on a normal day, let alone on anesthesia! haha! But he stuck around, lucky for me! And lucky for us we have some pretty amazing people on this journey with us! (psst... that means you!) I can't thank you enough for all the calls, texts, and messages in the last while. You are all amazing!
Where do we start...
We headed to Omaha last Wednesday for all of our scheduled pre-op visits. We had one at the hospital where the surgery would be performed and another at Pope Paul VI Institute. This is the first chance we had gotten to actually meet any of the people we had been talking to on the phone for the last 6 months, including Dr. Pakiz. It is a surreal feeling finally getting to meet the woman that could potentially give you your life back! I was nervous and excited all day, so much to take in and honestly a lot of it is a blur.... So glad I had John there, I am pretty sure I have asked him the same questions a million times because I apparently wasn't listening! My mind was definitely spinning and I was trying to keep it all together emotionally.
When we had our pre-op with Dr. Pakiz she explained everything that would be happening the next day and in the following week. We knew that there was a possibility, if my case was moderate to extensive, I would need another surgery. We were told that with the new technology it was a 50/50 chance. There is so much more that they are able to do with the robot, so often they will require another surgery to use that technology instead. I prayed and prayed that even with my symptoms I was a mild to moderate case, because remember, with Endometriosis the symptoms don't always mean squat! We also found out at our pre-op ultrasound that I had some peri-tubal cysts that were generously large. She noted that they are not likely causing any pain or symptoms, but if they are weighing my tubes down they will have to be removed.
Dr. Pakiz explained that they would have to fill my abdomen with Carbon Dioxide to allow for room to work, that they would be removing the Endometriosis that they find, possibly removing the cysts, doing a Hysteroscopy (looking into the uterus to determine if there are any signs of abmormalities there), and doing a Selective Hysterosalpingogram (this is basically where they push dye into your Fallopian Tubes to make sure that they are not blocked and that the pressure inside them is sufficient to allow your eggs to pass). I would be under for the entire procedure and it should take approximately 1-2 hours to complete. I would have 2 incisions for the Laparoscopy, one in my belly button and one above my pubic bone that would allow them to have the camera in to view everything and the laser to do the work. Ok. I think I got all the details... I am ready... Let's do this!
Thursday... Today is the day! 4:30 am... That is early, but I knew that, lucky for me, I would be getting a good nap in soon ;) I was ready this morning. I was feeling good, nervous, but good. They got me all hooked up and by 7:40 they were wheeling me to surgery. I remember moving from my bed to the table and then it was lights out. Dr. Pakiz told John that she would keep him up to date on how I was doing throughout the proceedure and if anything changed. The surgery took longer than expected, the nurse informed John that they did not want to have to come back for another surgery so Dr. Pakiz was going to do all of it this time, without the robot. They ended up needing 6 incision sites instead of 2, and she ended up needing to place permanent stitches to close up some of the areas where Endo and the cysts were removed. In all, 3 of 4 cysts were removed as well as what she called "mild" endometriosis. She did not find any endometrial adhesions, nor did she find it on any other organs. She also found that there is a significant amount of inflammation inside my uterus and cultured that to determine if there is an infection there. She also informed John that she needed to place a tube into my left Fallopian Tube to clear it out as the pressure was elevated there. Everything went well and I would be in recovery soon!
She got it all... No More Surgery... Those were the words that I remember John telling me when I woke up. All the other stuff was a blur. But those words... those were what I needed to hear.
I want to share some pictures from the surgery that Dr. Pakiz shared with John while I was in recovery. We also were able to watch the surgical video at our post-op visit and see her in action! Let me say, that was really interesting for me, but I could also feel my insides hurting as I watched!
We headed to Omaha last Wednesday for all of our scheduled pre-op visits. We had one at the hospital where the surgery would be performed and another at Pope Paul VI Institute. This is the first chance we had gotten to actually meet any of the people we had been talking to on the phone for the last 6 months, including Dr. Pakiz. It is a surreal feeling finally getting to meet the woman that could potentially give you your life back! I was nervous and excited all day, so much to take in and honestly a lot of it is a blur.... So glad I had John there, I am pretty sure I have asked him the same questions a million times because I apparently wasn't listening! My mind was definitely spinning and I was trying to keep it all together emotionally.
When we had our pre-op with Dr. Pakiz she explained everything that would be happening the next day and in the following week. We knew that there was a possibility, if my case was moderate to extensive, I would need another surgery. We were told that with the new technology it was a 50/50 chance. There is so much more that they are able to do with the robot, so often they will require another surgery to use that technology instead. I prayed and prayed that even with my symptoms I was a mild to moderate case, because remember, with Endometriosis the symptoms don't always mean squat! We also found out at our pre-op ultrasound that I had some peri-tubal cysts that were generously large. She noted that they are not likely causing any pain or symptoms, but if they are weighing my tubes down they will have to be removed.
Dr. Pakiz explained that they would have to fill my abdomen with Carbon Dioxide to allow for room to work, that they would be removing the Endometriosis that they find, possibly removing the cysts, doing a Hysteroscopy (looking into the uterus to determine if there are any signs of abmormalities there), and doing a Selective Hysterosalpingogram (this is basically where they push dye into your Fallopian Tubes to make sure that they are not blocked and that the pressure inside them is sufficient to allow your eggs to pass). I would be under for the entire procedure and it should take approximately 1-2 hours to complete. I would have 2 incisions for the Laparoscopy, one in my belly button and one above my pubic bone that would allow them to have the camera in to view everything and the laser to do the work. Ok. I think I got all the details... I am ready... Let's do this!
Thursday... Today is the day! 4:30 am... That is early, but I knew that, lucky for me, I would be getting a good nap in soon ;) I was ready this morning. I was feeling good, nervous, but good. They got me all hooked up and by 7:40 they were wheeling me to surgery. I remember moving from my bed to the table and then it was lights out. Dr. Pakiz told John that she would keep him up to date on how I was doing throughout the proceedure and if anything changed. The surgery took longer than expected, the nurse informed John that they did not want to have to come back for another surgery so Dr. Pakiz was going to do all of it this time, without the robot. They ended up needing 6 incision sites instead of 2, and she ended up needing to place permanent stitches to close up some of the areas where Endo and the cysts were removed. In all, 3 of 4 cysts were removed as well as what she called "mild" endometriosis. She did not find any endometrial adhesions, nor did she find it on any other organs. She also found that there is a significant amount of inflammation inside my uterus and cultured that to determine if there is an infection there. She also informed John that she needed to place a tube into my left Fallopian Tube to clear it out as the pressure was elevated there. Everything went well and I would be in recovery soon!
She got it all... No More Surgery... Those were the words that I remember John telling me when I woke up. All the other stuff was a blur. But those words... those were what I needed to hear.
I want to share some pictures from the surgery that Dr. Pakiz shared with John while I was in recovery. We also were able to watch the surgical video at our post-op visit and see her in action! Let me say, that was really interesting for me, but I could also feel my insides hurting as I watched!
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| These are a few of the images of the Endo that was removed. The top right is called a Halo Lesion. These were located on the front side of my sacrum (tailbone), behind my uterus The bottom right are lesions that are attached to my right ovary. |
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| These are 2 of the 3 cysts on my right Fallopian Tube |
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| This is the cyst on the left Fallopian Tube |
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| Top: Right ovary and tube Post-Surgery Bottom: Left ovary and tube Post surgery Can also see the posterior abdomen where they sutured after removing some of the Endo. |
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| Left Ovary: Appears Mildly Polycystic. Size Normal, but smooth. |
There you have it! Isn't that crazy that such a small little lesion can wreak so much havoc on your system?! Makes you feel like a little bit of a wuss! But you know what, Endo is real, and it is definitely something that can play a detrimental effect on your body! Right now I am just taking some time to heal, I have gone back to work part time and let me tell ya, you don't realize how much you use your core until you have numerous tiny holes in it! I am healing well, still having some pain on the left side from the extra incisions, but overall feeling really good!
I am continuing my trips to Omaha as we speak for ultrasounds. They are watching my follicles within my ovaries change and grow as we near ovulation. They want to watch the process and be sure that it is all working properly. I am also beginning the process of treating my Thyroid and also my Low Progesterone. I have all kinds of fun lab stuff for ya in my next post! It is so incredibly interesting how intricate God created our bodies to work in a specific way.
This journey isn't even close to being over...
We're just headed down another road.
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