I was away from everything for several months... My in-laws were staying with us during the summer for 5 months, which was a very busy period for me. We took them all over the US before they went back to their home country in September.
Then I had to go for a surgery that I had postponed because of my in-laws... I went for the surgery in mid-October. One surgery (a laparotomy) turned out to be two due to complication of the first. I wanted to post what happened so that you might know what to expect, or what symptoms to wach out for, if you ever have to go into such a surgery.
It was going to be a major one as it was an "open surgery" - But of course not a life threatening one - So... surgery went as scheduled on a Thursday- nothing bad- they removed a big fibroid, removed one ovary and all endometrioma tissues which had spread along some parts of the small intestine as well.
I woke up- everything seems to be ok except the pain, of course, and I was to go home on Saturday after having normal bowel movements. But... my stomach and intestines didn't seem to wake up and work as usual, and instead of having bowel movements and passing gas, I began to get bloated. Nurses said this is normal and all what I should do is keep on moving and walking to get things going. I did as they asked me to but I was still getting bloated. So, they didn't let me go home, and by Sunday I was bloated like a balloon with excruciating pain. And, then after a CT scan it was confirmed that I had an obstruction in the small intestine. Either it got kinked during the surgery, or it got twisted because I was asked to eat before the intestines 'woke' up. So I was taken back to surgery Monday morning around 1 am. The only good things was that they used the same incision as before So I don't have two incisions.
Anyway- since my system was shocked twice, the stomach and digestive system didn't wake up until the following Saturday (which was 5 days after the second surgery) - I was given all nutrients through IV, and all my stomach juices and bile that got accumulated during that period was pumped out through a nasal tube, that went down my throat up to the stomach. (Urgh) I had that tube for 7 days. So... I wasn't eating for 10 days - and my appetite was zero - or I should say - minus infinity. I had lost 12 lbs. I came home on 12 days after my first surgery.
If they delayed the second surgery, the intestine would've ruptured and there would have been no chance for me to be alive. When they took me to surgery, I had given up on life- I just wanted the pain to end and I wanted to die. I even said Good Bye to my husband. I was so ready to leave this life.
Anyway.... I think this whole thing was a life altering experience for me.
And... I did experience something very unusual after the second surgery.
That post is for another day.
Then I had to go for a surgery that I had postponed because of my in-laws... I went for the surgery in mid-October. One surgery (a laparotomy) turned out to be two due to complication of the first. I wanted to post what happened so that you might know what to expect, or what symptoms to wach out for, if you ever have to go into such a surgery.
It was going to be a major one as it was an "open surgery" - But of course not a life threatening one - So... surgery went as scheduled on a Thursday- nothing bad- they removed a big fibroid, removed one ovary and all endometrioma tissues which had spread along some parts of the small intestine as well.
I woke up- everything seems to be ok except the pain, of course, and I was to go home on Saturday after having normal bowel movements. But... my stomach and intestines didn't seem to wake up and work as usual, and instead of having bowel movements and passing gas, I began to get bloated. Nurses said this is normal and all what I should do is keep on moving and walking to get things going. I did as they asked me to but I was still getting bloated. So, they didn't let me go home, and by Sunday I was bloated like a balloon with excruciating pain. And, then after a CT scan it was confirmed that I had an obstruction in the small intestine. Either it got kinked during the surgery, or it got twisted because I was asked to eat before the intestines 'woke' up. So I was taken back to surgery Monday morning around 1 am. The only good things was that they used the same incision as before So I don't have two incisions.
Anyway- since my system was shocked twice, the stomach and digestive system didn't wake up until the following Saturday (which was 5 days after the second surgery) - I was given all nutrients through IV, and all my stomach juices and bile that got accumulated during that period was pumped out through a nasal tube, that went down my throat up to the stomach. (Urgh) I had that tube for 7 days. So... I wasn't eating for 10 days - and my appetite was zero - or I should say - minus infinity. I had lost 12 lbs. I came home on 12 days after my first surgery.
If they delayed the second surgery, the intestine would've ruptured and there would have been no chance for me to be alive. When they took me to surgery, I had given up on life- I just wanted the pain to end and I wanted to die. I even said Good Bye to my husband. I was so ready to leave this life.
Anyway.... I think this whole thing was a life altering experience for me.
And... I did experience something very unusual after the second surgery.
That post is for another day.
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