Checking In

Well hello.

How are you all doing? I am pretty good.

I mean, I am down a couple of organs, but who's counting, right?

Honestly, I am pretty sore and surprisingly tired. We spent one night in the hospital, and it changed the entire way I look at in-patient versus out-patient surgery. This surgery was done using the DaVinci robot, so I have four small incisions, so not that different from my other surgeries to remove endometriosis or my left ovary. (I mean, of course this surgery was more complicated, hence the hospital stay and longer recovery time, but the actual incision count was about the same.) And yet the first 24 hours post surgery were SO MUCH EASIER with this surgery than the other six (yes six) because I was in the hospital. Up until now I always bought into the idea that I would rather be home. But as it turns out, I would rather NOT be woken up as quickly as possible to be hurried out the door and into a waiting car.  I MUCH prefer to take full advantage of an IV and catheter while sleeping and letting medical professionals make sure my pain is under control for at least 24 hours.

I mean, look how content I was!

I am choosing to not post a picture of me from right now, but trust that I look less content.

The surgery itself went well.  He found endometriosis was back on that left side where I was having so much pain. He also found it covering my right ovary, which was once again out of alignment.  There was also enough endo everywhere else that he made the decision to not allow me to start hormones right away as originally planned, but to have me wait two months in order to allow all the endo that is still hanging out in my lower half to officially die.

Honestly, this was a little bit of a blow.  I was really banking on starting hormones at the hospital in order to completely avoid that entire menopause mess.  To the extent that I confirmed it with him right before he put me under.  "You have hormones for me, right??" ... I just wasn't planning on fighting with hot flashes and high emotions right now. He agreed before he saw what was going on inside, but now he feel differently.  And that's unfortunate, but it also validates how bad I was feeling.  And I know there is a small chance people can have issues with endometriosis even after a hysterectomy.  My understanding is that occurs when someone takes synthetic hormones and the endo continues to grow.  Whatever he saw, clearly he thinks I am at risk of that.  And that is the LAST thing we want.  So menopause... bring it on.

I would write more, but I am sore and tired.  So... THE END (for today).