My Polyp Surgery

Here's this particular story from beginning until current....If you're a guy reading it, know that it's pretty graphic and explains specifically why I needed surgery...

After my last surgery earlier this year to have my ostomy reversed and 8-inches of my colon removed, my periods had been quite irregular. My doctor reassured me that it was more than likely effects from my surgery and that things should return to normal in a few months. Throughout the following months, I had very severe periods, bleeding so severe I was changing my pad every hour and sometimes every half hour. Since this is just for myself, I'll go ahead and say that I had huge, horrible blood clots. I would be teaching and feel them coming out. It was really gross. Since I'd had that surgery, I didn't worry too terribly much about everything, but I didn't like the direction my periods were going.

Then, in October, just before I went to the CEI conference in New Bern, I had my period. I was so relieved I had it before I went for the Conference. I left for the Confernece on Friday and Katie and I spent Saturday and Sunday together in New Bern. On Saturday afternoon, while Katie and I were walking around down-town, I really had to go to the bathroom. When I went, I had some spotting. I didn't think too terribly much about it. I put some toilet paper in my underwear and went about my business.

I was a little worried about it, but not worried enough to go get anything that evening. By the following morning, I realized I was in trouble, so I had to run out to find Target and get some pads. My period became progressively worse throughout the day. I was changing my pad every time we changed sessions. I even ended up staying in my hotel room on Monday night rather than getting out and shopping or doing something because I was so upset.

By the time I was on my way home from the conference, I was calling Dr. Merta to make an appointment. They were able to fit me in before the week was out.

When I went in to see him, he did a biopsy and we scheduled a sonohystogram (a specialized sonogram wehre he injects water into my utuerus to look around better). The biopsy didn't show anything bad, so we had to go on the sonohystogram to determine what was wrong.

During the sonohystogram, Dr. Merta saw a polyp and the sonogram nurse pointed out that the lining of my uterus was thick. Dr. Merta spouted off my options: do nothing if I wasn't in too much pain and could deal, do a hysterectomy but leave my ovary so I wouldn't go into early menopause, or do an ablation and remove the polyp--a conservative route that Dr. Merta said works over 80% of the time.

I didn't know what to tell him at that time. I was pretty upset when I left his office. Of course, it looks as if the possibility of having children is completely out, regardless of which direction I chose. That was the most upsetting part. I don't want that to be an option. Of course, it hasn't looked as if we were going to have any more children anyway. But that doesn't mean I want that option or possibility taken away from me.

So I spent the next two weeks (the week of Thanksgiving and the week after) thinking about, considering, and talking to everyone about my options. Everyone had a different suggestion! I finally decided that I might get "lucky" with the ablation, the conservative route, so that was what I was going to do. I called and scheduled another appointment with Dr. Merta and told him my decision.

We set up my surgery for the 22nd of December. We would all be out of school--James, Samuel, and me--so it would be a good time. Dr. Merta had said that I would be up and about within 24 hours, so that I wouldn't be DOWN for Christmas, which was another positive.

I wasn't at all worried. Dr. Merta is a great doctor and I trust him implicity. He came by to see me before we went to the OR and he looked exhausted. He was telling me that he had done two deliveries the night before, so yes, he'd been very busy, but he had slept well and felt great. He even showed me his steady hand!

I had to be at the hospital by 6:00. We were taken right in. Of course, the nurse had a little trouble getting an IV started, but she did it. I had some blood drawn. The nurse for that had some trouble, too, but she finally found a vein and got what she needed.

I read for a little bit. James went to eat breakfast at 6:30. I think i slept for a little bit. By 7:30, the nurse who would be in the OR with us and the anesthesiologist came to get me. James prayed. The anesthesiologist put the medicine in my IV and we were off. I remember the wheeling me over to the OR. I remember the anesthesiologist joking with Dr. Merta: "We could get started if that Dr. Merta would show up." Dr. M: "Yeah, you can never find that man when you need him."

And then I was wheeled into the OR. They fixed my bed so it was on the same level as the operating table. The next thing I remember is waking up back in the original cubby where I was before going to the OR and being in HORRIBLE pain. I cried. I'm pretty sure I screamed. I threw up, several times--once in the blanket on my bed since James didn't have a throw-up bag near me. I think they finally gave me some Delotted, but I don't know for sure what they gave me. I just know that they finally gave me something severe. I was still in a lot of pain, but at least I wasn't screaming anymore.

The nurse came in and told me to get dressed. She came back some time later (I have no idea how long....I was DEAD asleep and had to keep being awakened) and I hadn't moved. I don't know if she waited any longer or not, but she finally realized that if I was going to get dressed, she was going to have to stand there with me. She helped me in the bathroom. I didn't realize I had underwear on, let alone a pad, so the pad ended up in the toilet. The nurse had to get it out.

I finally got dressed. I laid back down on the bed and was asleep immediately. Apparently, the nurse was back in seconds with the wheelchair. She told James to go get the car. She wheeled me downstairs. I kept falling asleep, so I only remember these bits and pieces. I got in the car. I feel asleep. I think I buckled myself. We got home and I made it in to the house and in the recliner. I slept throughout the rest of the day, waking only long enough to go to the bathroom (which burned) or to take some Motrin, what we were told I could take for pain. I think I took 2 every hour, if not more often than that. Thankfully, they helped.

Apparently, Samuel called Mom several times, keeping her up-to-date. She appreciated it. Samuel had stayed with the Robinettes while we were at the hospital. He came home as soon as we got here. He was wonderful. He got me water when I needed it. He was such a big help.

I'm feeling much better today. I was able to sleep all night, which is a miracle on the one hand since I slept ALL DAY yesterday, but on the other hand, it's great since my body obviously needed the rest. I was able to sleep through most of the worst and most painful parts, so that was wonderful!

I will be better tomorrow than I am today, so I'm excited about Christmas! I know that this procedure has worked and I'm not going to need to do the hysterectomy until many years down the road. I NEED to quit being in the hospital every few months!!!!!

Dragon Tattoo Girl

So during the Thanksgiving Break, my sister and I were talking about the book The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. She said that she'd seen the movie and I said that I was interested in reading the book...of course...before I saw the movie, but that I do want to see the movie. Right about that time, she "magically" pulled out of the console of her awesome Toyota 4-Runner a copy of the book! LOL! She told me that she'd started reading it, but she was sure I would finish it before she even had a chance to get back to it, so she let me bring it back with me to read.

And it has sat on the back of my toilet ever since....where I pick it up and stare at the cover, flip through the pages, and read a paragraph here and a paragraph there, but not actually READ the book.

I have learned that the book has THE MOST BORING OPENING ON THE PLANET. It opens with the main character finishing his trial for having slandered some big wig in a company and then it goes in to the back story of how he got himself into trouble in the first place. It's a bunch of business/economic jargon that goes WAYYY over my head. At first, I thought it was because the story is a translation from the original Swedish it was written in that was causing my boredom and confusion, but with every boring paragraph I read, I see that it's because it's FINANCIAL, business STUFF that's boring the pure-T snot out of me.

But wait....in my random paragraph readings, I have also learned that the book gets into saadism, that there's a high percentage of women who are attacked/raped in Sweden, and that an incredibly high number of these women never report the attack.

All of which DOES sound interesting. I know. I'm a true psycho-sicko. My husband teases me that I must be a closet serial killer since I'm so fascinated with the subject. Regardless of my beliefs/faith, I can't help but be drawn to sick and twisted stories, especially ones that are based on realistic situations.

But, apparently, I have to get through the crap to get to the interesting. If an author is going to start IN MEDIAS RES, at least start with the REAL interesting part!!!!!

I have decided that regardless of how boring the beginning of the book is that I'm going to read this book all the way through. It's been highly critically acclaimed and has been on the best seller list long enough that I need to know about it....from a literary standpoint, anyway. What kind of literature teacher would I be if I can't even force myself to read a book that a large number of "intelligent" people in the world think is a masterpiece?!?!