It's Been A While

Well this blog has been somewhat neglected as I thought my fibroid days were long gone.  And luckily after enlisting the services of a personal trainer for 6 months my abs actually started to look like a normal human beings again. So the op was in Dec 2009 and to get back to full fitness was a big challenge.  

To me I thought 5 years would be a good window to hopefully meet someone, have a kid and not have to face the fibroid thing again.  But the odds are worse in black women so now in 2013 my stomach is starting to have that familiar rotund look, I am starting to feel very very shattered and my periods are getting heavy again. :(. I know they are back and have a blood test next week and am in the process of being set up for a scan to see what is going on in there.

Once confirmed, I guess it's the conundrum of take pills to mask the symptoms as the fibroids continue to grow or go through the pain of another op.  I guess removing them when they are relatively small as opposed to when they have grown would be better but having to think about what to do next is scary. Anyway, for now I won't worry but wait for a diagnosis then face the conundrum when I have to.  It's my body, I am single but would like to have the option of having a child but not have periods that are a nightmare and a swollen stomach. 

Slow But Steady

Recovery post myomectomy was slow and I had to take things easy.   I was in tears after 4 nights in hospital as I just wanted to go home. I had just been told that I'd have to stay another night which just sent me over the edge. I'd had enough of not sleeping and bad food and just wanted my own bed. Luckily in the end I was allowed home.

My friend helped me home in a taxi and  I basically was so tired and just slept and slept and slept.  The main thing was that I had made some simple food before I went for the op and ate simple things.  Also, online grocery shopping was my saviour as I couldn't really walk far plus it was snowy and icy outside so I couldn't risk even walking to the corner shop at first in case I fell and ended up back in hospital.  Also, wasn't supposed to lift heavy things for a good few weeks.

I did do a lot of sleeping, lots of afternoon naps and once the weather cleared up a bit I started walking around to the local shops and things like that to build up strength.  When I did go back to work - 5 weeks post op it was still a bit of a shock to the system.  I did less hours and tried not to do anything too taxing.  The first few weeks were tough and I was so shattered by the end of my shortened day.  It was even uncomfortable sitting up in a chair all day - my core just was so weak and my lower back was working lots.

God I walked slow too.  Slow and steady.  Felt like an old lady.  But thank god I am back to normal now.  The whole myo thing made me appreciate my life and what I normally tend to have.

Pain Like No Other

Ok that's enough for now about my fellow inmates  patients at the hospital.  Now back to the reason that I was in there, to have an abdominal myomectomy.

I went in for my op on a Tuesday and went home on the Saturday.  It has to be said that I have never experienced pain like it.  For 3 days post op I had my own morphine pca, basically press a button for pain relief.  I kind of liked it but after a while morphine is very strong so the docs and nurses wean you off it. Oohhh noo.  Anyway, my body basically felt like I'd done 10 rounds in a boxing ring.  My stomach was swollen and tender.  I had a catheter in for most of the week and didn't go for a number 2 for a good 3/4 days.

As you are less reliant on morphine, you are encouraged to move around a bit more as that's gets your body working and heading back to some kind of normality.  Generally at the beginning when I tried standing and walking around I felt dizzy and unsteady but slowly but surely I got used to it.  It was nice to walk over to talk to other people on the ward. I certainly was no 100 metre sprinter and generally had a hand pressed on my abdomen as it gave me some comfort.

Once the morphine had gone it was onto those lovely painkiller 'cocktails' codeine, ibuprofen and paracetamol.  Lots to begin with at regular intervals during the day.  Week 1 and week 2 post op were definitely the most painful.

It hurt to past wind - oh my god did it hurt.  Part of the stomach bloating is due to a build up of gas so that needed a means of escape and it was certainly painful,  you really found out how gas passes through your body, could have made your own map! Sneezing also hurt, as did laughing.  All these normally usual bodily functions turned into pain.

Getting out of bed was another excuse for pain.  As your ab muscles are not working, being able to manoeuvre yourself in and out of bed, chairs or anything else was an art in itself. The trick was to rotate  your legs to be over the side of the bed then to swing your body over and push yourself up with your arms.

The Big Day - The Wait Begins

6 months after my consultation, check in time has arrived for my abdominal myomectomy.  Had to stop eating and drinking the night before and check in was at 7am on the morning of Dec 1.  I had to finish packing and and then hoped into a cab to get me to the hospital at that ungodly hour. 

First stop was to report into admissions reception - everyone having ops in the hospital was there so it was certainly a random bunch.  I am fiercely independent so was alone - looking around everyone else it suddenly dawned on me that I was the only lone soldier. Maybe I should have had someone with me. 


Anyway lots of waiting around was the name of the day.  About an hour or so later my name was called and I was taken to another waiting area for my to the pre op assessment area.  Lots of waiting around then I met my consultant for the first time (my consultation 6 months before was with a lesser mortal).   

The funniest thing has to be the fan club of junior docs who surround consultants. It's like have he had his own harem of giggling young chicks around him (the docs were mainly female and rather young). The consultant looked at my abdomen and felt around a bit - he said that my fibroids had grown loads in the 6 months since my ultrasound and initial consultation.  They were no portruding above my belly button - I knew it was getting worse as none of my clothes fitted and that was both top and bottom plus even my bras were starting to feel uncomfortable as the fibroids were growing upwards.


He said that they were going to take out 4 large fibroids.  He explained the risks of haemorrhaging and I made a wise crack which he didn't seem to like to much - I can't help that I use humour to mask my nervousness and fear. 


Anyway, he left and the gaggle of junior docs took some blood (actually more acurately poked around my hand for ages to try and find a vein - an act I would become very accustomed to in the coming week). 


Then it was off to the kind of waiting ward where I was questioned by a nurse.  It was quite funny as she too was Nigerian and as well as the normal questions she was giving me advice to travel to Nigeria and hurry up and find a nice Nigerian husband as I wasn;t getting any younger. Not sure if those wise words are part of the overall nurses conduct but I took it in the spirit it was meant.  

Anyway,I was then left in a cubicle.  Fully clothed for a few hours just waiting then I was asked to take off my clothes and put on one of those fetching hospital gown with the open backs.  As it was 10 or 11 now I had a nap as it had been a long old morning.  


I was still hanging around until about 3pm by which time I was bored, tired, hungry and thirsty.  That was one long old wait.  A nurse came to collect walk me down to operating theatre where the 'fun' really begins.

To Ab Myo or To Not Ab Myo

The decision to have an abdominal myomectomy was a big one for me.  Never been in hospital, used to having my own independence and the thought of things going wrong quite clearly scared me.  


Having had heavy periods and being diagnosed with fibroids around 4 years ago was where things began for me.  For the first couple of years my symptoms were being managed by taking tablets but gradually the impact of these was lessening and by stomach was ballooning.  

In the past year as well as starting to buy size 18 clothes (I used to be a 12/14) and am pretty fit hitting the gym regularly. I was effectively reaching the end of the road - and when I was away travelling worrying my arse off about what to do when my period arrived with its crazy flow and me sharing a room - I knew that I had to take action to deal with this.  The horrible fibroids that were invading my body had to go. 


When I got back from travelling, I had an appointment with the specialist 2 days and that was when I voiced that I wanted a myomectomy to have my fibroids removed.  The Dr went on to tell me the downsides of the op, how it's a major thing to do and the long recovery time.  But my mind was made up.  Being Afro Caribbean means that its more likely that the fibroids may make a reappearance.  I wanted to hopefully get this thing settled ideally once and for all or if not quite that, at least have some respite from my symptoms.

Why Am I Here?

A rather profound question to ask but one which is actually quite simple to answer.  I had suffered from fibroids for 4 years with symptoms that were getting worse and worse. Often heading to the docs to explain this, I found myself questionning if everything was in my mind.  In the end, I realised that I wanted my life back and put myself forward for an abdominal myomectomy - actually I thought I would have had to battle a bit harder than I did but hey.

December 1 was the day of my op. This blog tracks my thoughts leading up to the big day, my 1st ever experiences as an NHS inpatient (good and bad) and how I am now doing in the long phase that is recovery.  Anyway, I figured that writing a new blog would be a good way to:

• keep me (and hopefully you) entertained whilst I'm home in recovery
• share my stories with others experiencing a similar op as the internet was where I found out lots of useful info

Anyway, I hope that you stay tuned for this journey :)