No More Monsters!

It's one week post surgery and the monsters are gone!! The day of surgery I cried like a two year old because my anxiety was getting the best of me plus blood pressure shot up to 160/100 which is abnormal for me. I asked my nurse was it still ok to have surgery and she kind of laughed and told me I would be fine. Luckily I brought my lavender oil. I placed some on a cloth and started deep breathing. That calmed me as my team came in and out to check blood, reassure me, and get me prepped for surgery. My team was great, they noticed my anxiety and made sure to offer reassurance and talk me through every step as they continued to get me ready. The surgery was scheduled for 2 hours. Once in the OR my doctor explained to me that I was about to receive the anesthesia and the next thing I know I woke up in my hospital room with my mom looking at me asking "so how do you feel" To my amazement I felt good, I didn't have any pain but I was starving! My team did an amazing job with my pain management. My doctor order a Transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block,which is a regional shot of anesthesia that numbs the anterolateral abdominal wall. Then I received anti inflammatory medication, Tylenol, and oxycodone for the the two days in the hospital. I was upgraded to a regular diet but due to anesthesia all I really could eat was soup and popsicles the first day. The next day I was able to have my catheter and compression boots removed and I was encouraged to walk (as seen in the above picture). When my doctor came to speak with me and show me the pictures of the monsters that were removed, we were both shocked at the findings. We were aware of 3 Fibroids, however once she started the surgery she noticed that there was a cluster of small fibroids clumped together hiding behind one of the other fibroids. One of the fibroids was so big it was pressing my uterus upward in my abdomen so what we thought was a fibroid when we touched my abdomen on the outside was actually my uterus.That same fibroid was also pressing against one of my fallopian tubes and had twisted it. So the pain I was experiencing on my left side and the constant fullness I would feel after eating the tiniest amount of food was coming from a fibroid! I would also like to remind you that this was AFTER they had shrunk!My nurses were in awe of the progress made, heck even I was surprised, I was prepared for the worse pain in my life but I was fortunate enough to not experience that much pain. I will say that the key to pain management is to treat the pain before it gets unbearable. I was released 2 days later with the same medications I had in the hospital. I spoke with my doctor prior to surgery about a more natural pain management treatment and my plans to use CBD instead of opioids and she gave me the go ahead once I was released and at home. I knew that I would not be able to use the CBD in the hospital because it is not FDA regulated.

The first week of recovery at home I used CBD instead of the oxycodone prescribed and it worked just as well as the oxycodone. My regimen was CBD, Tylenol, and Ibuprophen every six hours except for at night when I was asleep, I would just resume in the morning when I would wake up and eat. Mid week I called my doctor to ask if it was ok to stop the ibuprophen because I felt I was developing an ulcer from it.. (sharp pains in my stomach that radiated to my back). Since I was not experiencing any abnormal swelling I was given the ok to stop that as well. by the end of the week I was only taking CBD when needed. Some other things that I did on my recovery journey was made sure I was intentional about the things that I ate as I know this is just as important as medications that are prescribed. Prior to surgery I meal prepped to make it easier on my mom and to insure I had some on demand healthy things to eat. I juiced freash fruits to have with meals, some of those included apple and orange juice. The apple juice mainly for the fiber because constipation is a common thing after surgery due to anesthesia,pain meds, and lack of moving. Luckily I didn't have this problem but again I attribute that to being proactive by walking, increasing fiber intake, and I also incorprated some prune juice into the regimen. you definitely dont want to strain or push if you have had any type of abdominal surgery, you can bust a stitch or at the very least it can be extremly painful. I made sure I ate three times per day with a protien and hearty green veggies at every meal. ThIs will help with wound healing and fighting infection. I made sure my mom understood what I needed and wanted during my recovery stage so that we were on the same page. This made everything so much easier for both her and myself because schedules and routine are a must during this time to insure that you are also getting the proper rest that you need. Here is a list of other essentials you may need during recovery.....

• loose fitting night gowns you don't want things touching your incision plus pants are hard to put on when bending may hurt your abdomen here is the link to the gowns I bought off of Amazon plus they have pockets which are a life changer when you want to keep small things near by https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MBNZSKY/ref=dp_iou_view_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1 

• Breathable underwear that comes above your incision. again you DO NOT want anything on or around the incision.. the smallest thing on or near the incision will hurt. I liked the feel of the ones that they gave me in the hospital so I bought more on amazon here is the link https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D77HBJ1?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details 

• Pads or panty liners of your choice. you may have some bleeding post operation. The amount and length is different for everyone. I chose to use organic/ natural pads. I was so enthused because before the fibroids were removed the only ones I could wear were bulky overnight pads.

• A caregiver, you will need help getting in and out of the shower if you have a tub shower, you won't be able to lift more than 20 lbs plus you will be low on energy so it will be helpful to have someone around to assist you. if you don't have family or friends to assist you, check with you insurance to see if you qualify for a home health aid.

• Prepped meals. As stated above you won't feel like doing much and fast food and frozen boxed meals won't provide the nutrients that are necessary for healing so it is great to have pre-cooked meals

• Nice fluffy pillow to prop you up when you sleep. Sleeping on your stomach and side will not be comfortable and you don't want to engage those abdominal muscles because it will feel like you are ripping to shreds.I already had a body pillow and extra pillow in the house so I used these to prop me up while I slept. Also if you have to cough sneeze or laugh it will be great to have a pillow to hold firm against the incision because like I said if you do anything involving those muscles it will feel like you are ripping to shreds!!!

I hope you found this information useful. If you need any assistance in navigating fibroid maintenance or if you need assistance pre/post fibroid surgery feel free to reach out for a free consultation to see if any of our services can benefit you.

Also check out the blog on the low estrogen diet!! you can find it under the recipe category.