laparoscopy with fulguration and tubal dye study

I remember the day of my surgery pretty well, you know, except for the part where I was unconscious.  ; )  It was April 9, 2010 at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis, MN.  DH drove me to the hospital and took the day off work to be my support.  My aunt R, we'll call her, met us at the hospital for additional support as she has been through too many surgeries herself to even count.  I was nervous and excited at the same time; nervous that my Dr. wouldn't find any of the suspected endometriosis, excited to finally have some answers, and even more excited that this surgery would potentially give me a greater chance to have a child if they found what they were looking for.

We arrived at the hospital in plenty of time.  My name was called and the nurse took me back to change into a fabulous and fashionable hospital gown and bring me to my room.  A lot of doctors / anestheticians / nurses / etc. kept going in and out of my room, all at different times and all asking me the same prepratory questions.  It started to get old.  I'm not allergic to anything medically related (that I know of) so just give me the good stuff and let's get the show on the road!

They started the medication to relax me at some point, I said good bye to DH, and they wheeled me to the OR.  I kept waiting for the anesthesia to kick in and kept thinking to myself 'Do I feel any different?  Has it kicked in yet?  When is it going to kick in already?'  I felt awake and alert as the surgical staff continued to prepare the room while I was in it.  I asked questions and talked to the nurses and doctors.  I even asked one of the doctors how many people would be in the room during the surgery (I think he counted 9 people).  I was trying to get an assessment of how many people would see me naked.  I laughed at myself.  'No time for modesty now!'

I went back to thoughts of the anesthesia.  'Okaaayyy, it can kick in any time now...'  Finally, everyone was ready for surgery.  Except me.  I was still alert and awake and all the doctors and nurses were leaning over my head staring at me.  Eventually, I got tired of them staring at me so I closed my eyes, and boom, I was out.  Huh, I wasn't expecting that!

I woke up to a nurse right by my side gently shaking me about 30 minutes after the start of my surgery.  I was in a huge recovery room filled with other patients.  'What's happening?  Nooooo, let me sleep!  I'm so tired!  Oh the pain, the misery!  I need something for the pain!  Can't you give me something for the pain?!'  All these thoughts were running through my mind, and I finally found my voice to tell the nurse I was in a lot of pain.  She administered 2 doses of morphine within the specified time allowed.  Nothing.  The pain was almost unbearable.  I was crying and moaning and groaning and crying some more.  Finally, finally, she gave me some drug that she said was stronger than morphine.  And I felt relief.  And calm.  And sleepy.  But the nurse wouldn't let me sleep.  Something about needing to keep my oxygen level up and that sleeping makes it drop.  The machine next to me kept beeping annoyingly every time my O2 level dropped, which was every time I was about to fall asleep.

At some point, my Dr. stopped by to talk to me.  She said she found endometriosis, that it was "moderately severe" with "significant scarring," and that my left fallopian tube and ovary were fused behind my uterus to my colon.  She also said she couldn't laser off all the endo because some of it was on my colon and I need my colon.  (So yep, I have to continue to deal with severe cramps on my colon. Good times.)  She also told me the tubal dye study came back clear (no blocked tubes) and that she accidentally punctured my uterus with one of her instruments during my surgery but that it was so small it shouldn't prevent me from carrying a baby full term or require me to have a c-section.

After while (I have no idea how long I was in this big room), a private recovery room opened up, they wheeled me back, and I was able to see DH again.  Hooray!  And then I cried some more...probably from a combination of getting to see him, the pain medication, my grogginess from the anesthesia, and relief that my Dr. found what she was looking for.  Just in time to witness my big crocodile tears, the nurse walked in to check on me and was alarmed to see me crying.  She asked if I needed more pain medication and I said no.  She said she didn't believe me and I said I'm just so happy that they found something!  So she didn't give me any more pain medication...at least not until later when I really did need it.

The nurse gave discharge orders and a list of prescriptions to me and DH (thank goodness he was there because I was in no state to be able to remember any of the instructions) and I was taken out to the car in a wheel chair...but not before nearly vomiting in the hallway of the hospital from the movement.  'PLEASE make everything stop spinning and moving!'

It was an uneventful car ride home (read:  no vomiting), thank goodness.  When we arrived, I headed straight for the couch and then I really started to notice it.  The itchiness.  My whole body itched.  After I thought about it, I was pretty itchy in the hospital but the pain must have overshadowed it.  'Why am I so itchy?'  When I had regained some of my strength (and wits), I called my doctor and asked if it was a reaction to the anesthesia and she said yes.  Thankfully, it went away within a few days.

I recovered over the weekend and had Monday and Tueday off work.  But I was too bored and tired of laying around the house by Monday so I went to work on Tuesday and just took it easy.  I had a few follow up appointments with my doctor within the first few days and weeks after my surgery to see how I was doing and to discuss further treatment to 'zap' the remaining endo, as she put it.  So I was put on BCPs for a few months and then a shot once a month to induce 'false menopause' (or maybe it was at the same time; I can't remember).  Let me tell you how fun it was being in menopause.  Hot flashes (among other side effects) every one to two hours like clockwork, 24 hours a day for 3 months, I think it was.  I didn't sleep well the whole three months.

Finally, we were given the all clear by my Dr. to TTC on our own again.  And you know the rest.  All BFNs.  But we haven't given up hope!  We are looking forward to a new chance with our new RE and your prayers!  <3