Day 40: Final Post-Op

My last post-op!  My doctor cut off the stitch that was hanging out of the end of my incision; she had already spotted it at my initial post-op, and it clearly wasn’t going to go away on its own.  She said everything looked good, pointed out the hard ridge near the incision and said that was normal and would eventually go away, and said the general area could end up being darker or lighter than my normal skin tone.

She also answered a couple remaining questions I had:

• Were my muscles cut in the surgery? No, they run vertically so they were simply pulled apart, rather than cut.  Only the nerves were cut.
• How long before I can do sit-ups? About 3 months.  We recommend people wait 3 months before resuming full regular exercise.  Until then, you can use your judgment.  You’ll have 90% wound healing by the 3-month mark, and full wound regeneration at the 1-year mark.  Be aware that from now until the 3-month mark, the abdomen is actually more vulnerable because the sutures that previously were holding together the tissues have now been broken down by the body.  So you no longer have that backup in case the tissues are pulled apart.

Gah.  Sounds awful.  But maybe that is why coughing and sneezing have recently gone back to being very painful, after being quite tolerable for a few weeks.  Maybe the sutures used to stop the coughs and sneezes from pulling the tissues apart too much, but now those sutures are gone and can no longer help.  Maybe I’m not regressing, but rather, progressing.  See, I’ll make up all kinds of stories just so I can believe I’m moving forward.

Day 37: Don’t Faint

I finally received my hospital bill. Naturally, it claims that none of it will be covered because it was out-of-network, despite my multiple earlier calls and web site checks to verify that it was in-network. I wonder how many phone calls it will take to get this straightened out? Note that I’m operating under the firm assumption that THIS WILL GET STRAIGHTENED OUT!

TOTAL: $44,126.48

• Semi-private room: $14,244.63
• Drugs: $981.30
• Supplies: $4,730.86
• Lab/pathology: $2,043.83
• Surgery: $22,125.86

Combined with the CT scan, this brings the final total to $51,240.57.

Day 36

Day 36 of my post-op recovery from a laparotomy/abdominal myomectomy:

Oh great, not only has my recovery stalled for the past week and a half, but now I’ve regressed three weeks.  Remember how I found I could cough without searing pain on Day 19?  Well, that searing pain is back with a vengeance.  Augh, I thought those painful days were over!  What am I doing wrong?!?!  Am I lifting things more than 15 pounds without realizing it?!  So grumpy!

Day 31

Day 31 of my post-op recovery from a laparotomy/abdominal myomectomy:

I can’t believe I’m at the one-month mark. I sure don’t feel like I’m where I should be at this point. At times, my abdomen still contracts and makes me walk hunched over. Shouldn’t those kind of tantrums be over by now?

My energy and stamina also don’t appear to be much different from where they were one week ago. I feel like I’ve made almost no improvements physically for the past week. Is my resuming work part-time (but from home) to blame for my suddenly stalled recovery? Blah!

Day 28

Just got my first bill for this whole fibroid incident. The abdomen/pelvis CT scan was $7,114.09 and the pharmaceutical aspect of it was $403.50. All of it is covered except for a $150 co-pay. Now let’s wait and find out how much the myomectomy surgery, anesthesia, hospital stay, and pathology report were…

Day 25

Day 25 of my post-op recovery from a laparotomy/abdominal myomectomy:

When my sister saw me today, she remarked wow, my walking was much better, much faster. (She hasn’t seen me since Day 10.) Pleased, I said, yep, I’m walking just fine now. She watched me carefully and said, “Yeah, you’re *almost* at normal speed now.” Her reply took me by surprise – I mean, it was true, but I had thought I could pass for normal speed and no one would notice. I guess she really is my lifelong sister.

Even though I hadn’t had any Advil for over 3 days, which technically meant I was allowed to drive, we decided she’d go ahead and drive me to my doctor’s appointment, since she was here anyway. No, not to see my gynecologist/surgeon, but to see my primary care physician. My eczema is DRIVING ME UP THE WALL.

This was the first time my PCP had seen me since she gave me the results of my CT scan and I learned this mass was a fibroid. She said she had been wondering how I was doing and was very happy to then receive my gynecologist’s report that the surgery was a success and the pathology report came back benign. She asked if my uterus had been saved, so that I would be able to have kids in the future. I had meant to bring pictures of the fibroid and its crazy blood vessels to show her, but unfortunately forgot.

Day 24

Day 24 of my post-op recovery from a laparotomy/abdominal myomectomy:

Cleaning is harder than it looks. Now that my parents have been gone a week, and my sister is visiting me tomorrow, I decided to try sweeping the floor,and wiping down and scrubbing the kitchen counters and sink. I gave up just now, with a sink full of bubbles, because all of this is making my abdominal stabbing pains steadily increase and I really want to stay on my drugAdvil-free streak.

Day 23

Day 23 of my post-op recovery from a laparotomy/abdominal myomectomy:

Revelation: Wow, can I just say how incredibly enjoyable it is to take a walk outside when you are comfortably mobile and generally pain-free??? It’s no longer a duty or chore; it’s pleasant and relaxing!

Day 22: Drug-Free

Day 22 of my post-op recovery from a laparotomy/abdominal myomectomy:

Drug-free, finally! Or rather, Advil-free. I’m still going nuts with my recent eczema flare-up and am trying all kinds of stuff to cope with it.

So where am I just after the 3-week mark?

• Walked relatively normally starting with today’s excursion; no longer felt like I was cushioning each step with my feet and legs
• I already have been able to walk upright for some time now; I only get hunched over if I’ve been walking too long, which makes my abdomen pull my torso down (why, I don’t really know)
• Walking speed is only a little slower than normal; probably wouldn’t get any funny looks at this speed
• Coughing and sneezing no longer excruciatingly painful and tear-inducing, now merely somewhat painful
• Still experience abdominal pain when I accidentally get myself into a position that requires support, such as when I’m getting in and out of bed, getting up from sitting on the floor, etc.
• Some general abdominal aching, which is tolerable and does not require Advil
• Can sleep comfortably on my back or my side, and also change sides
• If I carry something that is more than ~5 pounds, I get an unpleasant, stressful feeling in my abdomen
• When I sit, my abdominal area no longer feels like a stiff board
• Energy and stamina still notably low
• Most of the dark reddish strips have fallen off from the incision; the rest is a pinkish line
• The discolored patch of skin from the IV is almost back to normal now
• Belly area above the incision is quite distended; it had better be from TEMPORARY SWELLING! The swelling seems to go down after I’ve taken a nap or slept overnight, as a result of lying down flat for a while.
• When I press on my abdomen in the area within a few inches above the incision, it’s numb and has a strange, harder, less resilient consistency
• Minimal dizziness when standing up now
• Felt up to resuming work (on a part-time basis from home), and logged in for the first time since surgery; brain still doing stupid things, though, so I will have to be extra diligent and careful

Day 21

Day 21 of my post-op recovery from a laparotomy/abdominal myomectomy:

Lately, I’ve been getting little twitches in my abdomen. As if it’s trying to heal… and relearn new nerve connections. Haha, that’s the sappy interpretation. Time to go to sleep.