Saturday, November 20, 2010

Goodbye, My Uterus

The time has come
But I won't shed tears,
Although you've been with me
For 40 plus years.


Thanks for being a home
To each of my unborn child,
I wish the unwelcome stranger
Would only stay a while.


But it kept growing bigger
Every month or two,
My pants got tighter and tighter
And I often visited the loo.


So I bid you farewell
My upside-down pear-shaped friend,
I'm looking forward to
Regaining a flat tummy again.


It was a difficult decision to make...whether to go for a major surgery or to just bear with all the inconveniences of having a uterine fibroid grow larger every few months and dominate the space in my abdomen, squeezing my poor bladder into a little corner.

But when my pants got tighter and tighter, I knew that my uterus had to go. I am a long way from menopause (by which time the fibroid will shrink) and I certainly was not keen for people  to keep asking whether I was pregnant or not...especially since my kids are already teenagers.

So a date was set...15th November 2010.

Monday 15th November:

10am - Arrived at Gleneagles Intan Medical Centre, Jalan Ampang with hubby. Admitted to a 4-bedded ward because no beds were available yet. Waited for about an hour before I could actually go to the ward.

11.15am - Taken to the ward, my bed is by the window. The ward is pretty noisy with the other patients having visitors. Blood and urine sample taken. Asked to be upgraded to a single room. Waiting time begins.

12.00noon - no lunch for me, have been fasting since midnight last night. Can't even drink water :(

2.30pm - single bedded room is finally available after someone got discharged. It's so much more convenient to have my own bathroom instead of sharing with 3 other patients.

3pm - wheeled into the Operation Theatre waiting area, it was nice of the nurse to ask hubby to accompany me for a while before I get wheeled into the OT. Hair is put into something that looks like a shower cap. Feeling a little nervous...

3.30pm - OT is like a very large freezer. Hooked up to drips and a machine that monitors my heartbeat. Anaesthesiologist puts a breathing mask over my face and asks me to take deep breaths. Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out...and I am out.

6pm - I wake up in some pain. I am in the waiting area of the OT again. Hubby is there too. Wheeled back to my room and given a jab for the pain.

Throat feels extremely dry but am able to talk after I get a few sips of water. Groggy, but try to chat with hubby for a while. Drift off to sleep. Hubby goes home.


view from my room
Tuesday 16th November:

7am - Wake up. Hooked up to drips and external urine bag so I can't get out of bed. Nurse comes to check temperature and blood pressure. No need to eat since the IV drip supplies all the nutrition I need, I just drink water. Throat is still dry and my voice is raspy.

8.30am - Phones hubby at his office to let him know I'm ok. He'll be coming after lunch. Nurse comes to give me a spongebath...glad that she uses warm disposable wipes. Watched some TV after that...quite a good selection of Astro channels available :)

My pastors and some friends drop by throughout the day. I am able to sit up in bed for short periods. Love the remote controlled bed...at the click of the remote I can adjust the bed for maximum comfort (big grins). Hubby brings my in-laws and kids after dinner.
my own itty bitty tv
Wednesday 17th November:

Feeling much better. Am now on a liquid diet...clear soup for lunch and dinner. Friends and family drop by throughout the day since it's a public holiday. Unhooked from drips and urine bag (hurray!) and can get down from bed. Can walk around the room a bit. Felt rather drained by bedtime but couldn't sleep. Finally dozed off but kept waking up every 2 or 3 hours :(

IV drip securely taped
Thursday 18th November:

Had a relaxing day watching TV, and napping now and then. Glad to have internet access on my handphone. Am on a soft diet of soft rice, hospital food is not too bad. Took a short walk around the ward. Doc says I can go home tomorrow :D

 

my lunch - soft rice with chicken and vege

my bed for the past few days


...and the remote control that made my stay more comfy

Friday 19th November:


Discharged at 11.30am but the bill took quite a while to be processed. Finally able to leave for home at 2 pm. Am hogging the sofa, TV and laptop for the next 3 weeks. Plan to stay downstairs during the daytime and go upstairs before bedtime at night.


It was certainly strange to see hubby and the kids cleaning the house while I laze around on the sofa. Am officially banned from my own kitchen for a few weeks, and I am so going to enjoy the next 3 weeks of total rest :)



4 comments:

YuinTing said...

That is quite a major op. Looks like now you 're having another type of 'confinement'. Just rest more and let your kids and hubby do the chores. Get well soon!

Sunny-Cookie said...

Yes, but without all the confinement food cooked with ginger (I don't really like ginger),haha. Am recovering well, feels great to be pampered by hubby and kids :D

springal said...

Take care, rest well and recover real quick! :)

Praying for you.

Sunny-Cookie said...

Thanks, feeling better with each passing day :)