Monday, April 23, 2012

Next Up: Total Hysterectomy

Sorry for the delay in posting here on my blog. I have been very busy getting back to "normal." (More on that in a moment...)

Tomorrow I will undergo a complete hysterectomy. It is the last big hurdle of my cancer treatment. Children have never been in my life "game plan" so it's the big H for me. Normally the doctor would remove just my ovaries but because I have a large uterine fibroid (which was there pre-diagnosis), the doctor decided it was best to just take out everything.

My doctor will be using the daVinci robotic device which is supposed to dramatically reduce post-surgical pain and make recovery just a bit faster.

TIMEOUT: I just Googled "daVinci robotic hysterectomy" because I wanted to share some basic information with you. Unfortunately, I found this graphic video on YouTube - a complete hysterectomy by a San Francisco gynocologist all set to Bach's Orchestral Suite #3.

DO NOT WATCH this video if you are having a hysterectomy, think you might want to have a hysterectomy or would simply like to enjoy a barbeque ever again. Good Lord.

Gag! I wish I hadn't seen this video. It's going to be a while before I can watch chicken sizzling on the grill and not think of what will (has) been done to my lady parts. Geez. Doctors do have a whacked out sense of what's appropriate sometimes. I guess this guy is proud of his technique and sutures.

Anyway - here is the toned-down, sugar-coated information about the daVinci hysterectomy.

So... back to normal...

For me, this past year has been anything but normal. Cancer, lumpectomy, six rounds of chemo, no hair, no sex (or very little), massive weight gain (hello 30 lbs.), 33 radiation treatments every day for six and half weeks, etc. The list goes on and on and on.

This hysterectomy is the only thing that's standing between me and getting my life back. I don't want a "new normal." I want my "old normal." The doctor is giving me six weeks to recuperate from surgery. For six weeks, I need to really take it easy.

But after six weeks, I'm taking my life back.

9 comments:

  1. So glad to hear! I'm sitting here trying to decide if I want that video, hmmmm.........

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  2. Thanks for warning me about the video!
    You are a trooper and wish you a speedy recovery. You are in great hands and great hearts.
    I will drink a toast for you tomorrow as that is your first day back to your old normal, hum drum, rat race life!
    luv ya
    Scoot

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  3. Hang in there! You made it this far, so I am thinking this last hurdle will be a piece of cake for you. Thinking of you and sending love and healing vibes your way,
    Florence (Cancer Warrior)
    www.perksofcancer.com

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  4. Some of the old normal comes back after you have more time to adjust to transitioning back into life without treatments or surgeries ahead of you. Good luck at surgery and best of luck to the best normal you can make!

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  5. Best of luck with your surgery tomorrow!!! PS I am def. *not* watching that video! ;-)

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  6. I'm hoping all goes well with your surgery & that you reach "normal" again soon. Rest as you should then take your life back!! God has a plan for you.

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  7. i found your blog by accident - glad i did! i plan to read it ALL in time. but i wanted to let you know that your feisty attitude about the "new normal" struck a note with me. my husbanmd was diagnosed with a rare cancer, multiple myeloma, in 2009. just before christmas, 2011, i was diagnosed with stage IV metastatic breast cancer, then 6 days later, with insulin dependent diabetes. from day one, i have always HATED the concept of "new normal", and refuse to settle for a term that implies something that is imposed upon us, and always refers to our "old life" - which, truly, i would have given anything to have back. i wanted to rid us of that reference, wanted to grab onto every fabulous detail of a life well lived, cancer or not. so...we chose to call our journey "our life, reinvented".

    i will keep you close to my heart as you go through the hysterectomy. my new one-word mantra is "believe", and i will be believing that all will go well, and that the next leg of your journey will be all you wish it to be. warm hugs, karen sutherland

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  8. Hope everything went good with your surgery. I just had to have a complete hysterectomy the end of March. I have not figured out what "normal" is.

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  9. Four weeks ago, I had a vaginal hysterectomy and repair for a prolapsed bladder. The first few hours after surgery were quite painful, but by the next day, I no longer required any pain medication. I stayed in the hospital for one and a half days. My surgeon then released me to fly back home to Nigeria where I live (surgery was at performed in Mumbai, India). I flew home, and by the next day, I was driving and "scooting" around town. In fact, a friend had to remind me that I'm not a 16-year-old girl! I had to stay off work for four weeks, and I really tried to follow my doctor's orders about not lifting or doing any heavy work. But I can honestly say that aside from the pain immediately following surgery, the whole experience went very well and pain-free.  More on hysterectomy surgery in India at http://www.forerunnershealthcare.com/hysterectomy-surgery-India-low-cost-benefits.html

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