As some of you know, I recently discovered I have Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome. At the same time I made this "wonderful" discovery, I also found out that I had a Dermoid Ovarian Cyst.
Last week I had the pleasure of getting to stay at Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital while having the cyst removed and today I want to share with you a little bit about my experience.
Some of you may, at some point, have to make a trip to the hospital to have an ovarian cyst removed and, if you are like me, you have no one around you who has gone through it. This is why I am writing this. I want you to have some idea of what to expect, both before and after the procedure.
Where It All Began
A few days after New Years this year I woke up with mind-numbing pains in my right side, just above my hip and slightly to the back. Fortunately I was staying at my parents house, so my Mother watched my son while my Father took me straight to the emergency room.
Looking back I must have been quite a sight; bouffant bed hair, shiny red nose, watery eyes, hunched over.
They took me straight in to my own little cubicle and told me to wait a few minutes while they strum up the pain relief. Unfortunately, I seem to be one of those unlucky sods who shows a resistance to morphine, so I had to live with the pain for a few hours while they took blood and sent me for scans.
My Father had taken me to the hospital at around 7am and the pain didn't subside until 3pm, at which point it was as though someone flipped a switch and the pain flew away without any further reappearances.
I was told by the emergency room doctor that I had a kidney stone and that I would need to stay in hospital until I passed it. So they took me up to a bed in Urology and I spent the night with a drip in my arm, which continually pumped 6 litres of fluid through me.
Now, I don't know if any of you have had a drip pump so much fluid through you but, by George, does it make you visit the bathroom. But, that isn't the best of it. Because you are hooked up to a drip every trip to the bathroom turns into a total fiasco!
Get up from bed, unplug the drip, wrap the cord around the machine, maneuver machine around tables and chairs, slowly drag the drip to the bathroom, do your business, drag the machine back, jumble through the furniture, unwrap the cord, plug it in and then wait 5 minutes before starting the whole process again, hoping someone else hasn't gotten to the bathroom before you.
I think my favourite part of the process was finding out the next morning that the whole thing was totally unnecessary, you see, the urology doctor came to me the next morning and said that it wasn't a kidney stone but it was in fact an ovarian cyst and that I could go home!
The Gynae AppointmentsHave any of you had an internal ultrasound?
I was surprised to find out it wasn't as bad as you may think. I was actually surprised at how the ultrasound technician was able to conduct the whole thing without having to look up at " the goods". I simply sat on the edge of the table, red cheeked with embarrassment at what I thought was about to come,and the lovely lady came into the room, asked if I was comfortable and without having to look, slipped the paddle where it needed to go.
Ovarian Cysts come in all shapes and sizes. Mine was 4cm at its widest point, which isn't too big. This meant I was given one of two options. You see, 4cm is right on the cusp; any bigger and they automatically put you through for a removal and any smaller and they put you on medication and watch whether it grows or shrinks and at what pace. So, because mine was in the middle size wise, I had the choice of sitting back and watching or elective removal. I chose elective removal.
Why did I make this choice? I chose to have the cyst removed because I was faux-brave and thought that "gettin the sucker out" was a much quicker option than sitting and waiting. Later on down the line, as operation day fast approached, I thought to myself, "easy to be brave upfront you goose, but how are the old nerves now!"
They say that any cysts over 2cm is something to pay attention too, and being that mine was double that I thought that a removal was the better option.
The Day Before the OperationI am a total scaredy cat, and nothing short of being the Queen of all Drama Queens, so the day before surgery was a scary day for me.
I have only ever had surgery once before and that was to get my wisdom teeth out and that was only a few hours at a day surgery. So the thought of having to stay in hospital for a whole day or more was enough to get me biting my nails.
The hospital hold told me to call them to confirm my surgery booking and to find out what time to show up (7am!!), and while the lady was nice it wasn't enough to calm my nerves. Luckily for me my Mother was on hand with chocolates, "The Adjustment Bureau" and lots of laughs.
That night, once I had begun fasting (ever notice that when you aren't allowed to eat past a certain time, all of a sudden you want nothing more than a steak and a slice of cake? Just me?), I packed my hospital bag. Now, I don't know if you have had to do this but I had no idea what to pack and by the end of it my bag looked more like it was going away on a weekend road trip than to a hospital.
Surprisingly, I actually slept that night. I had thought the nerves would keep me up but instead I slept like a baby.
The Big DayRoyal Prince Alfred Hospital is such a nice looking hospital, with its old sandstone facade and glass-filled modern interior. I got to see it all because I have never walked so slow in my life! Trying to delay the inevitable I think...
After signing myself in I was taken in to a small room where a nurse asked my name and asked all about my medical history and my allergies. I had been told that I may be in for a long wait, and that I wouldn't be able to find out when exactly my surgery would be, but I took a chance and asked, "excuse me, I know you can't tell me when the doctor will take me in, but do you have even a general idea when it could happen" to which I was told, "honey, I'm taking you through now, your the first of the day".
Now, you may think this would get the nerves building, but I was glad to be first. My nails where already bitten to the cuticle, how do you think I would have lasted the whole day waiting?
I was taken into another room to get glammed up in my hospital get-up, and boy are those hospital gowns sexy, especially the paper panties!
Ushered into the small operating room I was asked over and over again my name, what I was having done and what my allergies where, before being scooted up into a bed, ready for the "big moment".
I just want to take a moment to say how lovely my doctor was, Dr De Vries. He came in, held my shaking hand and told me I had nothing to worry about, before giving me a reassuring pat on the shoulder and a warm smile.
While the doctor spoke with me a nurse was putting a cannula in my hand. I thought she was simply putting the drip in and I still had plenty of time, but then the last thing I remember her saying is, "you may start to feel a little more relaxed".
Waking UpThis is an important thing for everyone to remember; always ask the anesthesiologist to have you sitting up in bed when you wake up after an operation.
My Mother had told me to do that and I didn't really take much notice, but when I woke up I understood.
When I woke up from my Wisdom Teeth operation I was flat on my back. I woke up feeling as though I was choking and because I was groggy I found it near impossible to sit up and, because I was lying down, I also found it hard to signal someone for help.
When I woke up from my cyst removal I was sitting up and I could see everyone around me and I could easily signal the nurses to let them know I was awake. It was alot nicer and if I can only offer you one bit of advice, it is to ask to be sitting up.
I woke up feeling pretty groggy. I didn't feel any pain and once I was awake they rolled my bed up to the ward where I was in an out of consciousness for about 15 hours. However, keep in mind, this is different for everyone, some people wake up and with a couple of hours are up and alert. My Mother says it is because I am a "big lazy bones" that I took so long to wake up.
When I finally came around (at about 2am the next morning) I didn't have any pain. I was a little uncomfortable, but no real pain to speak of.
I was allowed to eat and drink (and scoff down coffee, thankfully!) and I was quite comfortable. But, because of the fluids which had been pumped into me, it was really important for me to get up and walk to the toilet. This is when it REALLY hurt.
The first time I stood, with a nurse on either side of me, it only lasted 30 seconds before I had to sit back down again, not only because of the pain but because I felt so faint I almost passed out. However, it is important to stand and start to walk, so an hour later the nurses came back and that time I managed to get 3 metres before I had to head back to the bed.
This process lasted for a few hours; me making it a couple of metres before giving up and being carried back to bed. This is fairly normal.
Finally I made it to the bathroom, but nothing happened. The jokes was on me!
It took 4 trips to the bathroom before I was finally successful, and it only took 2 more trips before I could do it on my own.
Let me reiterate here. It only hurt when I stood up. While I was lying in bed I didn't feel any pain, it was only when standing once gravity took over that the pain would appear. Having said this, by 8am the next morning the pain when I stood wasn't too bad.
I don't want to scare those who have to have this same surgery, but there is one important detail I should include. When I woke after surgery, as well as the 3 small cuts from the keyhole surgery, I had a drain coming out of my lower abdomen. This drain was a small tube coming from my tummy which takes blood and fluids from the surgery area and deposits them in a bag which hangs from the bed. This does not hurt, but there is some discomfort when they remove the drain when it comes time for you to leave. I know this is a bit of a gory thing to include, but I didn't know to expect it, so I thought it was important to include it.
I went home at 10am the day after the surgery. I was able to walk to the car and get myself in the passenger seat without too much pain (mind you, the speed bumps on the way home weren't too fun).
At Home
Once I was home I pretty much vegetated on the couch for 2 days. Again, no pain while sitting or lying down, just when walking.
I slept with my bed elevated at the head. This is important because otherwise your tummy feels stretched, which does hurt.
By the end of the second day of being at home it pretty much just felt like bad period cramps, that is the best way to describe it.
Now, 7 Days LaterI am walking around like a pregnant lady!
It still feels like mild period cramps and my belly is swollen, but the pain and discomfort is minimal and I am feeling like myself again. I even managed to go out and see a movie with my Mother today ("The Rite", is actually a good flick!)
The doctor told me I will feel this way for another week and then I will be back to myself completely, before I go for a final checkup in 4 weeks time.
So, that's my story, and I'm stickin to it! haha!
I know this was alot of reading, but I just wanted to offer up my experience to those women who may need to go through this at some point. I didn't know what to expect because I didn't know anyone who had been through it, but now I am hoping you will have a bit of an idea what to expect.
I will keep posting updates about my adventures into the world of Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome and please feel free to email me if you want to chat about your experiences, that is what blogs and the internet is for, for bringing people together!
Smile, all the cool kids are doing it!
