Wednesday 14th May
Right - it’s been dealt with. I did tell the nurse that I had actually arrived in order to throttle her, but as she’s such a sweetie, I couldn’t follow through...she was suitably apologetic, and we got cracking trying to remove the offending fishing line. The trouble with it was that it had a great big knot in it, about 15mm from the end, so there was no way it could get inside me, in order for it to be dissolved. And I couldn’t pull it out, as [Dr Bradley’s advice] it seems attached in there. Wouldn’t do to be yanking out bits of entrails.
We pulled it out a little way, which was difficult with the plastic tweezers [so many disposable items in this world!], so she had to fetch metal ones, and the resultant yanking and rummaging about was rather gruesome, but not too bad, considering it’s been hurting for weeks.
So she has snipped the stitch off so that it’s gone back inside, where apparently my body is programmed to destroy it, as it's a foreign substance. They are supposed to be dissolvable. Made from natural materials, like processed collagen [animal intestines!], silk and hair, as well as some synthetic materials that the body can break down - errrr!! But the actual type of suture material depends on the surgeon, so don’t panic! Personally I don’t really care, as long as it now disappears without further exasperating behaviour.
I wasn't worried [I think I might be a bit crackers?], just cheesed off, as I know it would have healed by now if the stitch hadn’t been external - I heal like lightning, so I was not very amused, but never mind - hopefully it's fixed now. The infected bit is already a lot better amazingly enough. The swelling has gone down, and the redness has also become a lot less. The strangest thing is that further up the scar there was an indentation, almost as if it had been pulled too tight from the back – that also appears to have smoothed out. Great! I hope so – if it flattens out properly I shall be chuffed to bits. It did feel horrible afterwards, as I think where it was 'pulling down', that bit must now be reorganising itself.
The only other little concern I now have with the wound is the fact that the left side of my stomach is more distended than the right. I mentioned this at my one and only surgical check up at 2 weeks, and the nurse thought it is likely to be a haematoma, which will resolve itself eventually. It’s a collection of blood at the surgery site, and happens in about 6% of women who have an abdominal hysterectomy, and is classed as a minor complication which shouldn’t need surgical drainage. Well, good show! If I have to have more surgery there will definitely be toys thrown from the pram.
Oh, and another interesting factoid for the girls – everyone is always blathering on about how you may feel depressed and ‘over emotional’ after the hysterectomy. Well, I don’t feel at all depressed about it, in fact it was rather amusing to delete the Lilets from all my handbags, suitcases and pockets, and from the Favourites in my shopping list [I notice they don’t do ‘buy one, get one free’ on THOSE!], and donate the hoard of them that I owned to my step daughter. She was chuffed too, as they cost a fortune. Plus no more ‘dysfunctional’ bleeding! Hooray!
And it certainly hasn’t made me any more moody than I think most people would be who are having chemo and dealing with all the side effects, coping with surgical menopause and IT’S side effects and trying to recover from major surgery all at the same time. One at a time would have been sufficient - but I suppose at least this way it's all over and done with at once? For example, if I were dealing with only the fatigue or dealing only the lack of hair, each would be manageable in itself, but everything in conjunction with everything else, can be a tad mind blowing at times.
Didn't sleep a wink last night so this morning I feel like hell - something wakes me up every HOUR [it’s me] almost on the hour...I’ll have to resort to bashing myself over the head with a mallet...apparently insomnia in women seems to be linked at least partly to lower oestrogen levels, which is why women often tend to develop insomnia at menopause. Oestrogen helps with the uptake of magnesium into the soft tissues, and magnesium is the main nutrient needed to relax muscles. So when oestrogen levels are low, magnesium deficiencies and conditions they can cause can be insomnia, heart palpitations, anxiety ... blah blah. Oh happy day!! Hopefully the Oil of Evening Primrose daily dose will sort that out.
How can I walk in my sleep if I am always awake then? Bang goes the exercise eh?
Right - it’s been dealt with. I did tell the nurse that I had actually arrived in order to throttle her, but as she’s such a sweetie, I couldn’t follow through...she was suitably apologetic, and we got cracking trying to remove the offending fishing line. The trouble with it was that it had a great big knot in it, about 15mm from the end, so there was no way it could get inside me, in order for it to be dissolved. And I couldn’t pull it out, as [Dr Bradley’s advice] it seems attached in there. Wouldn’t do to be yanking out bits of entrails.
We pulled it out a little way, which was difficult with the plastic tweezers [so many disposable items in this world!], so she had to fetch metal ones, and the resultant yanking and rummaging about was rather gruesome, but not too bad, considering it’s been hurting for weeks.
So she has snipped the stitch off so that it’s gone back inside, where apparently my body is programmed to destroy it, as it's a foreign substance. They are supposed to be dissolvable. Made from natural materials, like processed collagen [animal intestines!], silk and hair, as well as some synthetic materials that the body can break down - errrr!! But the actual type of suture material depends on the surgeon, so don’t panic! Personally I don’t really care, as long as it now disappears without further exasperating behaviour.
I wasn't worried [I think I might be a bit crackers?], just cheesed off, as I know it would have healed by now if the stitch hadn’t been external - I heal like lightning, so I was not very amused, but never mind - hopefully it's fixed now. The infected bit is already a lot better amazingly enough. The swelling has gone down, and the redness has also become a lot less. The strangest thing is that further up the scar there was an indentation, almost as if it had been pulled too tight from the back – that also appears to have smoothed out. Great! I hope so – if it flattens out properly I shall be chuffed to bits. It did feel horrible afterwards, as I think where it was 'pulling down', that bit must now be reorganising itself.
The only other little concern I now have with the wound is the fact that the left side of my stomach is more distended than the right. I mentioned this at my one and only surgical check up at 2 weeks, and the nurse thought it is likely to be a haematoma, which will resolve itself eventually. It’s a collection of blood at the surgery site, and happens in about 6% of women who have an abdominal hysterectomy, and is classed as a minor complication which shouldn’t need surgical drainage. Well, good show! If I have to have more surgery there will definitely be toys thrown from the pram.
Oh, and another interesting factoid for the girls – everyone is always blathering on about how you may feel depressed and ‘over emotional’ after the hysterectomy. Well, I don’t feel at all depressed about it, in fact it was rather amusing to delete the Lilets from all my handbags, suitcases and pockets, and from the Favourites in my shopping list [I notice they don’t do ‘buy one, get one free’ on THOSE!], and donate the hoard of them that I owned to my step daughter. She was chuffed too, as they cost a fortune. Plus no more ‘dysfunctional’ bleeding! Hooray!
And it certainly hasn’t made me any more moody than I think most people would be who are having chemo and dealing with all the side effects, coping with surgical menopause and IT’S side effects and trying to recover from major surgery all at the same time. One at a time would have been sufficient - but I suppose at least this way it's all over and done with at once? For example, if I were dealing with only the fatigue or dealing only the lack of hair, each would be manageable in itself, but everything in conjunction with everything else, can be a tad mind blowing at times.
Didn't sleep a wink last night so this morning I feel like hell - something wakes me up every HOUR [it’s me] almost on the hour...I’ll have to resort to bashing myself over the head with a mallet...apparently insomnia in women seems to be linked at least partly to lower oestrogen levels, which is why women often tend to develop insomnia at menopause. Oestrogen helps with the uptake of magnesium into the soft tissues, and magnesium is the main nutrient needed to relax muscles. So when oestrogen levels are low, magnesium deficiencies and conditions they can cause can be insomnia, heart palpitations, anxiety ... blah blah. Oh happy day!! Hopefully the Oil of Evening Primrose daily dose will sort that out.
How can I walk in my sleep if I am always awake then? Bang goes the exercise eh?
Hi Sandhy.
ReplyDeleteBeen reading your blog and keeping up to date with how you're getting on - glad to hear you managed to get rid of the fishing line!! You are being so strong and positive it's really inspirational and I'm sure a huge help to women in the same position as you. Sending you and Andrew lots and lots of love.
Beth xxxxxx
hi Beth! Thanks babe, we know you two are also having a few problems, so our thoughts are with you as well - everything sorts itself eventually, never fear! :o]
ReplyDeleteSx