Hello Blog and Goodbye Endometriosis
I think it's pretty obvious to see that I've been neglecting this blog for quite some time now, seeing that my last post was over a year ago.... But that's okay! I've decided to try something new out because no matter how hard I try, I'm sucking hard core at writing in my journal and too many memories that I want to record are slipping away. So I'm going to try and see if I get jump back on the blogging train and see if this works any better. Cross your fingers!
For quite some time now, I've been struggling with something called Endometriosis, which basically is where the tissue lining of your uterus ends up on the outside. Let me tell ya, it's no tea party and hurts like none other. A regular period is something long in the past and no matter how many Midol and ibuprofen I consume, it doesn't make a dent. Not to mention this happens about everything three weeks instead of four, so you can see my desire to get this taken care of. Also, fun fact for ya, both of my sisters and two of my aunts also have this disease, and all have had the same surgery that I was going to have. So there's that for you. I had been waiting to have this surgery for months because my doctor, Dr. Arrington, is pretty exclusive and it takes a long time to get an appointment with him. We made the initial appointment back in April and I finally got to meet with him at the end of August. Add another month and a half to that and we finally had gotten surgery scheduled! Time flew and the next thing I knew, I was being checked into the hospital and things were getting serious!
I had been on the whole liquid diet since Sunday and I thought I was going to drop, I was absolutely starving!! Plus the world hates me and the my period came 9 DAYS EARLY, so I was getting incredibly excited for that whole part when they knock me out and I get to be unconscious for a little bit. The hospital told me that things usually run behind schedule, but again the world is against me, and we got a call saying that they were ahead of schedule and we needed to get to the hospital as early as we could. Brad, my boyfriend, had made it to Melissa's house right when we had planned and after she stuck baby Devin in the car, we were off! I think Brad could tell that I was pretty nervous because he kept reaching forward and squeezing my hand or rubbing my arm. The biggest surgery I had ever gone through was my wisdom teeth and this was waaaaaaaay bigger than that. I honestly was just afraid he wasn't going to find anything and it was going to be a big waste of time and money. My hands were already shaking and my legs wouldn't hold still. I just wanted to get it over with!
We parked and began walking into the hospital, me clutching brad's hand the entire time and muttering under my breath. I got all checked in and then we waited until they called me back to start prepping. The nurses were all sweet though and made sure I felt comfortable and kept me smiling. Then came the time for me to get all gowned up and shiz started to get real! I put all my clothes in a bag and proceeded to don the gown and the socks. But the worst part of the entire thing was trying to pee in the dang freaking cup. They have to do a mandatory pregnancy test and when it comes to peeing under pressure, I just cant do it. I tried for at least 15 minutes before I got the gown on, thinking of rushing water falls and even turned on the faucet. Nothing!!!! Ughhhhhhhhh, it was driving me crazy and that didn't help at all. So the nurse brought me back to the room and they started to put in my IV's. I would take peeing in a cup over that any day, because there is nothing I hate more than needles. They were huge and it took the nurse a while to try and find it because I have wimpy veins to begin with. They put one in the crook of my right elbow, which wasn't too bad, and another closer to my wrist on my left arm. That one had me biting my lip and my eyes glued to the ceiling while Brad kept trying to distract me by making kissing sounds. Once I was done being a human pin cushion, back to the bathroom I went, IV bag and all so I could try and pee again, but alas it wasn't meant to be. I'm pretty sure someone saw my butt at one point because those gowns just don't want to stay closed. I must have been quite a sight to behold, shuffling through the halls in a huge blue gown, baggy gray socks, an IV bag in one hand connected to multiple needles with tubes running to the floor and me clutching my gown closed in the other. My doctor was ready to get started so they just said they would get the urine sample when they were in there. That's when things started to get crazy and people were all over the place. There was someone sticking wraps around my calfs to keep blood flowing while there was another people taking blood pressure and my respiratory rates. Then more people came in to take about three bottles of blood from me and another to stick my hair in a cap. Dr. Arrington came in with the anesthesiologist and they gave me a quick run down, asking more questions about allergies and any concerns I had. At this point my glasses were off, so everything was just a blur and Brad teased me about my squinting. But finally it was time to go and they wheeled me away to the operating room!
At this point I was pretty quiet, not saying much and trying to take in as much as I could. We got to the operating room and the first thing I thought was, " HOLY CRAP, IT'S FREEZING IN HERE" and I was immediately shaking. The nurses brought me over the the table and shifted me over, making sure I was centered and putting on plenty of blankets. Sensors were stuck on my chest and sides, while the blanket things on my legs were hooked up and I felt those begin to get warm. I kept thinking how crazy it was that there were so many people just for little ol' me! It was a little intimidating for sure! I was staring at everything around me, at the massive lights and beeping screens, it was a scene right out of Grey's Anatomy!!! That had me fan girling for a little bit haha. They injected the loopy juice and immediately the room began to tilt a little bit. Then a voice above me said it was time for the anesthesia and an oxygen mask was put over my nose and mouth. I took deep breaths and then I was out like a light.
The next thing I remember was my bed being wheeled into a port in the post-op section and more hands and people moving around me. Someone was sticking sensors on my sides again and oxygen tubes were stuck in my nose to make sure I was breathing. My eyes were roaming everywhere, trying to get a grasp of where I was and what was going on. I wasn't loopy or anything, but I was scared and freaking out internally for sure. My throat was aching because of the breathing tube they had stuck down there, so when I started to panic, I made these wheezing sounds and felt like I couldn't breathe. I was absolutely freezing again so I was shaking violently with my knees pulled up closer to my chest to try and combat the pain I felt in my abdomen. A nurse came over and asked about my pain levels, adding more blankets and injecting pain killers into my IV. I kept checking the clock and trying to calculate how long I was under. I later confirmed it with Missy and I was out for about an hour because Dr. Arrington was very thorough in making sure he got all of the disease. The nurse was back and helped me get a drink of water, asking again how my pain level was now that the pain killers had kicked in. I started out at a seven, but then I was down to a four which was a very pleasant adjustment. I kept asking the nurse how everything had gone and when I could see my family again, in which she replied soon and walked away to get me more water. I was finally on my own and the waterworks began, tears silently streaming down my face. I sat there probably for another ten minutes or so until a different nurse came to wheel me away to a different, more secluded spot. This nurse then proceeded to take off all the sensors and breathing tubes, helping me get up and shuffle to a different chair where more blankets were piled on. My family finally came back to my room and Brad was the first one in the door. Seeing him made me feel so happy/ scared again that I really started to sob and there were no stopping the tears this time. He kissed my forehead and wiped the tears away, saying that he was so proud of me and that everything went great. I honestly am so blessed to have him in my life. He was with me the whole step of the way and I wouldn't want anyone else by my side. Missy and Shaun came in a little bit after him and the nurse let me relax a little bit, making sure I got some food inside of me. Brad scooted a chair over to my bedside, holding my hand and rubbing my leg. After accomplishing a checklist of things like keeping food down and making sure I got my pain meds, I was able to get back into my regular clothes and they helped me into a wheelchair and wheeled me into the elevator. Brad was holding my hand while shaun and missy pulled the car around and I was very happy to get out of said elevator because not only did it make my nausea worse, but the little bumps at the end didn't feel too nice either. But I made it into the car and we were on our way home!
The car ride only worsened the nausea and it didn't go away until I was laying down in Kristi's bed and taking deep breathes. Brad laid down next to me and held my hand until I fell asleep and was able to rest for a little bit before moving from the bed to the recliner. Missy watched over me while Brad ran and got me all the food I wanted; Soup and a grilled cheese from Zupas and a smoothie from Jamba Juice. He spoils me so much and he waited on me hand a foot the rest of the day, helping me in and out of the chair and making sure I didn't fall over. He gave me plenty of forehead kisses and helped me relax while we binge watched Friends on Netflix for the rest of the day. I was sad when he left, but he had work bright and early and I needed to get some sleep. I was able to keep up on my pain meds for the majority of the night, but because my throat kept making those "honking" sounds from the breathing tube and it would scare me awake. I'm still in a bit of pain and I have a few scars to prove it, but overall it was a positive experience and I hope the endometriosis is gone for good!
For quite some time now, I've been struggling with something called Endometriosis, which basically is where the tissue lining of your uterus ends up on the outside. Let me tell ya, it's no tea party and hurts like none other. A regular period is something long in the past and no matter how many Midol and ibuprofen I consume, it doesn't make a dent. Not to mention this happens about everything three weeks instead of four, so you can see my desire to get this taken care of. Also, fun fact for ya, both of my sisters and two of my aunts also have this disease, and all have had the same surgery that I was going to have. So there's that for you. I had been waiting to have this surgery for months because my doctor, Dr. Arrington, is pretty exclusive and it takes a long time to get an appointment with him. We made the initial appointment back in April and I finally got to meet with him at the end of August. Add another month and a half to that and we finally had gotten surgery scheduled! Time flew and the next thing I knew, I was being checked into the hospital and things were getting serious!
I had been on the whole liquid diet since Sunday and I thought I was going to drop, I was absolutely starving!! Plus the world hates me and the my period came 9 DAYS EARLY, so I was getting incredibly excited for that whole part when they knock me out and I get to be unconscious for a little bit. The hospital told me that things usually run behind schedule, but again the world is against me, and we got a call saying that they were ahead of schedule and we needed to get to the hospital as early as we could. Brad, my boyfriend, had made it to Melissa's house right when we had planned and after she stuck baby Devin in the car, we were off! I think Brad could tell that I was pretty nervous because he kept reaching forward and squeezing my hand or rubbing my arm. The biggest surgery I had ever gone through was my wisdom teeth and this was waaaaaaaay bigger than that. I honestly was just afraid he wasn't going to find anything and it was going to be a big waste of time and money. My hands were already shaking and my legs wouldn't hold still. I just wanted to get it over with!
We parked and began walking into the hospital, me clutching brad's hand the entire time and muttering under my breath. I got all checked in and then we waited until they called me back to start prepping. The nurses were all sweet though and made sure I felt comfortable and kept me smiling. Then came the time for me to get all gowned up and shiz started to get real! I put all my clothes in a bag and proceeded to don the gown and the socks. But the worst part of the entire thing was trying to pee in the dang freaking cup. They have to do a mandatory pregnancy test and when it comes to peeing under pressure, I just cant do it. I tried for at least 15 minutes before I got the gown on, thinking of rushing water falls and even turned on the faucet. Nothing!!!! Ughhhhhhhhh, it was driving me crazy and that didn't help at all. So the nurse brought me back to the room and they started to put in my IV's. I would take peeing in a cup over that any day, because there is nothing I hate more than needles. They were huge and it took the nurse a while to try and find it because I have wimpy veins to begin with. They put one in the crook of my right elbow, which wasn't too bad, and another closer to my wrist on my left arm. That one had me biting my lip and my eyes glued to the ceiling while Brad kept trying to distract me by making kissing sounds. Once I was done being a human pin cushion, back to the bathroom I went, IV bag and all so I could try and pee again, but alas it wasn't meant to be. I'm pretty sure someone saw my butt at one point because those gowns just don't want to stay closed. I must have been quite a sight to behold, shuffling through the halls in a huge blue gown, baggy gray socks, an IV bag in one hand connected to multiple needles with tubes running to the floor and me clutching my gown closed in the other. My doctor was ready to get started so they just said they would get the urine sample when they were in there. That's when things started to get crazy and people were all over the place. There was someone sticking wraps around my calfs to keep blood flowing while there was another people taking blood pressure and my respiratory rates. Then more people came in to take about three bottles of blood from me and another to stick my hair in a cap. Dr. Arrington came in with the anesthesiologist and they gave me a quick run down, asking more questions about allergies and any concerns I had. At this point my glasses were off, so everything was just a blur and Brad teased me about my squinting. But finally it was time to go and they wheeled me away to the operating room!
At this point I was pretty quiet, not saying much and trying to take in as much as I could. We got to the operating room and the first thing I thought was, " HOLY CRAP, IT'S FREEZING IN HERE" and I was immediately shaking. The nurses brought me over the the table and shifted me over, making sure I was centered and putting on plenty of blankets. Sensors were stuck on my chest and sides, while the blanket things on my legs were hooked up and I felt those begin to get warm. I kept thinking how crazy it was that there were so many people just for little ol' me! It was a little intimidating for sure! I was staring at everything around me, at the massive lights and beeping screens, it was a scene right out of Grey's Anatomy!!! That had me fan girling for a little bit haha. They injected the loopy juice and immediately the room began to tilt a little bit. Then a voice above me said it was time for the anesthesia and an oxygen mask was put over my nose and mouth. I took deep breaths and then I was out like a light.
The next thing I remember was my bed being wheeled into a port in the post-op section and more hands and people moving around me. Someone was sticking sensors on my sides again and oxygen tubes were stuck in my nose to make sure I was breathing. My eyes were roaming everywhere, trying to get a grasp of where I was and what was going on. I wasn't loopy or anything, but I was scared and freaking out internally for sure. My throat was aching because of the breathing tube they had stuck down there, so when I started to panic, I made these wheezing sounds and felt like I couldn't breathe. I was absolutely freezing again so I was shaking violently with my knees pulled up closer to my chest to try and combat the pain I felt in my abdomen. A nurse came over and asked about my pain levels, adding more blankets and injecting pain killers into my IV. I kept checking the clock and trying to calculate how long I was under. I later confirmed it with Missy and I was out for about an hour because Dr. Arrington was very thorough in making sure he got all of the disease. The nurse was back and helped me get a drink of water, asking again how my pain level was now that the pain killers had kicked in. I started out at a seven, but then I was down to a four which was a very pleasant adjustment. I kept asking the nurse how everything had gone and when I could see my family again, in which she replied soon and walked away to get me more water. I was finally on my own and the waterworks began, tears silently streaming down my face. I sat there probably for another ten minutes or so until a different nurse came to wheel me away to a different, more secluded spot. This nurse then proceeded to take off all the sensors and breathing tubes, helping me get up and shuffle to a different chair where more blankets were piled on. My family finally came back to my room and Brad was the first one in the door. Seeing him made me feel so happy/ scared again that I really started to sob and there were no stopping the tears this time. He kissed my forehead and wiped the tears away, saying that he was so proud of me and that everything went great. I honestly am so blessed to have him in my life. He was with me the whole step of the way and I wouldn't want anyone else by my side. Missy and Shaun came in a little bit after him and the nurse let me relax a little bit, making sure I got some food inside of me. Brad scooted a chair over to my bedside, holding my hand and rubbing my leg. After accomplishing a checklist of things like keeping food down and making sure I got my pain meds, I was able to get back into my regular clothes and they helped me into a wheelchair and wheeled me into the elevator. Brad was holding my hand while shaun and missy pulled the car around and I was very happy to get out of said elevator because not only did it make my nausea worse, but the little bumps at the end didn't feel too nice either. But I made it into the car and we were on our way home!
The car ride only worsened the nausea and it didn't go away until I was laying down in Kristi's bed and taking deep breathes. Brad laid down next to me and held my hand until I fell asleep and was able to rest for a little bit before moving from the bed to the recliner. Missy watched over me while Brad ran and got me all the food I wanted; Soup and a grilled cheese from Zupas and a smoothie from Jamba Juice. He spoils me so much and he waited on me hand a foot the rest of the day, helping me in and out of the chair and making sure I didn't fall over. He gave me plenty of forehead kisses and helped me relax while we binge watched Friends on Netflix for the rest of the day. I was sad when he left, but he had work bright and early and I needed to get some sleep. I was able to keep up on my pain meds for the majority of the night, but because my throat kept making those "honking" sounds from the breathing tube and it would scare me awake. I'm still in a bit of pain and I have a few scars to prove it, but overall it was a positive experience and I hope the endometriosis is gone for good!
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| The "Before Surgery" picture. Look how happy I look! |
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| This is the "Post Surgery" picture, I'm a lot less happy and all sorts of drugged up haha |
SO glad you are blogging again! hope your recovery is speedy. Also I only met that boy once and I really liked him but this post made me even that much more solid on team Brad. Love you Kalli!!!
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