Surgery

So this last miscarriage turned out to be a little more serious. My hcg hormone levels were not dropping like they should have so the doctor was concerned that it was an ectopic pregnancy where the embryo had settled in my fallopian tube. If my HCG was not down significantly by Wednesday, I was going in for emergeny surgery.

So Friday I did. No eating or drinking for 12 hours prior and I was to have a laproscopic surgery and D&C. We arrived at the hospial at about 7:45 am. The nurses took my vitals, my blood, did an EKG and asked me many consent questions and then I waited to be moved to the next area. So I read and Justin did his word search. At about 9:30 am my driver arrived and brought me to the pre-op area where I met the nurse in charge, Doloros. She asked me many more questions about allergies and such and about my surgery that I did not know the answers to. Then I met my OR nurse Dennis and my Anestesiologist Dr. Mulligan. They were both great and real advocates to make sure I knew everything that was going to happen to me because my doctor was not especially clear in his orders. My doctor then arrived and he explained everything and everyone was on the same page. He was going to take care of the possible ectopic and also explore around to gain more information for a next try at IVF.

Then I was wheeled into the OR. I was transfered to another table and then I don't remember anything. I do know that I was given a paralytic and was intubated--I have a scratchy throat from that. I was also cathederized, so some burning for the next 48 hours--fun. The doctor made three incisions: one at my belly botton, and two on left and right sided on mmy lower abdomen just above my pubic bone. The ectopic was in my right fallopian tube and it was close to bursting--that would have been very bad. I no longer have a right fallopian tube. In the exploration, the doctor also found that I have some pretty extensive endometriosis. So he cleared out as much as he could and will give me a medication to dry up the rest. He took lots of pictures of my insides that I will see on Monday at a follow up visit. The surgery took 55 minutes but I was still out for about another hour or so.

I woke up in a post-op area on oxygen and I think the first thing I said was I was nauseous, so they put something in my IV. I had the most pain on my right side so they gave me some demerol. I wanted to lay on my side, but they would not let me, so I just brought my knees up. They had things on my legs to keep circulation going. The nurse taking care of me was very nice, but I don't remember her name if she said it to me. I was sort of in and out for the next 45 minutes I think. My oxygen levels kept dropping and she had to keep reminding me to take deep breathes--I guess demerol slows down your breathing. Finally, she took out my IV's, took the things off my legs and the blood pressure thing off my arm. I was ready to get dressed, I was a little unsteady on my feet. But I managed dressing and then was put in a wheelchair and wheeled out to Justin and my mom to the waiting car.

The drive home was uncomfortable, but we made it. I laid down the rest of the day and took percocet. Today I am not having much pain. I can take off the bandages in a few hours and finally have a shower. Then I think I am going for a pedicure with my mom.