Uterine Polyp Removal and D&C

 Uterine Polyp Removal and D&C

 

    On July 11^th, about a week after the bronchoscopy, I would have the procedure.  It had to be done in the hospital OR as I was a more complex case due to the lung transplant and they wanted to make sure I could be easily taken care of in case of an emergency. My mom took me to the hospital as we needed to arrive by 12:30pm. My procedure was scheduled for 2:30. I got checked in quickly and did my urine test.  Then I got changed and had to wipe my body down with 6 separate medicated cloths. Then I put my gown and socks on. They swabbed each of my nostrils with two separate betadine swabs each. I never had that done before. They said it helps to prevent infection from being in the hospital. The procedure was delayed by 45 minutes. That’s really not too bad for such a late procedure. The room had been ready since I got to the triage at 1pm.  I’m not entirely sure what the hold up was. Anesthesia had seen me and I signed all the paperwork. They said I had to wait for my doctor to come but when she came, she said they told her the procedure was delayed. Perhaps there was some miscommunication I don’t know. In the meantime, a student came by and told me she would be watching the procedure. I asked if she would be doing an exam as I heard when you are having procedures or surgeries in teaching hospitals, they often let a team of people practice gynecologic exams on patients without their consent. She said she would just be watching, but I really didn’t like the sound of that. If it was almost any other procedure, I would be fine with it but I’d be in a compromising position and in a vulnerable state and I really didn’t like it. She said the doctor would talk to me and I’d need to sign a consent. The doctor did come in and talk to me and I thought she’d mention it or I’d see the form but I never did. As a nurse came to wheel me into the OR, I told her I did not consent to the student watching the procedure. She said she completely understood and told my doctor. When I got to the operating room, the doctor wasn’t there yet but the student was. Immediately, the nurse told her she had to leave and talk to my doctor. When my doctor came in, she explained it was perfectly fine that I didn’t want anyone watching and that was my right. They got me prepared and then administered the meds. When I came to, I was so tired, I could barely open my eyes. But whenever I’m recovering after a procedure I try to wake up as soon as I can. I don’t know why. My nurse saw me opening my eyes and took me to another room where I was given juice and a piece of poundcake. You needed to drink and eat before you could leave. You also needed to pee, and boy did I have to pee badly! It wasn’t long before I was discharged. I actually felt pretty good after the procedure. I had the mildest of cramps; barely noticeable. When I got home, I made sure to hydrate and eat.  My kidney needed to be flushed after having almost no fluids all day. That night I had trouble falling asleep. I felt wired. Actually, I felt amazing!  I had tons of energy. I wished I could always feel so energized. After a few hours, I fell asleep. I woke up early the next day and felt amazing still! I got up, showered, and went for a walk at the park. It was 9:30am when I finished the first lap and my nurse was coming over at 10am to flush my port. She’s usually a little late due to traffic, but last time she came a little early so I decided one lap would have to do. I took the slightly longer way home.  I decided to start my laundry and before I could, my nurse had arrived 15 minutes early. This energy followed me throughout the day. It was fantastic! I did decide not to go to gentle yoga even though it probably would’ve been fine. I didn’t want to stir anything up inside.

    I didn't get my period for about 5 weeks. When it came back, it came back with a vengeance. Once again, I was passing frequent, large clots. I grew concerned quickly and phoned the gynocologist's office. It was after hours but they picked up. They told me to come by and pick up some samples of birth control and and a script I could fill. So, I have been taking the birth control for now and all is well. It did seem to give me diarrhea which I remedied by adding iron to my daily meds. Iron is pretty constipating and I had been put on it a few months ago but stopped after only a few days due to how badly it can constipate me. Now, everything seems to be evened out and my bowel movements are normal.