Hey girl hey! So let’s talk post-op shenanigans. My recovery was 6 weeks per doctor’s orders but it still took me longer to get back to my norm—which actually meant finding a new norm for myself. After I got home from the hospital I had to follow the discharge plan to help ensure I had a smooth recovery. One of the main things was to make sure my incision did not tear or get infected. This included keeping the incision site clean and dry, not lifting anything heavy, no swimming or doing strenuous exercises or activities—including sex. Yes, you’ll have to hold off on that for a while as well. It is also recommended not to use tampons, take baths, soak in a hot tub due to risk of infection. As always be sure to have these convos with your doctor as each person’s situation may be different.
Sooo I’m not one hundred percent sure how they patched my uterus up, but I do know they used something called peri/steri-strips which is a fairly new way of closing the incision instead of having staples or stitches. Over time the strips eventually fall off as the incision heals. I was also given an elastic wrap that I had to wear daily when moving around. The wrap had to be pulled tight around my waist and lower stomach to help with my posture. Very similar to what a girdle does. Plus it keeps you “snatched-ish” and helps you not to hurt yourself with any sudden movements or tear your incision.
Throughout my healing process I realized how important rest is when recovering from a surgery. After about 3 weeks I felt fine and thought I could be superwoman and then ended up in a lot of pain. I’ve also experienced a numbing sensation in the lower part of my stomach. It’s been almost 8 months since my surgery and I still feel numb in that area. However, I cannot stress enough, BE PATIENT with yourself! I know we may feel like we want to hop back into the swing of things at full capacity but it does more damage rushing into things.
After a few weeks of healing I pulled up to my doctor’s office excited for my post op appointment. The pain was subsiding and I felt like the worst was over. Although it was…I had another hurdle to get over. Fibroids are usually benign tumors but doctors still run pathology tests to make sure your cleared for any issues. Well—my pathology tests showed that I possibly had a rare genetic condition called HLRCC—also known as Hereditary Leiomyomatosis and Renal Cell Cancer. HLRCC is a rare genetic disorder that causes smooth muscle growths/tumors on the skin and uterus but is also linked to an increased risk of developing kidney cancer. Yea panic mode was on 10 again. My doctor stated that it’s probably nothing but she wanted to be sure and referred me for further genetic testing. I also had to nephrologist to examine my kidneys to make sure they were functioning properly. HLRCC was so rare the nephrologist did not really understand the condition. Long story short, I completed a series of doctors appointments after that and glory to God, I don’t have that familial cancer gene. The genetics specialist stated that in rare cases, that gene can sometimes turn on but not be linked to cancer. It’s extremely complicated but I’m grateful that it was ruled out and all of my cancer panels came back negative!
I still had to continue with iron infusions because my hemoglobin was low prior to surgery and I lost blood during my operation. Once I completed the 6 weeks of infusion treatment I would have to get additional blood tests to make sure my hemoglobin was back to normal and thank God they were. Once I completed everything my health did a 180—I felt remarkably different. I remember walking out the doctor’s office after my final infusion saying, “yooo this what quality of life feels like?!” I was missing out for a long time but whew, I’m happy this is behind me.
Interesting fact that I forgot to mention, is that I literally noticed an immediate difference with my period hours after surgery. The day of my procedure I was on my cycle and bleeding extremely heavy but once the surgery was complete it was remarkably lighter!
I am super blessed to have the support of friends and family that got me through this journey because I definitely could not do this alone 🙂
