4 – My First Myomectomy

It’s now June 2007. A lot has transpired since 2005 when I first found out I had fibroids. Take a read through “My First Rude Awakening” and “The Art of Denial“.

Let’s get some medical terms out of the way:

What are Fibroids?

Fibroids are non-cancerous (benign) growths of the muscle wall of the uterus

What is a Myomectomy?

Myomectomy means the surgical removal of just the fibroid, with reconstruction and repair of the uterus. There are now a number of techniques used to perform myomectomy: through an abdominal incision, vaginal incision, with a laparoscope, or with a hysteroscope.

Source:http://www.fibroidsecondopinion.com/abdominal-myomectomy/

My first Myomectomy was scheduled for June 11, 2007. Prior to the surgery I had an interesting conversation with the doctor during the in-person consultation before the surgery. He said I needed to figure out how I would get pregnant within a year of having the surgery. I found it hilarious because I had just broken up with my boyfriend a few months prior so I was wondering how I would accomplish that because for me I would have to find a boyfriend, get engaged, get married and then get pregnant. All in one year, I chuckled and said “I don’t even have a boyfriend right now”. My Nigerian mom, who was sitting beside me just gave me “The Look” and I shut up.

It’s the day of surgery, I packed up and prayed for a quick recovery. They checked me in and took me to the OR with my camera in hand. One of the nurses complained and said this is a sterile environment and it would have to be taken out. The doctor appeased her and told her he said it was ok and he promised to have someone take a picture for me. I wanted to see the massive fibroid that had been making my life hell for over two years.

See the picture below for the notes from the surgery. For someone who keeps a record of almost everything, I can’t find the picture of the fibroid for the life of me. I do remember it. It was an almost perfect oblong pink like mass. Beside it were two smaller fibroids. The big fibroid was 15 cm making my uterus the size of  a 16-week pregnancy according to the doctor. Note that looking pregnant and the uterus being large are two different things. I didn’t look pregnant to most of my friends but I had a very hard pouch in my lower abdomen.

During the surgery, the doctor discovered a cyst on my appendix. He had to leave the OR to get consent from mom to remove the appendix since I was at risk for appendicitis. So I came out of surgery with one less organ. I am grateful I didn’t have to go back for an emergency appendectomy. In addition, I believe they left a very small fibroid that was in a difficult position to remove. So I was not completely fibroid-free after the surgery.

After the surgery, I had a complication. A couple of days after surgery, I noticed some redness around my incision and the swelling was not reducing and it hurt constantly even with pain medication. Well, it turned out I was bleeding beneath the closed (stapled) incision. The doctor came by and had to open up the incision and clean out the wound, pack it with gauze so I wouldn’t get an infection. He also said I would have to continue to have the cleaning done until the wound healed. This meant that the first  week after surgery when I was at home in Toronto, I had a nurse come to the house to clean the wound and change the dressing. I remember that my mom couldn’t watch this process. It was a mess.

So how did this happen? The doctor said I was too active in the hospital right after surgery. The on-call doctor said the small veins were not properly closed during surgery. Either way, I still think folks should only do as much activity as the nurses suggest or allow, don’t rush your recovery because you can re-injure yourself and complicate  your recovery.

Two weeks after surgery, I flew back to Calgary where I lived. This was a very uncomfortable flight. Please avoid air travel so soon after surgery.

Apart from having to go to the clinic to get my incision cleaned, I recovered well. I was supposed to be home for 8-9 weeks but I was so bored I begged the doctor to let me go back to work early so I got a release to return to work.

I didn’t know at the time that I was just about a week away from meeting my future husband. This is an interesting discussion because I know a lot of women who fear that the stigma associated with having fibroids could deter a man from considering a “serious” relationship. Well, I’ll say this to that fear, a man who can’t love you regardless of that reality will not be able to handle what else could result from a surgery like this. In my case, I told my husband right away. In fact, we met through friends who came to check on me as I recovered at home so it was an open secret. He knew from the day he met me.  This is why it’s important for both men and women to understand that having fibroids is not a death sentence and having a Myomectomy does not mean you can’t have children.

After my first Myomectomy, I felt like a new person. The symptoms, back pain, heavy bleeding, sharp abdominal pain, painful periods and severe anaemia were resolved. Suddenly, I remembered how it felt to be normal again.

I believe there are different solutions depending on your particular medical situation. From uterine fibroid embolization to more aggressive measures. Please get a second opinion if you are in doubt about your treatment plan.

Finally, I leave you with this – God says and means this “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭11:28‬ ‭NIV‬‬ http://bible.com/111/mat.11.28.niv

When you have a persistent illness or disease, it can wear you down and make you feel like you’re hauling this huge thing around all day and night (hence the post image). Find some rest in God even during the journey. Find some comfort with trustworthy friends if you can. Sometimes the journey is longer than anticipated as I soon find out when my fibroids started to recur.