Total Hysterectomy in 2018

It had been years since I last updated this blog. The only update I have now is not even current. See, in 2018, my symptoms had been bothering me yet again. In June 2018, I yet again had been bleeding erratically, prompting my OB to advise me to get another dilation and curettage (D&C) procedure. So I had one back then. Once you have D&C, it's presupposed that one's bleeding would stop for a time. However, mine didn't. I continue to experience bleeding symptoms despite having the procedure and taking meds to stop the bleeding. My OB then advised me to consider doing the ultimate cure if bleeding continues to be an issue for me. I was nearing my 39th birthday then. Years prior, I made the decision to have my uterus taken out by age 40. As a single woman, my thought process was age 40 is a sufficient age for me to make that decision of giving up the thought of bearing a child. At that ripe age, I won't regret giving up my beautiful U, as it's now past or close to end of child-bearing age. When I was first diagnosed at 23 (with symptoms that started at age 12), I was told that the only way I skip experiencing the symptoms that I had then was if I have my uterus taken out. My symptoms would also stop altogether when I hit menopause. My mother had her menopause at age 45. I thought I could wait out another six years and wait for menopause myself to hit me in the off chance that I will have it at the same time my mother did. That way, I just let the whole process take its natural course without going under the knife. However, near late September of that year, I began to experience what felt like worsening symptoms. I remember there was one time that my symptoms hit me hard while I was at work. I was bleeding heavily that I remember going inside our office's CR cubicle around past 1 PM and stayed there for hours. I just waited out for clumps of blood to get out of my system. I tried changing pads but before twenty minutes or so pass, my pad was soaked yet again. Thus, as was my previous experience, once the clumps of blood start to come out, it would take another hour or so before the bleed becomes manageable. It truly felt like I was having spontaneous abortion with the amount of blood coming out of me. So yeah, I waited out the episode in the CR. Near our break time at 3:15 PM, I gathered courage to come out of the cubicle to grab my Gatorade and Hemostan pill to hopefully stop the bleeding. I remember coming out of the CR nearing 4 PM. I initially wanted to do undertime. But I was thinking perhaps I could wait another two hours and resume work and perhaps extend work for the hours I skipped while in the CR. Perhaps the Hemostan will start kicking and the bleeding won't be as bad. However, when 6 o'clock came, I started to feel faint. I didn't think I could extend hours. So I decided to hit the CR again to change pads in preparation for my travel for home.

I guess I lost too much blood then because the moment I reached our building's lobby area, I felt dizzy, and I didn't think I could walk much further to where I could wait for a taxi. I knew that if I take any further steps, I might pass out. I've passed out before so I knew then when it's about to hit me. My vision started to blur. So I stopped walking and did some deep yoga breathing. Anyway, our building had steps. I decided to sit there, hoping to flag a taxi. Unfortunately, I didn't see any taxi that pass by. I don't know what prompted me, but a thought just came to me to text my brother who works at UP, mere minutes away from IT Park. Honestly, I didn't think my brother would still be there since I know with certainty that he always leaves work around 5:00 or 5:30 PM. I guess out of desperation, I texted my brother if he's still around and ask to be picked up. My brother new of my symptoms, so perhaps him receiving a text from me he knew then that I was having it worse. Thankfully, I did reach him before he left for home. So yeah, he picked me up then. Upon getting in the car, he asked if I wanted to be taken to Cebu Doc's emergency. I said no because I thought I would just sleep it off. In my mind, I didn't want to be poked again and just be given Hemostan to stop the bleeding and some pain pills to manage the pain. I thought I didn't want to be subjected to unnecessary hassles in the ER and be subjected to tests, not to mention the embarrassment of being physically checked yet again and doubted about your sexual activity. With the number of times I've been poked by a speculum in previous hospital visits and having done D&C procedures twice, OB interns or residents usually gave me skeptical looks when I answer that I've never been sexually active, and thus, there was no chance that I'm having a miscarriage from pregnancy. How can I be pregnant without intercourse!
Back at home, I continue to bleed still heavily. After two or three days' rest, when I was confident that I could visit my doctor without incident, I went to her clinic to update her of what was happening to me the past few days and made the decision to finally take the step of having a hysterectomy. My doctor informed me that if I don't do hysterectory, she expected me to have D&C procedure every year to monitor the hyperplasia I apparently now have. As I didn't want to be subjected to that yearly procedure, I decided with finality to take the hysterectomy route. So my OB gave me presurgical orders and asked me to undergo usual tests like EKG, x-ray, and other blood test to ensure I'm healthy to undergo the procedure. Once she had the results of the tests she ordered, she scheduled me to have the operation after two weeks. My blood result wasn't too good. She wanted to ensure that I was not anemic by the time she has the operation. So she checked my blood test result again and gave me the go ahead for the procedure. She explained to me what she'll do like taking out my whole reproductive system except for my ovaries. My ovaries were healthy, so she wanted to leave it out so I will still have hormones and let menopause hit its natural course. Of course, I won't be bleeding after the procedure with the uteruse taken out, but at least I will still ovulate with my ovaries still intact.
The procedure I had was called total hysterectomy where the uterus, fallopian tubes, and cervix were removed. She had me open vertically, explaining that she couldn't do the bikini-line cut as she had to ensure that I didn't have adhesions in other organs. After the procedure, she explained that I not only had adenomyosis but also had a mild case of endometriosis as she found some adhesions (although very minimal) in my large intestines. She explained that my uterus was the size of a two-month pregnant woman, and it was pushing on my bladder, explaining the intermittent incontinence I also experienced then.
In any case, I had myself checked in the hospital Monday afternoon, was prepped the entire night for the 6 AM procedure. However, my operation was pushed to 10 AM because my doctor had an emergency surgery. So yeah, I was put under the knife around 10 AM. I remember counting from 10 backward and only reached 7 or 8, and I was out. The next thing I remember was waking up around 12 noon in the recovery room. Haha, I remember overhearing a husband talking to a nurse about having her wife stay much longer at the recovery room rather than being transfered to a ward, while waiting for a private room to be available. The nurse informed the husband that it's okay if they should wait out at the recovery room but should remember that staying past the usual time at the recovery room will cost them PhP2,000 per hour. Kamahal! I remember willing myself to make my legs move before the 2 PM deadline, as I didn't want to extend staying at the recovery room and pay PhP2,000 each hour I extend. Prior to surgery, I was informed by the surgery nurse to expect my legs to be numb and may not move right away because of the anesthesia. Until the effects of the anesthesia wears of, it's the only time I will be brought back to my own room. Haha, that conversation between the husband and another nurse truly motivated me to will my legs to work. Although, the effects of anesthesia really just wears off on its own, and functionality on the legs resume without you needing to do anything.
With the procedure done, the recovery struggle begins. I stayed at the hospital until Saturday. My doctor said that I was good to be discharged on Friday, but since my sister was only available on Saturday, we decided to be discharged the next day. The recovery was yet another struggle. I was off work for two months to fully recover. When I had my D&C last June, my doctor advised me to not report to work for a month. But after two weeks, I went back to work. So this time, my doctor insisted that I follow advice and take the required two months to fully recover.
As of writing, I'm totally bleed-free akin to having early menopause. It's almost three years now since I had the surgery back in October 8, 2018. Honestly, sometimes I thought back to when I was first diagnosed at 23. Perhaps I should have gotten the procedure then and spare myself 17 years of intermittent agony and expense. But back then, I remember that most OB I consulted that time refused to have me do hysterectomy in consideration of my young age then. Most were hesitant saying that I might someday want to have children and taking that procedure will not reverse things. My life possibly would have taken a different turn had I not have the symptoms I then had. But then again I may not have forgiven myself if I gave up on having that child-bearing years so easily. Whatever the case, I believe things happen at the right time in God's time.