Flashback to last summer, at my yearly appointment, my doctor told me that my uterus was enlarged and asked if she ever told me that before. I said no, and asked if that was a problem and she said well it could be, but some women just have a larger uterus. At this point, I had lost 30 lbs since I'd seen her last and she said that could've been what made it feel "larger". She said I was wasn't experiencing any other problems, so we would just write it down and wait until next year.
This August when I went for my appointment, she stated that my uterus felt even larger. I had lost another 40-50 lbs since coming to her last year, so I wasn't sure if that could be why. She asked if I could stay for an ultrasound, just to check and make sure there weren't any problems. The ultrasound tech discovered a cyst on my right ovary. She said it was most likely a "dermoid cyst". She said they can have hair and teeth .... (if you're feeling brave, google for pictures.)
After talking to the doctor on Friday afternoon before I would meet my kinders Monday, it was decided that this cyst needed to be removed. I was thinking this could be a routine surgery and I would possibly miss 1 or 2 days of work and be back to my kinders .... well, I was WRONG! When the Dr. told me it would be 4-6 weeks off of work, my chin might have hit the floor. I instantly went into "I can't have surgery because I'm a teacher" mode. There was no way I could miss that much time with my kinders ... couldn't it be pushed off until Winter Break .. or Summer?
It was like the Dr. could read my mind, because it was at this moment she said "this isn't an emergency situation, but since this cyst is so large, I wouldn't recommend waiting 6-12 months for removal."
Well, dang! Then my mind went to the wedding. Obviously, I had to be up and moving to be at the wedding in November so I brought that up to her. We began to discuss having it done before or after the wedding, and after discussion between Bill and I, we decided to plan the surgery for September 14. Two days after the bridal shower .... and 61 days before the wedding!
Enter panic teacher mode! Not only was it the beginning of the school year, but I spent all weekend crying, worrying, and searching for a perfect sub. By Sunday evening, I had a sub chosen and reserved for my leave! Before I even told my administrators about my surgery, I had already lined up a sub ... psycho teacher right there!
I spent the first four weeks of school getting to know my kinders, getting them set in routines and rituals, crazy planning for the time being gone, and worrying.... I'm not sure if I was more worried about having surgery or leaving my kinders for that long!
Of course, those first four weeks flew by. We had many discussions that I would be gone, and the substitute was sweet enough to come spend a day with us, so my kinders knew who she was and that she wasn't a witch! Thanks to the book "Miss Nelson is Missing".
The weekend of the shower came and went. It was full of family, friends, and fun but it just flew by! I went to bed the night before surgery worried and upset. I feared surgery, staying in the hospital, and all of it ... At 30 years old, I've never stayed in a hospital or even had surgery at all. The extent of my hospital visits were for a sprained foot, stitches and staples in my head.
As I lay there in the bed before they took me back for surgery, I was worried! Experiencing my first IV which wasn't fun and all these people coming in to ask the same questions ...
Right before they took me back, the Dr. came in and said "here we are to remove your right ovary and tube ... well, we hope the scans were right and it's the right one. If not, I promise to remove the bad one and keep the good one...." Way to make me feel a little uneasy before going in for this ...
Then they wheeled me to the operating room ... scary feeling! Big lights ... People all in scrubs all talking at the same time. They put the oxygen mask on me ... and next thing I know I was waking up in the recovery room. My fears of waking up in the middle of surgery didn't come true ... Thank goodness!
The first day/night in the hospital was the worst. I laid in bed all day and all night and I was soo tired of laying down! Thank goodness the nurse helped me to get out of bed in the morning and I spent the whole next day in the chair. I was up, walking around the halls, and finally able to eat "real food"! That night and the next day went just the same. I was never nauseous and didn't have much pain (probably because I could call the nurse every 4 hours for pain meds).
When the Dr. came in to discharge me, we talked more about surgery. She said that the cyst was very large! She cut a 7 in incision and said thankfully her hands were small because she had to stick both hands in to pull out the cyst, and had no wiggle room! This cyst was about the size of a grapefruit!
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My hospital stay was good! All of the nurses that I had were wonderful!
Surgery is over and now I'm home for the hard part ... recovery!
I'm not the type to sit and do nothing, but I'm finding how sore I get when I try to do too much. I now must find things to do that require sitting or not too much moving around. My online shopping may have increased (Sorry Bill), but what else can you do all day? haha!
I'll be much better when the swelling goes down, but all in all it wasn't a bad experience and I should be just fine on the wedding day!
I am so very thankful for:
-a skilled team of doctors and nurses which led to a successful surgery
-friends and family calling, visiting, sending notes and prayers
-friends and family bringing meals for us
-a sweet, cuddly pup to keep me company at home
-my mom for staying in the hospital with me and cooking for us
-Betsy for making the days in the hospital seem shorter by keeping me company
-Bill for everything he's done from sweeping and mopping the floors to bathing Peanut, to jumping at (almost) every beck and call!
I am so lucky to have so many wonderful people in my life to be there at a time of need. I also am lucky to continue to live a healthy life, because I know there's soo much more to live for!
