One Week Post-Surgery: How Am I Feeling?
After surgery
The Surgery
It’s been one week since I’ve had my surgery. How am I feeling? For the most part, I feel great. My stomach is still a little sore in some places, but overall, I’m doing well. Surgery went well. I underwent a laparoscopy. A laparoscopy is a minimally invasive surgery performed through the abdomen. Dr. Fogwell is a professional at using the Da Vinci Robot, a surgical tool commonly used during non-invasive procedures. He made four small incisions in my stomach—one of them through my belly button.
After making the incisions, Dr. Fogwell filled my abdomen with gas so he could maneuver around my organs. He checked my ovaries and my uterus, and then placed my transabdominal cerclage. A transabdominal cerclage is a stitch placed around the cervix through the abdomen rather than vaginally.
Easy peasy.
Incompetent but hopeful – child loss
(These are my scars: one through my belly button, one on the side of my abdomen, and two along my bikini line. The shiny, crusty-looking stuff is the surgical glue peeling.)
Post-Surgery
I can’t remember falling asleep, but I do remember waking up. I was extremely tired and groggy—so much so that I could barely keep my eyes open. They removed my breathing tube and catheter, and I’m so thankful I was still under anesthesia during that process because I absolutely would’ve freaked out otherwise.
I remember them telling me to breathe. I’m not entirely sure why, but I do remember trying to force myself to swallow after they removed the breathing tube. My throat was incredibly dry, and after a few attempts, I gave up. Once I was out of recovery, they moved me back to my room where my husband was waiting.
Before I could be discharged, I had to use the restroom. They wanted to make sure I could pee on my own. It took a while because I could barely stay awake long enough to drink fluids. It ended up taking about four to five hours—and let me tell you, it hurt. The stinging was intense. I had never experienced anything like it before.
Going Home
After leaving the hospital, we stopped to pick up my prescriptions, grabbed some food, and then headed home. As soon as we got there, I went straight to bed. I stayed in bed for the first two days and finally moved to the couch on the third day. I slept most of the time. By day four, though, I was up and moving around just fine.
The pain was tolerable. It wasn’t too bad. My stomach felt sore, similar to how you feel after an intense ab workout—just that deep muscle soreness. To stay pain-free, I had to avoid coughing, sneezing, and laughing, which honestly wasn’t too hard since I was sleeping all day anyway.
One issue I ran into was constipation. I knew this might happen, so I tried to prevent it by taking a stool softener and Gas-X. Let me tell you—none of that worked. I still ended up constipated. It took me about six days to finally have a bowel movement, and I definitely needed Jesus. LOL.
Gratitude & What’s Next
Thank you to everyone who checked on me after my surgery. And thank you to those who continuously read my blogs—it truly means more than you know.
My hubby and I will be traveling to Thailand at the beginning of March, so be on the lookout for a blog post about our adventures in Phuket.
Much love to you all,
Mrs. Goodwin
