My Endometrial Ablation {update 11/12}

If you don't want to hear about this then move right along...

I was really anxious yesterday morning. I think only people who knew me fairly well could tell. Or maybe not. Probably most medical personnel can figure out that deliberate, deep, calm breathing is a sign that you are coping with some tension.

Anyway, I had the procedure done a place called a "hospital" but isn't like a REAL hospital. It is a physician-owned facility where they do out-patient diagnoses and surgeries. They have 9 beds for over-night stays. I don't know if those beds are just for people who unexpectedly need more care of if they ever schedule procedures which require it. I do know that I signed a form saying that I needed to know that though highly trained medical personnel were always available, there wasn't a physician on duty 24/7. Anyway, it is supposed to be less expensive than a REAL hospital and they have anesthesiologist. I could have done it in the doctor's office but that would have meant getting "something to help with the pain" but being wide awake. Sorry, but um, no.

So. I got there. I signed forms. Roland went back to the getting-ready place with me. They took blood. Asked me how I was. The physician and the anesthesiologist both visited. Everyone answered my questions, though I didn't really have any. I was there for a hysteroscopy, D&C, and ablation. Just before taking me in the nurse asked if I understood what what the doctor was going to do. I said, "Look, scrape and burn." She and the anesthesiologist laughed and they agreed that that summed it up pretty accurately.

Anyway they rolled me into the OR. There was some conversation and then the next thing I knew I was in recovery and the nurse was asking me how I felt. I hung out in the bed for a while and they told me that if I was ready to get dressed I could go sit in the chair and my husband could sit with me. I had wore sweats and the recovery nurse really appreciated that. She and the other nurse talked about the evils of button-fly jeans.

I dressed with only a little help. They gave me a snack (I selected hot tea and graham crackers). They offered me pain meds. All I experienced was mild cramping so I just took some over-the-counter stuff.

Then I left. I got there at 9:00am and left just before 1:00.

By the time I got home I felt fine. A little more relaxed and happy then I would normally be, which I figured was the drugs. I had some lunch and then lay down to read...and woke up 3 hours later.

I haven't had any pain med since the dose of over-the-counter stuff they gave me there. I'm not being brave or anything. I just don't hurt. I was bleeding when I went in and though they warned me that I might have spotting for up to two weeks, so far it is far lighter than what I had going in.

I just called the nurse to ask if I was supposed to be taking anything because I thought the doc said something about antibiotics. She said that I should have had that in the IV, but she would double-check. I also told her I felt really good. She laughed and said not to over-do it though. It was a little unclear to me exactly what might happen, but I don't need much encouragement to be lazy.

So all's good.

Well, they say I can't take a bath or have sex for 2 weeks. I'm finding the no-bath thing to be really disappointing. In the bathroom next to my bedroom there is an 80 year-old claw foot tube with a hand shower. In order to take a real shower I have to go to the boys' level and use their bathroom. It's sort of gross. I haven't decided whether I will just kneel in the bath tub and use the hand shower or if I will brave the boys' bathroom.

Um...I'll probably kneel in the bath.

I whined to the nurse about the bath thing. She made sure I did hear her when she said the part about no sex. Yeah, honey. I've been married for 24 years and I have been bleeding 60% of the time for the past 9 months. No sex for two weeks? Wow. I probably should not go sky diving either.

Update 11/12:
Okay, so I currently am discouraged. I had light bloody discharge for two weeks. Then I had a yellowish discharge for another four. The doctor said that was normal. Over the weekend, about seven weeks after the procedure, I started very light spotting again. Actually, it might be more light a small amount of blood-stained, otherwise clear/white, discharge.

They OB/GYN Guy said that we wouldn't know if it "worked" until 3 months. Of course "worked" is subjective in this case. Many women have ablations because they are having very heavy periods. After the procedure, they count having light periods as a success. I was spotting more than half the time with no discernible pattern. The spotting I am doing right now is even lighter than before, but I'm not sure what would count as success for me.

So, I'm sighing here. I guess I just need to wait a few more weeks and then figure out what, if anything, I want to do.