I am Siobhan's medulla oblongata

[the_siobhan]

Went to the gym today for my very first post-surgical workout. (Yes, all my mothers out there, I was careful.)

It went much better than I anticipated, although I'll still be sore tomorrow. I'm actually pretty happy with the way I've been healing.



When they took out my uterus it was so enlarged they pretty much had to cut me open from hip-to-hip. I couldn't even sit up on my own for about a week. Getting off the couch meant literally throwing myself sideways so I could crawl upright from my hands and knees.

I could walk though, and I am proud to say I was down at the pub the second day out of the hospital. :-)

The scar has since shrunk to slightly over a handspan -- about 8 inches long or so. It itches like a bastard, but so does the rest of my skin in the winter.

My belly has always been round, but now it kind of folds over at the point of the incision. I'm still not used to being shaped like this and I don't like it. I'm hoping that it will go away as my muscles regain their normal strength. I did some sit-ups today and doing the lower abdominal work was definitely the toughest part, and the most uncomfortable.

My attention span was that of a goldfish for a couple of weeks. I blame the anaesthetic. That seems to be completely back to normal again.

It took months to be able to walk at my normal speed. For what seemed like the longest time it felt like I was constantly tired and hungry. (How do normal people deal with the constant nagging?) The kind of physical stressors that I used to handle easily would instead drop me right on my ass for a cuple of days. Now my sleep and feeding patterns are almost back to normal -- I only need more than five hours of sleep about every third day, and although I still get hungry every day it's down to once a day.

I gained pots of weight while I was sitting on my ass, but it started slowly dropping off as soon as I went back to work. Now that I'm back to the gym again, I expect it won't take long before I'm back to normal.

And my cervix is gone. Just... gone.

That's weird.

Comments

[rufus.livejournal.com]

(How do normal people deal with the constant nagging?)

it isn't constant for normal people, from what I understand. I can't say I claim to be "normal people" in that dept. as I have a need to eat every 3-4 hours or I become . . . decidedly unpleasant. (hence, for me, the idea of eating only once a day is entirely befuddling; if I did that I simply wouldn't be able to function.) "Normal" is, i think, every 4-6 hours or so.

in any case I am glad you are feeling better!

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

Oh, I realize it isn't really constant. But since I'm not used to it, being reminded to eat every 4 hours had me thinking, "What? Again?"

[hobbitbabe.livejournal.com]

Do you have a strip along your surgical scar that you can't feel at all? P had that for a while (which was kinda freaky), and then later it got ticklish for a while.

I thought it was strange that removing an engorged organ full of lumpy bits made her belly get bigger, but that was temporary too. Now she is doing yoga again and is way firmer than I.

[baratron.livejournal.com]

My mum says that apparently in most operations they pump you full of air to unstick bits so they have room to move, and that after the operation the air stays trapped in you for a good couple of weeks.

I have no idea whether this is correct or if she's talking through her arse - my mum is like that with medicine: either knows more than the doctors or goes running off to some crystal-waving quack, but it sounds possible.

[theonetrinity.livejournal.com]

They do pump you full of air! And they also squirt in some kind of liquid goo to keep your bits from sticking together after the sew you back up. My doctor told me all this before she operated a fews months back.

gas ball

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

Yup. They warned me about that before they did my tubal.

The air tends to rise and gets trapped in the shoulders -- it causes little micro-cramps in the muscles, but that only lasts a couple of days.

hollow strip

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

I did, actually. A band that was numb because of the cut nerve endings. The doctor said they would grow back in about six months.

I completely forgot about that because I have all the feeling back. I didn't get the ticklish stage.

[redcountess]

If your skin on your abdomen doesn't tighten up with exercise would you consider plastic surgery?

About the incision, the one I had from the laperotomy was only a few inches wide, but it took me ages to be able to roll on my side unaided :-/

Oh, and vitamin e cream is your friend for the scar :-)

scarface

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

If your skin on your abdomen doesn't tighten up with exercise would you consider plastic surgery?

I'd consider it. I don't expect it to be too much of a problem though -- it's not the skin but the actual muscle that's floppy. It should tighten up fine once it's gotten over the trauma.

And a lot of it is plain ol' weight gain from sitting on my butt and eating like a horse. I have a very slow metabolism.


About the incision, the one I had from the laperotomy was only a few inches wide, but it took me ages to be able to roll on my side unaided :-/


I had to prop myself up with pillows to sleep on my side.


Oh, and vitamin e cream is your friend for the scar :-)


Thanks, I'll try that.

[snickerpuss.livejournal.com]

My scar runs up and down, from between my breasts straight down through my belly-button (which makes me wonder, were they just slicing and dicing, down there, or what?). But yes, depending on how I'm lying, my belly seems to fold in on the scar, too. It's like I'm cut in half. Er, which I was, I guess. It doesn't bother me, though. Maybe because it's not like I was a supermodel before the scar, you know? Actually, for a long time after the operation, I thought it would be cool to get the scar tattooed in some way, like a snake. But then I decided that that would just be dumb. Heh.

You scar sounds cool, though. You could take some lipstick, and draw a face on it, and contract your abs to make it like a funny mouth, talking! You could put a cigarette in your belly-button, and make him talk. I want pictures, now, please.

[2ndaryairplane.livejournal.com]

*sticks his hands forward and walks in a rocking motion* [rock-o-motion, yeah!]

braiiinzzzz... err i mean food! yeah food! i'm constantly hungry. even after i go to all you can eat places with my family, i'm still hungry. brai... err. i'm kinda putting it on ignore now. sometimes it works.

[2ndaryairplane.livejournal.com]

oh, yeah, checked for tools (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030115/ap_on_he_me/surgical_tools_1) lately? it's an actual study appearently. man, if anything goes wrong, i think i'll have to operate myself.

[theonetrinity.livejournal.com]

The scar from my laperotomy is two years old and it still itches like a bitch. It shrunk to a mere 3 inches long but still has very little feeling. The four scars from my laperoscopy in October are hardly noticable and don't bother me one bit. But with both surgeries I looked pregnant for a month... I even waddled like I was pregnant :)