This has been a good week for me.  I truly feel "back to normal" when it comes to soreness and fatigue.  My scars are healing well and the swelling and minimal bruising that I did have is just about gone.  

I have lost some of my muscle tone in my midsection due to inactivity and the fact that I had a "major surgery" in that area only 2 weeks ago today. Overall, I'm WAY more excited about getting back to my normal routine in a few weeks than I thought I would be.  

I had no idea "how much" this surgery would effect my body.  I wasn't sure how much pain I'd be in.  What kind of swelling would happen to me?  I knew we are all different.  

Externally, I've healed super quickly.  On the flip side, internally isn't healing as fast as my doc would like. 

A little less swelling. Minimal bruising. Hardly any pain. Definitely quick to fatigue. Down almost 5 lbs. 

Overall...I'll take that as a HUGE WIN! 

My number one celebration is:
NO HEARTBURN OR INDIGESTION.....AT ALL! 

That alone makes my entire surgery recovery process worth it to me. The last 2 years have been completely exhausting when it came to my bowels and analyzing my food intake. 

Eviction Day! 5:23am...waiting nervously to get on with the surgery that I had built up, read about, watched videos on, etc. 
 
I had joined support groups on Facebook and knew what to expect...but everyone is so different...so "what would MY situation turn out like?"

THAT is what was going through my head.

5:30am  - I got taken back to get dressed, start the IV, talk with the doctor, talk with the anesthesiologist, talk with the nursing staff...you name it...I talked with them.  

And..what did they all ask me...What surgery I was having?  Just to make sure everyone was on the same page. I was glad there was so much repetition.  Crossing all the t's, dotting all the i's.

7:15am - They said "it's time". And...they meant it...it was no time before I was back in the surgery room (BRRR...was it freaking cold in there!)

I gave my last hugs to Tony and my mom and dad (shed a few tears out of nowhere) and BOOM...it was time to get this thing rolling.

I don't remember much except those nurses and docs were buzzing around in the fastest organized chaos I had seen.  They all had a job to do and it was like a well oiled machine.  

​We talked about my low blood pressure being healthy and within 10 seconds...sleepy time for me. 

9:45am - I woke up in the Recovery room. Some people have stories about being silly, or saying funny things.  Some have stories of being angry or super emotional. Not me...

I literally woke up - and immediately asked the nurse "Did they have to cut into my abdomen?". Her answer was NO! (Thank GOD!)

Question #2 - "Did I get to keep my ovaries?" Answer: YES! (Praise the Lord!)

Both things I was sooo nervous for ended up working out in my favor. At that point, I let out a huge sigh of relief and knew that I was going to be OK! God had been with Dr. Badman and the entire staff. 

From there - I was met by my day shift nurse, Brittany. She consistently checked on me throughout the day. All my vitals, compression socks that were for prevention of blood clots, and of course...emptying my production from the catheter that had been inserted during surgery. 

That was a new one for me - I had never had that before. It took me some getting used to - but after a few it was kinda nice to not need to go to the bathroom for once. 

My family kept me company and tried to make my stay enjoyable. I even got some super sweet gifts from our girls later in the evening. 

8:00pm - Dinner time. I wasn't really hungry AT ALL! I ordered some jello, fruit, and soup. But I really only ate the jello and some of the fruit. 

My appetite just wan't there. At that time, and many nurse visits later I chose to try and sleep through the night. 

I could until 4:00am. And then...the final thing I was nervous about...taking the catheter out...needed to happen.

My nurse was super nice and explained everything to me...before I knew it...it was out.  Wasn't bad at all! Boom...once again. I knew I was going to be OK! 

8:00am Thursday - Breakfast time!
One of the requirements to be able to be discharged was...to eat food and keep it down. 

Well, I wasn't that hungry yet. But I stuck to my Mindset philosophy and ordered some protein and carbs for my meal.  50/50 is what I always follow for breakfast. Success...I kept it down with no issues. 

What was the final part of being able to be discharged....1. Peeing on my own.  2. Passing gas.

Well, I had the passing gas part down. That was definitely something I had heard would be an issue since they fill you with gas during the procedure. 

My bladder...took a bit longer to wake up before I could use the restroom on my own. But, eventually...I was cleared to go home. 

10:30am - Ready to move on and the get the Road to Recovery started. And yes...I was able to see what my fibroids looked like.  So glad these ugly suckers are out of me and my body can function like it's supposed to from now on. 

The past 2 years have made me suffer enough.

Stay tuned for how it's been since I've been home for the past few days.