If you are about to get surgery for endometriosis and/or an ovarian cyst, here is my experience in case it helps you understand what to expect the day of. Let me start with: I was scared out of my a*s even if I didn’t show it. I had a cyst that was pulling down on my ovary, which was the main reason I was getting surgery since it could have cut off circulation from my tube and caused even more issues that I didn’t have time for. They said that only in the surgery would they be able to determine if I have endometriosis or not, which is bananas that we have AI now, but they can’t see if we have growing tumors any other way than cutting us up, but I digress.
I was told there were three different scenarios with the surgery. The first one was the simplest, and it would take about an hour. They would go in there, take off the cyst, and call it a day. The second, if there were endometriosis or more cysts, they would need to be in there longer to clean up as much as possible. The third and worst case was that they would need to do a c-section and take out my ovary.
When I went to the hospital that morning at 5am, I went with my mom and my partner. Luckily, we all had a great sense of humor, and we were all able to find something to laugh about. We were all nervous and trying to hide it. I was amongst angry pregnant women who were about to give birth, and they wanted their entire family in there. As we all learned, more than 2 people are too many, especially children. I went from the check-in room to the waiting room, where I was escorted to my waiting surgery room. I changed into my gown and had to remove all my earrings, jewelry, everything. They ran last-minute blood tests, and then I waited. After a few minutes, they allowed my mom to come in and see me. She prayed quietly, and I held her hand, ensuring she knew I would be ok. After her, my partner came in, and he got to meet my doctor and the anesthesiologist. I told the doctor to please take a picture of my ovary if they had to remove it because I wanted to see the b*tch that was causing me so much pain. After a few more minutes, the nurses came. They were all very friendly. As soon as they started rolling my bed along, my stomach was in knots, but they were all talking to me about their own lives, like the shoes they were wearing and how they were the A-team and would take care of me. It helped get my mind off the terrifying feeling of being put to sleep and shanked.
I had about 4-5 people working on me at once, telling me that I was doing great, which was laying there, letting them put all the tubes and everything on me. The room was all white, with a bright light directly above me. The last thing I remember was wearing a mask and being told to breathe in. Slowly, my vision went dark, and I was out.
I ended up having the second scenario. I remember when I woke up, the first thing I saw was the time on an old clock on the wall in front of me, and somehow, I was able to determine the surgery took a little over two hours. I asked the nurse who was with me as I woke up if I still had both my ovaries, and as soon as she said yes, I knocked back out. The first time I stood up to use the bathroom, I was about to faint, and I threw up nothing because I had nothing in my stomach. I definitely couldn’t walk without help. I told my partner and my mom that I felt like I got shot or something, to which he replied, well, they did stab you, and my mind blew up.
The pain didn’t go lower than a six, but I was determined to leave the hospital that day and be in the comfort of my own home. The second time I walked, I was a little better, but it was still harrowing, especially sitting back down. Finally, the nurse gave me her “secret weapon” of painkillers and injected something that helped me a lot. After a few more naps, I woke up determined and walked again. This time was a lot better, and I felt comfortable enough to leave. The nurse helped me dress up, got a wheelchair, and off I went. I want to point out I had sweatpants for some reason, and I do not recommend that at all. I was in the hospital for 12 hours after being told I would only be there for three. Luckily, the drive was only ten minutes via street. As soon as I got home, I crashed on my couch and fell asleep for a few hours.
The rest of the recovery lasted about two months. They told me I had stage four endometriosis, and it had gone everywhere: my bowls, my bladder, my intestines, everywhere. It was so fused with some of my insides that they couldn’t take it all out because it would have caused me more damage. The first period after surgery was probably the worst period of my entire life. It was more painful than anything I had ever felt before. BUT it did get better after. So much better.
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