Surgery Time...Again...

Now, who among you actually thought I'd get through this ordeal without more surgery? Anyone? Anyone?

Nope, I didn't think so.

My next round of cut-and-paste is scheduled for Thursday, November 5, at El Camino Hospital in Mountain View. It is planned to be a laparoscopic surgery, hopefully using the ultra neato-coolo daVinci robotic surgical system. I've had lots of surgery, but I've never had robot surgery before!!

The general idea is that surgery is at 7:30 am, will run for 2-1/2 to 3 hours, then probably that long in the recovery room. Based on that, I'd figure on being in my room no sooner than noon, but possibly sooner or later. Very hard to tell in advance, because recovery room time always varies AND this could turn into an open surgery at any point if the laparoscopic approach isn't

working.

The usual stay after a procedure like this is "a day or two." In my case, with all of my comorbidities, my slow recovery times, and a 4 hour drive home as soon as I leave, I'm pushing for the day or two to be Friday and Saturday with discharge no earlier than Sunday. I hate to say it, but I'd rather stay in longer and be farther along the recovery curve before I get sent home.

The surgery this time is to tidy up a bit after my last few surgeries. Some of my internal organs (well, the only ones I have left!) in the lower abdomen have kind of come loose and are bearing down on what's left of the vaginal canal, causing it to start to prolapse and invert. This is not any fun at all. My bladder and bowels are about all that's left in there and they're both kind of smooshed down right now.

The doctor is going to use a Gore-tex patch of some sort and attach it to a patch of fascia (connective tissue) on my lower spine in the sacral area. Then he'll stretch the top of the vaginal

canal up and make an attachment to the patch. The bowel and bladder will get attached somehow too so they can't try to escape anymore!

I can honestly say that I am REALLY looking forward

to this surgery!! Isn't that bizarre? Well, going to the bathroom has been utter hell for the longest time now because my urethra seems to be kinked like a bendy straw. I can't wait to be fixed!!

Luckily, this recovery should be far, far easier than the last one. Famous last words, lol.

I will again ask someone to step in as the CIO for a couple of days to update the blog right after surgery so thatall y'all know how I'm doing

Right now, everything is geared toward trying to get ready to go down for surgery while feeling pretty crummy at the same time. Everyone in the house has had some version of a cold or flu lately, even Lloyd, and he's usually impervious to viruses. I see to only half-catch it, which is way more annoying than having it all the way. All I know is that I'm going in for surgery no matter what, so if I'm going to get it, I'd better get it NOW so it can be gone by the time it's time.

Oh, let's see...I think that's about it! I have a zillion items on my to-do lists for before surgery, and I need to force myself to feel decent enough-- awake enough!-- to get them done, because I'll be really pissed off at myself if I don't.

I just hate going off to surgery, or even on vacation or something, knowing I'll be coming home to a messy house. I feel so much better while I'm in the hospital knowing that all my clothes are put away in the right places so I an find what I need with very little effort. My darling husband totally doesn't get it! Stuff like that, as well as packing for the little journey, forcing myself to not take the kitchen sink, will make a big difference in my mental state and therefore my physical condition as well. Stupid, but true. I'm just totally anal that way.

With that, I'll open up the floor to questions...

Hey!! At least I'll have something to write about again, huh?! Whoo hoo!!