Hysterectomy Diary

16^th June

My cleaning lady came today and caught up with the ironing. Not too much because I had made sure all washing and ironing was up to date before I went in. We (I use the term loosely) also assembled the new vacuum cleaner – a slight hiccup when we thought it wasn’t functioning, but it turned out the top wasn’t plugged in as it should have been.

We sat in the garden the whole afternoon and friends came over. My friend insisted on sorting out tea with the OM trailing behind, telling her where things were.

In the shower is morning, I ripped off the plaster where the catheter had been plugged into me. Lots of bruising, but it looks OK

18^th June.

A little bit of sunshine during the middle of the week was pleasant, but today has been rather a grey day.

Yesterday and today, I’ve been for a ten minute walk. Also caught up with a bit more filing. But by the evening, I felt tired and after dinner put my feet up and dozed for about an hour. I’ve also felt very cold. In the evening, when I’m sitting watching TV, I have to wrap a blanket around me, and one night, we even had the electric fire on.

We had a delivery from Sainsbury’s during the day, and the OH had to stay around to help put stuff away. After that he went to do a small job, somewhere. Otherwise, he’d get stir crazy. We’ve managed quite well with convenience food, including oven ready potatoes. I’ve been out of hospital a week and we haven’t faded away yet.

Hysterectomy Diary

Tuesday, 15^th June: Day 5 of convalescence. During my first five days at home, I thought I would continue to write this diary. In fact, it wasn’t that I was too tired – I just couldn’t be bothered. I thought I would be less physically able, and in fact I lacked concentration.

The worst bit of my discharge day was when a nurse had to remove the catheter, which was secured with plaster to my groin. Ouch. ‘Think of it as having a wax,’ she said. ‘I’ve never had a wax in my life,’ I told her. ‘Me neither,’ she replied sympathetically. Then rip. Well, now I know what it’s like, I won’t bother again. Taking the tube out of my stomach was a strange sensation, but not painful.

What I have done each day, except yesterday, Day 4, is to go for a short walk – at first, up to my neighbour and back. On Day 1, I did as I was told and took myself off to bed for a couple of hours, but that night, I couldn’t get off to sleep. As I was lying there, the telephone rang. I answered it to a male soft voice – I thought it was one of the OH’s restaurant jobs ringing. ‘Who are you?’ I said. ‘It’s Tommy,’ I thought he replied. I still had no idea who it was. Could it be one of the non-English male nurses at the hospital? Then he said, ‘I’ve been a naughty boy. I have to tell someone about it.’ I definitely did not need this. I was ready to go to sleep now. ‘Well you can’t tell me,’ I said, putting the phone down. Immediately, it rang again. The OH took it and we didn’t hear any more from Tommy, or who-ever. Anyway, after that day, I only had a sleep mid-afternoon on the settee – and that’s been enough. Today, I didn’t sleep at all. I have been much more alert – and have even taken dictation and printed out a few invoices. There was also quite an accumulation of letters and I’ve been dealing with them during the last few days.

Hysterectomy Diary

9^th June, Day 7

A week since my admission. 7.40 a.m. and my breakfast has just arrived.

Now, at 11.30 I feel as if I’ve done a day’s work. In preparation for my departure, which surely must be in the next day or two, I showered myself and took off and replaced my socks – which I’m sure have a fancy name, and which are for the prevention of strokes, and extremely tight and difficult to manoeuvre. Having some talcum powder might have been helpful, in this respect. I was partly inspired by the fact that two male nurses were on today, and this gave me the necessary push to look after myself.

Other things that would have been helpful to have either here, or on standby at home - at least another two or three nighties. It would have been sensible for me to have selected them and put them in a pile where the OH could have found them. As it is, when I asked, he brought in a very old one with a hole in it. It seemed too complicated to explain where there might be some others.

Things which I’m glad I brought – make-up, shampoo, contact lenses; reading glasses, pretty dressing gown; indigestion tables – and sandals with velcro’d straps – more practical than slippers.

10^th June – Day 8

Today, my bladder has taken over from the bag option and I’m soon to be discharged. Tomorrow will be Day 1 of my convalescence. The consultant has told me to have two weeks of pottering – walking 100 yards from my house – 2 hours’ afternoon sleep, and allowing my body to heal.

Hysterectomy Diary

8^th June (Tuesday – Day 6)

I feel tired this morning. Waking up at 6.30 a.m. every day is getting to me. Nevertheless, I like being here and being looked after. Who regards a hospital stay as a holiday? Let me tell you, that apart from holidays, no-one has looked after me like this for years – decades, perhaps. However, I’m not malingering. The bladder is taking its time to function on its own. No way I can push it to do what it ought to do. It has to heal first, I suspect. The rest of me is doing OK. Blood pressure, temperature, pulse – all normal. No pain and each day I go for a short walk along the corridor.

Yesterday I washed my hair, though overdid it and made my hair all flat and fluffy. On my walk yesterday, I took some Tainted Tree flyers and book marks to the nurses’ station and gave them a brief sale pitch. But I haven’t done that today. My natural reticence overcame me. Too many people clustered around the nurses’ station and I couldn’t bring up the required level of self-confidence. I did go for a walk though – around five minutes – that was enough and I had earlier walked down the corridor and up one flight of stairs with the physio. Also, now at mid afternoon, the product in my catheter bag and my own production are at more or less equilibrium.

Hysterectomy Diary

Monday, 7^th June, Day 5

For anyone worried about hysterectomy, I have to say that I feel very well today. All medication is now finished with and I can be sure that no pain is being masked and waiting to catch me out.

Just before I came in here, there was an item on the radio, maybe Women’s Hour or similar about nursery education. As someone who stayed at home with the children throughout their young lives, I have to say that I have no evidence now that they are adult that this has necessarily made them more loving, more attentive than otherwise would be the case. And having see in their children the situation where two have been cared for at nurseries since babyhood and one has been at home, I can see no difference in them either. The only thing I can add is that it was a very good nursery and that, had it not been, I might feel differently.

The physiotherapist just visited and we went through the exercise routine. She stressed that for the next six weeks - no lifting, carrying, pulling or pushing and two hours rest on the bed too. No telephone calls during that time, either.

Two interesting points on health in the Telegraph today. One that people don’t really care about choice – they want their local hospital care for their needs. I agree with that, for when the OH damaged his hand, it was a great relief to be able to drive for only 15 minutes to get to the casualty department of our hospital, even though, once he was bandaged up, we had an hour and a half train journey to a centre of excellence, where they eventually operated on the hand. I also believe that this applies to schools too. My son got a better deal in secondary education, when he went automatically to the next school than my daughter. When choice was available, many of my daughter’s contemporaries opted for a church school, leaving my daughter without her group of friends.

The other point was about the doctors involved in the MMR triple jab. The writer seemed to be in sympathy with those doctors and against the principle of mass inoculation. I thought it was a typical libertine, ‘freedom to do what we want to ourselves at all cost’ argument and that he was wrong in this. OK, so we don’t (I don’t) want the Nanny State, but I don’t want to veer too far in the other direction either.

Alistair Darling has been on the radio challenging David Cameron’s suggestion that we are to make huge cuts. I am happy with the new regime – it was time for a new colour government and I like the idea of the coalition. However, I also know that Cameron has to blame the previous administration and that Darling has to point out that he will automatically do this. Actually, I have a certain amount of sympathy with Darling, as opposed to Brown, the former having received the poisoned chalice of Chancellorship when it was too late to do much about it.

Hysterectomy diary

Sunday, 6^th June

Apart from waking briefly at 4.30 a.m. and reading the paper for 20 minutes, I had a good night and at 6.30 had my first cup of tea.

I am resigned to taking laxitives, now despite refusing them initially. This is one area where the nursing staff in charge accepted my refusal without discussion, with the exception of one nurse (or sister – not sure who’s who). She was the only person to point out that they should be taken three times a day. I had assumed I was turning down a once-a-day medication. So – my error of judgement – but a discussion should have been required. Back to the painkillers – the nurse had obviously had it drummed into her that it’s better not to allow the patient to get to unbearable pain. However, it had become a mantra, where ‘no pain’ was equal to good and slight discomfort equal to bad. What she hadn’t taken into consideration was bad effect of drugs. Obviously the specific drug – codrydomol (I think) had a bad effect on me. However, Day 1 and Day 3 had the quality of living in a nightmare, whereas Day 2, when it seemed to me I had fewer drugs, was a much better day.

Today, I am alert and pain free. Moral: The idea of being pain free is seductive, but being in a drug induced stupor could be just as bad as being in pain. Note: Paracetomol was an option that should have been taken.

I am expecting visitors today and am currently clad in an inelegant hospital nightie, thanks to a leak on my external plumbing system, yesterday, which caused me to suddenly discover I was in a wet bed.

The previous night’s drama (also as a result of my stupor) was that I creamed my face with steroid cream, meant for eczema on my hands, instead of antibiotic cream for acne rosacia. I realised ¾ of the way through and washed the face thoroughly.

Later:

No painkillers at all today and I feel miles better for that. Waterworks are proceeding slowly. Ever time I go, it feels a bit like I have cystitis. So at the moment my only problems are waterworks and other related matters. To resolve the latter, I’ve put up with laxitives, and today suppositories. Other than that and having a tube stuck in my stomach, I feel in very good shape. Much better than I could have anticipated. Swallowing is a little uncomfortable, but improving and I’ve taken to leaving the crusts from my lunchtime sandwiches.

Today my SIL & BIL called to see me and the OH came for a meal in the evening. Now he’s gone and I’m comfortably reclining watching George Clooney in some chickflick – One Fine Day. I wouldn’t be watching it if I were at home. So there’s something to be said for having a private room and exclusive TV.

End of the day and I’m just polishing off hot chocolate. Delicious.

Hysterectomy diary

If you are missing my normal blog, bear with me. At the moment, I'm not doing anything that warrants reporting. Once normal life resumes - so will a normal blog.

5^th June

Today - Saturday – has been a bad day. At first I thought I was exhausted because I had done too much yesterday. I had a pain killer at about 8.00 a.m. and another one at about 12.00. I shouldn’t have had them. They have made me feel drugged all day – as indeed I was. I need to take control of the drugs regime here, because I am not functioning well enough to deal with other things. The catering crew have left a lunch and said they would come back later with tea – and didn’t come. Because I was not keeping tabs on this, I probably became a bit dehydrated (also because of the weather) so have gone back a stage with the catheter. (No water passed on my own.) The drugged state made me think I’ve done something when I haven’t – like pressing the call button. Or I dream I’ve discussed something with a nurse and wake up and only a minute has passed. It’s a bit like when you have a high temperate and you’re delirious.

Now the end of the day – 10.30 pm. I’ve had a discussion with one of the nurses. The medication I was taking was apparently very strong. I got the impression that I got a different strength medication because I asked for soluble, but am not absolutely sure that’s correct. However, the nurse on duty this morning gave me a speech about having pain relief before you need it, not when you need it, etc., etc. When you’re vulnerable, it’s easy to be scared of any potential pain and to be convinced that you should avoid it. Tonight, though, I have declined all medication except laxatives. Must sleep now. Close down 10.30.