Abdominal Myomectomy - What I wish I had known

[BC-FibroidGirl]

So it's been seven weeks since my surgery. I thought it might be helpful to create a list of things that I wish I had known beforehand. Please feel free to add your own experiences.

- Before the surgery, they gave me a shot in my arm to prevent clotting since I would be lying down quite a bit. It hurt. A lot. They also gave me periodic shots after the surgery. Those were in the stomach and didn't hurt as much. However, they did leave bruises that took a few weeks to disappear.
- I had staples to close the incision. I got them taken out 3 days after the surgery and didn't know what to expect. Fortunately, it did not hurt a bit and I barely felt it.
- Make sure you bring something to cushion your lap for the ride home. I had forgotten about it. Luckily my dad had brought a small pillow that I put between my lap and the seat belt.
- Speed bumps hurt. The first time I went over one, it was agony. The rest of the time my drivers went over very carefully.
- While I did imagine that laughing would hurt, I didn't realize it would hurt so much. Unfortunately (at least after the surgery), my family has quite a sense of humour so I did laugh a bit. It helped to hug my abdomen when I felt the urge.
- About a week or a week and a half after the surgery, the incision started to itch. It was particularly bad whenever I was lying down. I did some research and found out that it was normal (but very annoying).

The last one might not be typical of others. I had really built up the surgery in my mind and I was extremely nervous beforehand, figuring that the pain would be over the top. Turns out that it wasn't as bad as I thought - my pain level had never gone above 3 out of 10. Was only on morphine until the next morning and I hardly used the pump. The hospital staff seemed convinced that I have a high pain tolerance because apparently I used much less than the average person. Who knows...I figured that I had a low tolerance. I was out after two days but the estimated stay was 3 days. I used Tylenol 3 in the hospital and a few times after I got home. In my opinion, the worst part of the pain is the shoulder pain that started up the day after my surgery and came and went for several days. It was pretty bad and the reason I had to take the T3s.

[herman6]

Hi BC Fibroid girl thanks for posting this. I have my mini laparotomy myomectomy today and this was very helpful.

[BC-FibroidGirl]

Glad it helped. Feel free to add to the list with your own experience.

Hope you're doing okay!

[SC-blu_sky]

I didn't have staples or stitches, I had glue (dermabond) so I never had to have anything taken out and my scaring is minimum. Would ask your doc if you can have that. I was also given a morphine pump. I remember waking up and a voice asking what my pain level was and me screaming 10, when I woke up again I had no pain and the same voice said if you hurt push this button. It did make me nauseated but a cold cloth on the back of the neck helped with that. I wish I would have gotten up and walked sooner I think it would have helped my recovery along faster. When they say you will be down for 6 weeks they are telling the truth, trying to do things too soon will only result in pain.

[herman6]

Hi i had a mini laparotomy open surgery to remove 7 fibroids. All went well. I feel great and am up and walking around. The only pain I feel today 2 days post surgery is around the edges of my incision. Other than that I am not taking pain killers other than Advil. My doctor gave me a script for percoset but he told me to use it only if necessary. So far all I am using Advil other known as ibuprofen. My surgeon told me I should use ibuprofen because of the antinflammatory purposes. He did not recommend any aspirin or anything with naproxen sodium just ibuprofen or Advil.

If any of you are having open surgery for the first time and are staying in a hospital here are some tips:
1. Pack an overnight bag with very comfortable clothes and wear comfortable clothes to the surgery. To the surgery I wore yoga pants from Target and a tank top with comfy slippers. For the ride home day after surgery I wore a long pajama top. DO NOT wear pants or anything around the waist. Just a loose fitting pajama dress. Target has cute pajamas that are not too frumpy and old looking. You will not want to bend down to put pants on for sure. Jeans are a no no. You want nothing snug around your waist think looose fitting and cotton. Forget beauty and style you want comfort. Also get a couple of long dress Pajamas to wear at home. I did all my surgery and post surgery clothes shopping at Target and Old Navy and got all yoga pants long maxi dresses and loose fitting cotton skirts to wear.
2. Pack only basics to hospital: clothes and undies (comfy undies nothing fancy or sexy or that are too snug around the waist.)
3. For the ride home have DH bring you a pillow that you can put over your belly so the seatbelt does not touch your incision.
4. If you have a weak stomach and get nauteous easy make sure you ask for anti nausea medication before you go under. I got really sick post op and threw up the next morning after surgery. I did not take well to anesthesia and morphine. If I had to do it again I would have asked for anti nausea medication before going down.
5. Make sure you are stocked up at home with chicken noodle soup chicken broth saltine crackers and 7 up, sprite, or ginger ale. I do not have a heavy appetite and only want soup, jello, and crackers.
6. Eat very clean before surgery lean protein like chicken and fish. Dark leafy greens i.e. spinach, broccoli lots of veggies filled with vitamin C like kiwi, oranges, pineapple, mangoes, lots and lots of fruit bananas blueberries. You will have to stop taking vitamins and aspirin. My OR nurse told me no OTC supplements a week prior to surgery. So make sure you get all your vitamins from your food. This will help you prepare and recover. Make sure you have lots of fruits and veggies after surgery so your uterus can heal post surgery. Last night DH made me chicken broth and added carrots, mushrooms, green beans, and spinach. It was A nice vegetable stew that was not too heavy and it is loaded with vitamins.
7. Try to get up and walk as much as you can like around your house or apartment but don't over do it. Also don't bend down or lift anything. Just walk and try to take it easy.

If any one is going in for a Myomectomy feel free to ask me any questions you have. GL to you all.

[herman6]

Oh one other thing I forgot to mention is you will need a stool softener I am using Dulcolax.

[Cristina217]

Hey Herman6 thanks soooo much for the info on after the surgery. I have to pack my overnight bag tonight and wasn't sure what exactly would be good for the ride home. Thanks soooo much i'm having my surgery tomorrow (monday june 11th)

[MandiMil]

Did you have this surgery because you cant get pregnant? Im seeing an RE right now, I have a fibroid on the outside of my uterus, she suggests I get it removed but is also saying having it removed isnt going to up my chances of getting pregnant. I lost to pregnancies last year and havent been able to get pregnant the last 6 months. Im trying to figure out why I would have it removed if it isnt helping me get pregnant or interfering with carry a pregnancy.

[WhitneyAtFertilityAuthority]

mandymil: Some women have them removed due to discomfort .....only to deal with fibroids again in FT as they feed on hormones...... Some have them removed at the simple suggestion of their RE if insurance covers the procedure, and some have their fibroids removed because they are so large or their placement is such that it interferes with conception and carrying to full term. I just sent you a PM. I know you lost two last year.....what is your FT currently? Are you with a good RE?

[aolkow1]

I had laparoscopic myomectomy 3 weeks ago to remove 2 fibroids on the uterus (one was intramural 4cm and one was submucosal 3cm) and a hysteroscopic myomectomy for the pendiculated fibroid in my uterus (3 cm) and another tiny one that could have been overlooked. The one inside the uterus was acting like an IUD and i would have never gotten pregnant with it inside. The other two werent preventing pregnancy but they could have cause miscarriage and pre-term labor. So all had to be removed per doc advice.

So here are a few pointers:
-get an MRI done before you have anything done. I had an HSG, Sono HSG and several sonograms and ultrasounds done, and non showed the tiny fibroid which could have been so easily overlooked and left behind. Also, all the other ones were not telling the doctors where in the uterine wall they were exactly located.

- find a doctor that specializes in robotic myomectomies!!! 2 doctors told me i would have to get the big cut, and i was not settling for it. I found an OB that is a director of minimally invasive surgery for women and right away she said that laparoscopy was fine and she did end up using Davinci robot for the fibroid in the back of uterus to stitch my uterus easier.

- laparoscopy was so easy to recover from. it's 3 weeks now and i would never think i had something major done. within two days i was walking up and down the stairs, cleaning and washing dishes. My back was hurting so bad though, from lack of using the stomach/core. i was relying on my back for support and it def was sore for a few days. I also didnt need to take any pain killers. Just tylenol and I dont have a high pain tolerance so that should tell you something. I had some gas pains, but moving around (per doctors orders) got rid of those super fast.

- do an enema (i did two) the evening and night before surgery, it helps so you dont have to worry about going to bathroom and straining. And get prepared by getting some Docolex and stool softener for after the surgery.

- i took a week off work and that was plenty enough. Also, my stomach got 5 punctures/cuts and they all healed well and fast. I did get a hematoma (blood colelcted under the incision) under one of them, because that was my belly button and it was a bigger cut for the camera. But i took antibiotics and is clearing up already.

If you are thinking about doing a myomectomy, try a few doctors to see if laparoscopic is something you can have and search for a doctor that specializes in using the robots.
HAS ANYONE GOTTEN PREGNANT AFTER THIS TYPE OF SURGERY???? we can start trying after two full cycles....so thats October....only downside is...im advised to have C-section and we wanted natural birth with a mid-wife