Surgery Fun Update

Thought it might be easier just to use the blog to post this account of my surgery.

I have lived with Urinary Stress Incontinence for many years.  I have a hard time remembering when it started.  However, I do remember in my early 20s walking to work every day.  It was then that I had to train myself to look for the warning signs of needing to sneeze.  Then having to stop walking, cross my legs, and sneeze.  I have memories of the first time as an adult hopping on a trampoline in my late 20s and not being able to jump for very long.  No Bouncy Castles for me.  In kickboxing class, I was one of the three women who ran to the bathroom before the jumping jacks part of class and ran to the bathroom afterwards to try to deal with the aftermath.  When visiting Edinburgh seven year old Sarah begged me to skip with her, it was a request that I couldn't refuse and the results were not pleasant.

I never spoke about it.  I think it was a mixture of embarrassment, because who wouldn't be embarrassed.  And also a sense that it was somehow my fault.  I would read the magazine articles that all talked about just doing more Kegels.  If only I did my Kegels.  More Kegels.  And who knows what is "normal"?  There are so many jokes and mentions in the media about women accidentally peeing themselves, that you think this is just something that is happening to everyone.

So, what changed recently was that I was seeing my personal trainer.  I started with her about a year ago and she immediately put me on a little trampoline to warm up.  I am not the type of person who wants to say 'NO' to a personal trainer, especially since trampolines are fricking fun compared to the other stuff like sit ups and lunges.  But I had to say no trampoline ever.  I also had to say no jumping jacks.  I explained why and we worked around it. 

Back in October, I had my period, and thought that maybe some jumping would be OK because I had a pad.  Tammy the Trainer put me on the jump rope for 50 jumps.  Turns out, I'm not too bad at jump rope, probably due to the ability to move in rhythm.  I was thinking that this would be a great way to excercise for me.  But I wet myself through the pad and through my sweatpants pretty severely.  I thought, "This really isn't normal."

I had an appointment with my Primary Care Provider that next week for my annual physical.  In all the time as her patient, I'd never mentioned the incontinence.  And I've told her many embarrassing things over the years.  I thought that the prescription would just be, "Do Kegels."  But she cheerfully said, "Oh, we can fix that." and immediately referred me to a Uro-Gynocologist.

A week later, I was in to see Dr. Lefevbre and with a brief exam, he diagnosed me with a hypermobile urethra.  And said that there was a very easy surgery that would very likely take care of it.  I would have a Monarc Sling mesh that would be implanted that would strengthen the pelvic floor and keep my  urethra from hypermobiling all around.  I guess rather than staying down when I pee, it points up.  This is unusual in someone young and childless, but it would only get worse as I age.  He said it was probably just genetic. 

(I guess there is some other 'sling' procedure that is not good at all.  He was very vehement insisting that this was NOT the one that I was having.  That this one kind was very bad. It kind of made me hesistant to google for sling information for fear of finding the bad one.)

He also made it pretty clear that Kegels were not the answer to my problem.  He said that Kegels take at least 3 months to work.  Only work in mild cases.  And if they do work, you can never stop them for the rest of your life.  I felt vindicated.

I had to go back in early November for another round of more testing to see details about the problem.  I had to be filled up with and then cough at different intervals.  It was a bizzare test, but the nurse performing it was fun and knowledgeable.  She turned the monitors in my direction so I could see what she was seeing since she could tell I was into science and stuff.  I had to sit in a special chair over a hole into which I would pee in a special funnel/cup and the amounts and pressure of the pee was monitored.  When I did my first pee, she showed me how, on my graph, my stress incontinence was already obvious to her.  Most women pee in an even way.  I'm more of a bell curve with a high peak in the middle.  Turst out that is indicative of have very little pee resistance.

So, surgery was scheduled for January 28th.  I prepped.  Organized my bank/credit/mortgage information in case of the worst case.  Took care of my FMLA. 

I did tell some folks about the surgery but I didn't broadcast it.  Derek was  also disinclined to talk about it but I told him to share information because so many women are embarrassed.  Myself included.  So, we agreed to not be ashamed.  My personal emotional growth from this was to force myself not to be embarrassed.  Shame was what has kept me from dealing with this sooner.

We took a taxi to Beth Israel because Derek didn't want to drive.  I don't blame him.  He doesn't like highway driving but I did not want to take back roads after the surgery.  Too many pot holes.

The surgery went very smoothly.  I was more worried about nausea from the anaesthesia which could leave to vomiting which could cause the sling mesh to move out of place.  Also, I didn't really know this, but having a hiatal hernia with reflux can complicate the anaesthesia a little. No vomiting and no nausea at all.

Everyone at Beth Israel was very nice.  Derek and I both noticed how they were nicer than they had to be.  Like you expect people to be somewhat nice, but these people were REALLY nice.  Very cheerful. 

One major accomplishment was peeing afterwards.  I had to be filled up with 300ml of fluid, hold it for a half an hour, and then pee out at least 200mls.  If I couldn't do this, I would have to go home with a catheter.  But, victory was mine.  I peed out all 300mls.  No catheter for me.  And the nurses were celebrating.

I have two very very small incisions in the pelvic area and one incision below the urethra.  Much smaller than I thought.  No stiches just special glue. 

I'm taking Oxycodone and ibuprophen for pain, but there hasn't been too much pain.  They said to keep taking the pain medication to help keep swelling down.  I also have to take a laxative because they don't want any straining down there that could move the mesh.  I can't pick up anything over 10 pounds for a while. 

So, I'm very excited and pleased so far.  Now I just have to mend and relax and watch TV. 

And here's my ultimate goal.  Trampoline Park