I am behind on these again… so what else is new?
I had my second post op appointment with Dr. Griffin about 7 weeks post op. By this point I was back to work (I work from home and have a pretty flexible schedule so I was able to space out things if I needed a nap), and driving and doing low impact exercises again. I didn’t need any pain killers or ibuprofen. My only active restrictions were no swimming, baths or inserting anything vaginally. I was feeling good- the post op bleeding stopped about 4 weeks after surgery, I wasn’t in pain and my energy levels were slowly returning to normal. My only real complaint was that my hair seems to be falling out more than usual, which could be a lasting effect of the anesthesia. This has never happened with my previous surgeries, so it’s worth noting. I also have Hashimoto’s, so I should probably get my thyroid levels checked again, too.
When I got to my appointment, I saw my mortal enemy, the transvaginal ultrasound machine, sitting next to the table. That led to a several minute freak out while waiting for the doctor, because he hadn’t warned me that it was part of the deal for this visit. Thankfully, it wasn’t for me. He did a quick speculum exam to make sure that the vaginal cuff that replaced my cervix was healing okay post op. It was. So were my abdominal incisions. The speculum exam was a little more uncomfortable than usual, but he said that was normal. It was quick and he was gentle.
After the exam, Dr. Griffin said I was clear to resume all activities without restrictions. He also said that this is basically the last treatment option that I have for dealing with my endometriosis, but to call him if I had any issues. The other really important (AND INCREDIBLY VALIDATING) part of this appointment was that Dr. Griffin mentioned that on top of the endometriosis, I also had adenomyosis. Adenomyosis is when tissue similar to the lining of your uterus starts to grow into the muscle wall of your uterus. It causes your uterus to thicken and enlarge — sometimes, up to double or triple its usual size. Adenomyosis can cause painful periods, heavy or prolonged menstrual bleeding with clotting and abdominal/pelvic pain. A 2017 study of 300 women diagnosed with adenomyosis between 2008 and 2016 found that 42.3 percent also had endometriosis.
The only way to diagnose and treat adenomyosis is with a hysterectomy! I could have gotten regular endometriosis “clean outs” (what the endo community calls laparoscopic excision surgery) from now till the end of time, and it probably wouldn’t have helped, because the adenomyosis was definitely contributing to my symptoms and my poor quality of life. So, getting a hysterectomy at 33 was the only way to get control of my life again. After my appointment, I celebrated like a true millennial. I blasted Dashboard Confessional’s Vindicated on my way to Starbucks and Target for a little celebratory me time. I know that it sounds like I’m being a little flippant about this, but in all seriousness, the relief I felt with that second diagnosis was incredibly freeing. I wasn’t being dramatic! I had actual painful medical things wrong with me! I know this is a common theme here, but medical gaslighting is real and has lasting effects. I want to work on trusting myself, my body and my brain again, and we are slowly getting there, I think.
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