Oh NW…we soon shall meet.
I have 3 days until my myomectomy and I’ve been on this mental rollercoaster of terror, anger and sadness, Like, most, this is my first inpatient surgery and planned hospital stay, so the thought of sleeping someplace that isn’t my own bed and waking up in a hospital gown isn’t “the business”.
Instead of being inactive about the process, I decided to suck it up and accept this as an experience instead of a death march. I’m pretty proud of my progress and as of today, I can say I’m ready for this.
Oddly enough, I found that the most fruitful information from plastic surgery forums than the defacto reproductive health forum, Hystersisters. Many of the women there were for hysterectomies, house wives that wanted children and from what I read, not terribly active. I’m an antithesis of all three; to clarify, there is nothing wrong with that, but I’m way past Tigger icons and ‘swelly belly‘ analogies. I would certainly recommend Hystersisters to those needing more emotional support, but it wasn’t my cup of tea.
The plastic surgery sites, for example, not only talked about diet, fitness but emotional prep for the big day. I decided to take their advice to heart, especially the cancer patients in remission who lost their breasts during surgery/chemo therapy.
I bought Preparing for Surgery; Heal Faster. I skimmed the book, reading the summaries at the end of each chapter, but I glommed to the meditation CD that immediately calmed my fears. I listen to it 2 to 3 times daily over the span of the current week: at night when I retire to bed, in the afternoon when I have a quick lunch time nap and in the wee hours in the morning when no one is awake. To my surprise, the meditations work, even if you’re not awake for it. When a freak out rears its’ ugly head, I pop in my earbuds, crank my ipod up and let Peggy take me away. We’ll how how it fairs on the big day; I’m interested to see if the accolades are true.
Next was arnica. Yup, I don’t know what the hell it is either, but the women with the fake boobies do and they look pretty awesome. Supposedly it takes care of bruising and swelling, if taken internally. I didn’t believe it, especially after reading the CRA-CRA side effects if taken too long. I didn’t want to risk ingesting it, but luckily, arnica can come in a gel form, like muscle rub. I bought some and tested it out on a bruise on my shin I could never get to heal. After one application, the bruise lightened, the next day it was gone, but it did lighten my skin in the process. Note to self, do not apply arnica gel straight. Ever.
Also, the plastic surgery sites talked about Bromelain, an enzyme found in pineapple cores. Instead of taking it in pill form, I thought it better just to have The Male and my Mom make fresh fruit juice everyday and bring it with them when they come to visit. We juice a lot in our household, so we discussed making a fruit juice mix of carrot, beet, pineapple,mango, berries, apples, kiwi and extra ginger. The carrot/beet would be for blood loss and fiber, the pineapple for swelling and the ginger to knock out the impending gas I probably will have. I hope my roommates are ready for a fartin’ bonanza because they are gonna have front row seats.
The only supplements I’ve been taking for the last two months are BiFera, for my anemia and Pearls YB for an extra probiotic punch. I plan to take them after surgery as well. I swear by both. Bifera doesn’t hurt your stomach as other iron supplements would and the Pearls YB alleviated most of the problems Fibroid tumor sufferers typically have [constipation, digestive issues, the works.]
My diet has been 4HB, but with a Weston Price twist. I made huge pots of collard greens and red beans with plenty of meat, very little fat and plenty of pork bone broth. I read that bone broth is important; don’t know if it’s true but any extra nutrition wouldn’t hurt. I cut down my salt, sweets, caffeine and saturated fat intake. Added bonus is that eating this way didn’t insight a craving for dairy. I also drank lots of tumeric tea for liver function because anesthesia is a bitch. I juice daily; 2 days fruit juice and 4 days veggie juice. Also lots of water. No drugs or alcohol.
My workouts used to be very intense: Convict Condition, TRX, Swimming and Stretching, but my body gave up the ghost and forced me to take it easy. So I decided on yoga and Callanetics instead. Not only peaceful, but gives me the strength I need with the intensity.
Following Prepare for Surgery, Heal Faster, I talked to my surgeon’s and anesthesiologists office and asked if I could bring my headphones with me. I printed out my healing statements to give to them while I go under. I also emailed my friends and family and asked for good vibes.
Other than packing my overnight bag and having my paperwork ready, I think I’m set. I prepped as much as I could so I hope modern medicine will do the rest. It will be nice to see my Mom again and just relax.
