I’m back at home, recovering well.

It didn’t go as I had planned - I had to stop eating immediately, take Fleet, and have a colonoscopy. 48 hours is a long time to go without food.

I got prepped for a ‘big’ operation, with a central venous catheter in my neck, after they finally found a visible vein (in my thumb) and knocked me under. Turns out, the big catheter wasn’t needed!

The operation

They didn’t find anything but ‘redness’ inside my bowel, and not where they expected. That means there was no visible reason for the monthly bowel bleeding, but also no bowel resection. Recovery will be quicker.

So, it was a textbook total laparoscopic assisted hysterectomy, with lots of double checking for my left ureters (discovered they are fully duplicated - special!)

I was having too much fun playing Elder Scrolls Oblivion in my head, and refused to wake up for two hours more than expected - just one more dungeon. Sorry to S and M who were (impatiently) waiting for me!

The recovery in hospital

Drank water and chamomile tea like crazy, and the bladder catheter came out the next morning. Thankfully, this time I had no problems. There’s always the risk of an UTI, and I certainly didn’t want one!

The hated neck catheter came out later that day. I still have a stiff neck, more than a week later!

Residual CO2 gas pain was less this time - perhaps the surgical techniques have improved, or they sucked the gas out more thoroughly.

I had very little pain, apart from the thrombosis injections - they burn! But I think that was due to the slow-release pain tablets (oxycodone). I certainly missed the pain killers when I got home.

A dose of Lactulose kicked my bowels out of holiday mode, and after a day of being up and mobile, the doctors let me leave, one week after admission, 5 days after the hysterectomy. I had to promise not to clean any windows or go to any fitness classes.

My German skills were thoroughly put to the test - few doctors and nurses were comfortable speaking English. Plus I had several long conversations with my room-mate.

Zu Hause

The trip down the Autobahn was OK. The last little bit through the hellishly bumpy streets was pure torture. The stairs were easy in comparison.

Bowel pain has remained at its spikingly high levels, unchanged, but also not worsened. I need to wait and see if the cyclical bowel bleeding continues. If not, then good!

Fatigue is definitely much, much worse. Belly pain (cuts/external pressure), overall fibromyalgia pain, and headaches are pretty bad. Unfortunately, my usual low dose codeine doesn’t seem to help much - perhaps I got used to the hospital strength stuff. So, I’m toughing it out and trying not to take anything.

I’d love to go to the physio and get my neck (C2) worked on to chase the headaches away, but that won’t be for some time.

It will be great when I can lie on my tummy again, and not have to defend myself from (heavy) cats climbing on me!

Need to keep reminding myself - it’s only been a week since the operation, take it easy, rest and recover slowly.

My body will be better than before the surgery, but it will take time to reach that point.