I'm part of a Tubal Reversal support group of ladies that I just love to death! There have been so many new ladies that have joined lately that are in that planning phase of their journey. It has caused me to do a lot of thinking about my experiences with my own surgery. So, since I've just made it to one year (January 12, 2011) I thought I would share my surgery story...before I lose those memories.
I've mentioned before that we started this journey by doing IVF. We went a long time after the failed cycle with out even speaking about having a baby. It was to hard on both of us to even talk about it. So about 14 months later (December 2010 right after Thanksgiving), I asked my husband if he still thought about having a baby and his response was, "All the time." After talking about it a bit, we decided to start looking into the reversal.
We decided on Dr Gary Berger from Chapel Hill Tubal Reversal Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. They requested my TL op report and confirmed that my TL was with clamps on the tubes, no cutting at all. We set the appointment at the end of December 2010 and were having surgery on the 12th of January!!!!
We left for Seattle for our over night flight and got into Charlotte NC the next morning. Once we landed we were told that our plane was the last plane that was allowed to land in Charlotte and no others were taking off because of a major winter storm. We were not going to be making our connecting flight to Raleigh. We were stuck!! My stress level went thru the roof! I called the doctor but noone was in yet, as it was still so early in the morning. I remember sitting on the floor in the airport (the floors were heated too) searching online for rental cars so that we could make it to Chapel Hill on time. We couldn't find a rental car at all from the airport and were just about to try renting this limo service to take us to Chapel Hill. There were a couple others that were heading that way and we had talked about renting it together. But we ended up finding one off site and took a cab to get it with one of the guys that was going to Raleigh too. The roads were terrible and covered with ice. It took us about 4 hours to make the just under 3 hour drive.
The one thing that was so great about the situation is that the doctors office kept in contact with me and told me that they would wait around until we got there...so not to rush. We shared the car with some total stranger that was also heading to Chapel Hill and by the time we had gotten there, the office was closed but all the staff had been waiting for us! We had pre-op testing, went over paperwork and talked with Dr Berger. Instantly I felt a great connection to him. He had a very caring demeanor about him...kinda like a father. He was great! And surgery was secheduled for the following morning. I was the second of the day!
Upon leaving the office, we asked the gal at the desk where to find a store where we could buy some clothes and toiletries...because all of ours were still snowed in at the airport in Charlotte! They directed us and we were off to get things that we needed.
That night I could hardly sleep! I was so excited! When we got to the surgery center in the morning, the ladies there were just great. My husband and I sat in the waiting room until we were called back for prep. I recall being in the bathroom to change and having to write "YES" with a marker on my belly to confirm that I wanted this surgery. We then went into this other room to start the IV. Next we sat in another waiting area. On the wall in this room, there is a huge map with tons of little pins in it. Thousands of little pins. Each one represents a patient and where they came from for surgery. I place my Wenatchee, WA pin on the map! There was another woman from my area which is just amazing because I live in a very small town in WA...a 10 hour plane ride and 3 hours driving time just to get to North Carolina! There was someone else just as crazy as me to fly this long distance for this amazing doctor!
Doctor Berger came to get me for surgery. We walked down the hall before I kissed my husband goodbye and then headed into the surgery room. One of the nurses then led me into the surgery room and I lay on the table. I dont remember a lot from being in the room, but I do recall a nurse telling me that she had her surgery with Dr Berger and then pointing at her belly. She was expecting! I can do this!!!
Next thing I know I am in the recovery room and my husband is with me. We get moved into a day room and Dr Berger comes in to talk to us. Surgery went great! The clamps had fallen off of both of my tubes and were free floating in my belly. Dr B removed them and was able to reconnect the tubes. I ended up with 7.5 cm on both sides!!! This is remarkable!!!! I am given pain meds and shortly there after we got to the hotel (which was fantastic by the way!).
I slept most of the afternoon, then got up...passed the gas I was required to before eating...and then had some soup. I took another pain pill, but since I was feeling pretty good, I chose to only take a half dose. BIG MISTAKE!!!! I woke in such pain! It was intense! I tried taking additional pains but I couldn't get them to kick in. I was crying and shaking from the intense pain. The shaking caused me to start bleeding from my incision. The pain just wouldn't go away. At about 9pm after my husband couldn't watch me in pain any longer, he called Dr Berger who came right over to my room. He checked the incision, which was okay, changed the dressing and then he ran to the office to get a pain med for me. He came back and gave me a shot in the butt. I was hurting so much that I didn't even feel the shot go in! It took over quickly and I was able to relax.
Dr Berger wanted to see me again the next day after the nurses visit and before I went home. At the office he checked my incision and gave me a patch that went on the back of my ear. It was to control nausea since I was flying. Then...we were off to the airport.
The flight from Raleigh to Denver wasn't bad, I slept most of the way,....but I wish I had scheduled a wheelchair to take me from one gate to the next. I slept most of the flight from Denver to Seattle. I remember waking up asking my husband if my eye was popping out! Sounds funny, but the pain behnd my eye was so terrible. We figured out that the pain was from the patch for the nausea. That patch came off really fast after that!
Got to Seattle and drove the 3 hours home. It was great being home. I tried sleeping in my bed, but it was so hard to move. I ended up sleeping in my husband's recliner in the living room for the next couple weeks.
The pain from the surgery site was pretty intense, and I ended up running a fever about a week after surgery. Went to the doctor, but it wasn't an infection...it was from the pain. I have a very low tollerance to pain and I remember asking myself what the hell I did to myself! I couldn't imagine having a c-section! But the one thing that got me thru the pain was thinking about holding my baby! I just knew I would get pregnant quickly.
After charting for a few months I realized I wasn't ovulating. Did Clomid for 6 cycles and no baby. Tried an hsg, and we had difficulty getting the cath in so that was cancelled. I had laparoscopic surgery in Sept which showed perfect anatomy at the reconnect site but the tubes were totally blocked with scar tissue and the left tube was twisted. And that leads us to today...doing every natural treatment that I can find to try to unblock them.
I can't give up hope. I keep reminding myself that during my recovery time, I had to focus on the baby that I will one day hold in my arms. I am again having to remind myself of that baby. It gets harder as the days go by but I am determined not to give up hope! I will be pregnant again!!!
So...there's my story!
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