23 Days Since Surgery - An Update

Today I am 23 days from the date of my surgery.  At more than 3 weeks post-op, I’d love to be able to say that my gastric bypass surgery experience really wasn’t so bad, but there were some unexpected things that turned up during my surgery that created a difference in how I have experienced my post-op recovery. Shortly after they began my surgery, they discovered that I have a very large ovarian cyst that is the size of a watermelon, and fills my entire abdominal space.  This cyst is large and painful, as they often are.  In my case the diagnosis explained a few things that had bothered me for a few months prior to my surgery.  Without going into great detail, I had though that I was suffering from a bladder infection though the symptoms were inconsistent and didn’t completely point to a urinary tract infection. Nevertheless, I moved toward my surgery date imagining that my weird symptoms were pointing to nothing important.


Post-operatively I was pretty excited to find myself beyond my surgery.  All of the hard work, tons of research, months of appointments, and positive thinking had brought me here – to this point.  I was excited until I remembered being told that there was a cyst.  A what?!


I was able to do everything I needed to do to get out of the hospital.  I walked, swallowed pills, and drank on command.  But I was also really anxious – it was this cyst – the knowledge that something else was in there, and it needed some medical attention.


I’m scheduled to have an abdominal ultrasound done followed by a visit to my gynecologist next week.  I’ve been focused on getting this matter dealt with, although I’ve had to cancel each appointment once because I was still experiencing some post-op pain.  


So what was the hold up in getting back to writing about my experience?  That’s been a tricky topic to tackle actually! In considering this carefully, I guess I’ve really struggled with the knowledge that something is still inside me needing medical attention. I’m still trying to get used to the idea that I still have another potential surgery still left in my future.  It’s felt like a distraction from my weight loss goals and efforts.  It felt incongruous, somehow - writing about my gastric bypass while I was so distracted by my cyst!  
  
It’s taken a little time to screw my head on again, but I’m ready to resume my duties as a blogger.


Next time:  Head Hunger.  More about that nasty little urge to eat for reasons other than hunger…