Day 03 Post-Op

 20 March 2022

        Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that I would have had to go under the knife again in less than a year. But this was how the story unfolded. After my total thyroidectomy on 1 April 2021, I had to brave myself for another major surgery on 17 March 2022. So when the Irish celebrated St. Patrick's Day and got themselves happily intoxicated with pints of Guinness, I surrendered myself to the capable hands of the anaesthetist to get myself knocked out so that Dr. Chuah Joo Ngor, my obstetrician and gynaecologist, could remove my uterus, ovaries, cervix and Fallopian tubes. In short, she performed a total hysterectomy on me. The need for this was my multiple massive fibroids, the largest measuring 16 cm, another slightly suspicious one at 6 cm and a few other smaller ones.

        The surgery, performed on the afternoon of the 17th, was a success. Dr. Chuah reported that it was a straightforward surgery and took less than the three hours that she had expected. The following day was a hazy one as I slept most of the time. But I remember having my catheter removed in the afternoon on the 18th, which enabled me to start walking. There was a fair amount of bleeding (vaginal discharge) following that, which necessitated the use of a sanitary pad. Ambling around initially was mildly painful; it hurt more to get out of and onto the bed. I was also allowed to start eating a soft diet on the 18th, but my appetite deserted me.

Day 01 Post-Op

       When Dr. Chuah visited me on the morning of the 19th, she was pleased with my progress and pronounced me fit for discharge. The discharge procedure was quite smooth-sailing and I could bid adieu to Room 1007 of the O&G Ward, Pantai Hospital at around 1.30 p.m. The 5km drive from the hospital back to our home was a short one, but I had never felt this glad to be travelling this route. I will never take small things like this for granted again.

        Back home, royal treatment was bestowed on me by hubby dearest. I tried to get some rest in the downstairs room, which I had prepared beforehand. However, it was far too hot for me to rest well. After tossing and turning (and each turn being mildly painful) for more than an hour in the night, I carried my smelly pillow and comforting bolster to gingerly climb upstairs. Surprisingly, the climb did not hurt at all. And I could finally sink into the comfort of my bed for a good night's rest.

        I'm happy to note that I feel so much better, so much more alive today, the 3rd day after my surgery. Apart from being plagued by some coughing fits, which hurt very much, I have yet to open my bowels and my appetite has not fully returned. However, I'm definitely on the road to recovery, albeit a long road. I've managed to boil half a kettle of water and have even made myself a warm drink of red dates water. And I'm here, alert enough to start this blog to document my journey to complete restoration.