Really should give a health update...

As far as the hysterectomy goes, I'm slowly but surely getting there.  Seemed to have developed a bladder infection over the past couple of days.  Guess I'll call the doc in the morning and get it checked out.

So...on Friday, I went for an appointment with my ENT.  He was very happy to hear that I got to keep my ovaries and is cautiously optimistic that by removing the birth control pill from the equation that I may finally get some relief.  He isn't sending me back to work yet but is open to possibly sending me back in mid-February.  It's a little hard to gauge how the Meniere's is doing when you've been in bed for the majority of the past 2 weeks.  I do feel more stable when I'm up and I'm not dizzy all the time.  Is it from the bed rest?  Does it mean I'm getting better?  Did the surgery finally work?  If so, which one?  I don't know the answer.  I'll be testing myself out a good bit over the next couple of days.  I have to get a bunch of papers graded and go over to the school to do a few things.  That'll be a better indication of how I'm progressing.  I'm still on the Klonopin, amitriptyline, and using my Meniett.  I've taken Valium only a few times.  If I'm not better in February, I plan to pursue the MAV route and see what happens.

Getting back to work will be hard and stressful, but I think getting back into the routine will be good for me and for my kids.  I think they are starting to get concerned that I've been gone from work for so long.  They're young but observant little boogers.

Hysterectomy done-will it help my meniere's?

Well, maybe not complete.   I did get to keep my ovaries which relieves me for numerous reasons.  For one, I'm only 37 and I'm not ready for menopause and Hormone Replacement Therapy.  God only knows what that would do my Meniere's.  Which leads me to my second reason for doing it, I have to be on birth control due to severe cramping (think migraine level pain in your lower pelvis.)  For the past 18 months or so, I've been through countless pills trying to find one that doesn't cause migraines.  No luck.  I think that part of the reason I've had it so rough lately is due to this constant change in hormones.  I stopped taking the pill about 10 days ago and had one headache right after I quit them and haven't had one since.  My last reason is that at this point, I have met all my out-of-pocket expenses and this surgery is more or less free.  I'm out of work until the end of this month at least, so I figured why not get it over with. 

I was still considerably nervous about this surgery.  I've never had a body part removed before!  I wanted a sign that I was doing the right thing.  I am okay with not having more children.  As my husband said, we struck gold with the two we have.  Financially we can't afford another child either and with my Meniere's being so bad lately, it would be extremely difficult to take care of a newborn.  I just can't go through the sleepless nights and breastfeeding again.  I was able to keep my ovaries so hopefully now my body will go back to it's normal hormonal pattern.  I've been on birth control more or less since I was 18.  Obviously didn't take them so I could get pregnant and didn't take them while I breastfed each child which was about a year.  I was more concerned about the procedure itself and the risks involved.  I asked for a "sign" from whatever higher power is around us and I got it!  At 3:30 in the morning before my surgery, I woke up with severe cramping and nausea.  I was practically in tears before I was able to get the pain and nausea under control.

The recovery from this surgery was rough.  Worse than the ear surgery and way worse than the ovarian cyst removal.  I had two shots of demerol, two percocets and still couldn't get my pain down to a 4 on the pain scale.  I was also really nauseous.  Despite being given Zofran and a Scopolomine patch.  I had to have my husband pull over as soon as we got out of the parking lot so I could throw up.  Now I'm dealing with bladder spasms and referred pain to my shoulder.  (common in pelvic/abdominal surgeries,)  I was in recovery for 3 hours and probably should've stayed longer. 

I return to my ENT  on the 15th.  I'm hoping against hope that after having this hysterectomy, it'll settle my dizziness.  Probably not, but a girl can hope.  Ok, so I'm doped up on painkillers and should stop and go back to sleep...