3 weeks ago...

Three weeks ago (13 Sept to be exact) I went into hospital for a relatively "minor" operation. Since March this year i have been suffering with a bladder prolapse and was heading off to have it repaired! I was operated on at 3pm that afternoon (a Monday) by my wonderful consultant and moved up to the ward by 5.30pm, so i was only in theatre a short time. When he came to do his rounds on Tuesday I was fit as a fiddle and told i could probably go home on Wednesday. Delighted is not the word, while the care was great, there is nothing like being at home. I was also on track to be back at work the following week. Hooray! However things conspired against me. I went into retention, this is where the bladder fails to do it job forgets what is is meant to do, meaning you need to go, but can't. Then it backs up to your kidneys. OUCH! So I was given a catheter Golden Hand Bag for another 24 hours to "rest" some more after surgery. Obviously golden hand bags can lead to infection, guess what.. yup you got it.. I got an infection. So now it is Thursday Mr D, my consultant does his rounds and is shocked to still see me here. We laugh some and he says it will come! Tomorrow is my sons 11th birthday. I have got to get home. I cannot miss this day. I missed it. Tears galore and a pity party in full swing was how I spent the day. Still my wonderful hubby bought him to see me and he was having a great day. I was happier. So Saturday comes round and i am told, you can go home. You can have lots of antibiotics and pain meds and a carry out strap-to-your-leg golden hand bag! Still at least i will be at home. I am to return to the hospital day surgery unit a week on Monday for a T.W.O.C (trial without catheter!). I arrive, and am relieved of my porta-bag but still my body fails to do its job. Am sad. So they ring Mr D and he comes to see me, he says we will put a Super-pubic Catheter in through my abdomen. Eh say what? So he continues to put anaesthetic in my tummy and cut me open. I can see everything. OMG. Two nurses are with us, one to help him, one to cheer me on! So he tried 3 times to put this long tube into my bladder form the outside, it was incredibly painful, I winced and tensed up but bit my lip, not wanting to make noise in case I made him jump! It was hard. He tried 3 times (yes my friends 3) before holding my hand and saying "I think i should do this under general anaesthetic next Monday. I can do some more surgery then and make things a bit easier for you." So he stitched me up re-united me with my hand bag and sent me home again with the promise to ring me with my operation details. I was ok, a bit sore but ok. Homeward bound again. I had to go to my family Dr on Wednesday as i was having the most awful pains, he was great gave me yet more meds and the pains stopped almost immediately. Ok so I rattle a bit with all the meds but am pain free! Mr D rang me on Thursday to ask if I could come in "tomorrow", he would like to try something else prior to operating. Erm ok, so I go along and he spends time in a cosy room telling me how he wants to give me a chance to get things going with more surgical intervention as I have been through enough and he has been worried about me! I am so touched by his concern about me. So the new plan is to send my home with new "speedi caths". This means that I can "go to the little girls room" and try before assisting myself. His nurse W taught me what to do and I left to go home knowing I can return to work and have 6 weeks before they even consider more surgery. Phew! So hows it going? Currently I have NOT had to assist myself to go in any way. I am so glad that we went this way and did not leave the hand bag in, going straight to surgery on Monday. I am now a free(er) woman. It's been a long road to recovery but I got here. I'm not going to be upset if I go into retention within the next 6 weeks, I'm keeping a diary as instructed and hopefully when i go back and see him on the 27th October (interim appointment) he will sign me off.