Day 10 Post Oophorectomy

Rather than the day by day play at this point, I figured it was ok to let a few days go by before filling you in again.  So, here I am, in my normal writing spot (my bed), ready to fill in you in on the last five days since we last chatted.

I ended up having a second follow up appointment yesterday, as there are some things we're still working out since the surgery.  The number one thing is the fact that I was once a HUGE sleeper, naturally.  Now, I don't get tired.  Seriously, at 11pm I'm asking my husband, "ok, what movie should we watch next?"  This is a problem as it has totally altered my daily norm, including my ability to feel rested and well healed.  My doctor feels this is a problem too, for the exact same reasons.  We've decided to work on this side effect from surgery first.  As we speak, a compound pharmacy is concocting a mixture of a higher dose of melatonin mixed with some tryptophan...yes, turkey sleepy juice.  I will start with 10 drops under the tongue each night and then ween to 5.  I can take it for as long as I want, if it works.  No side effects.  I was going to go on Effexor, but after reading all the negative side effects, I decided to start with this and give it a try.  I'll let you know how it goes.

I've been out and about three times, and all three times were full on long days of walking and being out with the family.  I noticed that about two hours in, my abdomen begins to ache and I'm reminded that I actually had things cut and removed from inside my body while all I focus on are the incisions on the outside which seem to minor.  The scars looks GREAT!  Pin pricks really.  They are very tender though, and as clothes rub on them and I bend and stretch, they get agitated and everything aches.  My fear right now is getting bumped or hit in the stomach...I'm a school teacher.

I've had some major hot flash attacks occur, which has lead me into my second obstacle throughout recovery...anxiety.  Somewhere within the past two years, I've had about ten to fifteen incidences of what I call, panic attacks.  These same feeling are also happening during some of my hot flashes.  After a long discussion with my doctor, she has identified me as having claustrophobia.  My first experience was in an MRI machine 1/2 way into my 45 min. scan a couple years ago.  Apparently, according to my doctor, the major hot flashes I have every so often, put my body into the same exact feeling I get when I have a claustrophobic attack, and my mind therefore reacts the same...I want out.  This has been hard to deal with, but for now, I'm trying to deal with this med free.  As of now, my doctor has given me a full month of recovery time off work, I'm in week two.  I think I'll only last a third week off, and I'll want to go back to work from sheer boredom already.

Other things to note at this time:

Sleep:
Still not sleeping without the assistance of Unisom or Xanax.  A compound pharmacy is making me a strong dose of melatonin and tryptophan as we speak.  I'll let you know how this works.

Pain Killers:
No pain killers, not even Panadol, for the past five days.  The pain isn't bad enough, just achy and tender.

Hot Flashes:
Well, as you read above, I am having them, and they do wake me up when I've finally managed to fall asleep.  I have purchased a recommended product called a cool pillow.  I used it last night, and yes, it did make a difference in my head temperature, but my lower body still got hot, obviously.  However, it was nice to have the coolness against my face.  I really need to work on the panic attacks during these flashes.  I'm constantly throwing the covers off and on throughout the night, so I know my sleep is interrupted no matter what.

Crying:
I don't cry regularly by any means, but I can feel that I am very emotional and if the right thing was said, I'd cry right then and there.  

Physical:
Feeling ok.  Able to go out for a day at a time here and there, although the next day I'm totally exhausted.  Bandages were off two days ago, no real pain...just aching.

No HRT?:

Nope, no HRT for now.  We did talk about the possibility of the progesterone cream if my hot flashes don't work themselves out in the next couple weeks.

Bleeding:
Still bleeding, but doctor says its normal.  It's more of a pain in the butt right now.