Preparing for an Abdominal Myomectomy Procedure Pt 1 (or,You're going to do WHAT to my Uterus?!)

Knowing I was due to undergo an abdominal myomectomy this year, I scoured the internet and talked to friends and colleagues who have been through the procedure. I wanted to have an idea of what to expect prior to, during and after the operation.

Each UK health trust works differently, my own (Croydon Health Services) were vague about recovery. It occurred to me that a few blog posts on my experience might be of use to others.

Image: http://www.wisegeekhealth.com

What is a Myomectomy?

A myomectomy is a surgical removal of uterine fibroids. Uterine fibroids are non-cancerous tumours that grow on or around the womb.

While the exact cause of fibroids is unknown, we do know they are linked to the hormone oestrogen, at least 40% of women experience fibroid growth to some degree, and fibroid growths develop more frequently in women of African Caribbean origin.

Two types of Myomectomy

There are two types of myomectomy, laparoscopic and abdominal.

Laparoscopic  (keyhole): Surgery incision through a keyhole cut, an instrument is used to remove the fibroids. Typical recovery is 1 - 2 weeks.

Abdominal (open): A cut is made in the abdomen to remove the fibroids. Typical recovery is 4 - 6 weeks.

My consultant explained the size and location of my fibroids called for abdominal surgery.

The clearest explanation of the abdominal procedure I have found is here, I have summarised below.

• The surgeon makes an incision on the skin over the uterus and takes the uterus out.
• An incision is made on the uterus itself, the fibroids are found and cut out.
• The surgeon uses dissolvable sutures to reconstruct the uterus walls.
• The restored uterus is 'popped back in' (not a medical term obviously), the incision is sewn closed.

I found a very interesting video of the procedure, Note: I DID NOT watch this before the operation - you have to know for yourself how much information will help calm your nerves and what will freak you out!

Thanks for reading! Next post on this topic "Is it hot in here, or is it just me?"

Further Reading

Uterine Fibroids, NHS Website
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Fibroids/Pages/Introduction.aspx

Abdominal Myomectomy Blog
http://how-to-avoid-hysterectomy.com/blog/abdominal-myomectomy-2.html 

Video of Abdominal Myomectomy Procedure
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMKJ9IoTdD0

How Have the Smoothies Been Going?

'So.. how have the smoothies been going?' Was a question from a work colleague recently.

While I can report, I have been fairly consistent with smoothie making in the past few months, in contrast, I have been pretty shoddy with blog entries.

That's because along with my established affection for Pinterest I discovered the joys of Tumblr, and have been distracted with reposting other people's pictures and blog posts..


Smoothie Making: 3 Things I have Learned So Far

1. I make smoothies for my breakfast on work days. Whether or not I organise myself in time to do this each morning is dependant on what fruit-stock I have in the freezer, and what time my first morning meeting is due to take place.

9am, 9.30am meetings = starbucks or costa coffee
10:30am meetings onwards = home-made smoothies


2. . Almond milk seems like a natural favourite among those with lactose intolerance but after a few goes, I realised I don't really enjoy almond milk. I cant put my finger on why, just end up feeling a little nauseous if I don't drink it when its super-cold. So far, my go-to liquid has been coconut water from a can, which is not ideal but works for me right now.

I recently bought some chai and some green tea bags with a view to trying cooled tea as a smoothie base, will update this post (or a new post) and let you know how that goes. Similarly, avocado's in smoothies? Not my favourite option so far but I haven't given up on that yet. WIll try a few more recipe combinations first.

My only attempt using avocado instead of banana or mango as the creamy element in a smoothie. Perhaps it was combination of ingredients not just the avocado? It was aiiiigghht but not fabulous.

Ingredients: Kale, pineapple, avocado, coconut water. Meh..

3. Prep makes it all possible. On the weeks where I stock my freezer with mixed fruit and veg bags, I can be more consistent throughout the week with morning smoothie making.I do a fruit-fest all at once, randomly filling freezer bags with different combinations so each is slightly different.

I would list here, the contents of these freezer bags I put together, but your guess (based on ingredients we can make out from gazing at the picture), is as good as mine! You get the gist through! 

Thanks for reading! Check out my Tumblr page below.


Tumblr: http://thiabee.tumblr.com/