Warning gents (or anyone for whom this may be TMI! )- look away now if you wish 🙂 !

It’s almost op day.

My surgery is scheduled for this Thursday. (It was postponed by one day because of the junior doctors’ strike.)

On Friday I had the pre-op assessment, where they check things like your blood pressure, that you don’t have particular infections,  or any conditions they need to be aware of which may make anaesthesia more risky. Thankfully all went fine.

This afternoon, I’m going in for an MRI scan. I was just about to get on the bus to the hospital when I got a phonecall to say the scanner was broken and my appointment was canceled! I really put my foot down. I need to have the scan before the operation. I questioned when they booked it (after an A&E doctor and I had kept chasing!) the fact that it was so close to the operation and was assured it would be fine. After the severity of symptoms I’ve had there was no way I was going to risk the operation getting postponed because they didn’t do the scan. I don’t usually insist for things like this but today I did. They were not forthcoming at first but I’m now to go at 4.30pm and wait however long it takes for another scanner to be available. I’m just thankful it’s being done today so the op can go ahead.

On Thursday I have to go in for 7.00am. All being well I’ll stay in overnight and come home the next day. I’m so so much hoping they can do what they want to and it fixes something. They are doing exploratory surgery, they are hoping to be able to remove some of the endometriosis and they are going to insert the coil. Depending how bad the endometriosis is they may not be able to remove all of it (they think it has probably grown over the bladder because of some of my symptoms and if it has grown through the bladder they will need to do another operation). I’m really hoping they can remove what they need to and that having the coil helps prevent it returning (I’m not sure about how effective they think that’ll be) and makes my periods lighter. Taking the Pill made no difference and I have still been bleeding for 3 weeks at a time but because the coil releases the hormones in a more localised way in the womb, it’s hoped it’ll be more effective. I was not too keen on having the coil but things have got so bad now I feel I have to try it. They are not willing to consider any other treatments til I’ve tried it. I’m kind of feeling trapped by that but I am also very thankful that after 10 years + of problems, a thorough investigation is now being done.

This past month I’ve really not been great physically. I had 4 days off work because of the pain and bleeding. I could only stand up for a few minutes at a time because I was so dizzy and in so much pain. I’m still having only 2 weeks between periods and they are lasting well over the supposedly usual week. My fibromyalgia and arthritis are bad at the moment too but the gynae symptoms are having a big impact. So Thursday can’t come fast enough!

I’m grateful that I got referred to a consultant who is taking things seriously at last.

Right, time to head off to the hospital and pray that everything is in order for the scan now!

Ginny xxx

• BPD
• Physical pain and physical health
• The emotional and the physical