Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Shirodkar cerclage removal success - surgery story

So it seems for now my cerclage debacle may be over. I went in for surgery this morning to get my cerclage removed. When I got in and prepped for surgery - the anesthesiologist asked me if I wanted to do an epidural or general anesthesia. I know my surgeon wanted me to do an epidural so that he could talk me through the surgery - but the anesthesiologist felt my risks were the same. I also hoped to do an epidural for my delivery ( within 2 weeks) so I opted for general.

My surgeon came in and explained the risks of the surgery and honestly he scared me shitless. He wasn't feeling very confident that he would be able to remove it. He discussed the blood flow rates in my veins in the uterus vs how much blood I have in my body and the dangers of nicking a vein. He also explained that if it went sour, I'd be looking at a c section+hysterectomy. Wait whuuuuuut? He kept saying - he was going to go in and look - and if anything looked unfavorable - he would simply abandon the surgery. He also talked to me about choosing which OB would do my c-section if he wasn't successful. We also talked through getting an IUD with the stitch in if it couldn't come out, how it affects fertility and what pregnancy risks it comes with.

After that pep talk (sarcasm), we went into the OR. I dozed off pretty quick once they gave me meds. I'm actually used to falling asleep instantly - this time I drifted off. It was actually kind of weird. When I came to, my surgeon was still around and the first thing I asked was - did you get it out?? And he happily said he was able to! He said I can go ahead and attempt my vaginal delivery. He said the stitch was buried but he was able to find enough of it to remove the entire thing. I'm sure I was loopy because I asked him 3-4 times to be sure I wasn't dreaming. I also noticed that my throat hurt and I had a productive cough. It turns out I was intubated and even aspirated on the table. It's 3 am now and I'm nursing a sore throat from that and painfully coughing up phlegm....

Recovery was pretty straight forward. The general rule applies - if you can piss you can go home. I'm on bed rest for a day, pelvic rest for a week , and now on labor watch!!! I'm so grateful that he was able to undo what that shady OB in South Africa did. I was so scared that the cerclage he put in was something I'd never be able to get out. I haven't had a chance to ask what this means for future pregnancies ( although I never want to be pregnant again LOL). I just don't want anyone making those decisions for me.

On one side I'm very happy that it seems the crisis has been averted. On the other hand I'm feeling very violated. I trusted the OB in South Africa to give me a cerclage that would 1 - save my pregnancy and 2 - not increase my chances of a csection - and 3 be temporary. What I got was 1 but not 2 or 3 and he falsified my medical records too. I just keep thinking - what would have happened if my cervix funneled and opened even with the stitch? What if my waters had broken? What if we were forced to have an emergency cerclage removal if I went into labor? This surgery required 2 surgeons because they realized what they were dealing with - what if in an emergency situation I ended up with a regular OB instead of a pair of specialists? What gave him the right to make those decisions for me and to not even inform me? I still don't want to have more kids but now I fear how this may affect that. I'm just so angry on so many fronts .

Finally - I'm just laying here with a sore throat because of the intubation / aspiration issue. My baby is still kicking so I know the general anesthesia didn't make him too sluggish. I'm on labor watch which is awesome. My son should be here within the next 2 weeks .....

No comments:

Post a Comment