#49 To those planning surgery (A talk about complications)

To those reading my articles for the first time
Thank you for taking the time to look at my article.
In August 2024, I underwent an open abdominal surgery for a total hysterectomy and bilateral oophorectomy due to uterine fibroids and chocolate cysts.
If you are interested in the physical ailments and the circumstances leading up to the surgery, please take a look at my past articles.

To those who always read my articles
Since my articles had stopped, I may have caused you some worry...
Due to various health issues, I have been away from Note for a while.
I plan to continue writing as much as I can, so I would appreciate your support.

***

This time, I would like to talk about something a little serious...

There is a corresponding reason for undergoing a total hysterectomy.
Before making the decision to "have surgery or not," there is a fair amount of conflict, and one struggles and worries before finally choosing the treatment.
And, neither the choice to "have surgery" nor "not have surgery" is wrong.

However, no matter how much medicine advances, no matter how excellent the doctor is, or no matter how famous the hospital is,please keep in the back of your mind that risks are inherent in surgery.

What I am about to talk about is what is currently happening to my body.
It is what is calleda "surgical complication."It is said that the earlier this complication is discovered after surgery, the better; if it is delayed, it not only affects subsequent treatment but also lowers QOL (quality of life) and affects one's mental state.

If you are planning to have surgery, if you experiencesymptoms similar to mine after surgery, please inform your attending physician immediately.
Even if they say, "Let's just observe the progress for now," don't give up and insist that they perform an examination no matter what!
After all, the hospital won't take responsibility if something happens...

I damaged my right ureter during surgery.
It was damage caused by an electric scalpel.
As a result, urine is constantly leaking from the damaged area, and urine is pooling under the bladder.
The pooled urine, having nowhere to go, is leaking from the vaginal stump (the part that was separated from the uterus and sutured).
Even so, it cannot be fully discharged, so it accumulates in the body, and bacteria multiply and cause inflammation.
When inflammation occurs, you get high fevers, and like cystitis, you start to experience pain during urination, lower abdominal pain, and blood in the urine.

For about a month after surgery (while hospitalized), the urine leakage from the vagina was beyond what you would call "incontinence," and even using nursing diapers and urine absorbent pads (capable of absorbing two adult portions of urine), it would seep into my clothes if I didn't change them every two hours.
Even at night, if I slept until morning without changing, it would leak onto the bedding.

Around a month later, the leakage from the vagina dropped to less than half, and various symptoms appeared.
Pain during urination, lower abdominal pain, low-grade fever, and a foul odor from the urine and vagina...

I strongly insisted on an examination, and at this point, it was finally determined to be a "ureterovaginal fistula" due to ureteral injury.

Surgery to repair the ureter is necessary, and while it might have been possible immediately after the initial surgery, more than a month has already passed, so the bladder is inflamed due to the urine leakage, and unfortunately, it is not in a condition to be operated on immediately.

It was decided to urgently insert a "ureteral stent" as a first-aid measure and for observation.

This time, it was fortunate that the ureteral stent could be inserted, but I was told that if the damage was severe and the stent could not be inserted, they would perform a "nephrostomy."

If I had undergone a nephrostomy, I would be living with a urine tube coming out of my back and carrying a urine bag.

It was fortunate that I was able to successfully insert the ureteral stent, but I have not yet been informed of the future treatment plan.

Because I have a stent in, I also experience lower abdominal pain and pain when urinating.
The urinary leakage from my vagina has not completely stopped yet either.
If I start feeling unwell, I might have to take time off work suddenly.
In fact, since being discharged, I've had to go in for unexpected outpatient visits, which has caused me to miss work often, and I feel guilty and awkward about it at my workplace.
Every time my stomach hurts even a little, I spend my days feeling anxious, thinking, "Will I get a fever again?" or "Have my symptoms gotten worse again?"

Unfortunately,even if you search for personal accounts of these complications on the internet or social media, you won't find any at all.
Even though there are manycases published by hospitalsacross the country...

That is the reason why I decided to write about this.

In every case study, it is noted that "if a patient complains of urinary leakage after a hysterectomy, ureteral injury should be considered."
However, in my case, I reported the urinary leakage twice while hospitalized, but I was told, "Let's wait and see."
Even when I had a high fever on the second day after discharge and was taken to the emergency room, I mentioned the urinary leakage, but they did not perform any tests.

If I had known about this case study, I think I would have been much more insistent about the urinary leakage.
If I had, I probably could have discovered this complication at an earlier stage.
It is truly a shame...

I know I've told you something scary, but complications from surgery are not that common.
It seems the risk increases just a little bit if "the uterine fibroids are particularly large" or if "there are strong adhesions due to conditions like endometriosis."
I believe this was just an event that happened to me by bad luck. (Or at least, I'd like to think so.)

However,
if...
if by any chance...
you have a hysterectomy and think, "Wait, am I leaking urine?"
please tell your doctor with all your might and get tested immediately!!

Even for other things, if you have any symptoms that bother you at all, make sure you can speak up right away!
I will also take better care of my body from now on!

I hope your surgeries go safely...

#UterineFibroids #ChocolateCyst #Laparotomy #UrinaryLeakage #UrinaryIncontinence #UrineLeak #UreteralStent #Complications