Laparoscopy

October 3, 2012: We arrived at DOCS (Delaware Outpatient Center for Surgery) in the afternoon.  I was instructed to wear comfortable loose clothing and warm socks.  Andy drove me to the center and I knew my Mom and his Mom were going to arrive once I was in surgery.  They called Andy and I back and right away started prepping me for surgery!  The anesthesiologist came right in and right away began pushing needles into my hand, I specifically remember telling him I was not good with needles but my right hand had a better vein than my left....he could have cared less what I was saying and continued hurting me. Finally he said the IV would not go in so he would try the other hand, boom! IV went right in.....gee thanks, instant bruising! One nurse was strapping circulation boots on me, another was hooking my oxygen and pulse monitors up and another nurse was asking me a million questions!  I was all set in my beautiful surgical gown and hair net!  They said patients typically walk back to the OR room themselves but being I was almost having an anxiety attack, sweating, turning white etc., they were just going to wheel me back in the chair haha!  I entered the freezing cold and bright operating room.  They helped me out of the chair and told me to step up on the step and climb onto the operating table......really??? Like what patient is like, ok! lets do this! and hops right up, it is so weird to me!!!! They tell me to lay down with my butt where the hole in the table is....."what is that for?????" i thought to myself! I laid down and right away a nurse next to my head said she was going to give me oxygen.......and right there is the last thing I remember! I didn't even get to count backwards from 100!  I woke in the recovery room under warm blankets with a nurse standing next to me asking me how I felt.  I felt great! Very tired but feeling absolutely no pain.  The doctor then came in and told me that he just spoke to Andy, my Mom and Andy's Mom and that Andy was not doing so well.  I asked him why and he said because your surgery revealed some shocking news.  I at this point was still so groggy that I didn't really care....the doctor explained that the surgery was supposed to take about 1 hour but it ended up taking almost 3 hours because they found stage 3 endometriosis.  I had the disease in my uterus, behind my uterus, some in my fallopian tubes, a little in my right ovary and my left ovary looked like it was "gnarled" by the disease. He apparently had asked my Mom if when I was a teenager if I ever complained of horrible cramps during my period, but to my and my Mom's knowledge, my cramps were like all other teenage girls.  He believes that I have had endometriosis since I was a teenager and the disease grew to be so bad that my symptoms were silent.  He said sometimes, the further along the disease is, the less symptoms show.   He said that they removed as much of the disease as they could but they were very surprised at how much they found. My recovery for this surgery was "supposed" to be about 4-5 days, however, my doctor told me that my surgery was very rough and I would most likely need a lot longer......SHOCKING NEWS.