And then my world fell apart.
I went in for a routine laproscopic hysterectomy. One of the first cuts the doctor made hit a main artery. A 9 inch incision, 2 units of blood, 1 unit of plasma and 1 unit of platelets later I woke in ICU. I had nearly died during the surgery. And during the surgery the doctor also missed a huge cyst on my left ovary. Four months later I went in to have that removed.
During that surgery, the same doctor put a clip on my ureter and put a hole in it. Three days later I had emergency surgery for a kidney that hadn't drained in days. They installed a stent, hoping that would help the ureter heal.
Over the next 7 months, I had 8 surgeries to replace the stent. Each one would get corroded and calcified and cause a kidney infection, which would knock me on my butt. Finally the doctors at the Cleveland Clinic determined I needed a ureter reconstruction.
In October of 2012 I had a 14 hour surgery to repair my damaged ureter. While they were operating, they also found I had a partial bowel obstruction and that was fixed as well.
The surgery was a success! But sadly, my kidney had too much damage done to it. It was no longer functioning at all and was causing more harm than good. In February of 2013 I had my kidney removed. It was a routine surgery but unfortunately, I had a small stroke during it, awaking to a completely numb face on the left side.
Thankfully over time, my body healed itself and the stroke is barely noticeable. Although I do still have days, like two days ago, where the drooping on the left side of my face is really noticeable. I wish I knew why it's so noticeable some days.
I have issues with abdominal scar tissue, but that is an issue I'll always have. My body just seems to love that stuff and grows it like crazy. I just had a surgery in December for lysis of adhesions to fix another partial bowel obstruction and free up what it was wrapped around.
Over the years of me being sick, in pain physically and emotionally, I've gained weight back. It’s the most embarrassing, shameful thing I've ever dealt with. Some days it’s even hard to leave the house.
I will always have health issues, and that's something I accepted long ago. It's so easy for me to accept that as part of the journey God has planned for me. But this changing body of mine, riddled with scars and weight gain, has been the hardest for me to accept.
