TL;DR: Polyps are gone. Polyps are benign. I can now accurately pronounce hysteroscopic polypectomy, but hopefully will never have to say those words again. 🙏
I Need to Get Something Off My Chest Before We Get Started.
Ready?
WHY DO THEY HAVE TO DO A URINE PREGNANCY TEST BEFORE SURGERY WHEN THEY KNOW THE REASON I'M THERE???
Oh, the irony. When the nurse called to go over pre-op stuff, she mentioned they'd do a pregnancy test prior to surgery.
I flat out said, "Is that really necessary?"
She replied, "I know, it doesn't make much sense when you're going through infertility...BUT, miracles happen."
I bit my tongue. But I really wanted to tell her that the only way a miracle would be happening is if God himself decided He was going to bring Jesus back as a baby again through a 35-year-old non-virgin married to a man who doesn't produce sperm.
Rant over.
Surgery - Round 1
In case you missed it, my surgery to get rid of the evil Grady Twins (uterine polyps) was supposed to be on January 28. But due to some unfortunate miscommunication/circumstances, it was cancelled and rescheduled for February 4.
My husband posted this on Facebook: I added my commentary below (in pink😊):
Hey everybody! Wannabe Dad here (he's my best friend and lovah) to update you on the surgery today. Unfortunately it is cancelled (see Kevin’s face!). (If you ever come to our house on a Saturday or Sunday, The Office will likely be on TV because Brian is obsessed.)
Teri followed the instructions from the dr (if you know me, you know I like processes and procedures), but unfortunately they didn’t align with what the anesthesiologist requested. (The doctor wrote on my pre-op paper that I can have a light snack the morning of surgery such as oatmeal and can drink up to 2 hours prior to surgery. So, I had oatmeal the morning of surgery. Wouldn't you?)
This cancellation may or may not have (definitely may) caused an anxiety attack in the waiting room and my incredibly beautiful (awww🥰) wife got to take a little cruise in a wheelchair! (yes definitely did, but I started to feel like I was going to pass out in the lobby BEFORE they cancelled my surgery -- you know, anxiety, the bajillion questions they ask and the bajillion pieces of paperwork/signatures. I got super overheated and overwhelmed with trying extra hard to laugh and smile and pretend like I was A-OK. I finally said, "I don't feel so good." because I literally felt like I was going to faint at any moment.)
(So then a team of super nurses came out with a wheelchair, and right around that exact same time, the people behind the desk told me my surgery was cancelled due to me eating the oatmeal.)
(AND I LOST IT.)
(I started sobbing like a hysterical woman, which is very atypical for me. I am an emotional person, but 99% of the time my emotions are private and come out behind closed doors. Definitely NOT in the middle of a surgery center waiting room. First time for everything 🤷♀️)
She’s fine, (of course) she’s pissed, (it takes a lot for me to get pissed), but she’s fine now. (I was also incredibly embarrassed by my uncontrollable emotional outburst.)
We are home and I will be giving her lots of back rubs and foot massages (did I mention that he's the best??) to help take her mind off yet another roadblock in this long journey. Thank you all for the prayers, (yes, THANK YOU!!!) we will be needing them again next week!
Not an ideal situation at all. They wheeled me to a conference room where we met with the surgeon and anesthesiologist and they explained why my surgery was cancelled.
Through tears, I explained to them that I was only following instructions (unfortunately I didn't have my instruction paper with me, but I emailed them a picture of it when we got home).
Besides the angst of mentally preparing for surgery, we had both taken PTO, I had to cancel a mental health appointment with a new therapist, and we had to cancel our Open House for that weekend since we thought I'd be recovering.
Give Grace <but don't be a doormat>
In the past if this had happened, I likely would have said something like, "It's OK. I'm sorry." And ended up apologizing for something I didn't even do. (#IYKYK).
Brian and I had a long discussion about this miscommunication and what we should do about it. Neither one of us like to complain or ask for anything, but this is the year of "Advocating for Ourselves and our Future Family."
We sent the image of the letter with the incorrect instructions written to our new clinic along with a kind but pointed note expressing our disappointment. We missed a call from the PA, but received a very nice response, 100% taking responsibility for the error and apologizing profusely. When I went in for my second COVID test five days after the error, the nurse gave me a big hug and told me they've all had extra training to ensure this doesn't happen again.
As Brian said, "Maybe this happened to us so it won't happen to someone else."
We've also been contacted by the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Office of the Patient Experience and are confident they will make it right.
Week of Jan. 31: Deja Vu - Surgery Round 2
Passed another COVID test Wednesday
Took another PTO day
Cancelled another therapy appointment
Cancelled another open house
Didn't eat oatmeal (or anything) after midnight
The polyps are gone and are benign. Recovery seemed a bit harder this time around than what I remember in June.