A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that I had a knot in my belly. One person responded. So I went to google, my fateful friend and came up with ‘hernia’. Most likely from the C Section. The doctors claimed that usually that doctor sewed the muscles back together, but, well, I don’t have my medical records and they didn’t offer to check. Apparently a small percentage of abdominal surgeries do herniate near the incision.
So I finally called a doctor yesterday and will get in to be poked at on the 17th. Then I get my crown for my root canal on the 19th. Assuming I will have further tests that need done for the possible hernia, that flattens that week and makes me a very cranky person. Especially when I’m probably looking at another operation. That makes 3 in less than five years, 2 in less than one year. What about Keeley? Will I have to wait until I’m done nursing so it doesn’t affect her? Will I be able to pick up my 20 lb sack of potatoes every 10 minutes like she wants? Change her diaper, get down on the floor and play with her? There is NO ONE to help me. No one. My husband has to work. Our parents have to work. I have no friends within a 2 hour radius, and all of my friends work and/or have kids. This SUCKS. Argh. Why me? Couldn’t some other person who has a husband who works from home get a big ol’ knot in her belly, or someone who has family that lives right down the road that is already retired or chooses not to work, or farms, so that for the most part there is always someone around? No, it happens to me, with my husband an hour away, and family even further.
Maybe nothing will come of it, maybe it doesn’t require surgery, but it hurts when I laugh too hard, and I LIKE laughing too hard. It hurts when I overindulge on pizza. And I LIKE overindulging on pizza every now and then. It hurts every once in a while when I have to get up and down too much with the baby, especially right after dinner. I spend a good quantity of my time getting up and down off the floor. Forget about sitting on the couch or in a chair. Baby is mobile, which means I must be there to keep her out of things, on the floor. I don’t know about the rest of you, but gut surgery and on the floor don’t usually mix for me. What’s my point? I’m cranky.
Oh hon, I’m so sorry! It really DOES suck!
If I lived nearby, I’d come help you for sure.
Re:nursing and surgery
I had a tubal ligation when Lyssa was still nursing. I never had any luck expressing milk, so pumping and discarding the first feeding wasn’t an option. I consulted her pediatrician, my ob/gyn, the anesthesiologist,a couple other doctors I knew and La Leche League. All of them said discarding the first feeding was optimal, but since I could not, the medication they gave me was the same stuff they would have given the baby had she needed surgery. I was instructed to keep an eye on her for any adverse reaction, and went ahead and nursed.
Everything turned out fine. (Well, she’s a smartass now, but I’m not sure if it was the meds that did it.)
Yikes – I hope it is nothing.
Ug. Not fair. Wish I was close and could help. Lauren would have tons of fun with Keeley!
You should definitely find out about the nursing, but it will likely be fine. There seems to be very little that you have to stop nursing a baby for. The day of, she’ll need a pumped feeding or few, but likely not after that. But I’m not a doctor.
Matt should be able to take off work if there is actually a procedure necessary (perhaps he won’t have PTO, but unpaid at least is better than having nobody to watch Keeley), so that would be inconvenient, but doable. It’s the lifting afterwards that will be the biggest deal. You’re going to have to clean up the floor really well before you go in, and then have a gate or two so you can keep her contained to a room or two with her able to roam free while you rest on the couch or bed. It won’t be easy, but it can be done. And get a few meals in the freezer, ready to pop in the oven, or purchase a few things that are heat and eat meals. Get the laundry as caught up as possible before hand and then live in pjs for a week or two after. One of the first questions you should ask is what your restrictions would be and for how long.
Hope that you don’t need anything done, although I suppose it isn’t always bad to figure out the problem and then get it taken care of, as opposed to not knowing and having the problems for a long time. Now, tell me the same thing about my gall bladder, would you? I need to see a surgeon and get it taken care of, but I’m a wuss. And then there are some of the same problems you have when it comes to childcare, except when I DO have to lift them, my kids are 43 and 30 pounds! And I have help available. Oh, I wish I could help!!!