WHEW! It’s Over!

We drove through the snow today to get what will hopefully be my last ever Zoladex injection. And like most things, it wasn’t quite as bad as I had imagined. Don’t get me wrong! It was bad enough that I deserve sympathy! (How shameless was that?) Just not as bad as it could have been.

I sat on the exam table while two nurses looked at my belly, trying to figure out where to place the implant. It has to be under the skin, but not into the muscle. My post-surgical belly is definitely not flat, but the nurses couldn’t find enough “fat” to pinch.

**Uh, yeah. Gisele just called and she wants her abs of steel back.**

They finally decided on the area below my incision which is still swollen from surgery. She was able to get a good pinch in there. This is a picture of the spring-loaded needle they use. (Again – I’m looking for sympathy here, though this picture doesn’t do it justice)After they’ve got a fair amount of flesh between their fingers, they s*l*o*w*l*y insert a needle that looks just like the elephant tranquilizers I used to see on Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom. Once the needle is right where they want it, they push the button and SNAP! The medicine is spring-loaded into your hide and then the breath you didn’t realize you’ve been holding is released in one big WHOOSH.

Todd stood by and let me crush his hand while I stared at him out of my right eye because my left eye was squeezed tight and my face was all scrunched up. As if contorting my face this way somehow alleviates the pain. I’m sure all it really does is cause more wrinkles.

But I think the worst is yet to come. I still have to remove the band aid. While I was happy they didn’t have to mess with my tender belly, I’m afeared yanking the band aid off will be akin to a bikini wax. Maybe if I just leave it alone it will fall off on its own after a few showers.

So now that’s over and my next step is to see the gynecologist next Thursday to find out when I can have my blasted hysterectomy. Hopefully it will be within the next month so I don’t have to go through this yet again.

13 Comments

  1. Kris on February 1, 2007 at 4:10 pm

    Ouch!! that sounds painful, you have much sympathy from me.

  2. terrillr on February 1, 2007 at 4:36 pm

    I’m sure you would get a lot more sympathy if you weren’t quite so visual in your descriptions. Instead, I find myself laughing with you. But, much sympathy is still coming your way. Tell Todd you deserve at least three days of absolute “Princess Treatment”.

  3. The Book Girl, A.K.A. Jodi on February 1, 2007 at 5:30 pm

    Oh my goodness!! I did not realize it was a subcutaneous thing…oh my goodness…that’s all I can think of to say…oh my goodness! I’m glad you got through it okay. You have my sincerest sympathy.

  4. The Book Girl, A.K.A. Jodi on February 1, 2007 at 5:34 pm

    Oh my goodness!! I did not realize it was a subcutaneous thing…oh my goodness…that’s all I can think of to say…oh my goodness! I’m glad you got through it okay. You have my sincerest sympathy.

  5. Jen on February 2, 2007 at 1:58 am

    You are tough as nails girl! Will they do a laparoscopic procedure for your hysterectomy?Just think – no more cycles! Lucky girl! (silving linings:)

  6. Swishy on February 2, 2007 at 2:55 am

    Ditto on the tough as nails. OUCH! (OK, but on the bright side? They couldn’t find enough fat to pinch!!!)

  7. sheila on February 2, 2007 at 3:41 am

    Congratulations on making it through such a tough procedure!! I am so glad that Todd was there to comfort you. I hope you were able to do something positive, that you love today!! I thought I was really having a bad day today, until I read your blog. As bad as any day gets, I often think about you and all you have been through and I snap out of being such a whiner. Love ya Sheila

  8. Bookwormom on February 2, 2007 at 8:17 am

    Uck. Doesn’t sound easy at all. Hugs. Hope you had a treat afterward for being so brave!

  9. Tara Marie on February 2, 2007 at 9:06 am

    I’d like to say I feel your pain, but to be honest, I really can’t imagine this–YIKES.

  10. CindyS on February 2, 2007 at 9:46 am

    You are one hell of a trooper! I would be whining for days about this but you’re already talking about going swimming! (I love swimming but it’s winter here and I won’t go to the public pools – people get me riled – oh, the stories!) Then you mention a hysterectomy in the next breath. Yeah. I would so be milking this!CindyS

  11. Jenster on February 2, 2007 at 5:55 pm

    Thanks on the sympathy, Gals. I really appreciate it. :o)Terri – I’ve been getting princess treatment since the end of December and honestly, it’s getting old!Jen – I’m hoping on a laparoscopic h, but I won’t know anything certain until next Thursday.Swishy – as much as I’d love to say I have not fat, that would be a lie. I really think it’s because my stomach is still swollen and taut so there was nothing to pinch. If all they needed was fat, though, there’s always my butt.Sheila – I got to read, nap and take control of the remote. Oh wait. That’s what I do EVERY DAY! LOLAmanda – I still doubt it comes close to amnio. And Todd offered to stop at Hope’s Cookies, but I declined. I’m not sure what was wrong with me!Cindy – My life – at the moment – is one continuous whine. I’m still milking the whole reconstruction thing from five weeks ago and the hysterectomy should neatly fall into place. Yeah. If you ignore the surgeries, recovery and painful procedures, it’s really good to be me right now.

  12. Frannie Farmer on February 3, 2007 at 5:21 pm

    Wow .. I am late to the game here – but you so have my admiration and sympathy. Yikes. Now I have to be all stalkerish and read more about what got you to where you are … so if you notice a lurker .. that would be me. :O)Better days to ya babe!

  13. radioactive girl on February 4, 2007 at 10:47 pm

    Take off the bandaid with baby oil!!!! I have had so much surgery lately that I know what I am talking about. With dry skin, soak a cotton ball/pad with baby oil and lay it on the sticky sides of the band aid. It should get rid of the stick and you should be able to just pull the bandaid off pain free.

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