Sterilized On World Population Day
Edit 14APR12: Wow, it looks like I’m not the only one interested in telling their tubal ligation story. Scotia shared hers on this very blog. Additionally, Alicia Domina recently posted her own story on her own blog. Hopefully, anyone who finds themselves in the position of perusing a tubal ligation, but wants information on the procedures from the first-hand perspective of patients, as I looked for prior to my own tubal, can find these posts as well as whatever answers they may seek. If you have had a tubal, or a similar procedure, I encourage you to share your experience somewhere, as doing so might help others in ways you couldn’t predict.
I finally got fixed! Warning, some TMI.
Yesterday, July 11, was
Word Population Day, a day to raise awareness of worlds growing population problems, and approximately the 24th anniversary of the world population rising to 5 billion (just for reference, the world population is expect to exceed 7 billion this year.) July 11 was also – and I swear I didn’t plan this – the day that I had my tubal ligation. If I’d known it was WPD, I would have made all kinds of jokes about celebrating way too seriously, but I didn’t actually find out about WPD until just this morning. No matter, I wouldn’t have been able to write about it yesterday anyway.
So, yes, yesterday, I finally had that long awaited tubal. I was told at my pre-op that I should shower before the operation and use some special sponge they gave me. I was also told that my appointment wouldn’t be until 10 am. At about 6:30 am, my phone rang, telling me my appointment had moved and I needed to be at the hospital in one hour. Here, I might complain about how that’s an impossibly short amount of time to get ready, but I wouldn’t be allowed to wear make-up or even lotion that day, there was no reason for me to do anything more with my hair than to tie it back, and I dressed, well, comfortably.
When my boyfriend and I arrived at the clinic, the nurse took my ID, handed it to my BF, and whisked me away to the back. I wasn’t sure why she’d given my BF my ID, or why he wasn’t coming back with us. She told me my ID was given to him so he could pick up my medications later, and that she had some things she needed to do to prep me before my BF could come back. I put my personal belongings and my clothes into a plastic bag they provided, put on a hospital gown, and hopped into bed.
She asked me a few questions, and then came what I’d been dreading – the IV. I am absolutely terrified of needles. I don’t like the feeling of metal objects poking through and moving under my skin. It freaks me out horribly. Not to worry though, she gave me some lidocane so I didn’t feel the IV. Unfortunately, she gave me the lidocane with a needle. It’s not really pain that bothers me, understand. It’s needles. At my pre-admission yesterday, a nurse had to take a blood sample. She told me this while taking my blood pressure. My BP got so high, she had to wait for me to calm down to do it again. I was glad my BF wasn’t there to see me get the IV. He knows I’m afraid of needles, but I’d rather he didn’t see me freak out.
The room I was is was much like a large bay, full of beds, each surrounded by curtain. There were other people there, waiting for whatever surgery they arrived for. I didn’t like being left alone there. Eventually, by BF was allowed to join me. Just talking to him, even about absolutely nothing at all, did wonders to help me relax and pass the time. We have a running joke, my BF and I, of scratching each other’s head or rubbing each other’s bellies or backs, then remarking “I need a dog,” both of us being dog-lovers. As he sat with me there, I thought he was better than any therapy dog. It’s a silly observation to anyone reading this, but it made us happy.
At one time, another nurse, one I’d never seen before, came back to ask a few questions. My name, my birth-date, what I’m here for, etc. Then she asked the most ridiculous question I’ve ever heard.
“You know you can’t ever have kids then, right?” she asked after I answered I was there for a tubal ligation. I nearly laughed in her face. Hell, maybe I did. My BF waited for her to leave before saying something snarky. How did she think that I would make it all the way to this point without even knowing what a tubal ligation was?
The doctor came back and re-introduced himself to my BF and me. He suggested using clips instead of cauterization, as it would be easier to reverse, which was in sharp contrast to what he said when we first made the appointment where he said he preferred cauterization to placing foreign objects and I agreed. I told him that if I though there was any chance at all that I would ever want reversal, I wouldn’t even be there at all. This satisfied him, and I was next visited by the anesthesiologist, who I had met Friday. We chatted for a bit, before he put sedative in my IV drip and walked away. The last thing I remember was calling to a nearby nurse, complaining that arm burned a bit. She answered that’s what sedation does. After that, my BF later told me, my head fell back into my pillow in a manner reminiscent of some dramatic movie death.
(Medical details bother some people. Highlight to read.) I had a laproscopic tubal ligation with cauterization (and IUD removal.) I had this surgery under general anesthesia, so I had a tube down my throat, and also probably had a catheter in my urethra. I don’t remember either of these being placed as I was already asleep. A light-emitting instrument called a laprocope was inserted through a small incision just under my belly-button. Through a second incision, the surgical instrument used to cut my Fallopian tubes was inserted. To make my Fallopian tubes more accessible, a uterine manipulator was inserted through my vagina and cervix and into my uterus and was used to push it up, and also my abdomen was filled with air so I probably looked six months pregnant.
Due to the residual affects of anesthesia, I don’t remember much of what happened at the hospital after I woke up. Most of what I write here is what my BF either observed himself or was told by the nurses. I remember being startled awake by a nurse who introduced herself as Regina. I think we talked for a while, but I don’t remember much about it other than her telling me that the surgery was complication-free. I was surprised it was already over. I had no sense of time. I remember hearing someone reciting some poetry that I recognized as Robert Frost, and then explaining that they were trying to regain lucidity and then asking, “Is that the right word, lucidity?” I later discovered that this person was, in fact, myself when my BF told me later that a nurse had told him that I was reciting poetry. Odd.
I asked Regina where my BF was, and she said that was the problem. He wasn’t in the waiting room, but someone had called him. I asked for my phone, but I didn’t know where my personal bag was and my phone got no service in the hospital. I probably wouldn’t have been able to operate it anyway. Every time Regina walked away from me, I fell asleep, only to startle awake every time she came near me again. To me, she may as well have been teleporting.
Eventually, she wheeled my bed into the second recovery room, where two other nurses were waiting for me. As we approached the doors to the hall, I tried to help by reaching the button on the wall to open them. I didn’t realize that it was way too far away for me to reach, and wasn’t even the correct button anyway. I must have fallen asleep again, as the next thing I remember is the sound of my BF’s voice, startling me awake. I had to tilt my head to look at him as I couldn’t seem to manage to fully open my eyes. I do remember the amused grin on his face.
I don’t remember this, but at some point the nurses were checking my vitals and my BF said to them, as a joke, that they should threaten to give me a needle, to which I answered “that’s not funny,” as my pulse rose by 2o bpm. He told me later that I kept telling him “You’re a good boyfriend,” and, “The ladies here are so nice,” over and over. I repeated myself a lot, he says. It seems that I had no short-term memory. He said he once stood and watched me fall asleep, only to startle awake few minutes later, surprised to see him and asking him when he got there. He hadn’t even moved.
A nurse brought me some juice, which my BF held for me. I sipped a bit, then he set it aside. Each time he brought it back to me to drink some more, I’d get all surprised and excited, “Oh, juice!” Apparently, I frequently forgot it was there. A nurse stood by my bed and fiddled with the computer. I asked her if I’d seen her before just then. It turns out she’d been with me for the last hour.
Anesthesia is rough, but my BF got a good laugh.
Before it was even noon, it came time to go. My BF was sent to move his car to the front of the hospital to meet me. I had a lot of trouble just sitting up. Not only from the anesthesia, but from the air that I still had trapped in my abdomen. The anesthesia made me dizzy and off balance, but the air made it feel like I was being punched in the chest and I could hardly breathe. I got myself dressed, probably taking about three times longer than it normally should have. I noticed that there was some blood on the sheet. Embarrassed, I apologized profusely and asked for some pads, which the nurse cheerfully provided. I was glad that my boyfriend was already gone.
I’ve been pushed in wheelchairs before, but this was the first time I felt like I really needed it. I could hardly stand on my own. When the elevator began to descend, the movement of the air in my abdomen and the anesthesia clouding my mind made me feel like we were in free-fall for a moment before I realized I was only imagining it and was still safe in my chair. The nurse pushing my chair told me that she was afraid of elevators, at which point I shared with her my fear of needles. We met my BF at the front of the hospital and she helped me into his car. Almost immediately, I fell asleep again.
I woke up when he parked in front of his barracks. I tried to let myself out of his car, but I couldn’t stand. I went from sitting in the car’s seat to sitting on the car’s door-frame. With my BF’s help, we walked over to his building. I tried to climb the stairs, but was stuck at the first step. I tried my best but just didn’t have the coordination for stairs. It might have helped if the stairs would hold still.
My BF picked me up and carried me up the stairs bridal style. It was easy for him. He’s a soldier and I, at 87 lbs to his 220, weigh less than the gear he had to carry every day in Iraq. If I were sober, I might have found that embarrassing. In his room, he made me a sandwich and poured me a glass of orange juice. I had intended to eat it so I’d have something in my stomach when I took my pills. I was prescribed Motrin for pain and swelling, Vicodin for pain, and ZoFran for the nausea Vicodin always causes me whenever I take it. I took the Motrin, but didn’t feel as though I really needed the Vicodin. My BF played an episode of Top-Gear, a favorite show of ours, but I fell asleep within minutes. BF cuddled up to me and we had a nice and well deserved nap together.
A few hours later, the effects of the anesthesia had worn off enough that I woke up on my own, without someone else needing to wake me, and was even able to stand and walk around a bit and could even walk up and down stairs on my own. The air in my abdomen was my biggest problem, as I could feel the air move every time I changed position. It hurt but not enough that I felt the need for Vicodin. Although I had a lot of trouble walking and breathing at the same time, I was told that walking would help my body absorb the air, so I joined my BF to drop off our application for a town-home, and then to the grocery store.
Today, I still feel the air in my abdomen move whenever I do. It hurts to roll over, or sit up, and I have to wait for the air to settle, and I’m quickly winded whenever I try to walk somewhere. For some reason, my shoulders and neck occasionally hurt very badly, which is something my doctor warned me about. I have a bit of a cough this morning, as the tube placed down my throat has irritated it and caused flem to build up in my throat which made my voice sound very funny this morning. With air in my abdomen, coughing is a bit difficult. This, however, was alleviated with orange juice. (More TMI ahead. Highlight to read.) Urinating this morning was uncomfortable, which surprised me somewhat, and was probably because of the catheter which the nurse who called to check up on me this morning told me I probably had. I have some light vaginal bleeding. My uterus, vagina, and incision points, however, don’t bother me at all. I feel no pain there. Honestly, the only pain I have felt has been tolerable, not even enough to make me feel the need for pills, and subsides if I just say still. It’s really not that bad, and I think that this is the best decision I’ve ever made. (Edit: All of this went away within a few days.)
(Edit: this is pure laymen speculation, don’t take it seriously.) I have had one thought about post tubal ligation syndrome, a subject I’d written about in a previous post. I wonder if the symptoms reported by women who claim to have this syndrome are caused by the residual effects of the air in their abdomens. That would explain why their symptoms are so rare that no studies on tubal ligation has been able to show a link between their symptoms and tubal ligation, as most people’s bodies are able to deal with the air on their own, and many tubal, although I’m not sure how many, follow a Cesarean section, which may or may not require the abdomen to be inflated with air. It would also explain why women report their symptoms disappearing after a tubal reversal, as being cut open again would allow the air to escape. In such a case, cutting or reconnecting the Fallopian tubes would have nothing to do with it, so it would still make no sense to call it post tubal ligation syndrome. I’m not a doctor or a scientist, so don’t take this blind speculation too seriously. It’s just a random thought I had while coming off anesthesia. In the off-chance that I do experience any negative symptoms though (edit: I didn’t. The air bubble went away after a few days, like like it was supposed to,) the possiblity of trapped air is something I think I’d address before doing something as drastic as a tubal reversal.
I’m a bit uncomfortable and have trouble breathing, but I’ve never been happier or more optimistic about the security of my future. This was a great decision, and one I’m sure I’ll never regret. Happy World Population Day.
Posted on 2011/07/12, in childfree, Countdown To Tubal, Diary, Prochoice and tagged childfree, countdown to tubal, feminism, feminist, pro-choice, prochoice, sterilization, tubal, tubal ligation. Bookmark the permalink. 40 Comments.
Oh wow! Congratulations!
I started following your blog recently, and I´m so happy everything turned out ok! I hope to be in your place 2 or 3 years from now……..
So, what happens with the air in your belly? Does it go away by itself, will you be farting a lot, or what? It´s wonderful that you´re not feeling any pain………..it was funny reading how you dealt with the anesthesia, I had surgery twice, to remove small benign tumors in my breasts, and man, the feeling after waking up from the anesthesia is not pretty. You wanna wake up so badly but you just can´t, and I felt pretty much as if I had had 1000 shots of vodka…..drunk! LOL!
Well, I hope you recover quickly and that you start enjoying your new life!
Love,
Sollie
Thanks.
I’m not completely without pain. The air in my abdomen sometimes hurts quite a lot. It’s just that it hasn’t been bad enough that I’ve felt the need for the Vicodin they gave me. I’m not saying that to be tough, Vicodin makes me sick and I’d rather avoid taking it if I can. I’d rather deal with pain than be sick. Honestly, what pain I do feel isn’t even that bad. Having my IUD inserted hurt way more than this.
Neither my BF nor I drink, but he did find it amusing how I acted coming off anesthesia. He called me a “happy drunk.” My BF, by the way, has been absolutely fantastic through all of this. He was here just a bit ago checking up on me. I think I worry the poor guy.
I guess my body is supposed to just absorb the CO2 on its own after a few days, and one woman who had it did say that I might be a bit gassy. We’ll see.
I hope you get to wherever you want to be in whatever reasonable time frame you pick for yourself.
I’m planning to write a blog post for people considering sterilization very soon, I’m not sure if it will actually help.
Cheers.
Just wanted to say a very sincere thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences pre- and post-TL; honestly, several of your posts have been the most helpful things I’ve read so far. I’ve got a TL scheduled in a couple of days, and was doing a bunch of web surfing to try to make sure I have a thorough understanding of what it will be like and what (if anything) I need to worry about for afterward. I found it refreshing to read something that’s not borderline hysterical.
Hi. Sorry it’s taken me a while to respond. Have you had your TL yet?
I’m glad you found my post helpful. I was in the same boat as you before my TL, searching the internet for personal stories and such.
If you’re interested, the most helpful resource I’ve found is this thread. It’s on a Child-free forum. I’m not sure if you’re CF or not, but the information there is good regardless. This forum, is about birth control, but many people have shared their sterilization stories. I like this forum, The Childfree Life, and even non-CF people are allowed to join and post.
Anyway, good luck to you. Don’t let the borderline hysterical nonsense get you down. I wish you an uncomplicated procedure and a speedy recovery.
Hi, I was wondering how you were doing and if you had any of the mythical tubal ligation syndrome. The reason I am asking is because I am debating getting my tubes tied. I am pregnant with my second child and think two is a good number. I had a very strong biological clock and could never had chosen to have no kids. But I don’t want scads of children and I hate being pregnant.
I have been concerned about tubal ligation but not because of the internet scare stories. We believe what we want to. Even you don’t necessarily believe “truth” but rather the “truth that suits what you think or feel”. I don’t want to get this done if there is a chance it will mess me up. I always seem to get the raw end of the deal in percentages.
And even if I did change my mind about wanting another child I don’t want my hormones to diminish the nightmares of pregnancy. I want to make the decision now while I am spending most of my time in front of the toilet. Not later when I have a wonderful little child spending the day in the sunshine with me.
I don’t believe “truth that suites how [I] think and feel.” I believe truth, something that is objective and demonstrably. I did exhaustive research on the subject and scoured every source that I could track down and could not find one single shred of evidence apart from a few inconsistent anecdotes to support PTLS, and found plenty of empirical evidence against it.
As for myself, I’m doing just dandy. The first week sucked, as I believe I wrote on this blog, because of the air used to inflate my abdomen, but nothing else bothered me a bit. The incisions didn’t hurt, and I’m left with disappointingly small scars. I never even needed the Vicodin that I was prescribed. If you are planning to have a cesarean, the doctor will probably not need to use air, at least as I understand it (it’s a bit of a different procedure.)
I haven’t got one single symptom that supposedly comes with PTLS. My periods are heavier than they’ve been for the last few years, but that’s only because they’ve gone back to normal, what they were before I started hormonal birthcontol which made them lighter. And finally being free of hormonal BC feels fantastic. I feel better physically, and not having to worry about using BC correctly is a load off of my mind.
Listen, if you’re going to get a tubal, you’d better be damned certain it’s absolutely what you want. Of the people who regret their decisions to get fixed, in my experience, most of them seem to be mothers who decide that they want one more. Unfortunately, this minority of women are vocal, and their stories cause a lot of trouble for mothers and CF women alike who are sure they want to be sterilized. They make doctors more reluctant to provide tubals for other women. Do you have any idea how many hoops that I had to jump through to get fixed? I was lucky, it only took me 2 years and 4 doctors. Other women keep getting denied until they reach menopause and it doesn’t matter anymore.
Don’t think that I’m picking on you just because you’re a mom. I tell everyone who gets a tubal to look at the big picture, how their decisions affect others, and be 100% sure that they want fixed before they ever bring it up to a doctor. If that’s you, great. Go for it. And if your doctor gives you any trouble at all, find a different one. Good luck.
Congratulations!
Thanks
CONGRATS CONGRATS CONGRATS on your TL hon!
I NEVER wanted kids and was on BC at 15….at 23 I ended up with an ‘oppsie BC baby’. He is a lovely, bright, funny kid and I care deeply for him. But do I love kids because of him? Am I am ‘mommy’ because of him? Do I want to continue to spawn because of him? The answer is “OH HELL NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” I had my TL the minute he popped out. BEST choice of my entire life bar none. My son lives with his bio dad…second best choice ever!
My husband and I aften joke about thanking the Good Lord and the doc who sterilized me. LOL. Life is amazing and full and exciting without babies between the two of us. We live so completely.
I applaud and respect every single woman who KNOWS that kids are simply not for her (and the men too).
Thanks for writing about this, I really needed to know about the whole deal.
I’m 19 and considering TL very, very seriously for a few reasons. Among them are bipolar disorder II (me and boyfriend), EXTREMELY high risk of a baby getting cancer (everyone in the last 5 generations in my family has gotten cancer, I am the only survivor. And of course, the fact that I really hate children (screaming, crying, sticky hands and feet, smelly, etc…), and that my body could not handle a pregnancy because I am physically screwed up and mentally, I think I’d rather die.
Plus, neither I or my boyfriend want kids. They cost too much and we get frustrated too fast. We prefer our rescue animals, they are so much nicer and sweeter than kids – and they astound us daily when they learn new tricks and play. In fact, I have a blind guinea pig right now that I suspect doesn’t even know he’s blind. He runs and plays and snuggles up to my boyfriend on the couch and watches him play games.
Plus, I’d prefer a dog to a baby any day!
On a side note, I live in Colorado too. But I live out near Fort Lupton. There’s always a lot of animals in need of rescue there.
19, huh? If you’re old enough to say that you don’t want children, and old enough to say you want to have a tubal ligation, then you ARE old enough to make those decision. Don’t ever let anyone try to tell you otherwise.
It’s good that you recognize your physical and mental health concerns. Too many selfish individuals with similar problems go on to have babies anyway. For such people, it’s all about themselves, having a baby for their own sense of self-worth. To hell with the baby’s future health. To hell with concerns about actually the woman actually being healthy after delivering a baby.
And of course simply not wanting a baby is more than enough reason to avoid having one. Remember, your choice is fully valid. You don’t have to justify it to anyone.
Good luck getting your tubal.
I have no info on ovarian cancer.
Love this blog!! I was looking for stories on what the recovery is like for TL and I just wanted to find something positive and first hand about TL. After almost two pages of what I felt was just negative crap, I found a link to your blog.
My TL is next month. I’m 40 and I wish I’d had one when I was younger. When I called my doctor’s office to discuss this I made it clear that I’m 40, I don’t have kids, and I never want kids. The nurse just said, “OK, well we’ll have you come in to talk to the doctor.” Easy.
So thanks for sharing your story. I love your honesty.
Congrats on getting a tubal scheduled. And good on your for seeing past all the anti-sterilization nonsense.
I was just writing to another commenter on another post about recovery. My only problem was the air bubble, which took my body about a week to absorb. The actual incisions were small and didn’t cause me any pain at all and healed very quickly. There is really nothing to worry about.
I wanted to leave a follow up comment. I went to my pre-op appointment today and left absolutely furious. It turns out that my state requires women without children to wait thirty days before they can have the surgery. I’m 40! I don’t think another 30 days are going to change my mind. So not only am I angry about the waiting period, I’m angry that my doctor’s office forgot to have me fill out the consent form last month. So I can’t have surgery next Friday. My doctor looked pretty angry after I told him that no one had me sign anything.
I wonder if there is a 30 day wait for anyone who wants prenatal care. Somehow I doubt it.
I had to go through the same thing. It is so frustrating at 41 that I have to wait 30 days when I’ve never had children, never wanted children…… Mine is scheduled for next Wed. I can’t wait! I can’t emphasize enough how helpful this blog has been. I left longer posts on your pre-tl blog if anyone is interested in my stories.
Again, thank you Julie!
Hey Michelle, good luck tomorrow!!! My surgery was on Friday the 13th! The lady who took my information when I checked into the surgical center joked that it was a slow day. The staff at the surgical center was awesome and the TL was quick and pretty painless (I woke up feeling like I had bad cramps).The only real issue that I had was that I was sick from the anesthesia. By the time I went to bed that night it just felt like I’d ton a ton of sit ups. I felt pretty good the next day. My only regret is that I waited until 40 to do this!
On a side note, I see that the August issue of Vogue has an article on younger women who have to fight to get sterilized. I guess it doesn’t matter what age you are, the state thinks that they know what’s best for you. I snarked to friends that once the 30 day waiting period was over, I woke up still wanting to get my TL.
I agree, thank you Julie. Your blog gave me the answers I wanted because there is some hilarious and negative stuff out there about TL recovery. One person said they gained 100 pounds after they had theirs. Um, what?
Thank you Nona! I will let you know how it goes. Thanks for making me giggle with the gaining 100 lbs comment.
I tried getting it done when I was 25 and the Doctor’s wouldn’t even talk to me about it. So I went on with regular birth control until I found out that I qualified for Badgercare Family Planning here in Wisconsin and they cover the entire procedure. Now I don’t feel so bad for waiting so long.
The thing that makes me the most nervous is how my body will react to going off the pill after having been on it since I was 17. I’m almost 42 now….that’s a long time.
Pamela Paul interviewed me before and after my procedure for that article. It was a little over a year ago this month. Unfortunately, I haven’t had a chance to read the August issue of Vogue yet so I don’t know if my interview was actually used or not. Regardless, I’m glad to see that there is much more talk about sterilization now than there was a year ago when I was seeking my tubal.
Thank you so much for sharing your TL story! You don’t know how helpful and comforting it was to find a postive TL story here on the internet. Prior to stumbling across your blog, all I found was horrific stories of PTLS. I am 39 years old, no children and I don’t want any. Earlier this week I emailed my doctor to see if TL was an option for me and I was so happy when he told me that it was. I tried to have this done at age 27 but was told no. At any rate, I am looking forward to my surgery. The more I learn about hormonal birth control, the more it scares the crap out of me and I know I no longer want any part of it.
I’m glad that you like my post. I wrote a long one about PTLS a few days before this post. http://hikinghumanist.com/2011/07/09/post-tubal-ligation-syndrome/
Funny how many supposed PTLS symptoms resemble menopause, as well as just about anything.
I had my tubal ligation about a year ago last month. No PTLS. Today, I started my period (TMI, I know.) I woke up with some diarrhea, cramping, and slight nausea. PTLS, right? Nope! That’s just my body being NORMAL! This is exactly what I had to deal with before I started taking birth control pills, and is what I’ve returned to since I no longer use hormonal contraceptives. Took two Midol and a warm bath and now I’m perfectly fine.
No PTLS here (or anywhere.)
I have never had any problems with hormones related to contraception, apart from them pretty much killing what very little sex drive I have. Meh.
Let me know how it all goes!
I want to thank you for posting this. I am 26 with no children and I am having my tubes tied at the end of this month. After reading all of the horror stories on the internet I was tempted to cancel my surgery, but your blog has given me hope. I have searched and searched for some proof that it is real (other than people alleging to have PTLS) and I really could not find much (unless you count the Drs selling reversals as a “cure”). I am a geologist by degree, so I am very scientifically minded. Research doesn’t lie and I couldn’t find any that said PTLS was an actual condition caused by a tubal.
My husband had a vasectomy but he was the lucky ” 1 in 1000″ that had it grow back (I believe it is called recanalization). So this time, its my turn. Fortunately for me, my doctor was very supportive in my choice. To help with my concerns, she wants to do a hormone baseline as part of my pre-op testing. Then I can retest whenever I want. She said if anything “worth publishing” comes of it, we can split the research grant (she is very sarcastic, I think that is why we get along).
I will be honest, I am still terrified. Less so about the risk of “PTLS” but just about the surgery in general. I have never had surgery before so the whole anesthesia thing has me pretty freaked out. If you have any other advice or words of encouragement, they would be very welcome right now!
Thanks again!
Well, I’m no professional, but I can do some fair research. I looked at numerous studies and brushed up on reproductive anatomy a bit. My admittedly laymen self couldn’t find anything to support the idea that PTLS is even a real thing. The only sources that supported the existence of PTLS were the websites of doctors selling reversals, although they gave no evidence of PTLS either (can we say, “suspicious”?) I posted what I found two days before I had my tubal. http://hikinghumanist.com/2011/07/09/post-tubal-ligation-syndrome/
That was over a year ago. I now have cramps and nausea when I start my periods. However, this isn’t new. This is exactly what I experienced years ago, before I started taking hormonal birth control, and it makes perfect sense that it’s what I return to now that I’m off it. The tubal ligation has nothing to do with it. No PTLS.
Your husband’s V failed? Wow. How did you find out?
Surgery isn’t so bad. I had a few. You’ll blink your eyes and find yourself in a completely different room without the sense that any time had passed at all. The only evidence that anything had even happened would be the small band-aids on your abdomen.
Make sure you have someone off work that day to take you home (they might have to help you walk if you’re still coming off anesthesia,) make you a sandwich, give you some juice, and put you to bed. (I spent most of the first day just sleeping off the drugs, so make sure you have time off work.)
The only problem is the air bubble, if they use that in your procedure. It’s VERY uncomfortable, but will go away on its own in a few days. Then you’ll be happy, healthy, and sterile
If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Also, if you have the time and interest, write your own TL story for other people to find.
Just wanted to check in! It’s been a month and a few days since I’ve had my TL. I just wanted to share my experience so far! I definitely thought of you Julie when I checked in and they asked me my religion. My answer was none and there was a definite pause. My husband and I giggled about it later. My nurses were so awesome! It took me about an hour to wake up but no nausea!! Yay! I had just a little abdominal pain. Went home took a nap and actually went up and watched my Hubby play vball that night.
Woke up the next day and felt fine. My throat was a little sore from the respirator, and I coughed a lot but fine. Later that afternoon the muscle aches hit. My neck, my arms and my legs felt like I had fun a marathon and had done a thousand situps. Wow! When that gas gets absorbed by your body it hurts. Who knew!
I went to work the next day, but only worked a half day because the pain was sooo annoying and of course the pain killers did nothing for me! That lasted for about two days. Otherwise I was pretty pain free. My incisions hurt when my cats stepped on them or when a volleyball hit them and itched as they healed. I have to say it was a pretty painless and easy procedure.
The worst part of the whole day was waiting for the results of the blood serum pregnancy test. It took forever and my husband & eye just kept getting more & more nervous. Then when the nurse gave us our results she paused…..FREAKED us out!! We told her that as we laughed with relief when it was negative. He! He!
Yesterday started my first period since the procedure. So far so good! Nothing out of the ordinary yet! I can’t tell you how happy I am that I did it! Thank you for sharing your experience and creating this discussion!
I’m glad everything is going well. Yes, the gas is pretty unpleasant. And I forgot how much the incisions itched!
No one asked me my religion when I went in. That seems weird. What was that about?
Yeah! I’m not sure about that either! Especially since it’s not a hospital affiliated with any religion.
Well, yesterday was the big day for me! I was in a lot of pain coming out of surgery, way more than I expected. Then I felt something wet on my arm. Apparently the iv had disconnected and all of the pain killers had run out onto the bed. After that was fixed, it was not bad at all. I have had minimal issues with the gas causing any pain. If I lay on my side it hurts a bit, but other than that, I feel great. It was the best decision I have ever made. I just had to thank you again for posting and sharing. I think more people need to know that not all TLs end in horror and regret. Now that we are 100% childfree, my husband and I can move on to the next stage in our lives. We sold our 4 bedroom 3 bath (way too big for 2) house and bought a top floor loft downtown! We are in our 20s, chldfree, and we are going to enjoy it!
Thanks again!
CC
I live in NH and had my TL done yesterday. I also had to sign a consent form 30 days prior to surgery but I was told it’s because I am on Medicaid (state provided medical care).
I cannot tell you how much peace of mind your blog has brought me. I’m 31 and just signed the consent form for my 30-day waiting period for my voluntary sterilization. The Internet is definitely running rampant with horror stories of regrets and failed sterilization attempts. It was very reassuring to read a no nonsense account of the procedure and the recovery period as well. Now if only these 30 days could come sooner. Thank you again!
I wrote pretty much exactly what I was looking for before I had my own tubal. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much information in the form of personal accounts to be found. So after I had it done, I wrote this, first to pass time as I recovered, and secondly just in case it might help anyone else. If you enjoyed this, I’m glad. If you write at all, I’d like to encourage you to forward the favor and write your own account of your procedure for others to find. The more people who write their stories, the less intimidating the procedure becomes for people going into it. Doctors can tell you facts, but it takes a patent to tell you the experience.
If you have any questions about my tubal, even if they seem very personal, you may ask them here. This page is here to help.
Of you’re not a spam bot, reply with “cinnamon.”
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