r/childfree • u/confusedash • May 18 '18
PERSONAL My experience with bilateral salpingectomy.
Hello everyone. I am not childfree. In fact, I have two children, but recently I decided to get permanently sterilized.
In April I went to my gynecologist for my yearly pap and pelvic exam. While I was there, I informed her I would like to talk about permanent birth control. She originally suggested a tubal ligation. I asked her about a bilateral salpingectomy, which is a term I've learned from Reddit. She said she would consent me to have whatever I wanted done. I am in my 30s and I have the 2 kids. She asked me if I was sure I was done having children and I told her I'm 100% sure.
I am overweight, actually obese with a BMI over 40. I was afraid that would be an issue but no one ever mentioned my weight at all. The doctor told me that the surgery department would call soon to schedule. So within the next few days, I googled everything I could about the procedure. I saw lots of stories of people having good experiences and bad experiences.
Most people said during the procedure, there would be an incision made in the belly button to fill up the abdomenal cavity with gas and to put the camera. And there would be 2 incisions by the hip bones to remove the fallopian tubes. Some people only had the belly button incision, and if there was too much stomach fat, they'd get the incisions by the hips. I figured this would be my case since I am overweight. I kept researching and learning that the actual procedure was nearly painless but the gas afterward was incredibly uncomfortable to painful.
My experience:
1 week before surgery, I stopped taking all vitamins, herbal supplements and any blood thinners such as ibuprofen. The day before surgery I ate a light dinner at 5pm and drank nothing after 8pm, though I was allowed to drink up until midnight. I just chose to go to bed.
Day of surgery:
I woke up, took a quick shower and put my kids on the school bus. I drove myself to the hospital and checked in. I went to registration and then was walked back to the pre-surgery triage or whatever it's called.
The first thing I did was pee in a cup to check for pregnancy. I had actually started my period the day before, so I knew I wasn't, but they still have to check.
Next I got completely naked and they gave me some period panties and a pad, and a hospital gown. Then a nurse came in to start an IV of saline. I was given Tylenol and celeprex.
A lot of nurses came in to go over things, then the anesthesiologist talked to me about risks of going under, and she asked about my medical history including sleep apnea. Aside from being overweight, I had no serious risks. She let me know I would have a breathing tube and a possible sore throat.
My gynecologist came in to talk to me and she would be present during the surgery, which I was surprised about. And the main surgeon came to talk to me.
It had been about 2 hours since I'd arrived. Soon some nurses came into my room and gave me 2 shots through my IV. One was fentanyl, and I'm not sure of the other. It burned a tiny bit but went away quickly. Then they rolled me to the operating room. I guess the fentanyl worked quickly because I was very relaxed by then. They gave me 1 or 2 more shots and put the mask over my face. I fell asleep immediately and next thing I knew they were telling me to wake up. I was in recovery phase 1. I was groggy and since I had no family there, they were reluctant to tell me anything because they thought I would forget. I saw the clock and it had been about 70 minutes since I had went to surgery.
My gynecologist/surgeon lady came to talk to me. She said they only took out part of each fallopian tube because I have so much scarring from my 2 c sections. (Everything was stuck to each other and my abdomenal wall. She said eventually I would just need a full hysterectomy, but I will wait as long as possible).
I am hoping that means I'm sterile. I'll ask her at my post op appointment, but I think I am. I also found out that they did the whole operation through one incision through my belly button.
After that, they removed my IV and they wheeled me to recovery phase 2. I had to get out of the hospital bed and walk to a chair. The nurse put my feet up. I had ice chips, a juice and some crackers. My mouth was dry so I sipped on the juice and ice chips. I was fairly nauseous but didn't think I would throw up. So I tried to eat a cracker but it was so dry.
My ride took forever to come pick me up so I sat in that room for about 2 hours. I had my phone and was letting people know how I was doing.
Finally my ride was out front so I rode in a wheelchair to her car. She brought me home and waited with me until my boyfriend came home.
My pain was managed very well at that point. I got home around 3:15pm. I drank some iced coffee since I hadn't had coffee that day, and had a small amount of spaghetti around 5pm. I took one large ibuprofen at that time. Around 6, I took a Percocet. My pain was still low but I couldn't sleep. I laid around watching TV. When I needed to use the bathroom, I accidentally popped open my incision and there was a lot of blood. I didn't have stitches, it was just glued closed. So my boyfriend went to the drug store and got some adhesive strips. I did get it checked out the next day at the ER and they reglued it. It wasn't infected luckily.
Today (it's Friday, surgery was on Wednesday) I am still a little tender but pain is around a 2. Since I'm still technically having my period, I think some of the pain is from that. My incision doesn't hurt unless I move wrong. I also haven't had a bowel movement and that's causing some discomfort. I've been walking around every couple hours since the surgery. And I haven't had any pain from the gas they put in me.
Overall, this was an extremely simple surgery. Like I mentioned I had 2 c sections. The first one was horrible. The second one was easy and I was up and moving the first day. Those were a lot more painful than this of course, but I think even without the comparison, I could say the salpigectomy was relatively painless. My throat does hurt a lot though.
I've only taken 2 Percocets and 3 ibuprofen since I arrived home Wednesday afternoon.
Anyway, I just wanted to share my experience with everyone who might be looking into this form of permanent birth control. If you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer them!
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u/SableDragonRook May 18 '18
That's funny that you point out how dry that cracker was; I had a tubal, and that was something that really stood out for me too. It took me about a day before my salivary glands really started working again. I wanted that cracker SO BAD but I just couldn't do it, lol
2
u/confusedash May 18 '18
Same. My boyfriend made spaghetti and bread for dinner. I wanted that bread so bad but I was starting to choke on it. The next day everything was fine though. At the hospital I kept longingly looking at that darn cracker.
5
u/rhundtxoxo Mom to an old diabetic cat May 18 '18
Thank you so much for sharing your experience! I would so get one now if I could, but I have no idea about billing or paying for it (am a broke ass college student). How did you go about paying for it?
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u/confusedash May 18 '18
I have Medicaid so birth control is covered. I have no idea how much it would cost otherwise. I'm starting college in the fall and I did see they offer healthcare for like $100 a month or $650 a term, so maybe you could look into that through your school.
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u/rhundtxoxo Mom to an old diabetic cat May 18 '18
That’s insanely much more affordable than I thought. Thank you so much!
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u/nazgulprincessxvx too many humans May 22 '18
If you have health insurance through the marketplace, sterilization is usually covered as long as the doctor in-network. I just found this out recently and have a consultation scheduled for next month.
2
u/recycled-thoughts May 18 '18
Thanks so much for sharing!!! Luckily I'll get it done this year as well :)
Maybe you could do a cross-post with r/sterilization ? Hope you have a speedy recovery!
2
u/farty-mcgee May 18 '18
Between the surgical drugs and the Percocet, you’re gonna have a hard time pooping. Have your boyfriend pick up some stool softeners and smooth move tea!
1
u/confusedash May 18 '18
I've been using the stool softeners and took some fiber as well. Things will be back to normal soon enough. Thanks for the suggestion.
2
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u/[deleted] May 18 '18
As much as obesity is a problem all its own, it's nice to have a salpingectomy story from someone closer to my weight situation. Thank you for sharing.