Adjusting Afterward
Summer
After my surgery, it was hard having to stay inside almost all summer just to recover. It was very new for me to have to take medication every day, and even now I am still getting used to things. Since that day, I am still learning what works and what doesn't work for my body. I had to change the way I was eating, and yes, that did include more vegetables and water. What took me the longest to process was the fact that without that surgery, I would still be in so much pain every time I got my period and essentially made it worse each time without the help from my doctors. To top it all off, I was behind all my friends who were spending their summer studying for the pre-ACT.
Back to School
When it was time to go back to school, I was very hesitant because I felt different from when I left the following year. I'll be honest, it felt nice not to have to worry about having cramps, going to the nurse's office, or having to ask a friend for a pad at school. It was also hard because I didn't want anyone but my close friends to know that I had to undergo surgery, and I was different now. Because of everything the doctors found, I got a 504 plan- which is a specialized accommodation at school. The school informed all the teachers of this before the first day of school, so I felt good about starting a new school year (even though deep down I hated having a 504 plan and was embarrassed by it).
GET TO KNOW
Back to OBGYN
Post-surgery
Going back to see my OBGYN after surgery felt refreshing. For the first time, we didn't have to talk about the amount of pain I was in. We went over the basics of how my body had changed after a 7-hour procedure and the plan going forward. Since then, I have been taking a type of birth control to stop my periods because having them again could bring back the endometriosis. Some people may think birth control is unethical, but all these years, it has been saving me from extreme pain and the risk of another surgery. What I have learned is that over time, endometriosis turns black. Even though my doctors worked hours to burn it, they were only able to burn what they could see. If the endo-was in it's beginning stages, then it was clear and they probably missed removing it.
So, even after a 7-hour surgery, the doctors might not have burned all the endometriosis because they were not able to see it (could only see the black ones). In all, birth control is good in my case, and my advice is to be open to all options your OBGYN tells you, even if you are unsure about them. Having been almost 3 years since my surgery I still go back to see my OBGYN so they can check up on me.
