Brody's Notes... Editor & Journalist Pam Spaulding Returns Home After Surgery

Pam Spaulding returns home today after surgery  Photo by Kate

By Brody Levesque (Washington DC) NOV 23 | Pam Spaulding, the Editor-In-Chief of the widely read LGBT political blog Pam's House Blend, has returned home after successful surgery yesterday. Reporting from her home in Durham, North Carolina, Pam writes:

If you've been following me on Facebook and Twitter, you know I got online via my phone at the hospital as soon as I could think clearly.

I didn't have the energy to post a diary, but I did upload at thumbs up photo (R) last night. I was in pain, but the nurses kept me on Percocet much of the time, so I was able to sleep.

Well, actually, I didn't sleep much because various nurses came into my room every half-hour or so to check blood sugar, pain meds, blood pressure, etc. I was definitely treated well and carefully monitored. No fever, no chills, thank goodness.

I didn't move most of the night (had catheter), but this AM my discharge was conditional based on whether I could go to the bathroom on my own. Talk about frustrating. I simply couldn't go; and the fatigue from trying was debilitating. This afternoon I had one last try before they were going to have to re-cath me and send me home with that mess. Around 2PM I was successful, and so I was able to leave after I walked around the ward 2x to make sure I could walk without passing out or go into severe pain.

One of the complications I had was some tearing of tissue as the uterus was removed in one piece vaginally after laproscopically detaching it. So that area was swollen and thus affecting my ability to void. It's now off to pathology, with the fibroids intact. I'm really sore, even with the pain meds ratcheted up. Typing this post was challenging; I am almost asleep at the keyboard.

I stayed overnight in the maternity ward, so it was very quiet, and the nurses are all well-versed in gyn stuff. When I was finally able to void this afternoon, they were all excited and doing the happy dance for me. It was hilarious. No one wanted to see me leave with a cath.

So Kate took me home around 3PM, and we stopped to get my painkillers, which I will use sparingly, and we came home to find this [ pictured ] on the front porch... flowers from sweetie David Mixner.

And speaking of thank yous -- many virtual hugs to all of my colleagues who participated in the "Blogswarm of Love for Pam," as well as those who kindly hit the tip jar or wrote emails/Tweets of support. I don't take health for granted, and given my constellation of inter-related conditions, major surgery is quite a bit more risky than for most folks.

So now I can crash and burn in my own bed with my 5 holes poked in my from the surgery. I report back to the surgeon in a couple of weeks. so hopefully I will beat back any infections.

Now I am going to hit the sack. I'm quite woozy.