You may or may not remember I did a post a while ago about how POTS and ME can both cause Overactive Bladder (OAB)? Here’s the link in case you want to refresh your memory: POTS/ME and Overactive Bladder – chronicallycraptastic.com
Anyways, a camera into my bladder thankfully showed everything looks fine in terms of there not being any unusual lumps or bumps etc. So that’s good. Only, my bladder still doesn’t empty itself properly and I’m still peeing 998 times a day. (Me, exaggerate? Surely not!)
So, today I’m scheduled for a urethral dilation surgery aimed at (hopefully) alleviating that problem.
I’m not remotely concerned about the procedure itself … but I am feeling pretty nervous about the impact the general anaesthetic will have on my ME and POTS.
When I had my appendix removed two years ago, I felt soooooo sick from the anaesthetic and my POTS flared up something brutal. I knew I shouldn’t have left the hospital in that state, but it was early evening and I knew my M.E symptoms would ramp up too if I had to stay overnight. All the noise, people and general sensory-ness would have made sure of that. So I feigned wellness to the nurse, until Pete and our son O arrived to collect me.
I felt SO unwell in that car ride home. My POTS was flaring badly, I could feel my whole body short-circuiting, and I really needed to lie down flat to help the blood get back up to my brain. Only, I couldn’t lay the car seat back because O was in his car seat directly behind me. I really thought I might puke a few times, but managed not to, as I didn’t want to frighten O. That, and I have an intense fear of vomiting, which has made me something of a pro at stopping myself from doing it over the years.
So yes, that experience has left me feeling pretty nervous about having another anaesthetic. But I know I did the right thing by feigning wellness to get myself discharged last time, as I definitely appreciated being in my own bed when we finally got home. And I’m sure being at home helped me to recover quicker, as my bedroom is far more M.E and POTS friendly than a hospital. (Sadly, this is our reality.)
So, hi-ho, hi-ho, it’s off to surgery I go. And I will do my upmost best to feign wellness AGAIN if necessary after this anaesthetic. Albeit, it would be really nice if my wellness could be genuine. Fingers crossed!🤞🤞
