Once upon a surgery...

I am proud to announce that on August 19th, 2013 I had my hymenectomy. I am so happy and relieved and proud of myself. These past 2 months have been a roller coaster of emotions and I am really proud of the outcome.

My surgery adventure began at 7:30am. I checked into the hospital and had to wait until about 8:10am. I was showed into this little hospital room and I got the bed by the window! I had to change into the standard hospital gown which was a little awkward because my boob kept popping out of the front pocket and my butt was hanging out of the back. The nurse that did my initial vital signs and IV was super nice and funny and really put me at ease. The IV hurt a little, but I got it in the back of my hand so it wasn't as bad as the blood work. (Speaking of blood work, I found out that I am B+)! The worst part was the waiting. I had to wait until about 9:10am to be moved into the OR.

In the OR room, everyone was suuuper nice! I was cold so the nurse brought me a heated blanket and it was wonderful! I also had to take a pregnancy test (????) before surgery which I thought was ironic because I was having surgery to HAVE kids someday...Oh well. The pregnancy test was a struggle though because I had to like, wheel the IV and hold the back of my gown so my butt didn't hang out. There was some backup in my IV which freaked me out! (Backup is just blood filling into the tube).

The nurse told me she was gonna give me the medicine soon and the room immediately starting spinning. I must have passed out like 10 seconds later! The strangest part though, was that I remember the nurse telling me that I'd have to move myself onto the operating table and I vaguely remember moving in a daze and people all around me, hooking me up to lots of different machines. It honestly felt like a dream. It was the weirdest feeling I've ever experienced!

I woke up in the PACU (post-anesthesia care unit) and my first thought was "I'M DONE!" I was so relieved but soo groggy! The nurse brought my mom in and I immediately texted and Tweeted everyone I knew! I woke up at about 11:20am. I was quickly moved into my hospital room again and then my IV was taken out and I was allowed to change and leave! I was in no pain whatsoever!

As I write, it's been a day and I still haven't had any pain! However, when I pee, it burns for the first few seconds but then it goes away! I'm really careful about movement as I don't want to open it again. I have some trouble getting comfortable especially when I sit and sleep but that's about it! It went waaay better than I could ever have expected. I am so happy it's over and so proud of myself.

4 years, 1 month, and 12 days after I learned about my septate hymen, it was gone.

What's up with my hymen?!?!

Hello lovelies! So today I'm going to blog about a few of the most common abnormalities you might find with your hymen. I still remember the day I discovered mine. It was before our yearly family vacation to the beach and I was fearful that my period would make an appearance again so I decided to give tampons a shot. I got a mirror out for guidance and attempted to insert the tampon. Let me tell you folks, it didn't go in. At all. Even worse, it kind of hurt. I thought I might be doing it all wrong so as many people in my generation do, I went to Google. Somehow, stories of girls with septate hymens popped up and I saw a photo of a sketched septate hymen that looked similar to what I was looking at in the mirror. I got really upset when I realized I would eventually need surgery to have sex and use tampons. But here we are, I've not only made the first steps to getting it fixed, but I've heard firsthand from a doctor that it'll be taken care of.

Imperforate Hymen: The first time you examine yourself (I highly advise that all of you do ASAP so you don't have a horror tampon or sex story), you might look completely sealed off. Like I said, mine is a septate hymen but the holes are SO tiny, a Q-tip would have trouble fitting. However, the true test with this hymen is your period. If you get a period, you do not have an imperforate hymen because the blood wouldn't come out! If you do get your period but it takes a looong time to finish, you might have a.....

Microperforate Hymen: This hymen usually means your period will last longer than 7 days. It also means (depending on the size of your hole) that you won't be able to insert tampons without pain. Similar to this hymen is the....

Septate Hymen: This hymen is personal because it's the one I have! If you have this type of hymen (again, depending on the size of the holes), you might be able to use tampons! However, you can get the tampon in, just not out because it expands when soaked with blood. If you have a thin septate, it might break during sexual intercourse but you'll be left with a "tag" or the piece of the hymen hanging down. Many choose to get this removed.

THE GOOD PART is that all of these can be fixed by simple surgical procedures. I highly advise all females to see what kind they have so they don't have a bad experience. If you have an imperforate hymen, it is imperative that you see a doctor ASAP because you need to have your period! The blood will just build up if not operated on which can cause all sorts of health problems. 

So what are you waiting for ladies? Get a mirror and take a look! If you have a abnormality, call the doctor whenever you're ready and start on the journey I'm on. The journey to normalcy.