Hi Dr. Monteith! I hope you are doing well.
I know you have a lot of patients and probably can not remember one from another, but you did my tubal reversal April 2, 2013.
I did not have reversal for another pregnancy, but to attempt to find relief from my many symptoms of Post Tubal Ligation Syndrome (PTLS).
I just thought I’d share my story and recovery so far with you.
Birth Control Instead Of Tubal Ligation
My family does not have a lot of money so at age 27, while pregnant with my fourth child, my husband and I decided a tubal ligation was the most responsible thing to do. I thought I did the research; I watched videos of the surgeries. My doctor talked to me about it. I clearly remember saying I was thinking about doing Implanon, the birth control implant instead of the tubal ligation. I was told that the Implanon method can cause constant bleeding. I did not want that!
Risks Of Tying Tubes
I also remember asking if there was any risks with having my tubes ‘tied’ and was told the only risks were anesthesia risks, and a slightly higher risk of ectopic pregnancy. So 30 days or so before my due date I signed the consent form. No other risks were stated on this either. The forms said any form of tubal ligation could be used. I gave birth to my daughter naturally (no pain relief) on May 14, 2012. It was a fast labor and delivery, just like my other 3 births had been. I felt great after!
The doctor on call who delivered my daughter the day before came in, went over the ‘risks’ of surgery, being the same risks I was already informed of and I was off to surgery once the operating room was free. If I had listened to my husbands hesitation, things would have been different. I woke up from surgery with a horrible, mucus filled cough. I have had surgeries before, and this was new for me. This lasted 6 weeks.
Pain And Tubal Ligation
I also was in horrible pain and had a horrible headache. I was severely nauseous, and light-headed. I could not even sit up to look at my new baby. The nurses had to take her for the rest of the day and night. I am a strong person, with a strong pain tolerance, and this surgery knocked me down. The next day when the doctor came to check on me she said my issues were normal.
I asked how my tubes had been tied off and he told me Filshie Clips.
Feeling Worse After Tubal Ligation
I tried to go home and recover the best I could, with 3 older kids, and a new baby to take care of. I assumed I just needed to give my body some time to heal and I would be feeling back to myself soon. I was wrong… I never started to feel better after my tubal ligation, I continued to feel worse and develop more symptoms. I had breastfed my other children with no major problems, but this time, I struggled with my milk supply (supplements helped some).
Symptoms After Tubal Ligation: My Experience
My headache was constant, sometimes severe, and was always light-headed.
On either side of my lower abdomen, I had severe burning stabbing, pain that radiated down my legs. All of my joints began throbbing in pain, and locking up.
By month 5, I could barely sign my name without my hands locking up. My arms, hands, legs, and feet would go numb constantly. All of my muscles ached and throbbed.
I had always been a very patient person, and that was gone. I developed insomnia. I had hot flashes/ cold sweats constantly, where I would be cold and have chills, but my entire body would be sweating profusely.
I got my first menstrual cycle 4 weeks after birth, which was unusual for me since I was exclusively breastfeeding. It was very painful, and the flow was beyond heavy, with a lot of large, golf ball size clots. I soaked through super plus tampons AND super pads every 30-60 minutes for the entire length of my period, which now lasted 14 days or more out of every month.
Before my tubal ligation, I had normal periods that lasted 4-5 days, and the flow was also not like this before. My IBS, that I did have prior to my tubal ligation, became much worse. My stomach was always bloated, like I was 5 months pregnant.
The second part of Christina’s story is: Problems With Tubal Ligation: A Patient’s Story.
