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If youāre interested about part 1 of my ovarian cyst story and how I found out, read here!
This post is mainly about my process going through the public hospital system to get it removed. Itās going to be a long readā¦
š How to get a gynae appointment from the polyclinic: Very important step so that you can get the subsidised rate!!
I booked a general consultation appointment for the polyclinic and told the polyclinic doctor I have this ovarian cyst and I want to get a referral to the hospital for a thorough check. Because my polyclinic is under SingHealth, thereās 2 SingHealth hospitals with gynaecology department that I could choose from, KKH and SGH. I chose KKH and booked the next available appointment date, which was about 3-4 weeks away.
š§š»āāļø How I decided to do the surgery:
KKH did a check to find out that itās 7cm now?!! It was 5cm just a year agoš„² The doctor explained to me that 7cm is quite a big size and without removing it thereās a risk of rupturing or the ovary twisting because the cyst was getting heavy. Both cases would be super painfulš Dermoid cyst will not go away on its own so itās going to stay in my body until I surgically remove it. I knew this day would come eventually so I just told the doctor to book me a date to remove it.
š My unsolicited advice when it comes to public hospitals and appointments is to just book it first then think about it afterš because the appointment date is usually quite far ahead (esp if itās not super urgent) so the longer you take to think, the further the next available date will be. I booked the surgery date first then I went home to tell my momš Anyway if you change your mind you can always cancel or postpone!
š What happened on surgery day:
After waiting for about 5 months, surgery day came and it was rather uneventful. I mean uneventful is good in the context of a surgery right! The procedure is called laparoscopy ovarian cystectomy. Aka keyhole surgery to remove the ovarian cyst. I was put under general anaesthesia so I just had to sleep and everything will be done when I wake up. Surgery was about 1 - 1.5hrs but the anaesthesia kept me sleeping for about 5 hours. I woke up once after 3hrs ish when the surgery was just completed but I was so drowsy I fell back asleep almost immediately and when I woke up again I was already in the ward.
š„ What happened during hospitalisation / after the surgery (when I really felt the pain)š„²
1. I had an issue because I couldnāt peeā¦ Until now I still donāt understand, how does pee not come out naturally, the surgery wasnāt even on my kidneys or bladder?! Iāve been taking my urinary system for grantedš„ŗ so the nurses had to insert a catheter to help with thatš¢ Lesson of the day: donāt take your normal bodily functions for granted!
2. I tried to walk to the toilet about 10hrs after the surgery but my wound was so painful I couldnāt even walk! every step was excruciating and my tears wouldnāt stop flowing even tho i wasnāt actively cryingā¦ And this was just a keyhole surgery I didnāt expect it to hurt this muchš¢š Lesson of the day: just because the wound looks small on the outside doesnāt mean itās small on the insideš„²
3. I got discharged after 2 days as I donāt have any complication issues (after Iām able to pee on my own) so I was really happy to go home to the comfort of my bed and home food. But I regretted not getting a wheelchair and deciding to walk from the ward to the taxi stand because it felt so farrrr I barely made it to the lobby and I was already in so much pain I needed multiple breaks in between. It took me 15-20 mins for what could be a 5mins walkš¢ Lesson of the day: if thereās a wheelchairš¦½ just use it!
4. Walking still hurt for the next 2-3 days, and thereās still a bit of bleeding and pain when peeing for the next 3-5 days. By the 10-12th day I was pretty much back to normal. No running / jumping / exercising of course, but regular walking / sitting / peeing was not painful anymore. But my MC is one month (maybe my insides take a longer time to recover?) so I really took my time to rest and recoverš
š°Money mattersš„²
A subsidised consult appointment at KKH was about $45, and a subsidised ultrasound scan was about $75. In total I had 2 doctor consult sessions and did 2 ultrasounds to confirm the size of my cyst prior to the surgery. I had 1 more consult a month after my surgery to ensure that everythingās recovering well.
As for the hospitalisation bills, I stayed in a class B2 ward for 2 days, so the total bill including the surgery fees etc and after government grant, came up to $3260. The amount of subsidy depends on whether you got a referral from a polyclinic, and which ward class you choose to stay in. The ward class that you decide to stay in also affects the future rates for your follow up appointments so choose carefully!!
Luckily I have insurance so my insurance covered my hospitalisation cost. You can also use your Medisave if you donāt have insurance. If your financial situation is stopping you from getting the healthcare you need, voice it out to your doctor. The hospital will advice you the estimated cost / any grants or subsidies to help with the cost before you decide to go with or not to go with the surgery.
These prices were when I did the surgery last year, so it has probably gone up a little this yearā¦
š Total time taken from the day I walked into the polyclinic to the day I was discharged from the hospital, about 7 months. I think itās not bad, considering how I wasnāt an urgent case and I could still get the procedure done within a year. Going through a private hospital route will likely be much faster but I donāt have money for thatš„²
Anyway, Iām fully recovered nowāŗļø but I have to go back to KKH for a check every year because dermoid cysts tends to come back several times in a lifetimeš©
To anyone considering a surgery in your abdomen area, or any surgery at all, Iām not trying to scare you but hoping that sharing my experience will make you more prepared and less fearful of it. Take your time to rest fully and have your family / friends to help support you during this periodš«¶š¼
Good health really shouldnāt be taken for granted!
#GirlTalk #femalehealth #womenshealth #ovariancyst #mylemon8diary #Lemon8SG