PTLS and Me

Hello Ladies,

I want to take a few minutes of your time and open your eyes to something that is very serious, and very real. Post Tubal Ligation Syndrome or PTLS/PTS, is something the medical world refuses to really recognize as a true syndrome. I decided the best option for me was to have my tubes tied after baby #3. I have been pregnant on birth control, some birth control broke me out in rashes, or like the pill I just forgot to take it or when I did take it I would throw it back up and since I couldn't have a partial hysterectomy, tubal ligation was the next best thing.

Let's start off with my Tubal Ligation story:

From the time I told my OB I wanted to get my tubes tied he kept trying to talk me out of it. I couldn't really understand why. I was 23 pregnant with my 3rd child and with my womb given multiple signs that I am in line to have multiples (more so fraternal twins), I could not have another one especially not 2 more. Financially we were stretching it with having a 3rd one. She is such a blessing though! I was given reason after reason of why I should not do it....

1. I was way to young (according to the Dr)
2. I had a perfect womb for being a surrogate (even though I had an unhealthy 2nd and 3rd pregnancies so much so I was on bed rest with both! not a good reason to me)
3. I have a higher chance of getting pregnant with my tube tied then if I was to get the IUD (lol well it couldn't hurt, I have been pregnant while I had an IUD)
4. I would have a higher chance of an ectopic pregnancy
5. If I wanted them untied it would be $10k dollars or more, and there would be a 50/50 chance the reversal would still leave me to be un-fertile. 

I opted to get it done anyways. Me and my husband were absolutely 100% sure we didn't want to have another one. I had everything ready so that I could have my surgery the morning after if not that afternoon after I had my daughter. I was induced with my daughter and had an epidural put in. After my daughter was here, I was informed that my surgery was scheduled and ready for anytime between 7am and 11am, my epidural was going to be used for my anesthesia, since I was going to be wide awake for this surgery due to the risks of putting a mother who just had a baby to sleep. When it was time for me to go back we were told the surgery was only an hour I would be back in no time, they were there if he needed help with the baby, that made me laugh, because I told them ahead of time they needed to keep an eye on him since he has never been left with a newborn by himself, I was always the primary care parent, don't get me wrong he is a pretty amazing and loving father! I had more epidural fluid put into my back and my legs poked to make sure it was working. When I got into the OR, I was set up by having a blue sheet with a hole over my belly button, and a sheet blocking my view. I didn't get nervous until my arms and legs were strapped down and they tilted the table until I was semi head down. My OB informed me he was going to start the incision, and that when I felt it. The knife cutting and splitting open my skin. I cried, screamed and told him to stop, I didn't want to do this anymore. He told me there was no turning back since my belly button was officially cut half way open. He administered a local and began again. I could still feel it. All I remember after that was I was crying, screaming for him to stop, I couldn't breath, my belly button hurt, and I started shaking uncontrollably and the nurses were yelling and running around, I had a mask over my face. That's when I could hear nurses telling me to breath, and as much as I tried I just couldn't get my body to do it. I opened my eyes to see my heart beat slow down and my pulse slowing. I woke up again to having CPR done on me in my recovery room. My nurse was giving me Dilaudid (10 times stronger then Morphine) every 5-10min before I even woke up. Which in my charts tells them to limit me since I have a bad reaction to it. When I got into my room, my husband was worried because my 1 hour surgery took 3 1/2 hours. They didn't tell my husband anything about what happened. After I told him he was upset.

Scary right.?

I didn't notice anything wrong with me until 3 months later when my husband started asking me what was wrong with me? Was I feeling OK? Honestly I wasn't. To me I just figured, Oh I just had a baby my hormones are still balancing out. Well here I am, 9 months post tubal ligation surgery and my symptoms are worse then ever.

(tubal.org)

What are the symptoms of PTLS.?
Since the doctors don't acknowledge Post Tubal Ligation Syndrome as a real syndrome, much less as a real diagnoses, you can not really go and get tested to be diagnosed with PTLS. It will always be linked to another health issue such as Castrative Menopause, Severe Hormone Imbalance, Hormone Shock, etc. Which is why #IAmTheFaceOfPTLS is trying to be spread throughout the world, to bring light onto this horrible situation.

You can find the symptoms and what PTLS is linked with here on Tubal.org.
I personally struggle with 31 of these symptoms. It's no fun that I don't know my own body or feel comfortable in it, my depression has gotten worse, I cry at nothing, which makes me cry even more because I have no clue why I even started crying let alone why I can't stop, my marriage is being strained because my husband really doesn't understand what is going on or what PTLS is. He is also one of those people who think that mental issues are not real and something you can control. It also tends to make me in a "I dont care mood" I think what's the point some days. I have also been gaining a massive amount of weight that I have been trying so hard to shred off here lately. It really upsets me that I am up until my body just crashes. Scary part is that's not even brushing the surface of the issues I have had since my tubal ligation surgery!

I can even feel where the clamps are when I strain during a work out, go to get up from laying down in bed, sometimes there are days I lose from crashing. I can never sleep even when I try. I get confused easily sometimes even with the most simple things almost like I have a brain fart on steroids. My symptoms have even been noticed by my husband and my mom. My mom urges me constantly to keep getting checked. I have been told by one doctor that it was in my head I am fine, another tell me they noticed my estrogen levels dropped and believe in PTLS, i would need a hysterectomy done but never has an availability for me to see her when I call, others who laugh at me and tell me PTLS is not a real syndrome that there is another medical issue wrong with me but won't run any tests or continue to look further into anything to help me, and the ER gives me pain meds and sends me home.

The only ways I have seen and been told would help me would be a Tubal Reversal or my best option was to get a Hysterectomy done. Hopefully once I talk with my new Dr and figure out my best option, and get the surgery done, I will start to get better.

There have been a couple of times recently where my cramping is so bad during my cycle that I have blacked out and hit my head on my bathtub and the pain never really goes away. I have learned to live with headaches and pain in general on a daily basis. I eat Midol some days like its candy, it's the only thing that has helped with the pain. This is so serious and needs help to spread the word you guys. It is no joke and so scary for those who deal with it.

#IAmTheFaceOfPTLS was created by the ever wonderful Sandy Daniel who is the creator and owner of The New PTLS Support Group. If you feel you definitely have these symptoms that appeared after you had a tubal ligation done, write a message on a piece of paper and take a photo holding your message up, and dont forget to use #IAmTheFaceOfPTLS. Tweet it, IG it, FB tag it. Shout it out. Open everyone's eyes whether your suffering from it, or plan to have your tube tied every woman should know about the existence  of PTLS in hopes that the medical world will start to acknowledge it and find a way to help more women conquer it <3

I am Kiera Grant, I am 24 year old and #IAmTheFaceOfPTLS

Let it be known and do your research before sterilization!