Mr. Mouse and I would like to announce that we did not celebrate our love by bringing home a baby from the hospital. Four years after his own sterilization procedure, I was an eco-friendly slut and got fixed, too. I opted to go for a laparoscopic tubal ligation.



The view from my belly button: These are the before and after photos from my doctor. The top photos are my insides before, and the bottom ones are after he added the Yoon rings over double-over sections of my tubes.
Surgery day: I arrived too early to the hospital, since I was dependent on a friend giving me a ride before work. I sat around fidgeting for more than an hour before having my IV started to give me a saline drip and antibiotics. I was surprised how huge and fancy the operating room was- I suppose I expected something simple for such a short operation. I got nervous and started shaking, looking around at poking/gauging/slicing instruments and thinking of Hostel, at which point my glasses were taken away from me, and I was put under general anesthesia via my IV. After that, I was intubated, and a catheter was put in my urethra. The method of sterilization my doctor used was placing silicone rubber bands on my doubled-over fallopian tubes, which has a shorter recovery time, and doesn't carry the risk to other internal organs that a slip during a cut-and-cauterization procedure could. After being wheeled out of the operating room, I nodded off here and there between asking for more pain killers and drinking some crappy "juice" with way too much sugar in it. I can never sleep on my back, so I situated myself on my side to avoid lying on my aching belly. When I did that, a couple of tablespoons of blood dripped out, and I got panicky and hollered for the nurse. Apparently, it's totally normal to have some "drainage", but all I know was, "Oh shit, I'm leaking blood!" That stopped, and I got a new dressing over the tape holding my small incision closed. (I also have one dissolvable stitch deeper in.) I spent a few hours waiting around in recovery, trying to get my pain down and feel more conscious. I'm taking 5mg Percosets, not to exceed 12 in a 24-hour period, but I may call and ask for something stronger if I still feel so achy tomorrow. Plus, the Percosets are making me dizzy, and I don't like feeling drunk, and still in pain, all day. My eyes are also inexplicably very dry, so I've given up on contacts for now. (7 doses of Percoset today, still in pain.)
The day after: You can't tell from the photo, but I'm feeling much less bloated from remaining gas in my abdomen. But, as it works its way out through my body, my shoulders and ribcage area have been stiff and aching. I took a shower today and most of the blood came off from the super-adhesive surgical tape. I bleed a tiny bit more, probably mostly from trying to dry the area with a q-tip, but it was no big deal. I think the tape is irritating the area more than anything else, since it seems to pull at the incision when I stand up straight. As a result, I'm slow and hunchy when I walk, which is giving me a lower back ache. I've had another 7 doses of Percoset today, and I'm beginning to think it does little other than make me dizzy. I know I have a very high tolerance for the novocain-like stuff used by dentists. Maybe Percoset just isn't for me, since I don't think it's supposed to hurt as I jiggle my body slowly while walking to the mail box.
  Day 2: I'm in a bit less abdominal pain today, only ended up taking 4 Percosets. (Mainly because they make me woozy, I don't think they do much for the pain/stiffness.) I have some light bruising around my incision site, and I'm still aching in my shoulders from the gas escaping. The incision hasn't been leaking or bleeding at all, and I'm wondering when the tape is supposed to fall off, since that feels like it irritates the site more than it helps it stay together. I am still lurching around a bit hunched over, since standing up straight makes me feel overextended. I've started my last period that will ever contain an egg cell, and that hasn't been any heavier or weirder than normal due to the thingy they stuck in my cervix to keep my uterus in place during surgery.
  Day 3: The pain has continued to go down, and the bruising under my belly button is more yellow now. Since I was feeling less achy, I went to the grocery store, and even that small amount of getting around made my middle sore again. I'm going to take it easy for the rest of the weekend.
Day 4: I decided to peel off the tape today, since it seems like it's irritating the incision. There is surgical glue holding things together, and I'm going to put on a bandage with a bit of ointment to keep it from getting bothered by rubbing on my shirt. I've taken my last two Percosets today, and will just start with ibuprofen later tonight. I'm not all that impressed with Percoset, but it was a nice sleep aid, since it makes me dizzy. I don't feel bloated from the CO2 any more, and most of my shoudler pain seems to have gone away.
Day 10: Feeling better, with the incision close to being completely healed.

click for larger image		 Day 17: This photo was taken on the day of my follow-up with my doctor. Everything seems to be just as it's supposed to be, although I still have a bit of extra redness and post-inflamatory hyperpigmentation (darkness) at the incision site.
One year later: This is one year after my tubal ligation. The scar has lightened a bit, and is hardly visible. I've tested out the tubes, and I haven't gotten pregnant yet!





To celebrate this wonderful occasion, I threw myself an online unbaby shower, gladly welcoming non-baby-centric gifts such as pornography, smutty clothing, cutlery, and travel guides to foreign countries I'd like to visit. Here's my unbaby registry with Amazon.com.




Medical details on the Planned Parenthood site for guys and gals. More about why I'm childfree on the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement site. I found the LiveJournal communities childfree and sterizationqa to be helpful in researching sterilization methods and hearing from other women.