FOR WOMEN ONLY - TMI!!!!

daybyday
daybyday Posts: 537 Member
in Chit-Chat
My dr has recommended a hysterectomy for fibroids. My uterus is the size of a 15-week pregnancy. My cycle is a little weird with some clots/heavy bleeding/cramping. But nothing unbearable. Has anybody had a hysterectomy? I would want to keep my ovaries. I DON'T WANT TO HEAR HORROR STORIES! I don't want to rush into this either. I'm scared and confused with all of the information but the doctor is very good to explain everything. Thanks for any responses!!
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Replies

  • Jacwhite22
    Jacwhite22 Posts: 7,010 Member
    If you don't get many responses here might be worth it to check the groups for similar people.....These topics.....posted in Chit Chat Fun and Games tend to derail quickly.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/506-near-or-post-menopausal-group


    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/5583-surgery-survivors
  • GrannySparkle
    GrannySparkle Posts: 225 Member
    I had a complete hysterectomy in 2000 for the same reason. I also had a pre-cancerous mass on one ovary. It was the best decision I made. No more pain. No more paper products. No more mood swings.
  • harleydall76
    harleydall76 Posts: 586 Member
    What kind of info are you looking for? I didn't have a hysterectomy, but I had to have a tube and ovary removed due to cysts. I've got fibroids too, and they cause me big problems but my doctor refuses to do a hysterectomy, so I just suffer.
  • Mistyblu08
    Mistyblu08 Posts: 580 Member
    both my sisters had one as well as my mother and they all are doing fine- have more energy and not so tired....I have been thinking about it myself but am waiting til I just cant take it anymore lol take your time -do some research on it and the prospective doctor until you feel sure and secure in your decision - you will be fine :)
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    2 of my sisters and a few cousins have had a hysterectomy. I've also known co-workers and friends who have had it. It is major surgery and therefore a concern, but it's also very common and most people have few complications. Of the dozen or so people I know who have had it, none had complications.

    If the ovaries are removed you will likely need to take hormones and there can sometimes be a period of adjustment while they get those regulated where you may feel like you have PMS all the time until they figure out the right dosage. But I'm sure you doctor will go over that prior to surgery.
  • all4my3boyz
    all4my3boyz Posts: 94 Member
    I have fibroids as well and wish my doctor would just take the whole kit and kaboodle out!
  • km202
    km202 Posts: 112
    My mom had a hysterectomy for the same reason a few years ago. During the procedure, they removed one ovary as well due to a mass on the ovary.
    She was able to get back to her normal weight and has more energy. She is actually training to enter a fitness competition.

    Best of luck!
  • Keto_T
    Keto_T Posts: 673 Member
    I had a hysterectomy about a year and half ago. I still have my ovaries and my cervix. I've had kids and didn't need the troublesome uterus anymore. It's been fabulous.
  • Valera0466
    Valera0466 Posts: 319 Member
    My mother had a full hysterectomy in her 20's. As a consequence she started menopause early and it lasted a long time. They tell her now if she had kept her ovaries it would have been much better for her. Make a list of questions and go back to your doctor with them. Make sure you are well informed before making a decision.
  • cobes24
    cobes24 Posts: 132 Member
    I've got fibroids too, and they cause me big problems but my doctor refuses to do a hysterectomy, so I just suffer.

    Two words:

    SECOND. OPINION. No one should suffer.
  • Ladyslippers
    Ladyslippers Posts: 186 Member
    I've had one and had no problems. Is there specific information you are looking for?

    I recommend this site for TONS of info and support: http://www.hystersisters.com

    Good luck!
  • deepuckett1
    deepuckett1 Posts: 48 Member
    I had a vaginal hysterectomy due to constant heavy bleeding, kept my overies. I haven't looked back. No more "surprises". Less anemic. And I was done having children. For me, it was a win-win.
  • jeanine89
    jeanine89 Posts: 95 Member
    My mother had this surgery two years ago she did great with it. The "mass" was 12 pounds and there was alot of bleeding yes but she feels so much better now. My only advice is give yourself plenty of time to recover and also shop around and find out about the doctor who will be preforming the surgery. How long have they been practicing? How often do they preform this surgery? Can you trust them? Do the research. If my mom never had the surgery she wouldn't be with me today because the longer you wait the larger the problem can get and more complications can arise during surgery.

    ****You can message me with any questions you may have I was with my mom thru the whole process and as a Pre-med student I was always asking questions and getting the answers thru either research or the doctors themselves.
  • jalara
    jalara Posts: 2,599 Member
    Hey,

    I'm a gynecology oncology nurse and we have women on the floor for non-cancerous fibroids and regular hysterectomies often. Where I am the procedure is done laproscopically and our patients are normally gone home 48 hours later.Does it hurt? Yes. Badly? For a short time.

    If the doctor is recommending it then you need to seriously consider it. BUT you also have to ask what your other treatment options are and why he feels this is the best course for you. Make an informed decision!

    Best of luck!
  • Momma_Grizz
    Momma_Grizz Posts: 294 Member
    I had a partial about 20 years ago (kept my ovaries) due to fibroids and cervical cancer. Best decision ever. No more pain. No more mess. No more cancer either.

    It's good that you have a doctor that will explain things to you. Have a list of questions ready. And I bet the surgery is better now than it was 20 years ago.
  • cobes24
    cobes24 Posts: 132 Member
    I worked on a surgical floor before I became a nurse practitioner, and it's amazing how much the surgery has changed over the last 10 yrs. It used to be a huge surgery with long recovery time...now that they can do a vaginal approach it's much faster, much easier recovery. Don't get me wrong, it's still major surgery and you're going to have pain, and you shouldn't lift anything for a while (as long as your surgeon tells you not to) but you won't be laid out for weeks and weeks.

    Also, the sooner you do it, the easier the surgery will be. The bigger your fibroids get the more extensive the surgery. In nursing school I watched a hyst for a woman with fibroids--she had let it go 2 yrs after her dr told her she needed it out. I recall the surgeon saying over and over (he was a little Korean man with a thick accent) "I just have to keep cutting and cutting and cutting!") She did fine of course, but needless to say, it would have been an easier surgery if she had done it sooner. Good luck!
  • pawnstarNate
    pawnstarNate Posts: 1,728 Member
    Dangit....I hate being nosy sometimes
  • harleydall76
    harleydall76 Posts: 586 Member
    I've got fibroids too, and they cause me big problems but my doctor refuses to do a hysterectomy, so I just suffer.

    Two words:

    SECOND. OPINION. No one should suffer.

    This is my 3rd doctor. They refuse to do one because of my age and the *chance* that someday I will want to do IVF (can't get pregnant on my own). I've told them before kids are a no go, but they still refuse because of my age.
  • misssiri
    misssiri Posts: 335 Member
    I've got fibroids too, and they cause me big problems but my doctor refuses to do a hysterectomy, so I just suffer.

    Two words:

    SECOND. OPINION. No one should suffer.

    She's right. Find a doctor that will help you or at least give you options.
  • lilRicki
    lilRicki Posts: 4,555 Member
    I've asked for a hysto repeatedly since i was 18. Count yourself lucky...with all the issues with fibroids and cysts and all the crappy stuff, you're going to be cured! No more periods! No more PMS!!! If they keep your fallopian tubes you won't even have to be on hormone therapy. It's a normal procedure, that thousands of women get. My doctor refuses to give me a hysto despite the fact that I have fibroids, and cysts (I have never felt the pain of a cyst burst until recently, OMG I thought I was dying), and i'm pre-menopaus (I'm only 31). Apparently you have to hav 3 kids or "serious" medical issues before they give you one
  • cloe31
    cloe31 Posts: 75 Member
    Try Lorna Vanderhaeghe products she can help you with fibroids. I highly recommend her.
  • JustJennie1
    JustJennie1 Posts: 3,749 Member
    My dr has recommended a hysterectomy for fibroids. My uterus is the size of a 15-week pregnancy. My cycle is a little weird with some clots/heavy bleeding/cramping. But nothing unbearable. Has anybody had a hysterectomy? I would want to keep my ovaries. I DON'T WANT TO HEAR HORROR STORIES! I don't want to rush into this either. I'm scared and confused with all of the information but the doctor is very good to explain everything. Thanks for any responses!!

    Honestly make sure you keep your ovaries provided there is nothing wrong with them. You NEED the hormones that are in them and the hormones that they give you are not good. They're basically horse piss and it will screw you up in the long run.
  • JustJennie1
    JustJennie1 Posts: 3,749 Member
    f they keep your fallopian tubes you won't even have to be on hormone therapy.

    You mean Ovaries. That's where the eggs and hormones are. Fallopian tubes are just the transport vehicle for them to the uterus.
  • daybyday
    daybyday Posts: 537 Member
    If you don't get many responses here might be worth it to check the groups for similar people.....These topics.....posted in Chit Chat Fun and Games tend to derail quickly.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/506-near-or-post-menopausal-group


    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/5583-surgery-survivors

    Thanks - I wasn't quite sure where to post it!!
  • daybyday
    daybyday Posts: 537 Member
    I've had one and had no problems. Is there specific information you are looking for?

    I recommend this site for TONS of info and support: http://www.hystersisters.com

    Good luck!

    Thank you. I actually have that site book marked. I'm just researching every way possible!!
  • daybyday
    daybyday Posts: 537 Member
    Dangit....I hate being nosy sometimes

    LOL....It came with a warning!!
  • aliciakay3086
    aliciakay3086 Posts: 61 Member
    I'm 43 and had a hysterectomy due to fibroids 3 years ago this month. Greatest thing EVER. My fibroids were very small but positioned so that I bled for 6 months straight and became anemic. So that was fun.

    My surgery was laproscopic, very easy, zero pain. I was tired for a couple weeks after but took naps and took it easy and had no problems. Started back walking for exercise 6 days post-surgery. Kept my ovaries and my cervix, so no menopause (yet).

    Hystersisters.com seemed to me to be a site for old scared women who dwell on fear and the negative. I wouldn't recommend spending much time there.
  • madworld1
    madworld1 Posts: 524
    My mom says it's one of the best decisions she could have made. She was miserable before.
  • harleydall76
    harleydall76 Posts: 586 Member
    I seriously wish I could find a doctor like some of you have. I once bled for 8 months straight, lots of times heavy, and my doc STILL wouldn't do anything.

    Enter 3rd new doctor, who also refuses to do anything.
  • alpine1994
    alpine1994 Posts: 1,915 Member
    Just to keep it light, my boyfriend's mother had one years ago and she STILL talks about how it was the easiest 5 lb weight loss of her life! :)

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