Hysterectomy advice please

[ladybird7]

Hi - saw my gynae team yesterday, met with the registrar. The consultant has advised I have a full hysterectomy + ovaries + endo excision. I can go private I think, thank goodness my fiancé has bupa cover.

Hopefully I can have it done by laparoscopy - has anyone had one? How long before you were walking around / driving / cleaning house etc, NHS website says 4 weeks.

Nervous but I'm so fed up with pain and periods and have tried every alternative and have had 2 laps since 2012. I know it's not a cure but at least it will solve periods, fibroids etc. I'm 40 now, not having my own children (decided a long time ago due to high risk of depression) and my fiancé already has 2 boys. Getting married next month so I'll plan it for January I think.

Thanks

[Hidden]

I had this surgery back in March this year and for me it has been a positive, life changing step. Regardless of whether you have private cover or not, if you have severe disease it is really important to make sure that you are seen by a bsge accredited centre. Mine was carried out as a two step surgery, so I had surgery in november last year where they drained the cysts on my ovaries, excised some endo from my bladder and then fully mapped out the rest of the disease. I had a course of prostap in between and then the hysterectomy.

I had keyhole surgery with 5 cuts, 4 on my tummy and then the vaginal wound where they cut out the cervix and remove everything. I was in hospital for 2 nights post op though I was up and about the day after the op. I had a drain for 24 hours plus a catheter for 48. It is a tough recovery and if you have excision, is far longer than 4 weeks. I had rectovaginal endo plus endo on my ligaments and ureter and had all of it excised. I was exhausted and slept most of the time for the first month. I think I was driving by 6 weeks but only short distances and not every day. My husband went back to work when I was 8 weeks post op and TBH I don't think I would have been able to manage everything on my own before then so you need to make sure you are organised and have help.

I had 13 weeks without HRT post op as my consultant advised that this would help reduce the chance of the endo returning. I've now been on tibolone for nearly 4 months and I am just starting to feel normal and only have 2-3 hot flushes a week instead of having 10 a day.

If you have any more questions please ask.

[ladybird7]

Ugh, that sounds horrible. My endo is definitely not as advanced as yours but it causes bowel problems and just gives me shedloads of pain. I had tibolone in 2012 with prostap and didn't get any hot flushes so am wondering what it will be like.

Thanks for reply, glad you're feeling better now.