13 days till my total hysterectomy... what can i expect afterwards?

[limbiloo83]

I am 29yrs old and I go into hospital on 31st for a total hysterectomy ( womb and cervix) which is to be done vaginally fingers crossed. My emotions are all over the place, I am very excited and just wont my op date here now as I have so many problems over the last 11yrs, but on the flip side I am very nervous. Im still in shock that my surgeon is finally doing it after and it wont seem real until im laid on the bed having the aneasthetic pumped into my veins. I have read that your overies go into a frenzy and panic from a month onwards after the op, has anybody out there who has had a total hysterectomy experienced this and have they tried any herbal remedies to help with this... I have bought soya isoflavins ( herbal alternative for menopausal symtoms) to help with the crazyness my hormones will give me, has anyone tried this and has it helped in anyway?

Thank you for reading this and I hope someone can help if im being daft please please tell me ladies

Hope you are all doing well and take care of yourselves xxxx

[hopefully]

Hi,

I hope your ok, I am surprised and shocked to see you are having this surgery so young, but guess you have looked into it a lot.

I have read about it on forums and there is a wealth of videos on YouTube, from doctors to women who have had the procedure. They advise leaving the ovaries due to the craziness to mentioned and other symptoms associated with their removal.

I hope you do have a quick recovery. I hear it is quite a life changing experience and heard good and bad about it. Maybe some of the women on here can say something about it, as I've seen a we post of women who had them.

If I'm not being nosey please can you say why you are having this procedure and what kind of endo symptoms and disease do you have why your gyna has agreed?

Hoping and wishing you the best of health and speedy recovery. Btw I don't think you are being daft at all, that's a major decision and only wish I could help you more xx

[limbiloo83]

Hi hopefully,

I have fallen out with You Tube I looked up the procedure being done and OOOH MY GOD!!! is all I can say lol.

I dont mind you asking hun, I was diagnosed with endo and pelivic inflammitory disease when I was 18 after being taken into hospital after bleeding extremley heavyily during a shift in a pub i worked in ( I had cream jeans on... I loved those jeans lol). I had been going to the docs since i was 14 and was told that I would get used to it!! I was told that the endo was around my left tube and in my pelvis. They removed what they could and sent me on my way. After 3 months the pain got worse and my periods got worse, so they put me on oral pill but they gave me massive migranes and put me on prostap for 6 months. Being on that was pure heaven apart from the awful hot flushes that you can get with them. I came off it after the 6mths was up and it all started again, very heavy periods back and pelvic pain. They had then decided to put me on mefinamic acid which was as useful as a chocolate fire guard, I had another lap done and had more endo removed.... Sorry I have gone into a life story here lol. My symptoms over the last 11yrs have started as very heavy periods, back ache pelivic pain during my periods... After I had my eldest in 2004 the pain has been constant, my hips and back have been a nightmare, when i had my last child in 2008 my periods became worse and pain in my hips went down my legs, when im on my periods my womb feels as though it is contracting to the point it cripples me to the floor. If i move about too much it aggrivates the pain but if I dont move about enough my hips seize up. My belly swells so much I look 5mths pregnant. In 2009 I unfortunately had an etopic pregnancy due to the server damage to my left tube. This is where things got confusing, they removed it and that was the end of my endo??? I had a lap done April this year and I had patches on my left ovary and bowles that looked like endo so they sent it off for biopsy it wasnt endo.... they dont know what it is. They checked my pouch of douglas (part of bowl near your womb) because I have server pain during sex inside and it goes to my pelvis, but all they could find was and I quote " flimsy bowel adhesions"...Again they dont know what is causing it. With all my problems and treatments that have not worked he has finally agreed to a hysterectomy. I was sterillised when I was 26 which I new would help in my "check off list" to get the hysterectomy. As a last resort I have gone on the pill injection to stop my periods as my gyne wont let me go on the prostap again because I dont have endo and I have been on it 4 times already. I am on my second injection of the pill and unfortunately it has backfired, the first lot worked wonderfully, but this time round I have been bleeding 20 days out of 28-31 days of the month. But thankfully it isnt the server heaviness it has been.

Sorry if that doesnt make any sense or if it all over the place... I have a tendancy to waffle on :-). Please feel free to ask any questions.

Oh sorry I forgot to say due to my symptoms they suspect it is adinomyosis and will be able to tell me when the dam thing is out and the disect it.

Now have a coffee after the mammoth essay.Keep well hun xxx

[hopefully]

Oh gosh, this all sounds very familiar, I could have wrote segments of that myself. I understand better now, can I ask was it difficult to conceive with having endo? And have you ever tried the mirena coil?

What happens on YouTube? I become so anxious when I watch videos of surgery, I always wonder oh that could be me, and it just stresses me out seeing what it looks like insides.

Before I have the adenmyosis removed my belly swelled like a 5 month pregnancy so it is likely you may have that. Because it doesn't swell so much now.

One of the times I had surgery as I came around the next day as it was a marathon 12 hour surgery, the doc showed me pictures loads of them of my insides it was like I was watching the video, plus I've seen his YouTube videos, and to be honest I think I a, still disturbed by this.

Maybe you could avoid watching the surgical procedures and check on women who have videos diaries on hysterectomy.

I really hope you get relief, it must be like a living nightmare the fact it has been ongoing for years, it can almost take over your life and it is a struggle to keep in control I find.

Keep looking forward because after hardship comes ease, trust me xx

[limbiloo83]

Do/Did you have adenomyosis? Was your pain constant even when you were not on your period as well? How have been since the surgery regarding your pain and symptoms.

I really hope you are doing better as you are going through the same a really do understand what you are going through hun.

I personally like to know what exactly they are going to be doing with me when im out so Im one of those that researches everything so im prepared. On You Tube it was the vaginal hysterectomy I watched and it made me cringe knowing that that is what is going to happen to me.. but I couldnt stop watching it lol.

I was extremely lucky to fall on to be honest, the surgeon who removed my tube ( ectopic due to server damage caused by endo) told me that it was damaged before I had my eldest and to fall on even at all was very lucky. As I have read from research and other women that it can be difficult. So I do feel very blessed I call my 2 boys my miracle babies and boy do they milk it lol.

The mirena coil was briefly mentioned but I have problems with my cervix (that thankfully is going too) so I was strongly advised against it by my gyne.

I am looking forward to having having my life back,my friends can get rid of the pillows and anyway up cups they have just in case I have a bad episode... I joke not! The cup is a personal joke as Im always annoyed my cuppa tea is cold by the time I can move

I have to joke about it all as I have been down the depressed route about it all and I dont ever want to be in that place ever again. And I can finally take the kids out more as it has been as much as a strain on them. My youngest is 4 and we call it my "stupid cot" as I had to find a way to explain what was wrong with me and he knows that he grew in a "special cot" inside my belly. My eldest is now counting the days to his bday 3 bedtimes, xmas 6 bedtimes and now my op 12 bedtimes and already has a list of places and things he wants to do

The other thing im really happy about is never ever will have to go for a smear test again.

Take care of yourself hun xx

[hopefully in reply to limbiloo83]

The doc said I had adenmyosis during the surgery they split the uterus and this was what was supposedly found. I did have constant pain and a bulky uterus, the bulky uterus is typical of adenmyosis as it is a growth within the wall, usually not picked up on ultrasound.

I would not say I'm better since that op, I would go as far as saying I never fully recovered, that op was not completed due to other complications at the time of surgery. I've had another op since and apparently there was no endo, but I'm not convinced, the pain has been constant and even progressively worse.

Now I'm told I have some complex cysts another headache on my part.

Sometimes I wish I could just get rid of it all, and just out up with the aftermath, but I do not have any children although i feel im not written to have them, given its one gyna problem after the other, but there is a hint of hope that I will get at least one and I do not know what the future holds.

It's been years now since I'm in constant pain the pain killers only take off the edge of it sometimes.

Anyways I hope you recovery swiftly. A week to go, yes hystersisters is very good forum with a wealth of experience.

Take it easy x

[wendymac]

I'm 42 years young and had a total abdominal hysterectomy about 3 months ago on Monday and can honestly say it's the best thing i've done. I am finally pain free. I was well looked after in hospital and all went very well. I had a 3lb fibroid removed, my uterus was the size of a 20 week pregnancy, my bowels were stuck to my womb and my op lasted 3 hours. I was pain free straight away. I have had some pain, like a stitch pain in my right hand side recently but that has now subsided as it's all normal healing pain so don't worry.

My op went very well. I had been suffering with endo for years, bleeding for months on end, on zolodex, norethisterone and thought right enough is enough.

You MUST take it easy afterwards as you need to heal properly

At the moment I feel great. I do have the occasional hot flushes but they don't last long. The only trouble I do have is sleeping and I don't know why that is. I need to have a chat to my GP about possibly taking HRT as I've talked to a few people who swear by HRT, they feel better, sleep well etc. My Gynae didn't want me to go on HRT as my mum had breast cancer so there is that to consider.

Hope you're op goes very well which I'm sure it will.

[alexander120]

Hi

Sorry if this is a long reply! I had all the classic symptoms of endo, but all my GP wanted to do was give me the mirena coil. I was so ill at the time and very aneamic, never felt so ill and run down in my life before. I didn't want the coil as I had problems with my cervix over the years. Tried all sorts of pills from GP including mefenamic acid, traneaxmic acid, norethisterone and naproxen for the pain. Nothing was working so I had to really push GP for gynea appointment. GP was reluctant to send me, even after I pointed out that I would not be a burden on the NHS as I have private medical cover! Saw gynea 2 weeks later, this was July this year. By this point I was so aneamic and constantly bleeding. Gynea sent me for ultrasound, internally as well and nothing was found other than an enlarged uterus. He recommended an endometrial ablation and a hysteroscopy. Had this done and it made everything worse, the pain was horrendous and made bleeding worse. Back to gynea who said the only other option was a total abdominal hysterectomy, keeping my ovaries. Had op on 1st october, recovery went okay still not a hundred percent better yet. But it was the best thing I have ever done. I noticed straight away after the op that my back and leg pain had gone. Pathology report showed I had a fibroid the size of a tennis ball, a few smaller fibroids, adenomyosis and endometriosis. I am so far so glad I had this op, I know there is a chance that the endo could grow back but for now I am pain free (still get the odd twinges from op) but can live with no pain from the endo. I just wished I had sorted it out sooner and not suffered all these years. Good luck it will be worth it in the end. A really good website is hystersisters they have a great forum on there.