What really are the risks?

[Ted39]

I had a very vascular fibroid 5-6cm in my womb causing ridiculous bleeding so in Dec 2018 I had a surgery TCRF which was unsuccessful as so much blood made the surgeons vision difficult to complete. Was then put on monthly Zoladex implant injection for Dec, Jan and Feb, (That forced menopause and gave me hideous side effects) to shrink fibroid and stop bleeding. Well I know one thing it didn’t stop the bleeding until mid Feb. Finally got 17 days blood free and 2nd surgery TCRF booked was for 7th March. Surgery then postponed until 15th March. 14th March while eating out had a gush of blood. I couldn’t believe it!!! Anyway had the surgery and woke to surgeon telling me I need a 3rd surgery hysterectomy when he had previously said not possible because of scar tissue caused by 4 c-sections. What a nightmare - hoping a hysterectomy will be the answer to avoid further resections. I received the copy letter to doctor from consultant who said at 2nd surgery fibroid was 7cm!!! So don’t think it shrank, it must have grown? Have a follow up appointment on 18th April to discuss next step, I would love to agree to hysterectomy after years of ridiculous bleeding but am worried about risks? Any advice welcomed please?

[Fretta]

Hi Ted39

I am very sorry to hear about your struggles. Life can be hard for sure. As with any type of surgery there are always risks. I had a radical hysterectomy on 1/8/19. The biggest disappointment for me so far was how my bladder has been affected by what seems to be nerve damage. While I can urinate, I do not have the sensation that my bladder is full. Therefore, I need to make sure I go to the bathroom just about every 3 hours and have been wearing "Depends" type diaper. that is a bummer for sure. I am hoping that this is a temporary situation for me. I go for a followup with surgeon at end of May and will discuss this further. They told me that this could happen and to give it time as everything is still healing internally. Aside from what is a typical type of healing, that was the worst for me. Oh... I did have terrible UTI infections from stents and catheter usage. One was so bad it was considered a super-bug that required me to be on IV antibiotics for a full 10 days. ugh...but I got through that too. Those were my problems from the surgery. Hoping you do not have to any side effects. Good luck and stay strong. This could be the answer you are looking for to fix your situation.

[Ted39 in reply to Fretta]

Thank you Fretta for your reply, sorry to hear what you went through.

Was this because you had c -section/s or previous surgery? To be honest my bladder doesn’t feel normal since the 2nd resection. Urine flow seems to be slow? My bladder was cut at 4th c-section 15yrs ago and repaired leaving me with a catheter for a week. Do you mind me asking your age too? I’m 47 and didn’t imagine after having children there would be issues further down the line. I can only ask the consultant what he suggests would be the best option, and if he has operated on a lady before with lots of scar tissue from c sections. I also wonder how the hysterectomy would be performed? Scary time ahead - 1 week until I can discuss with consultant.

[Fretta in reply to Ted39]

Hi Ted39,

I just turned 61 last week. I had 3 children all natural births. Because I had cervical cancer stage 1b, doctor performed a radical hysterectomy. I had a vertical incision (about 10 inches in length), everything removed along with 9 lymph nodes, 1/3 of of my vagina, ligaments and tissue. It was a rather large surgery I was told. I am now cancer free and keeping my fingers and toes crossed that it stays that way. I had a catheter in me for 5 weeks along with stents in my kidneys that led to my bladder. It was a 3 hour surgery too. I truly hope yours goes well. It certainly wasn't easy for me but I would do it all again if it meant that I was cancer free. God bless you.

[Ted39 in reply to Fretta]

Oh my goodness you poor thing! So sorry that you have been through this, but pleased you are well now and this has made me realise I really don’t have reason to be scared in comparison. Things could be so different!

Stay well Fretta and I hope your bladder improves for you so you can get on with enjoying life x