Advice for living with Hysterectomy

[Gems1982]

Hi ladies,

I am 18months post surgery but am really struggling with my mental health, I don't feel myself, feel angry and irritable all the time and have a disconnect with life which is not good when you are raising 2 children under 10. Is there anything anyone can recommend. I feel as if the aging process has been speed up, my zest for life has gone.

Now I'm trying to build myself back up, feel as if the years of battling to be heard has taken its toll on me & I have nothing left.

[LouiseD1]

Hello, are you taking HRT ? That would be my first question as what you describe sound very like menopausal symptoms ?

[Gems1982 in reply to LouiseD1]

Hi Louise, Yes I'm on Estradiol 0.06% gel and I also take Menopace & Collagen supplements.

[LouiseD1 in reply to Gems1982]

Is it worth asking your GP for a review ? I'm no medic but I have seen and heard plenty of friends (whether through surgery like us, or naturally with age) describing the types of symptoms that you are. You might need to increase your dosage or look at whether other hormone levels such as testosterone have dropped ? Although I believe you cannot be prescribed that on the NHS. Dr Louise Newson has tons of useful advice on her menopause website and Balance app to help you understand and ask the right questions.

Don't give up looking for a solution - you should be able to feel better than you do and it's just about finding the right answers for you. Good luck x

[Lunje]

Hello Gems,

Am so sorry to hear about your health issues. First and foremost you need to embrace the enormous changes that your body is going through- from being functional to dysfunctional due to the detachment of major body parts. Maybe I should have asked you this: did you undergo a total hysterectomy where you lose everything as in tubes, uterus, ovaries, cervix and all that makes you a woman within? If yes, then you are experiencing what I went through and battled in 2019 and 20.

The body suffers hormonal imbalance when there's no more production of estrogen.

First and foremost, acceptance is paramount. Don't dwell on the loss so much.

Secondly see a neurologist and talk about these issues like mood swings, headaches, feeling of anger, the hot flushes and night sweats, frustration, emptiness, even a level of depression. You need to surround yourself with people who love you, encourage you and help you feel worthy.

The neuro might put you on HRT - Hormonal Replacement Therapy. Some meds to help ease your imbalance. But with all these, it's you who will take charge for healing to take place. It's a process.

Talk with your obygyn who might have been your surgeon as well concerning your issues.

Note down any changes your body Goe through especially þe triggers. Thus will help you foretell in advance when they recur giving you time to put measures in place and prepare for them.

Many things will happen with your mental health. As much as you are put on meds, TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR BODY. Do not let anything make you feel less of a woman. Walk to the mirror and tell yourself that you are still the most beautiful woman in the world. Pamper yourself to look good and boost your confidence. Exercise regularly. Eat healthy. Sleep and rest enough. Attend any reviews with doctors. Seek a second opinion when you are I doubt. And keep a record of all meds you are prescribed with dates. Also record anything you feel.

LOVE YOURSELF SELFISHLY.

Above ALL else, TRUST GOD FOR HEALING. It is a process. But it will wear off gently.

Wishing you a blessed and excellent mental health.

😘

[Lunje in reply to Lunje]

Please note, that the information I shared is based on my personal experiences and not science. For I am not a medic. Just a woman dealing with post Total Hysterectomy with Salpingo-oophorectomy issues. You will overcome.