On January 4, 2007, I am having a radical hysterectomy through laporoscopic surgery due to a mass that is growing in my uterus. Advice or information anyone? To say I am nervous, anxious and simply terrified is understatement. In my 58 years I have managed to stay out of hospitals except to set a few broken bones. I really like the doctor who is doing the surgery but I've never turned my body over to anyone to do such a critical change.

My best friend had a hysterectomy about two years ago due to cervical cancer. They caught it early and she is doing well now.

She was relatively fit prior to surgery, so I think that helped with recovery time. I went to stay with her for a few days after the surgery and she didn't even really need me. She was in the hospital for the day of the surgery, and two nights following. The laproscopy makes it much easier to recover than the old way where you had a large incision and a lot of cut muscle to heal.

I think the most trouble she had was with getting her hormones figured out after the surgery, since she hadn't started menopause yet.

I think you'll be fine, and we'll be with you!! Keep us posted okay?

Kathy

Hi, Whittlewoman: I had total hysterectomy earlier this year (TAH/BSO) for suspected OC which was ruled out after the procedure. All turned out well in the end. It is a natural thing to be anxious about the surgery as it is a major procedure afterall. I don't think you would find any ladies-in-waiting who had not been terrified before undergoing surgery. The most important thing is to speak to the medical team prior to the day of your operation if you want to know details i.e. duration of procedure, type anesthesia and your options i.e. epidural, length of stay at the hospital, HRT etc.

My procedure took just 25 minutes, horizontal incision, sitting up in less than 36 hours, walking and showered in 48 on my own. The activity will be encouraged. The sooner you are on your feet, the better. No lifting for a long time. For the first week, you are allowed to lift nothing heavier than two cups of coffee. Try to arrange a nest in the house where you can relax and have everything within reach. No bending as well. Purchase a lot of peppermint tea or cordial to drink after surgery as soon as you are able to take anything by mouth. If you are having abdominal incison, take a pillow with you to prop in-between your tummy and the seatbelt on your ride home.

Recovery rate varies from woman to woman so I can only speak from my own experience. But, there is a light at the end of the tunnel for all for all hyster sisters. Let me know if there is anything further and specific that concerns you pre and post operation. Hyster sisters always "pay forward" and I am only willing to be able to do that.

Whittle, I just want to share with you an interesting medical experience I had.

Twelve years ago my gynaecologist told me I had to have a hysterectomy. I had extreme menstrual problems. Anyway I was really upset that he decided to do something that radical, I mean wasn't there anything else he could give me to control the strong periods.?

That night I checked into internet, and found an interesting site. It warned about how gynaecologists earn the most through hysterectomies. Wow, I thought this is interesting. I read for hours, and came upon a post that suggested stop taking hormone pills, since they could be the cause for the massive bleedings.

My operation was scheduled that week. I stopped the pills, told the doc to postpone the operation and waited to see if any change would come. The next month everything was back to normal. I visited another gynaecologist who said there is absolutely no need for me to have a hysterectomy.

Isn't this unbelievable! I swear it's all true. Internet saved me from that operation.

Please consider that I'm telling you only my own personal experience. I know there are very valid reasons to have a hysterectomy done; especially if you have cancer! I'm just suggesting that maybe you should just get a second opinion.

I just hope this post will help some woman out there, just like I was helped as well.

I had a total abdominal hyst almost 6 years ago. I had never been in the hospital for anything and to say I was scared would be an understatement. So, whittlewoman, I can understand completely where you're coming from.
I had my surgery on a Fri morning and was home by Sunday afternoon. I followed my doc's orders during recovery and didn't have any problems. It took a while to get my hormone issues straightened out after the surgery (I hadn't started menopause at the time of surgery) but eventually that worked out too. I found a lot of support at a website www.hystersisters.com, the gals there were terffic and really helped me out a lot.....to the point where I ended up being a hostess on the site for almost 5 years. It was discovered during my surgery that I was loaded with endometriosis, adenomyosis, and had a cyst on my left ovary. My periods were extremely heavy and painful. Life got much better after my hysterectomy!
Hang in there, the anticipation is worse than anything. I will wish for all the best for you. Keep us informed as to how you're doing.........before, during, and after surgery!

CrosstitchQueen Maybe I corresponded with you on the www.hystersisters.com site! I'm forever grateful that I found that site.

popea had that opperasion when she was 30 apart from the recovery the hormone replacment so important, what she has had to go throw when it they went haywire no one should have to endure so i second lola in getting insight into that before the operasion. i give popea a shout in a minet to read your post....

i got scanned a couple weeks ago from gynie and descovered cysts on left overie and right i think excuse spelling but it called pollycystick overies, which explanes similare experiences that already mentioned, heavy excessive bleeding for 14 days and mega pain. Little chance of conciving and carrieing child to full term (what a miricale L was) it explanes repeativly lossing the children i had carried. The treatment is firstly a Marina, secondly hormone replacment (which coused hanna's symptoms!!!) or final choice is taken the works out.... like yourself i never been near hopitals apart to give birth and have tonsils out when i was 3, hate the places and having to stay in bed....

I also want another child, i got limited chance's due to age and health but if the marine dose it's job reducing the periods severity and pain and the polycystick stuff clears up then i got a higher chance of carrieing to full term, i got my fingers crossed.

I also got to have a general anesthetic as their looking for endemetriousise and some other stuff while i am unconcise....this aint as bad or sever as what you going throw but i cant waite to get it over with mid January as i just found out but i scared of the process and what else they might find....

goodluck and let us know what happens whittle.

i am glade you posted this couse i been keeping that bit of info to myself, fear, worrie and being blue about it....and the bigger picture re more kids and past misscared ones

celtic_flame

omg i dont have anymore secrites you ladies have gotten them all lol

Hi Whittlewoman

My experience after most of my menstrating life was horrific...I was lucky if I had a week of some comfort from pain, bleeding, insomnia and mood swings, etc. I found out about three tears before my FAH, that I was progesterone sensitive...so all of the hrt treatments to control my symptoms were sending me crazy.
I was a shell of a woman before the op, but found solace inchatting with my GP...she was brilliant...other women who had gone through similar experiences helped me greatly aslo.

My consultant was fab and treated me so well, explaining every wee detail of my pre and post op treatment. When the surgery was taking place...they found and removed several ovarian cysts...one of which was cancerous. I did not have to have any oncology treatment after the op...so I am a very lucky lass indeed.

Whittle...I have never looked back in so many ways sinse then. Keep talking to anyone who will listen with a kind heart. Do not be afraid to become informed by the professionals...ask them everything no matter how silly.

Once you get the hormonal side fine tuned...you will be grand. Take all the time you need to rest after the op....get your freinds to do the looking after for a while.

You are in my Prayers(even though you will be fine)

Popea

Hannalore -- it's very possible that we corresponded on the Hystersisters site! I spent a lot of time there and was a hostess on a couple of the forums for about 4 years.....I quit hostessing there about a year ago. I went by a different user name than the one I use here, though.
I agree about being forever grateful that I found that site when I needed it most -- I only had a week between an appt with my doc and the actual surgery.....the support I found at that website at that time in my life definitely helped to keep me sane!

Hi, Ann and Hannelore: I was also a hyster at Hystersisters! I crossed from there to BWS.