I am 35 years old, living with stage IV Endometriosis, possibly adenomyosis and struggled with infertility for almost 4 years. I also struggled with PPD and now struggle with PMDD. I am a mother to a son that was born at 18 weeks and too precious for this earth; and now a mother to a son born in August 2011. By journaling here, I hope to benefit both for myself and for others that are dealing with this disease and fertility struggles. Thanks for visiting!





Friday, February 22, 2013

Posting for a friend.....experience with a hysterectomy and the options of the surgery....

I'm posting this in hopes for feedback for a friend:

Perhaps TMI, but I could really use your helpful hints and tidbits seeing how I don't have experience with this or know many people that have talked to me about it...Several doctors have told me in the last month that I shouldn't get pregnant again (and honestly, even if I came across someone now that said it was fine, I can't imagine that I would believe them) and not knowing what the problem is for sure with my uterus (though they are speculating placenta increta, but won't be able to know that for sure until it's under a microscope) I'm still at risk for heavy and irregular bleeding while it's in there.  So looks like I've signed myself up for a hysterectomy (March 12th.)  The doctor is planning on doing it robotically and lapascopically, then depending on whether I keep my cervix or not, the uterus would be cut up and pulled through the little holes in my belly or all of it pulled out the south end. He's planning to leave my ovaries and I asked him to take out my fallopian tubes (which he readily agreed to though supposedly there's not enough good evidence that it's linked to ovarian cancer to make it the standard yet, but he said it was easy enough and won't affect anything), but I don't know what to do about my cervix.  Any experiences?  During the conversations in the hospital, the OB was going to leave it and now that it's more "planned" his default plan is to take it.  With further questioning, he said I was at low risk for cervical cancer and as long as I am in a monogamous relationship (which is certainly the plan!) the surgery was easier, the recovery might or might not be easier and he had no problem leaving it.  He also answered that he had no problem taking it out.  So he pretty much left the decision up to me (while assuring me that there is really not a wrong choice in this situation or he wouldn't be offering me a choice.)  When I asked why the OB in the hospital didn't really make it a choice, his reply was that in more emergent situations they want to get in and get out to minimize bleeding and leaving it was a quicker surgery.  But the fact that leaving it is going against the "default" answer has me pondering and I'd love to get some feedback from someone who's been there, done that either way.  Or just some more real life experience about recovery and what to expect or whatever else is on your heart to tell me.

1 comment:

Rebecca said...

My dear friend N just had this very surgery done earlier in the month. She had her uterus removed via three small incisions in her abdomen, quite similar to the lap I had done last summer. Her recovery was short and she was soon back to work. The reason why her uterus had to go was the fibroid, heavy and irregular bleeding.

Already she is feeling much better. They left her ovaries and cervix intact.