TVH April 28th and at peace - Hystersisters Hysterectomy Article

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TVH April 28th and at peace

TVH April 28th and at peace

From the Vaginal Hysterectomy Stories Articles List

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My story starts back in 1994. I was seeking a birth control method different than the pill and decided to take the depro vera shot. It was a nightmare for me. I bled heavily, passed clots the size of my palm and was miserable. I went back to the doctor and he did a pap and it came back abnormal. I had a colpolscopy and it came back ok.

This went on every 6 months for 3 years. I often wonder how much of a cervix I had left after all the clipping of it. I was sent to UNC to visit with Dr Steege who was renowned for problems like mine and it had led to no sexual desire as I had lots of pain with sex.

They finally did a cryo on my cervix and I had clear paps for years after and an increased libido.

2005 comes around and I'm plagued with heavier periods and exhaustion. It always felt like I was getting the flu a week before my period. I'd get a three day binder migraine that left me physically incapable of gettiong out of bed. My period went from a 3 day ordeal to a 5-10 day ordeal. I bled heavily on the first 3 days and the last 7 were spotting and clots. The clots would range in size from pea's to baseball sized clots.

A friend of mine suggested I come to this site and read up on options etc. I was not emotionally ready at that point.

I started seeing a doctor off base (we're military) and we started some options. We finally decided an ablation would be the best choice. I wasn't sure though. I hemmed and hawed and went back to discover my doctor had left the practice!

So I started over with the doctor there. He was hesitant but we started with the ablation. I came home spotting and got my regular period 2 weeks later. My period never stopped and increased instead in heaviness and clotting. I had the ablation August of 2006.

My periods would range from not so bad to horrific. I waited another 3 years to make the decision to have the hysterectomy. It was not a easy decision for me. My doctor sort of fought me on it and wanted to do another ablation. I agreed to it but then decided not to do it. Repeat ablations have a fail rate I wasn't comfortable with.

The the unthinkable happened. I didn't have a period for 2 months. I thought.. ok maybe I'm in menopause and done! Nope.. that was just a mild mental break my body gave me. I got my period in January and bled daily for 6 weeks. Some days I'd soak a pad an hour and other days I'd spot. I was going insane.

So I called him and told him it was time to talk. We met and he agreed that the hysterectomy would be the only way to get guaranteed relief from the bleeding.

I was at peace with my decision. I was ok until two weeks before my surgery date. I began to have anxiety attacks and wonder if I was making the right decision. I was scared to death that sex would no longer be the same for me. I was scared that I would no longer enjoy sex as I had before. I cried uncontrolablly for days leading up to my surgery. I was an emotional wreck.

The day of surgery I got up, showered, and prepared myself. I nearly didn't go to the hospital. I was that much on the fence about making this move. We got to the hospital and they were ready for me right away. I cried at the sight of the nurse calling my name. I walked back with fear and trepidation.

I cried the whole time I was being prepped for surgery. My doctor came in and he comforted me and made me remember the journey leading to this decision. It helped calm me. Then they gave me the meds to calm me as well.

My husband was my advocate at that point and I'd prepared him with a list of questions I had and the answers I was looking for. He did a great job of asking them and listening to the doctor. They took me back for the surgery and it really is a blur. I remember moving over to the table and them telling me to take some deep breaths.

I woke up about 2 hours later in recovery. I like to sleep so it takes me awhile to wake up from surgeries. I'd already made them aware of this fact which is a good thing to let them know. I was finally being moved to my room and I was ready to just rest.

While moving me to my hospital bed I felt a rush of blood. I was rushed back into surgery to repair a vaginal cuff tear. There was no other bleeding and once he repaired that tear all was good.

The hospital was nice and I had a great nursing staff. They were sensitive to what I'd just been through and helpful. Ice chips and water were the first things I wanted. I was able to have a liquid diet that afternoon and it was nice to have some flavor.

Drinking lots of water helped get things moving and my bladder was working well. The catheter stayed in until the next morning and I did not get to walk in the hospital.
I was not prepared to be so weak. You mentally feel ok and don't realize how tired your body is.

Going home was nice and being in my own bed was wonderful. I slept most of the first day at home and it was good. I started solid foods the next day with cream of wheat and soups. Jell-o was wonderful and I drank probably a gallon and a half of water each day. Hydration is your friend.

I came back to hystersisters a few days prior to my surgery and it comforted me. It has been a huge comfort to come here daily or almost daily and read my fellow weeks sisters stories and how they are doing. I know that some of the things I was feeling were so normal and i wasn't going crazy after all.

I'm three weeks post-op now and doing wonderful. My husband has been a huge support to me and my friends brought meals and call to check up on me. I'm driving short distances and getting out a bit more but I'm learning to listen to my body and rest as needed. I'm not super woman and I don't want to risk more scar tissue if I don't have to.

I kept both my ovaries so the hormones have leveled out. I had a week of hot flashes and feeling moodier than normal.
I'd be on my period this week and it's nice not to be worried about having to change my clothes and toss out more pairs of undies. I don't have to worry about being exhausted and feeling like I was bleeding to death.

I made this decision on my own, supported by my doctor and family. It took a long time to get to this point but I'm glad now that it's done. I will still go through menopause but I'm prepared for that. I look forward to 6 months from now when this surgery is more a memory than the constant reminder I have now with the being tired easily etc.

Each of us has our own story of how we got to this point. I'm happy to share my story and I hope that it helps to read it. Hystersisters is an amazing wealth of knowledge and support and I'm grateful to my fellow sisters who are now princesses and to the future princesses as well.

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Leonard Rosen, M.D. 3650 Joseph Siewick Dr. #203 Fairfax VA 22033 703-391-1500	Linda Green, M.D. 3001 Coral Hills Dr., Suite 300 Coral Springs FL 33065 954-341-2916	Jessica Vaught, M.D. 21 W. Columbia St Suite 101 Winnie Palmer Hospital Orlando FL 32806 321-841-6060
Susan D. Hunter, M.D. 626 Ed Carey Dr Harlingen TX 78550 956-428-4868	Nisseth Urribarri, M.D. 3001 Coral Hills Dr., Suite 300 Coral Springs FL 33065 954-341-2916	Albert Odom, M.D. 1301 taylor st suite 6j columbia SC 29201 803-254-3230
Chuong Pham, M.D. 18220 Tomball Parkway, SUite 320 Houston TX 77070 832-237-0222	Michele Cowling, M.D. 303 Nicollet Blvd Burnsville MN 55337 952.460.4000	Brad Cohen, M.D. 2477 Route 516 Suite 103 Old Bridge NJ 08857 732-679-6900

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