TAH/RSO - An Ordeal with Great Support - Hystersisters Hysterectomy Article

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TAH/RSO - An Ordeal with Great Support

TAH/RSO - An Ordeal with Great Support

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Hi! I am 47 years old, with three wonderful children, the youngest of whom is 18. For the last 8 years, I have dealt with pain, clotting, horrible PMS, painful ovulation and extended periods. I remember having about 4 painless days a month during the worst of it. I had been advocating a hyst for about five of those years. It was messy, often totally debilitating, and totally unnecessary in my life anymore. After having a D & C, laporoscopy, and hysteroscopy about three years ago, with the symptoms persisting with the added sympton of a fibroid tumor diagnosed in December, I finally got a doctor to hear me and was scheduled for a TAH on June 22nd. I had the option to remove or leave my ovaries, and at the last minute, changed my mind to leave one in so I wouldn't have to hassle with HRT.
Leading up to the surgery, I did quite a bit of research. This site was a huge help. I received quite a bit of first hand information about others' experiences. In spite of going in quite knowledgeable and prepared, I was much more nervous about the surgery than I had anticipated. My husband was with me and was a huge support. I have always been healthy as a horse (except for these @#%$ periods!) and never experienced major surgery before. In short, I was scared to death!
We got to the hospital at about 5:30 AM (oy vey!) with the surgery scheduled for 7:30. My vitals were taken and I changed into the "fashion statement" gown and stockings they give you. I was wheeled into the pre-op room on a bed, with my husband close by. They hooked me up to an IV (TOTALLY painless -- the nurse was great!), met with my doctor and anesthesiologist, signed the consent forms, and was ready to go in. I continued to be very, very nervous. I even told my doctor about how I was feeling. She was sympathetic, even told me we could wait, if I wanted! I told her no, I needed to work through it.
I was wheeled in to the OR (no husband this time), got on to the operating table and immediately began to feel the anesthesiologist's work. Next thing I knew, I was back in my hospital room, surrounded by my husband, and my two best friends. The only unexpected thing in the surgery was that my uterus was about 3 times normal size, and covered with vericose veins, causing quite a bit of bleeding. They almost had to do a blood transfusion, but were able to stop the bleeding without that. I felt vindicated, since this was the cause of my problems, which didn't show up on any of the tests and any vaginal exam.
My hospital stay was wonderful. Nurses were very attentative, and I took advantage of the time to rest. I was on a morphine drip for the first day and half, so was a little nauseaus from that. Once that was taken away, however, I started to feel great. I met some friendly hyster sisters in the neighboring rooms, making the stay even more pleasant. I was released to go home on the fourth day.
The only negative side effect I have had was that I started spotting after I got home. I was diagnosed with a UTI (urinary tract infection) and given antibiotics. On July 3rd, the bleeding dramatically increased, and I was told to go to the ER. I thought I was bleeding internally! After a horrible experience in the ER (made to wait, sitting up for two hours!), it was diagnosed that I had an additional infection, caused by pulling an internal stitch loose -- probably from straining because of constipation. After meeting with my regular doctor a few days later, she confirmed my diagnosis. I was put on stronger antibiotics, and now have totally stopped bleeding.
I am now in week 3 of recovery and am totally mobile and feeling great. The swelling in my tummy is going down more each day. Rest is important, as I still tire very easily, but, otherwise, feel like a new woman! Thanks to all of you for sharing your stories, which supported me tremendously! I hope my story will do the same for someone else!

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TAH/RSO - A story with a happy ending

TAH/RSO - for me having a hysterectomy was a great thing. do not fear it.

Find A Doctor Near You

John Dulemba, M.D. 3321 Unicorn Lake Blvd #121 Denton TX 76210 940-387-6248	Clifford Rogers, M.D. The Everett Clinic, Dept. of Surgery and Gynecology 1330 Rockefeller Ave, Suite 120 Everett WA 98201 425 339 5424	Betty Gingold Acker, M.D. 2900 E. 29th St Suite 300 Bryan TX 77802 979-776-5602
Linda Green, M.D. 3001 Coral Hills Dr., Suite 300 Coral Springs FL 33065 954-341-2916	Casey Sprague, M.D. 3960 Coon Rapids Blvd. #101 Allina Women's Health Coon Rapids MN 55433 763-236-9236	Chuong Pham, M.D. 18220 Tomball Parkway, SUite 320 Houston TX 77070 832-237-0222
Megan Bird, M.D. 364 SE 8th Ave, Suite 205 Hillsboro OR 97202 503-681-4145	Aileen Caceres, M.D. Center for Specialized Gynecology/Florida Hospital 410 Celebration Place, Suite 302 Celebration FL 34747 407.303.4190	Kym Boyman, M.D. 1775 Williston Rd., Ste. 110 South Burlington VT 05403 802-735-1252

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