New & Confunsed

I am new to this and have lots of unanswered questions! Just a brief history...about 3 years ago (age 28) I went to see my doctor for hope of relief of terrible menstral cramps and passing of "large" clots during my periods...he put me on birth control and told me that the "large" clots and painful periods were "normal" for my age. I could not tolerate the b/c pills and went off them after several months...just lived with the clots and pain! He did send me for an ultrasound, which I found out later showed my uterus to be large and thick...we moved to a different city and about 2 years later I went in for my yearly exam and told the nurse of my problems and previous doctors visit..she sent for my records and scheduled an endometrial biopsy. The biopsy did nto show any fibroids...After months of complaining, my doctor sent me to a surgeon who felt I may have endometriosis, at this point my periods were worse, I had knife like pains in my pelvis area, painful intercourse along with bleeding during intercourse and the clots were unbearable! I had a laporoscopy in June of 2001 and was diagnosed with "possible/probable adenomyoma" and received lupron injections for 6 months. Even with the horible mentapausal side effects of the lupron, the pain and periods did disappear...I received my last lupron shot in October and my first period came on Christmas Eve...very painful but the bleeding was not as bad. Now, I have the clots again, the pain during intercourse and I am in bed for the first two days of my period. I have another appointment on April 2nd and I am sure they are going to discuss a hysterectomy. I have two great step daughters and my husband and I have one 8 year old son. I do not want anymore children, but the thought of a hysterectomy does scare me a bit...I have checked web site after web site and cannot find much info...I am curious to what the hospital and recovery time is after the surgery? Is this an out patient or in patient surgery? I know my doctor will discuss all this with me, but 4 weeks is a long time to wonder! Has anyone here had adenomyosis? Any input would be GREAT!
Thank You!

Hi and welcome!

First of all, let me say I'm sorry for all you've been through. It sounds like it's been a long road.

You are definitely doing the right thing by researching your options, and trying to get as much information as possible.

There are several types of hysterectomy, with slightly different hospital / recovery times. I had a TAH (Total Abdominal Hysterectomy), which means my uterus and cervix were removed through an abdominal incision, and I kept my ovaries. I was in the hospital for 4 days / 3 nights for this procedure.

In the time I have been on this site (almost 2 years!), I have seen a wide variety of hospital stays, but for abdominal incisions, mine seems about typical.

Women who have a vaginal hyst usually have slightly shorter hospital stays.

As far as recovery, this also varies greatly depending on type of surgery, individual health/fitness, etc. However, a good rule of thumb is 6-8 weeks off work, with VERY restricted activity. After the initial 6-8 weeks, FULL recovery usually takes 6 months to a year, again depending on the woman.

I was a little shocked when I was first told the length of recovery. I was 28 years old, in very good physical condition, and used to a VERY active lifestyle. I thought, surely the doctor was being overly cautious, and I would be fine long before she said I would. Wrong! She was right - it really did take me 6 weeks to feel I could go back to work (office job), and about 5 months to be back to my previous activity level.

The best advice I can give right now is to keep doing what you are doing - ask lots of questions, research all your options, and discuss thoroughly with your doctor. Make sure you are completely comfortable with whatever decision you make, and that it is the best decision for YOU! Good luck!

I had a TVH-BSO in January, my hospital stay was 36 hours. I felt so good after the surgery.....post op discomfort was nothing compared to the pain I had due to fibroids, adenomyosis and endo of tube. The pain and bleeding had begun to rule my life. I was so comfortable with my decision, of course I am 53 and my outlook was probably a little different. I am sure that you will find answers to any of your questions on this website; and if we don't have answers, we sure do have a lot of support to give!

I had a tah/bso in on Oct.30,01. I am feeling about 75% and I am 4 months post. My recovery is slow but sure. I did have a lot of extra biopsies and internal repair so my surgery is not typical. I was in a lot of pain before my surgery and now I am not so that part is great!

Have you done a search on the board? You can type in adeno or recovery time and find posts with info. Also try coming to chat and seeing what other women have to say. You will find a lot of support there.

Hope you find the info you need. robins