the countdown is horrid... - wondering about surgical menopause

hi, i am 33 and having a full hysterectomny for borderline ovarian cancer next friday and i am scared and feeling sorry for myself.
i was tyring to be positive until this weekend and now it's closer i am scared. surgical menopause is overwhelming and i know u have to wait to find out how you will feel but i have built it up to be awful in my head. my thoughts are will veryone facing an operation and i am so glad to see how supportive this website is.
i have a question? shd u go to your family doc and get the est patch before you go to the hospital or wait and see, i want to try and do it naturally but don't want to get slammed with dropping hormone emotions while recovering..any insight whd be greatly appreciated...

Big hugs to you! What you are feeling is normal, or at least you're not alone, even though it may feel like it. I'm 28 and having a hysterectomy on Nov 30, due to endo and pcos. I'm scared, sad, worried just like you. I'm not sure what the outcome will be, but I can only pray for all of us women that it'll make it better for us, physically, emotionally and spiritually. I've cried for a week straight and my husband kind of looked at my a little strange, but once we met w/ my gyn specialist to go over everything and to get our questions answered, he had a better understanding as to why I am so upset and worried. using this site is a great way to cope. I myself as of now, would like to think to use natural remedies for the hormone replacement. I wish you the best of luck with your surgery and recovery process! I will say prayers for you honey, take care! And you're not being selfish, you are a strong women who needs encouragement and support right now and you've come to the right place!

See what your doctor suggests and also figure out what you want. I know that everyone is different but you may not have any emotional issues at all from the lack of hormones. I had a patch on when I woke up but I took it off because it made my head hurt all the time. I am having some mild hot flashes and that's it without hormones. I have been a little irritable at times but I think that is more from boredom and wanting to get out of the house than hormones. You are absolutely spot on to keep thinking positive thoughts. Assume you will have some challenges and take them as they come. Best of luck to you!!

Your question about the estrogen patch is a good one. I've read here where many (((sisters))) say that their docs actually put one on them right after surgery, so they woke up with one on in the recovery room!

I think this is a great question to ask your surgeon, as he/she may have a particular procedure they follow in this regard.

One thing that helped me before my surgery was to try to focus on things I could control, rather than those things I couldn't control. For example, you don't really know how severe your menopause symptoms will be or whether or not they will be well-managed from the outset. I know how hard this is -- but really try not to worry too much about menopause. If it *isn't* as bad as you've imagined, you will have invested a whole lot of energy into worry! Try to take everything as it comes. (For me, instead of thinking, "What if I wake up in all sorts of pain?" I thought to myself, "Just think -- in a week I'll be home already!" It sounds corny, but it helped me.)

Hope this helps a little.

I felt the same way. I was so scared of the surgical menopause. I have chosen to start HRT, but due to severe endo, I'm waiting 3-6 months before starting, so I was very worried what I'd be like for that time, how I'd feel, etc.

I am 3 weeks post op today and am happy to report that I have had no menopausal symptoms yet, besides some minor night sweats, which I had pre-op anyway.

It is hard but mjd2491 is right, try to worry about the things you can control. There is no way to predict how it will effect you personally. Try to keep busy and plan your post op time. Lack of hormones has not made my recovery any more difficult.

Hope that helps. Remember to breathe.

Take Care,
Christine

The nurse put a patch on me several hours after my surgery and I have had one one ever since. I have tried several different ones and my favorite is the vivelle-dot. It is small and very thin and it doesn't cause irritation like the others did. I do have to change it two times a week but after almost 2 months it is a routine and not awful. I am just grateful not to have to take a pill every night. I've been feeling pretty good and am glad that they started me on one right away.

I had no idea that they would start me on it so soon. I thought that they would start me on my one week visit. My gyno was my surgeon and she is the doctor that is monitoring my HRT.

Hey Torontobased,

I wasn't as scared about the surgical menopause as I was about the actual operation. I had everything removed due to some questionable test results on my ovaries and some serious issues with Endo. Menopause is something you were going to go through anyways so don't be afraid of it. I wouldn't advise getting anything until after your surgery as you don't know what your doctor may want you to take or for that matter if you may need anything at all. Mine decided on an extremely low dose of Premarin (pill form-from hospital pharmacy) as I started surgical menopause the 2nd night and because of my age. Serious night sweats and chills, but hte Premarin has stopped it completely. He's only given me 2 months worth and we'll revisit it then.

It's really going to be okay, just check with your doctor, ask many questions and know we are here for you!