Hysterectomy without symptoms????

I dont have any symptoms, no pain, bleeding, etc. I have cervical dysplasia, had a cold knife conization, 3 months later my first pap came back abnormal and positive for HPV. This is an elective surgery for me. Has anybody else had a hysterectomy as a precaution of cervical cancer? I hate to ruin a good thing since Im not having problems right now.

Any thoughts on this???

I say go now and get it over with, dont take any chances!!!! Good luck, Denna

Kimmikat,

I too am having elective surgery, some what of the same reason. I was found to have Carsanoma-In-Si-Tu stage 3. I had the leep proceedure done 2 years ago. When my pathology report came back my margin were not clear. I have been watching this for 2 years now & we can't get far enough into the cervix to get an all clear. So, for me, I was given hysterectomy as an option to know for 100% that I have the all clear. I too, do not have endo, fibrods, etc. But I also know that I want to know for 100% that I am clear of what could develpe into cancer. My husband & I really discussed this for a long time, we prayed about it together & we both had a peace about it. If you have a peace then that is all that matters!!! Good Luck with your surgery, my prayers are with you. I know this is different than alot of the ladies on this site but just as important.

God Bless!!!

Well, when I had my first abnormal pap, it was moderate cervical dysplasia which was stage II out of III. I just dont feel real comfortable sitting around waiting to see what happens. But on the other hand, I kind of feel like I might just be nervous about it and just want to get it over with, so take it out!! MY surgeon said he would only take the cervix and uterus and my path report from the 1st surgery came back clear of cancer. Do you actually have cancer or just precancer? My thinking is that its almost the same. Ive thought of getting a 2nd opinion just to make me feel better. Everybody else thinks I should get it because nobody wants me sick. I am going to sit down with my boyfriend and talk about it some more but as of right now, still going ahead with the surgery, dont have a date yet though, sometime in Sept.

The first website I went to scared me half to death, all negative comments, etc. No good information. These pages have made me feel a lot better about the whole thing.

Hi, new to all of this,

but here goes... I suppose I'm elective too...... I have had the shooting pains and painful sex ever since sterilisation 3yrs ago.
had a laparoscopy Jan04 apperntly everything normal! pains continued... had Zolodex injections for 3 months ....no pain... so have been given three options
1) coil filtted - but went on contraceptive injections prior to sterilisation bled continuously, and no guarantee of pain relief
2) partial hyster...uterus removal again no guarantee cos it might be my ovaries
3) total AH/BSO.
have opted for number 3... just to get pain relief...
anyone else ever experienced similar?

randa( UKnewie!!!)

Hi Kimmikat,

I have adenocarcinoma and squamous carcinoma in situ. I had the cone biposy and LEEP and the margins came back not clear. My doctor consulted with a gynocologist oncologist who recommended the hysterectomy. This is the only way to know that we got all the cancer cells before they begin to invade the tissue of the cervix. Because I am 36 and not planning any more children, I have no problem with choosing to go this route. My husband also is in agreement...it gives us both greater peace of mind. I will have to continue to have pap smears every 3 months for a year as I have had the cancer diagnosis, but I just wanted to do what would most reduce my risks for further problems.

Second opinions can be really useful. There are other treatment options... most seeming to relate to "wait and see". I just want peace...this seems to be the best way to get it. My surgery is on Aug. 4 and I am looking forward to good pathology reports post-op.

Best wishes!
Sherlyn

Well, its nice to hear everybodys stories about what they have been through, etc. I had a few conversations today with my boyfriend, and other people who have had the surgery and they all say to go through with it. I guess I feel like I'll end up there anyways so I might as well do it now. My fears are lessening by reading everybody elses story but I am still scared. There are so many side effects to worry about and since I am pain free now, that kind of scares me. But in the long run, I guess it will be well worth it knowing that I wont have to worry about the possibility of cervical cancer somewhere down the road.

Hi,

Just wanted to say that I don't think you should worry too much about side effects pre-op, it just scares you!

None of the less pleasant things will probably happen to you, if you do have problems it's only likely to be one or two things, not all of them!

Most ladies come out of this glad that they had it done. Post-op pain is not so bad, and it is certainly worth it for peace of mind.

Good luck

xxx

Whoa! If ever I saw a time to slow down, take a deep breath, and think things through, this is it.

First of all, I can't recommend a consult with a gyn-oncologist highly enough. So much depends upon what strain of HPV you have (some are MUCH more aggressive than others). Other risk factors are smoking, yes, sexual history, and general state of health.

My guess is that the first thing they might do is to try a LEEP, or maybe an extension of your previous cone. In the meanwhile, since HPV is a virus, anything you can do to boost your immune system can help. You might do a search here on the site using the terms "folic acid" and "HPV*". Some studies have reported that HPV is sensitive to folic acid.

Having a hysterectomy isn't an easy decision, and in your situation, you still may have some options. Even if you do decide, in the end, to go this route, you still need to have an oncologist for the procedure. They have an extra three years of GYN surgical training, and are best equipped to assess what they find at the time of surgery. Outcomes are better when they operate in any female cancer situation.

I understand all too well your desire to not have to worry any more. But HPV can also affect the vagina, and you'll still need periodic surveillance ThinPrep (high-resolution Pap) smears. I had my supracervical hysterectomy for other reasons; I'd kept my cervix because my smears had always been normal. However, about a year later, I turned up with dysplasia that progressed to cervical neoplasm -- and one of the high-risk HPV strains. I'd probably already had it, but the stress of the hysterectomy triggered it. I've had a couple of procedures now, with the most recent being negative again . However, I've discussed removing my cervix -- prophylactically, as you're thinking to do -- with her and with the oncologists. I'm reluctant to have another surgery.

In your shoes, I'd first see if the oncologists can find another way to keep your dysplasia under control. Many women do very well with hysterectomies -- but for most of us, the surgery represents an improvement in what often has been years of misery. Since you don't have any symptoms (and I'm jealous), you really need to get a second, third opinion. It's also important to find out which strain of HPV you're dealing with. That can change the management of your situation quite a bit.

It's a tough decision to make. There are NO guarantees, either that it will give you the peace of mind that you're looking for or that you'll get through with no side effects at all. But, if you're dealing with a high-risk strain, and they can't seem to get good margins on it (the oncologist is your best bet for this), then please, make sure the GYN-oncologists are the ones who do it.

Have you visited our Cancer Concerns. A lot of ladies there have dealt with the dysplasia beast -- lots of hugs and advice to pass around!

to you as you wrestle with this. I know that it seems like it's worth any price for the peace of mind you seek. But make sure you've gotten ALL the information you need to be sure that it's the right choice -- FOR YOU.

Audrey

Kimmikat,

I understand your dilemia. I also had no excessive symptoms, no extreme bleeding or pain.

What I had were fibroids, ovarian cysts and hyperplasia with complex cells. I went thru 2 d&cs, and 4 vaginal sonograms. I avoided surgery for 1 year by changing doctors.

The initial reason it was recommenced was a large ovarian cyst. That did dissolve over the year. However, I am 55, and still having period. The lining of my uterus was thicker than normal with complex cells. The second doctor was willing to watch the situation. But since complex cells can turn to Atypia cells which are precancerous I would have had to continue having d&cs or endometrial biopsies and more sonograms. We did try provera, but I bled while even on the provara.

The best thing I did was find this site. IT was from coming here and reading all the different stories that I gained the confidence to have the surgery. There is a lot of negitive publicity about hysterectomies. After reading about all the woman who had the surgery and came thru with no major complications my anxiety was reduced.

I also had all my questions answered here and knew exactly what to expect at the castle, from the anestheia to the pressure leggings and the pain meds. The only surprise I had was my liquid diet for 2 days. My first piece of toast such a treat!

Thankfully all my pathology reports were negitive and I feel fine. I just completed my first 2 days back to work after being out for 5 weeks. I feel fine and even took my dog for a walk after work.

It is a complex decision that you have to make for yourself. But I can say my experience was O.K. I did follow drs. orders during recuperation. As someone said here, "you get one chance to recover". Another tip I got here was the fact that you can get a report of the the whole operation. I just received mine the other day. I don't understand half of it, but somehow it makes me feel better have the written report of exactly was "done" to me.

I thought Audrey had some great suggestions too. Sorry this is so long. But I know how much I appreciated hearing from others.

Best Wishes to you as you consider all your options.