Pre-Op Hysterectomy: Open House Chat Thread - Today Oct 04, 2015

Welcome!

This special Pre-Op Hysterectomy: Open House Chat Thread is for YOU if you are having surgery this week. This thread chat will help you meet others who are having surgery the same week as you, calm your anxiousness, and help answer your last minute questions.

To get started, please introduce yourself, sharing a few things about yourself and your upcoming hysterectomy. Tell us what concerns you have as you prepare for your surgery.

Have patience! Because this is a "COME AND GO" event, check back here during the day for replies with answers, support and hugs from new friends. Our post-op members will be stopping by, too!

As you get to know the other members having surgery this week - you will be meeting up again, after your hysterectomy, in a special thread created just for this week's surgeries in the Post Op Hysterectomy forum.

Hi ladies! My name is Tanya, I Am having my op tomorrow morning in the UK. I have been suffering from adenomyosis and pretty much continuous pain for 6 months and so I am looking forward to the op tomorrow as I can't wait to be the other side of the pain BUT obviously I am feeling anxious about the immediate pain and concerns about the after effects of the surgery. My main concerns are around how to build up strength in the pelvic floor and also when I can resume normal exercise ( including weight lifting etc) afterwards. I am also concerned about other complications like prolapse after the op and really hope that this op doesn't lead to other issues in that area! I am in hospital for two nights only as well, what are you other ladies booked in for? Anyone got any good books/ articles about getting fit and back on feet after the op? I am off to pack my hospital bag now and sending all you ladies who are having the op this week loads of luck, love and support!

goodness me Tanya - I could have written your post myself!! But I am having my op on Thursday and live in new Zealand.My name is Nicola, I am 47 and booked in for 2 nights also.

Hi Ladies, I am Jill and from the Buffalo, NY area. I have surgery tomorrow morning. Been dealing with pain, complex cysts and now multiple fibroids. Most of which has gone on for the last 10 year, I was in our armed forces and they never really wanted to do anything but observe. The is a history of ovarian CA in the family, so this is one of the best choices. I am concerned the surgical staff will not take in consideration I have Menierres Disease and military grade PTSD in to account, since both can be severely affected by the amount of time we will be under. Also worried about pain since my body adapts too quickly to meds of all types, since this has happened before. Not happy I have to stay overnight...

I have my surgery tomorrow morning. I am supposed to have a vaginal hys and bladder sling. I am nervous but at the same time looking forward to getting this done. My uter is hanging out, have very painful periods and want to hurt people, lol. I am to be in the hospital overnight. I can't even imagine being home from work for 6 weeks (looking forward to it though).

I'm in West Virginia, USA. I'll be having a hysterectomy with removal of ovaries tomorrow. The surgery will begin, if it starts on time, at 11:30 a.m., but I'm to report to the hospital at 9:30 and that means I'll have to leave my house around 7.

Today I've got to stay on a clear liquid diet, and I'm wishing I hadn't had a steroid shot three weeks ago as my ability to handle sugars is still reduced (and I react badly to artificial sweeteners). I also wish I had laid in more chicken broth and fewer soft drinks for the occasion.

Hi ladies. My name is Kris, and I'm in Austin, TX. My surgery is tomorrow, all but the ovaries, and scheduled to be a Davinci. I'm booked in overnight.

I had a large fibroid, and had an endometrial ablation in 2010. It was only partially successful. Things have slowly been getting bad and I almost bled to death in late June. This would have been over by now, but my gyn found an extremely rare and undiagnosed heart condition during her pre-op checks. So I had to have heart surgery first. I am very lucky - she saved my life. I'm also lucky in that the heart condition was 100% repairable, and is fixed and healthy now.

We moved 1500 miles from friends and family in January, so my support network here is very small My husband is trying to to show how freaked out he is by all of this. I'm known for being superwoman at home and at work. No kids, so it's just the two of us.

So I'm stressed about tomorrow. I have an enormous fear or needles (stemming back to some REALLY bad experiences in a hospital as a teen.) I tend to be a hard stick, so I have been hydrating with water obsessively for two weeks as that really seems to help my tiny little veins plump up enough to actually be found. I'm also very bad at taking meds and anesthesia. My stomach rejects them, and once I start throwing up, nothing stops it easily. (I've had 8 prior surgeries w/anesthesia and only once not been violently ill.) I usually don't even bother filling a script for pain meds, because they don't stay down. This time I know I'll need them, and I am so afraid that I won't be able to keep them down. I did have a detailed discussion with anesthesia, and she seemed to understand how serious this is for me, but I've thought they were listening and would go with the plan before and had someone else decide for me that I was find and didn't need nausea meds. I'm going in tomorrow and going to be extremely vocal about it. Hubby is not as blunt as I am, but I think this time he understands how serious it is if the nausea starts. (I spent the night after heart surgery face down on the bathroom floor, dry heaving until I almost popped my stitches.)

And although my heart is fixed, and I have a clean EKG and echo and signoff from cardiologist, I am afraid it will act up. I'm told that this anxiety and distrust of my heart is normal after WPW, but knowing it and dealing with it are two different things. It's a huge thing for me to know I'll be helpless and dependent on others. I'm the one who cares for everyone else.

So today I am canning applesauce, and finishing the hand sewing on my little tummy pillow. The house is clean, and I was everywhere yesterday stocking my pantry, fridge and freezer. All is stocked to bulging, so hubby doesn't have to try to be superman. I've got some laundry to do, and may bake some cookies for the nurses.

Sending hugs to my systers this week, and looking forward to having this behind me.

Oh ladies, its great to know at least we are all going through it together, some of your situations do sound horrible and so hopefully after the op we will all feel much better after a few weeks rest... I am currrently writing lists for everyone, i need to believe that the world wont fall apart just because i am not 'in control'! I am 43 and have young kids aged 7 and 4 and so have had to rope in in-laws help!! i'm not sure what i am worrying about most - the kids being ok or the operation itself! Stay strong ladies and dont hit anyone quite yet!! LOL!

Hello everyone! My name is Angi. I am having my surgery tomorrow, 10/05. And to be honest, I am quite nervous! Now that the day is literally knocking at my door, my mind is whirling with things like am I going to be ok and able to control the pain when I get home, did I get everything done at work, is everything ready here at home...my story started many years ago with recurrent ovarian cysts and heavy bleeding. My husband and I were trying for another baby for the last five years and in 2014 I developed a huge cyst on my right ovary measuring in at 9cm! I had ct scans, ultrasounds and mri's. They found a mass on that ovary. So surgery was scheduled and when the surgeon went in, he found that my ovary had torsed (twisted itself) which caused no blood flow to part of the ovary which became the mass. The other half was hemorrhagic (filled with blood). My right Fallopian tube was also blocked. So, I reluctantly had them both removed of course because the mass frightened me. It wasn't malignant. He also found multiple fibroids the size of grapes and so much endometrial tissue all over my abdominal area he cleaned it all out as best he could. He told my husband it looked like a war zone in there. So we underwent for fertility testing and were told that my left Fallopian tube and ovary were fine.... They were not! The left ovary continued and continues to have a cyst of about 6cm. In May of this year, I had to undergo an emergency surgery to aspirate that cyst. While the surgeon was in there, he found that my Fallopian tube was blocked and had been blocked for some time. He also said the fibroids were bigger and that I now had developed adenomyosis. So that dashed the hope of having a baby as we are on [ ] and they don't cover in vitro. So as time has gone on, the bleeding has worsened and goes on for weeks, the cyst is quite painful and after many exams and scans, my dr decided it was best for me to have the hysterectomy. He said my quality of life would continue to go down and I'd have nothing but pain and continuous bleeding. I was absolutely devastated at first. I cried all the time. But as time has gotten closer, I've accepted it and I know I will feel better in the long run. So, that's my story and I am so blessed to have been referred to this site! You ladies have been so supportive and have given me such wonderful tips and advice.

Wow with the baking for the nurses! You really are a superwoman and for going through heart surgery too. what a tough time you've been having... Stay strong and keep drinking the fluids!!