Upcoming surgery 8/25: New to the hysterectomy community

Hello to all my new fellow hystersisters Community I am new to this site and my hysterectomy day is August 27th 2016 on this day I will be having my Fallopian tubes uterus and cervix removed I am anxious I'm 45 years old I do not know too much about having hysterectomy I've been doing a lot of research on it. I'm wondering if I will be a woman after all of this I would like to know if anyone feels the way I feel and I also would like to know that if I have all these things removed would that be considered a total hysterectomy even though I'm leaving my ovaries.

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Originally Posted by Wisdom04 Hello to all my new fellow hystersisters Community I am new to this site and my hysterectomy day is August 27th 2016 on this day I will be having my Fallopian tubes uterus and cervix removed I am anxious I'm 45 years old I do not know too much about having hysterectomy I've been doing a lot of research on it. I'm wondering if I will be a woman after all of this I would like to know if anyone feels the way I feel and I also would like to know that if I have all these things removed would that be considered a total hysterectomy even though I'm leaving my ovaries.

Wisdom, glad you found this site. Here is where you'll find unbiased information to help you make decisions about, prepare for, and recover from your surgery - and mega-tons of support from Sisters who are also on this journey!

It sounds like you're having a total hysterectomy with removal of the uterus and cervix, plus a salpingectomy for removing the tubes. (If you were removing your ovaries, that would be an oopherectomy.) The Different Types of Hysterectomy can be found here.

Here are a couple of articles to get you started 10 Tips for Preparing, and if this is your first surgery, there's an article on First Surgery - Hysterectomy to help you understand the procedure. Since you're a member of HysterSisters, you can download the free What 350,000 Women Know... guide for walking you through everything beginning pre-op. Know that you'll be surrounded by a team of specialists whose #1 priority is you - from making sure the operation is complete (ie. any issues not noted through test procedures are addressed) to someone dedicated to monitoring your vital signs.

As for feeling less of a woman afterwards, some Sisters do feel this way or they feel a sense of loss. Please know that what makes you a woman is way more than your parts - it's your heart, your soul, your abilities, your nurturing sense, your ability to love and care and your inner strength which make you a woman. You're a woman because it's in your DNA!

I hope some of this helps in some small way. Best wishes for your upcoming surgery!

Hello and welcome,

Facing major surgery is a daunting thing, let alone a hysterectomy. As Cussette said in her insightful post, many woman definitely feel a sense of loss upon losing their uterus.

Here is an article that deals with this topic - you are not alone:
Will I Be Less of a Woman?

Please give yourself time to process all that is happening. But please remember, your heart and soul will be there to guide you through the times ahead.

We are here to support you on your journey.

Hugs.

I was feeling this way too. Feeling like if I didn't have working reproductive parts that I will be less of a woman. I think it's a natural response to such a loss. But honestly it's not a uterus that makes you a woman.

Funny side note. I was searching around the internet looking at hysterectomy stuff and happened to find myself on images (which I don't recommend due to graphic imagery you may stumble upon) and one of the pictures was a buff man's torso. He was gripping his chest in pain. The words on the image said "what you need to know about hysterectomy side effects!" No doubt it was some kind of click bate. But the picture made me laugh. I showed it to my husband and said "look I'm going to turn into a buff man with heart burn! I hope you're ready for that!" In a silly way the picture made me realize how silly I was being. I'm always going to be me. No matter what parts they take out or put in. I have a metal plate in my leg with a bunch of screws. Didn't change me a bit.

I hope you were able to find some amusement in my story. I'm sure you'll find your own way to deal with the loss of your uterus and you will feel like your own womanly self.

Hi Wisdom04 -

I understand exactly how you feel. I mourned the loss of my uterus, cervix, tubes and ovaries for a long time. There were times that I did feel less feminine, and times where I felt empty. The intensity of these feelings diminished with time, but can still return. It is okay to feel this way - you feel how you feel. But who you are is in your heart, mind and soul. That is never taken from you with this surgery.

I was too nervous about surgery. I fought with my uterus and ovaries for years. I had fibroids and I tried the alternative, and I wait out for a year. I was just tired of the bleeding and been ball up in pain. I live on pain meds and I had too many visits to Urgent Aid for ovaries cysts.

I wanted to keep my lady parts but I was through with it all. The bleeding and pain. I could not tie, if I stood up my head would spin and I would see spots.

I woke up from the surgery and that pain was gone. I do miss my lady parts and I am moving on. I am stronger than that. And so are you.

Take it one step at a time.