TVH: My advice to all pre-ops

Ladies,
I am sort of new here and honestly reading all the STORIES on here had actually done me more harm then good! All the details and drama and procedures, meds EVERYTHING on here had me SCARED TO DEATH..to the point where I was gonna cancel the surgery and say I can deal with 10 more years of bleeding! I saw the pre-op docs today and the paperwork they gave me is so not what I have read here...My advice...DONT get advice off the internet....You will get support YES but you will also get the worst case scenario's too...If you have questions don't ask other women ask your doc!!

Glad you got the answers you needed and are feeling prepared for your surgery. I agree you can get a mixed bag of advice on an internet support group, however I think most are mature enough to sort out what is right for them. It is like a buffet. There are some that eat everything to their detriment, but hopefully the majority will only take what they need.

Good Luck with your surgery.

I haven't had my hysterectomy yet but I am far more inclined to ask advice and read stories from women who have been there. Yes I totally agree you have be careful what you read and what you believe. I usually end up calling my doctors at some point after surgery because I am concerned about something that was never mentioned only to find out it's completely normal.

I have learned alot from the ladies on here about my upcoming surgeries from reading. I have read good stories and not so good stories. But I also know this is going not going to be a picnic in the park. If it's better than I expect then that's a bonus...but if it's bad I am glad to be prepared.

	Quote:
Originally Posted by Misty0073 I haven't had my hysterectomy yet but I am far more inclined to ask advice and read stories from women who have been there. Yes I totally agree you have be careful what you read and what you believe. I usually end up calling my doctors at some point after surgery because I am concerned about something that was never mentioned only to find out it's completely normal. I have learned alot from the ladies on here about my upcoming surgeries from reading. I have read good stories and not so good stories. But I also know this is going not going to be a picnic in the park. If it's better than I expect then that's a bonus...but if it's bad I am glad to be prepared.

I'm glad I found this site as well. It's brought up things I would have never thought to ask my Dr and made me question things that I probably never would have. I've found it to be nothing but helpful, but then again, I take everything with a grain of salt, I know there are some really dramatic and crazy people out there that make mountains out of mole hills. I think you need to do what is right for you, if reading things on the internet scares you then do it sparingly and use common sense while doing so.

I agree with the others. I appreciate having the ability to communicate with others who are going through or have gone through the experience.
I don't believe the Doctor can provide actual experience unless they have had the surgery themselves. I LOVE my GYN, I know she has my best interest at heart and what I really love is she takes the time to answer my questions and concerns.
I am lucky because the nurse at the office had the same procedure I will be having and to have her input was very comforting.
I thank all of you ladies for being here and the support you give!
<3

BunkysPrincess, I will agree that there are things on this site that are frightening to read. But I looked at those things as eye openers.

I originally was going to have everything removed thinking "less to get cancer". But then my DR opened my eyes to why my ovaries should stay. And this site opened my eyes to vaginal cuff problems, which made me talk to my DR further regarding keeping my cervix. She agreed in my change of mind, "why remove a healthy body part"? She said that cervical cancer is easily diagnosed. That I had clear pap smears for years so there was no medical reason to remove the cervix. That not removing the cervix made for a shorter surgery (1 hour vs. 2 but then more fibroids then the ultrasound showed added 3 hours to the surgery time) and a shorter recovery. And if I was going to start removing body parts for fear of future cancer, where would I stop?

This site opened my eyes and forced me to educate myself as to what type of hysterectomy I was having and why. For that I am grateful. And 100% happy with my decision.

Thank you fellow sisters! For letting me learn from your experiences in more ways then one!

I get what you are saying. And, I will admit that when I first came to this site, it gave me a lot more anxiety than it does now. In fact, I believe my first post (after my introduction) was the one that is still being posted on about "can anyone share their GOOD experiences". I needed to hear the good since it seemed like all I was reading about were the "problems". Since then, I have learned sooo much and taken a ton of notes to make sure I ask my doctor anything he might not tell me. I realize he may or may not tell me things that are not pertinent, but I still want to have that knowledge, just in case. I've learned not to use this site for something to scare me, rather as something to educate me on things that I never would have known about on my own. (and I've definitely learned the types of posts I need to bypass reading) In the overall picture, I trust my doctor - but I also really value the experiences of people who have BTDT. At this stage, I am actually finding myself with a lot LESS anxiety than when I first started here (although that may change in 10 days when I go for pre-op!). For that, I am grateful. I would be waaaay more upset to get to the "other side" and have an issue and wish I would have known more or known to ask about it beforehand.

I think hysterectomies are a lot like childbirth.....you can read about it, prepare yourself for it, talk to your doctor, educate yourself, hear "war stories" from others...but it isn't until you go through it yourself that you know what it's like.

Some people selectively focus on stuff....remembering only the good or awfulizing the negative of the experience. ( If I had taken to heart EVERY negative detail about childbirth....I would NEVER have had a child!) And the experience is different for all of us....just like every labor and delivery are different. Some of us have easy hysterectomy surgeries and recoveries....some have complex surgeries and complications post-op.

What we all share is that we are achieving a milestone together...the end of the reproductive possibilities era...entering the uncertainty of a new one. It helps to share the symptoms and anxiety....and virtually hold each other's hands on the way through this life passage.

I am thankful that this site exists. It helps to know others who are going through similar issues. However...just as I didn't let war stories about childbirth sway my choice....I would NEVER base my decision to have surgery or not have surgery simply on the experiences of others.

I have found a lot of good information here, but I did learn (the hard way) to avoid the post-op forum for now. I suspect that bad experiences are over-represented there, as one of its purposes (same as the pre-op forum) is to have a place to find and give support for those who have had difficult surgeries and recoveries.

Many of us (including me) are having pre-op jitters, and this forum gives us a place to vent about them, and that is valuable, but for some of us, it isn't good to read those threads. But, we're all grown-ups and we are each responsible to be choosy about what we read.

I'm grateful to those who have started humorous threads (such as What I Will Not Miss); those are really helpful. Kudos to you!

I'll admit, I have read quite a bit of info on this site.Some of it has made me nervous, and some has put me at ease. What it comes down to for me is, I trust my dr completley. I know he will do whatever is best for me. Also, other women coukd tell you all kinds of stories, but until you go through with it yourself, you wont know.