Hysterectomy for fibroid tumors

Hi,

I was informed by my ob/gyn that I will need to have a hysterectomy due to three fibroid tumors. My uterus is the size of a 12 week pregnancy. I am due in this month for an ultrasound to see if the tumors grew since the last ultrasound, and from there we will determine if we can still watch them, or, if we need to schedule surgery.

I had an endometrial ablation three years ago. It has really helped me as far as the heavy bleeding goes. My belly is very swollen from the tumors though.

Has anyone else had a hysterectomy for fibroid tumors? I was told I would need the abdominal incision due to the size of the fibroids.

Thanks,

Darley

*Smile*

Darley

I'm going in Jan 29 for hyst for fibroids that are the size of 16 or 17 week preg. No heavy bleeding except during reg. periods.
There is sometimes lots of pressure on either the bladder or the bowels(constipation is always fun), so to relieve this it's off to the castle I go.
Had my pre-op doctor appt today with hubby. It went welland next week I have to arrange my hosp. pre-op.
Some days I'm ok and level headed while other days I don't know which way to go, anxious, nervous and afraid. I know I'll do well when the day comes, but the waiting is awful.

My op is an abdominal incision due to the size of my uterus, tried other alternatives - mymectomy, ablation - but only the fibroids would disappear not the bulkiness.
The doc wants to see everything inside and this is the best way to clean up any problems that may be unknown.

good luck with everything, let me know how it goes.

Jan

i am going in monday 1/12 because of fibroids. one is the size of a 16 week fetus, the other grapefruit sized.
after 7 years of heavy bleeding which got worse every year, i realized it was time to do something.
dr. checked my hormone level, and even though i am 51 and childless, he said i was no where near menopause.
my choice was to wait until then, at which time the problem would resolve itself, or this.
as of this moment, i will have a horizontal bikini incision, unless something crops up during surgery.
i am very nervous, because except for my tonsils when i was 6, i have never had any kind of surgery, and i dont count that as i was so young i dont remember it.
i am trying to think about how great it will be to never worry about going to meetings during my period, and sitting there in fear that when i got up i would leave a huge puddle of blood. it happened twice, and i have never been so embarrassed.
i also look forward to not having a swollen belly due to these things. how nice to be able to wear clothes that are bought for my size, and not my stomach size.

Darley

I am due a TAH soon, pre-op next week. I have a large fibroid and a uterus the size of a 24 week pregnancy, which is causing bowel and bladder pressure. My bladder is underneath my uterus and tucked in around the top of it, so I don't have a lot of room, and need to go frequently!
I am having a verticle incision, so that my GYN can see what he's doing (so he says). I have to admit I am very scared, but also relieved, as I also have endo which has been giving me painful periods for the last 10 years. So it will be good when the pain is gone. I have put this off for 5 years because I did not want to lose my uterus, but all I have done is prolonged the pain.

I also have to have abdominal, due to the size of the fibroid.
Good luck with yours

Vicky

Hi. I had a TAH due to rapidly growing fibroids. I had a bikini cut and was very lucky that my doc could get a 15+ cm fibroid off the outside of my uterus and out the bikini cut. My uterus was the size of an 18 week pregnancy in late Sept, having grown very quickly in 6 months. I was told that since it was growing that fast that eventually it would end up in my rib cage (by 2 doctors). That helped me make the decision to have it done now rather than wait.

I know it can be overwhelming and scary, but I don't have the problems now that I was having for several months before and I don't have to worry about it getting bigger.

I'm going the 20th for abdominal hyst due to fibroids. I have a large palpable tumor that I first noticed in October. It wasn't there in January when I saw the gyn. I had ultrasound and MRI and the "hulk" as I call it is about 8x8x6 cm and is probably attached to the uterus up high. There may or may not be a smaller one posterior to the uterus. Since they could never see my ovaries definitively, that may be an ovary or another fibroid. I am having the vertical incision since the "hulk" is up high (I can feel it up to my belly button at times) and large.....this was the last thing I wanted to do but now I'm scheduled and I feel pressure when sitting. I've also been just lightly bleeding since 12/28 so I guess that makes me feel more like things are malfunctioning and need to go. I'm 44 and the thought of doing a myomectomy and then going back later for more surgery just isn't appealing since fibroids frequently grow back.

I had a TAH on 11/24 due to fibroids (uterus was 5x it's normal size). I have not regretted my decision once. My recovery was a breeze, never having any pain great than a 3 on a scale from 1 to 10. I'm back to work this week, and even though I still get tired, I feel so much better physically and mentally. I really wonder why I waited so long. Good luck and good wishes to you all!

Cheri

Hi Darley and everyone else

Fibroids are the most common reason for hysterectomies. Some gyns indicate that when the uterus is larger than a 10-week pregnancy, then they need to use an abdominal incision rather than a vaginal incision for the surgery. The exception to this is when you are a candidate for laparoscopic surgery ... this really depends on exactly what your reproductive problems entail and the skills of your surgeon. But some gals with large fibroid uteruses are able to have laparoscopic surgery. Only your gyn can say for sure if you are a candidate for this approach.

Best of luck to everyone! Sending hugs to all.

Beth

I will see my GYn for a question session January 27th. In august she said I needed a TAH due to 3 huge fibroids inside my uterus.. based on ultrasound . so they at that time said I could have a bikini cut ( reopen my c section ) and use epidural anesthesia. I think judging from the size of my enormous belly now that they have grown significantly since then.... so I hope to get all the answers I need as she will put me on the " schedule " then. I could go in about 4-5 weeks or sooner as needed I suppose.
Are all your fibroids you ladies hav ementione external ( outside) the uterus? Is it bizarre to have them only internally? I suppose that is why a lap would be out of teh question as my " aliens " are huge and distorting my uterus.. I have no idea what size my uterus was in relation to preganacy ..shall I ask that question??

Hi Maven, from what I have read, most fibroids are inside the uterus although there are various kinds. I have either one or two and if they both are fibroids, they are pedunculated and outside the uterus. Yes, I think you should ask the size of the uterus in relation to a pregnancy. If it's very large, you may not be able to have the bikini cut from what I hear. Good luck to you.