Be careful what you ask for...

I've had horrible cramps since my first period at 13 and have just had to deal with them. I'm 46 now and I had my tubes tied 17 years ago. For the past seveal years the cramps have gotten worse and are accompanied by nausea. They have become debilitating. I'm now having to take vacation days to leave work and if my period comes on the weekend I spend it in bed. We have tried every medication out there and still no relief. For years I have been asking, "Why don't we just take it out? I'm not using it anymore!"

Yesterday, my Dr. says, "It's time. This is the only option left." Now I'm scared and worried. We haven't decided if one of the ovaries can be kept and if we even want to. We know there is a problem with the left one, but at my age and with my peri-menopausal symptoms is it even worth it to keep the other? Now, I have to make these decisions and it suddenly a monumental thing.
I don't even know where to begin although I've been reading lots of material, it just seems so overwhelming.

I'm worried that I will instantly be "old and shriveled". I know that is an over reaction but worried all the same.

Blunderful

Boy, do I EVER know what you mean! It's like, you go through years of pain and other complications and want it all OUT asap. But then, as soon as it becomes a reality, you're scared to death!

That's exactly what I went through. I can tell you that this site has helped me to know that I'm making the right decision and reading books, such as "Bearing the Big H" sure helped me to understand some of the scarier aspects of it.

I wish you the best!

You sound very much like my story. I am 8 weeks post op. I have had some complications, but am still feeling better than before surgery. I did have my left ovary removed, had a very large cyst and many smaller ones. The right ovary appeared normal. I had come to the point that it interfered in just about every point of my life, kids,work, relations with hubby, losing weight (exercise), etc. Only you know when your ready. I did have some anxoius moments....but the Pro's in my life far outweighed the con's Good Luck, hope things go well for you during this process.

I didn't realize how many decisions there were with this surgery. Keep them/take them out.

There are plenty of excelent "resources" on this site.

It has helped me make the decision to keep my overies, if possible. From what I've been reading, unless the overies are unhealthy it's best to keep them. They serve more purposes than just producing an egg.

I'm on Prometrium and if that's any indication as to what it's like to be on hormones, I'm going to try to prolong it as long as possible.

The waiting time is the hardest.

Thanks for the words of encouragement and support. I went to the library at lunch to see if I could find "Bearing the Big H". I couln't find it. Instead I found a book called, "The Ultimate Rape... Everything a woman should know before she considers a hysterectomy." Scared the heck out of me. I left it there!

Blunderful

The title sounds anti-hyst. I don't see how they can compare it to rape. Rape is a violent act in which you have no control. With a hyst, you and your doctor work as a team and come up with a solution that is right for you.

	Quote:
Originally Posted by laf1015 I didn't realize how many decisions there were with this surgery. Keep them/take them out. There are plenty of excelent "resources" on this site. It has helped me make the decision to keep my overies, if possible. From what I've been reading, unless the overies are unhealthy it's best to keep them. They serve more purposes than just producing an egg. I'm on Prometrium and if that's any indication as to what it's like to be on hormones, I'm going to try to prolong it as long as possible. The waiting time is the hardest.

What is Prometrium and what does it do?

Blunderful

Prometrium is progesterone.

For me it's purpose was to force Aunti Flow to come so that I didn't have a build up of abnormal growth cells in my uterus. I hadn't had a period since 5/15th and surgery is scheduled for 12/6th. That would have been too long to go without having at least one more.