eeeeeeewwwwww, ouchie!!

So, upon doing research, I came across actual pics of the procedures and oh, my! It is seriously freaking me out. I have had two babies vaginally. Can anyone tell me how the pain is compared to that? The TVH is supposed to be better than the TAH, but pics of the TVH are very, ummm... invasive =( This will be my first surgery and first time under general. I am scared to death! Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

My last baby was 28 years ago....hell in a handbaskit! it's partly why I didn't do it anymore. I am expecting this to be much less than that and much less than the cramping, burning, searing pain I have been having for the last 2 years.

I speak with a little experience, I know that pain medications have improved over the last few years, and the concept of medicating for pain has grown a lot more liberal than it used to be. They have such wonderful cocktails now... A cocktail being a mixture of medications that potentiate each other, ( work together in a synergistic way)

Medical personell have been trained in the last 10 years that just because a person takes narcotics for severe pain doesn't mean they will turn into addicts.

I believe pain to be the least of the problems I am facing with this surgery- it is just such a non issue for me.

I really don't believe anyone needs to worry about it, just be up front with your doctor and remember a post surgical pain medication in the hospital is written as a PRN order.

PRN MEANS YOU HAVE TO REQUEST IT- SO DON'T WAIT TOO LONG FROM THE TIME YOU FEEL THE PAIN STARTING



Re: invasive; honey, think it through, any time a good protion the organs we have in our abdominal cavity are taken out-it's invasive......
But the pay off.....ahh........it makes it all worth it.



dilu

Hi JadieBea

Like you I've had vaginal deliveries...3 of 'em. Ranging from 9lbs 10 ozs down to 8 lbs. and I tore with each of them. I had my TVH,BSO and A&P repairs on 9-11-03. MY pain was controlled in the castle and after I came home and I can honestly tell you that I believe the births hurt worse. I will be 4 weeks post tomorrow and I just have a few aches and pains (requiring tylenol) only after overdoing things during the day. I was shocked that it was so painless. I looked at pelvicfloor.com too and was expecting unbearable pain but was so pleasantly surprised.

Good luck to you my sister...it's a piece of cake.

I think having a baby was much, much more painful even though I had an epidural then. The 1st day I remember lying in bed after the hysterectomy moaning then I punched the button for the morphine and it stopped the pain but made me sick to my stomach. The phenergan they gave for the nausea just made me sleep. Then they changed the pain pump to Demerol which was slightly better. Then about halfway through the 2nd day I decided I wasn't going to push that stupid button - and the pain when I went to get up hurt for about a minute, a stabbing burning pain in my left side, but went away fast. A lot faster than the side effects of the narcotics. Since I've been home, (operation was 9-22, been home since Thurs. 9-25 so two weeks home tomorrow) I haven't had enough pain to bother taking anything, not even an aspirin. The first couple of days I home I still got that stabbing pain if I moved wrong but that's quit. Yesterday I was sitting and bent over to pick something up from the floor and had a momentary pain like I pinched something which just told me not to do that again. All in all this has been a heck of a lot less painful than I was afraid of or than people told me it would be. I remember 40 years ago my mother sitting around all day in her pajamas for what seemed like forever but I've been very lucky so far.

I think it's going to depend on your personal experience. I had 3 vaginal deliveries and episiotomies. One created scar tissue and I was sore "down there" for a year. I was sore to the touch for 6 months; as in no sex at all and it hurt just to wipe.
I wanted an abdominal. I found having my stomach cut open was far less painful than being stitched up down there. I was having outercourse 3 weeks after my TAH, not 6 months after.
I moved around just as well in the castle and even better at home than after my episiotomies.
So, it just kind of depends on your experience. I knew I did not want stitches anywhere near "down there" ever again. I made the right decision for me.
I took a few pain meds in the castle and one the night I returned home and never needed anything for pain after that. This is with my stomach having been cut open. I didn't expect that.
Good luck

Best thing I ever did for myself. I can't believe how great life is on the other side.

i had tvh/a&p repair/bladder-rectal repositioning and i can say it was NOWHERE NEAR AS PAINFUL as a vaginal birth!!!...i gave birth 13 years ago (9.5lbs) vaginally and chose NEVER to do it again...was a very traumatic experience...the tvh, etc was nothing at all like childbirth.

Hi~
I have NEVER had vaginal birth all 3 of mine where c-sections. and i made the MISTAKE of watching a cection before my 2 nd baby....i swear it made it hurt more...lol...
i dont know if a hyst can be "compared" too any 1 surgery. All 3 of my cections where the same surgery and each one i felt and healed differently from.
What i try too tell myself is, ours dr.s are doing this too get us out of pain, or preventive surgery. Where it doesnt look pretty, our bodies can withstand it. (we have too think positive right?? LOLlol)
Dont look at anymore pictures....lol lol . God knows i dont! After my 2nd cection i said too my dr. "did you really put my bladder on some table too the side of me???",,,,,lol (thats what i seen on tv) he said "well, i can tell you the truth...but do you really want too know???"...lol...
So, i hope i couls help. I will be having a TAH..and im hoping that will be like my cections!!!!! Good luck...ill be thinking of you!
xoxoxo-
scotty

I've had two vaginal deliveries that did hurt, but were not awful. For me the TVh was easier than the deliveries.

I understand how you are concerned and scared because I was there just five weeks ago. I had no idea how my Dr could see everything that she said she would check out during surgery. I was very glad to be put under and wake up in recovery never knowing what they had done. I knew there were sites I could go to and see how the procedure was done, but I knew that was to much information for me.

My experience has been so much better than I ever dreamed it would be. I have had very little pain and felt back to normal in less than a week. The hardest thing has been to remembering not to do to much. The only problem I've had has been having some constipation about 2 weeks after surgery that resulted in spotting so I would recommend that you drink plenty of water and get enough fiber.

I was very stressed over having this surgery because of the unknowns and the "what ifs". The week before I changed my mind three times about having the surgery. I am now very happy that I went through with it. It was been a positive experience and waiting would have meant having a TAH which is more difficult. If you have any specific questions, feel free to send a private message. Good luck and there is such a thing as to much information.

Thanks so mucg for the feedback. I know I am doing the right thing, but like many of you said or inferred, the "what ifs" are getting to me. I have heard good stories, so that is a huge positive for me. I was once worried about dying on the table, or soon after from a freak complication, but I feel much more relieved now! Thanks again =)