Pre-Op Jitters about after it's over!

Two more weeks, then I head for the castle for TAH/BSO. I'm 49 turning 50 this August. Since I was in my early 20's I've had to deal with panic attacks. Although I don't have true panic attacks anymore; I deal with alot of anticipatory anxiety. I get those pvc's where the heart does the fluttering and skipping. When they hit, I get very nervous and anxious; can't concentrate on anything. I've had to quit two part-time jobs because stress and me do not mix. I'm taking Effexor XR 75 mgs. and Xanax 0.5 prn and for the most part do fine with this regimen.

I fear after the surgery since my ovaries are coming out; how this will affect my hormonal fluctuations and whether or not I will feel worse! I'm in a quandry about what kind of hormone replacement to take; I'd prefer bio-identical if possible.

Can anyone relate to my problem? I'm not afraid of the actual surgery but what's to come afterwards. The fibroid has to come out; it's causing anemia and pressing on other organs.

I love this site; so many web sites are anti-hysterectomy; however most women are glad they've done it...what's up with the statistics out there?

Blessings,
Debby

Hi Debby,

Have you talked to your DR about HRT? My feeling is that while it's good to try to educate yourself in advance about what is available and what side effects to be aware of, that your DR's advice, since s/he has experience with other patients and what has worked well for them, should be where you begin your HRT quest, with the understanding that it may need to be tweaked or changed to get it right.

And it's also important to give your body time to adjust and not decide too quickly that it's not working, and if you do need to adjust it should be in small steps, and again, give it time to see if the adjustment is having the desired effect.

You may want to check out the Hormone Jungle but don't get lost in it, it can be kind of confusing.

So do make sure you discuss it with your DR before surgery.

I'm taking Estrace 1mg/day and have been since 2 weeks after surgery. I haven't had any hot flashes or other side effects, and my moods have improved greatly. My DH has commented frequently on it, and one of my employees told me I'm like a different person.

Best wishes to you!

Hi Debby

I know where your coming from with the anxiety and panic attacks and the meds your on. I suffer too , I was a complete basket case when I had my Hyst but its true what they say the worst part is the waiting.
((Hun)) the best thing you can do is educate yourself, learn all you can about HRT. The hormone jungle is good for this.
Im on estradoil (menorest) patches for low estrogen and it has balance me out. HRT is a personal choice, something your gonna have to choose for yourself, Can you talk to your Dr about it?
Since you'll have no ovaries you will find you''ll have side affect from not having the hormones.

If you need to speak to someone try the chat site , many ladies there could possibly help you with info.

take care of you hun, things will work out


Chelle

Hi Debby, I just turned 45 and I'm in the same situation as you find yourself in. I'm having a TAH leaving RT ovary on Mar. 12th....the surgery is because of severe pain from endo..which has been so painful this past year that on 3 occasions I could not walk because the endo was inflamed and irritaing the sciatic nerve. I'm told that I may need a bowel resection if they can't remove the endo from my recto sigmoid?? which is attached to the uterus. I also will require a stent in my ureters to clean endo from them and I'm having a rectocele repaired at the same time.......it's all this extra stuff that scares me. I'm okay with the TAH but between these extra things and not knowing what to expect with my hormones...I'm worried about what lies ahead.
Sorry that we find ourselves in the same boat but maybe we can share what each of us learns over the next few months....I feel so alone going through this....no one seems to really understand what having this surgery really means to me and how difficult it is. I'm afraid as the date gets closer the stress will just make me feel worse and my symptons will escalate.
I wish you the very best.....I have found this site to be wonderfully informative and everyone is so friendly and supportive ...what a blessing.
Take Care..
:-) Trish

Hi Debby

I certainly know what you are going through. When I was getting ready to have my surgery, the part I worried about most was the after effects.

All of us have had similar fears. I am on the Vivelle Dot Patch that I change twice a week. Been on it since surgery and I love it. It controls my symptoms very well and I have no side effects, unless I wait too late to change it or I put it on my back side. It seems to work better for me on my belly.

A great place to talk about this here is on the
Hormone Jungle Message Board

It is sometimes a challange to find your personal balance as is with some sisters here but my hope for you is that you have an easy time of it as I did.

It will be ok. We will be here to help you as much as we can and will support you no matter what.

Good luck darlin. You are now in my thoughts and prayers always.

Many s

You sisters are great! My mom had her hysterectomy when she was 28; she's now 70; been on Premarin all her life. The gyno I go to comes from the old school of medicine; he says all hormones are about the same...yeah right!! However, he is pretty cool about letting a woman decide for herself what she needs. Younger doctors and some women gynocologists seem more open to trying the bio-identical hormone route.

Who knows, maybe these palpitations are hormonally related and if I don't have the fluctuations each month after surgery; wouldn't it be WONDERFUL if they just vanished?? I know stress and anxiety are what brings mine on; so I'm going to be a nice princess and take all the time I need to recover. Thank the Lord my two daughters are grown and on their own. It's me and DH and of course my two dachshunds who are great company for me!

Thank you all for the encouraging thoughts!

Blessings,
Debby

Hi.

I agree with you completely. I'm off to the castle on 2/10 for a TAH/BSO. I'm much mor anxious about the impact of surgical menopause than the hysterectomy itself. Sounds weird, huh?

I too am sick and tired of hearing people tell me that 600,000 plus women have this surgery every year and it's no big deal. It's also frustrating to hear women who had their's 20 years ago tell me the same thing. Maybe we'll all fly right through it, I sure hope so, but downplaying the significance, the potential impacts, and of course, the pain of the surgery and the frustration of dealing with the effects of surgical menopause isn't giving me comfort... it's honkerblonking me off! (sorry - just had to vent there!)

I've done quite a bit of reading on HRT, but quite frankly, I find it very overwhelming, particularly since so much of the info is contradictory. I finally decided that although I want to be well-educated about HRT, I'm only making myself more nervous by focusing on it now. I keep hearing that it may be a while of "trial-and-error" to get the right hormones/supplements/dosage/method, etc. So I've decided that I don't have to figure it all out now. Instead, I'm just planning to tell my dr to start me off at the lowest possible dose, just ERT at first, and preferably bio-identical, and then we'll play it by ear. I'll figure out what to try next if the first attempt doesn't control the symptoms based on the specific symptoms that I end up having.

Hi Patricia, I think that's what I'm going to suggest to my gyno doc. I want to start with the lowest bio-identical type estrogen and tweak from there if needed. I'm just glad it's not summertime yet...me and heat do not do well together. I hybernate in the summer (living in the desert southwest especially)!

I'm sure I will have a story to tell after my surgery as we all seem to want to share our experience. Like you; hopefully it will go smoothly. You all are in my thoughts and prayers!

Blessings,
Debby

Debby,
I totally understand your fears about after surgery.I also get those panick attacks where my heart races, I feel like somethng is sitting my chest and I can't breathe, I get dizzy, sweaty, I sometimes feel like I can't even swallow. I take Atvian for it as needed of course the past few days knowing I am getting surgery in less than 2 weeks I have felt like I was in a constant panic attack. The more I read about the surgery the better I feel knowing I will feel so much better afterwards. I actually asked my dr about the anxiety thing being worse after surgery adn he said the fluctuations in my hormones could actually be making hte anxiety worse and I might be free of them After the surgery! It should also help my migraines!! And I can;t wait to be "cramp free" Even being on these BCP's I have had constant cramps for 2 weeks already that feel like I am about to get my period any second!its awful.
I dold my husband after this surgery I am throwing away ALL of my underwear and buying all new that I don't ever have to worry about"staining" again!!!!

Hey Cher, we will be princess's in the castle the same day; so I'll be thinking of you too!

I've had panic disorder since my early 20's; I've heard different sides of the coin as far as the panic/anxiety lessening after the surgery. My plan is to think positive; that it may truly be the fluctuation of hormones that aggravates my anxiety. I've talked to one friend who said it helped her; but if you have true panic disorder like I do, it waxes and wanes. I enjoy the good days which fortunately are more often than not.

I'm just glad I have my little bottle of Xanax so if I need it it's there. Also take Effexor XR which helps.

We're almost there; soon it will be over for us; yea!!!

Blessings,
Debby