LEEP Cone vs Removal

Hi!

I am 38 years old with Crohn's Disease. I've always had irregular, heavy, painful cycles. Each month I have a flare of my Crohn's mid-cycle.

Anyway, to deal with that I had been on birth control whenever I wasn't pregnant. I was on Depo for a while which took care of the monthly flare. Relief!

So here's where I am at. In January 2007 I started a cycle and it basically didn't stop until almost 2 weeks after my D&C in April. Prior to the D&C I had a uterine biopsy done which came back with some fibrous tissue. Then I had the D&C which came back CIN II dysplasia. I then had a colposcopy which came back II and III.

So far, I know my options are the LEEP CONE or have my uterus and cervix removed. My first thought is to have it all taken out and hopefully the monthly flare will go away and so will all the nasty cycles. My periods have actually gotten worse since the April D&C.

Hubby and I are meeting with the gynocologist on July 6 to watch videos and talk it over. I already know he performs abdominal surgeries, not vaginal - except for the LEEP of course.

I'm just not sure what to think other than I'd be really happy to be rid of my woes but I don't want to do something unnecessary. My Crohn's will never go away but this CAN. I'm afraid to have my abdoment cut and my gut manipulated.

I am beyond childbearing and have had one surgery to eliminate the chances.

I just don't know if I do one thing if it will upset the other or if I'm being hasty in choosing the major surgery vs the procedure. I don't want this turning in to cancer or coming back to bite me with more procedures.

Can you help me sort my thoughts with your experiences?

Thank you so much.

(((PADragonfly)))

I haven't been through what you're going through, but I wanted to send you lots of s and good thoughts. I hope someone who's been there will come by and share their thoughts with you.

s, Deb

Thanks for your reply! I'm still oogling and googling and reading trying to find others with the same or similar experiences. I'll keep my chin up.

I meet with the doctor again this Friday morning. Right now I'm scheduled for the hysterectomy on July 25. If that date doesn't give me enough time, the next date is August 11. After that, I can go to September which I am okay with. This is not an emergency - just a gigantic decision.

I don't want to do something unnessary but I also don't want to revisit this in the future and if I can get rid of my horrid cycles, it would be a blessing.

Thanks again, your response means a lot to me.
PADragonfly

hello, padragonfly. i'm sorry to hear that you're dealing with dysplasia. i had a hysterectomy for recurring dysplasia. i hope this removes the dysplasia for you and also puts an end to your terrible cycles which also give you a flare up of the crohns. i would definitely talk with your doctor beforehand about the impact of the surgery on your crohns. i had terrible bowel 'troubles' post surgery, as do many women, and you may get impacted even harder. my troubles ran more with trouble 'going' along with terrible gas pains; i took colace, gas-x, and walked a lot to try to relieve all that, and it took a while to get things back in order, but it did eventually happen. best wishes to you.

Many best wishes to you as you decide what is best for you. s

Have you had a second GYN opinion? Have you talked to whomever treats you for the Crohn's disease and how surgery could impact the disease?

Continue researching, weigh the pros and cons, seek additional medical opinions, and do what is best for you!

Wonderful!

I'm so relieved.

I saw the gyno this morning (hubby went too).

Basically, this was his time to look me in the eye and tell me that based on his visual and the biopsies that came back, he said the LEEP CONE is a temporary fix. He strongly recommended having my cervix and uterus removed - and he would only take my ovaries if they looked suspicious. He said with my father and his sister's history of breast cancer (yes my father had breast cancer) that I'm not only at risk for that but cancer in general and he wouldn't mess around.

I also took great relief that he's going to coordinate with my gastro doc to make sure they are both on the same page and have a plan of action in case something happens with my intestines (adhesions) or if he see's something while he is in there.

This will be a full cut abdominal surgery (not lap) and he expects me to bounce back quickly and he said its not wise to wait or think about it longer - we don't know how long I've been stage 3 and there is a lesion - with more biopsies to follow of course.

So I'm totally relieved and positive about my surgery. We did move the date from July 26 to July 18 so thats right around the corner. He said 3 to 4 days in the hospital and the standard off your feet for 2 weeks, no driving for 4 weeks, back to work at 6 weeks or sooner. He would expect sooner because other than having Crohn's I'm in excellent health.

I feel like this is the way to go. I don't have anxiety or near the questions I had in the last week. It's like there's no question about what I need to do.

Now I have some serious reading on this website to do. Thanks for being here.

PADragonfly

	Quote:
Originally Posted by catwoman000 hello, padragonfly. i'm sorry to hear that you're dealing with dysplasia. i had a hysterectomy for recurring dysplasia. i hope this removes the dysplasia for you and also puts an end to your terrible cycles which also give you a flare up of the crohns. i would definitely talk with your doctor beforehand about the impact of the surgery on your crohns. i had terrible bowel 'troubles' post surgery, as do many women, and you may get impacted even harder. my troubles ran more with trouble 'going' along with terrible gas pains; i took colace, gas-x, and walked a lot to try to relieve all that, and it took a while to get things back in order, but it did eventually happen. best wishes to you.

Hey, thanks for your reply. Yes my gyno, hubby and I have spoken at length about bowel concerns, even beside the fact that I have Crohn's. In addition, I have an appt with my gastro doc on the 16th of July and I'm sure this will be discussed again with a plan in place in case there is a problem or the surgery makes my Crohn's crazier. I'm totaly not worried, I have a great gastro doc plus a great little arsenal of meds for Crohn's that I can take in emergencies. I also have total faith in the two surgeons that will perform the surgery.

I think my hubby is more concerned about the bowel thing overall than I am. I'm just very positive about it all. I don't have one bad feeling.