Sick of being in pain!

Hi, my name is Marie (Rie for short) and I have suffered irregular, painful, heavy (with clotting) periods since I was 11 1/2. At 13 my doctor put me on birth control. This helped with the irregularity but did nothing to alleviate the other symptoms. Had 2 suceessful pregnancies with natural birth. For approximately 3 years (times during & after pregnancies) I did not suffer; but unfortunately couldn't afford to have babies every few years.. lol Anyway, I have finally had ENOUGH and had requested to have my Uterus removed. After several tests my GYN performed (10/30/08) a D & C, Hysterscopy, and endometrial ablation (sp?)... after which I suffered continuously for over a month and then resumed horrible periods. After another pelvic ultrasound he told me my uterus was slightly enlarged (and nurse had stated fibroids as well) and since I still was experiencing pain when I didn't bleed during a cycle; he felt a complete hysterectomy was needed. I have to say I felt such relief I cried, right there in the office. And then I felt scared as hell! Now my sister; who's a LPN and who never suffered with her period, says I should get a second opinion and really take my time deciding if this is what I should do. I know that is the right thing to do; but I know that will prolong my wait to have surgery and I can't afford that. Help!!! any opinions??

I understand where you are comming from. Due to my circumstances I basically made the descion to have a hysterectomy and my gyno agreed. So I did not have a second opinion.

You do need to make sure this is the right thing to do but only YOU can decide that and I understand that after suffering for so long you do not want to wait. My sister is the same way also - never had a hard period in her life asking if I tried everything. HMM - have her get a biopsy and see how fun that is!

You know you the best and you will make the right choice for yourself.

I did not get a second opinion either. I knew that with the pain that I was in that I was ready for a hysterectomy. Best of luck to you and please keep us posted on how you are doing.

Oh Rie, I feel your pain! I have had problem cycles since I was 10. Sometimes I would go for months without a period, sometimes I'd go for months WITH a period. Either one isn't fun. I have been seeing the same gyno for a few years now, and I trust her completely. We've tried enough things that didn't work (pills, IUD, etc), and have decided there are a few more that really aren't likely to work (ablation, more pills), and now I'm scheduled for the hyster on 3/2. While I'm not exactly looking forward to it, I am hopeful and optimistic. And I never even considered a 2nd opinion. My doctor is the BEST and her opinion (and mine of course) are the only things I need. Follow your heart, your head and your body and you can't go wrong. Best of luck to you!!

Hi Rie, and

Having a hysterectomy is a very personal decision. It should be based on your own situation and should be done to give you a better quality of life. It's never a bad idea to get a second opinion, just to be sure. That said, I didn't get a second opinion, although I'd originally planned to. I did a lot of research, looking at medical journal articles and books. I wanted to make sure I understood what all my options were and that I knew the pros and cons of each option. By the time I did the research, I realized that for me, this surgery really was the best option.

Here's what I would suggest: Go ahead and schedule your surgery. You don't need to justify your decision to anyone but yourself. If it would give you greater peace of mind to hear the same recommendation from another doctor, then schedule a second opinion.

It sounds like you've been miserable. And if your first reaction was to cry with relief, that's an important message to yourself. You need to feel that the decision is the right one for you. I really struggled to make my decision, but once I did, it was easy to deal with other people's opinions because I was able to explain, in detail, why this was the best option.

I'm glad you found us!

Hi Rie,
I'm with Chris, your tears of relief are very telling. Pain can destroy ones quality of life. I know, it's trying to get the best of me but I found this site and am fighting back. Yea! If you trust your doc and feel it's right, then schedule your surgery and open yourself up to a better life. People who don't have pain cannot understand. It's not their fault, it just doesn't compute the same way. I hope to be scheduling my Tah this week with my doc. I'm so done suffering and not knowing how I'll feel everyday when I wake up. When the Mom is in pain and feeling yucky, it affects the whole family. I wish you luck Rie
Kristin

i didn't get a second opinion either... although i was encouraged to do so by the ladies here.... my surgeon is my regular gyn.. and i trust her.. i did ask my family doctor if my surgeon was a good surgeon and he said yes.. so that was enough for me.......

i trust him completely! and my surgeon...my gyn...i trust her too......

so do what feels right for you... don't let anyone pressure you either way ..whether or not you get a second opinion is entirely up to you...

to me it sounds like you have been through hell for long enough....

hey..we will probably be in the same recovery group as mine is scheduled for March 9th....

look forward to seeing you in Post-Op...

hugs,
jamesgirl

Hi Rie, I am scheduled for 3/19 and have not gotten a second opinion yet! I say "yet" because my decision is being question by quite a few people in my life (mostly girlfriends), who I don't know if they experience pain in their life or not, but hearing their shock and amazement about my decision to have a LSH makes me question myself. My doctor suggested other options to me none of which he seemed convinced of himself would work over the long haul til menopause. He said this was the only option that would guarantee I would stop having the heavy bleeding and the pain from cramps. He never made any other guarantees to me about other symptoms that I am experiencing. I respected his candid answer, and knew as soon as I heard that I had 4 fibroids that seem to be taking over my uterus that I wanted them and it gone! Fortunatley for me my DH and sister are my advocates in this, oh, and of coarse all of the wonderful sisters on this website.
To me tears of relief are a HUGE sign that this might be the right fit for you and your body...no matter what you decide it must be what feels right for you second opinion or not.

Thank you sooo much for your opinions and well wishes. Except for this STRESSSSSS, I'm now ready to proceed with the surgery; without a 2nd opinion. (well I did get 7 2nd opinions here didn't I) lol Thank you again. Rie

I am so glad that you found this site!!! As you can tell from the responses taht you have alrady recieved, everyone here wishes the best for you. I am scheduled for my hyster on3/3/09 and I cried tears of joy the day the dr office told me it was approved! I have had endo for 16 years and it has gotten so bad that it affects my like and my family's life on a daily basis. If you are comfortable with your decision, and with your dr, then I would go for it. But a second opinion is completely your decision to make. I hope everything goes well for you!!!

Melissa
TAH or TVH/BSO 3/3/09