My dr gave me 2 options

Hello, I am the 29 year old mother of 3 wonderful children. I have a history of pelvic pain with heavy bleeding at the time of my menses. The dr put me on the birthcontrol pill 4 months ago, switching me last month to a straight regimin of taking the pills and then just going to a new pack when I get to the period pills. That was 15 days ago and I have been bleeding since, with pain and everything. I called the dr and told them what was going on and they gave me 2 options, laproscopy or hysterectomy. I want the hysterectomy but am somewhat scared on how it will affect my life. I work a full time job and am not sure if I could afford to miss 4-6 weeks of work. I have heard horror stories of women who have had hystorectomies regarding their sex life afterwards and problems with their bladder. My ex-mother-in-law had a hysterectomy several years back and two bladder surgeries since and now she has to use a cathater to urinate. I am also scared to be "put under" as I have never been under general anasthesa. I would appreciate any input.
Blessings
Gert

I think you need to find out why you are having trouble first before deciding on a hysterectomy. It is MAJOR surgery. I had a lap 10 years ago and was very sick after the general anesthesia but it diagosed endometriosis and I was able to have it lasered out and now have three kids because of the treatment. Have you had any possible diagnosis of why you are bleeding so much? A lap can diagnos that. Depending on what the diagnosis is, that will help you decide. Now if it's something like adenomyosis (an internal endometriosis that is so deep) or cancer than the only option for those as far as I know is a hysterectomy. If it's endometriosis, fibroids, or something else there are alternative treatments available such as laser treatment for endo during the lap procedure. How bad is the pain? Do you need more than just over the counter meds for it and are you able to go anywhere during the bleeding or is it so heavy you have to stay near a bathroom? Depending on your symptoms, diagnosis, and family history, and reading all the info you can will help you determine if it's right for you. Have you tried a different pill? I went through about four different types and then gave up because of the side effects. I've waited a year since dr told me my options and have now decided that my quality of life is diminished. With a hysterectomy there are no more children. Like you I am also 29 with three kids. There are meds they can give you if you are worried about the side effects of nausea after a general. Unfortunately I learned the hard way and went home right after and was sick for three days and ended up back in hospital for dehydration. I had a bad doctor who didn't inform me and waited two days before he would give me something for the nausea.

Hi,

CM3 is correct when she state that you need to find out the cause of your bleeding. This is a major surgery, and recovery takes about 1 year to get back to 100%. Yes, you are out of work for 4-6 weeks, but there is still internal healing going on. It takes about 6 months to get to 80% of where you were before surgery.

Here is a link to a site that has some good information about gyn alternatives, and diagnosis.
http://www.gynalternatives.com/index.htm

I hope this helps!