Having total hysterectomy on November 29th - scared

Hi, my name is Robin and i am having surgery Nov 29th. I am having a total hysterectomy. I have a tumor on my ovary the size of a babies head. They don't know if is ovarian cancer until they do the surgery. Needless to say i am very very scared I will be facing chemotherapy if it is cancer. I was just wondering how you got along with your surgery and if you have any suggestions on how to cope. May God bless you and Happy Thanksgiving.

Hi Robin Welcome to Hyster Sisters. I'm so happy you've found us. It really is a very supportive site where you'll also find information you can actually use.

If you haven't done so, I suggest that you read the Pull-Down menus available at the bottom of the Hyster Sisters Home Page. The "Ladies in Waiting" section is especially useful to help you prepare for your surgery. You'll find information ranging from what to bring to the hospital to preparing your recovery to suggestions on questions to ask your doctor and pre-op nurse.

Wishing you the best of luck for your upcoming surgery.

Hi Robin,
I had a very large 15 cm X 10 cm X 18 cm!! cyst on my left ovary which damaged it. Pre-op the ultra-sounds showed a very thin cyst lining full of liquid. They said this was a good sign that it did not contain cancer cells. They said cancer would have been a more solid cyst.

Post-op a test was done on my removed cyst and results were in exactly one week later - no abnormal cells!!

See my personal webpage for my personal story and pre-op and post-op daily journal if you are interested. Sounds like we have a similar story. (url is in my profile). Also there I have tips that helped me before and after. - YOU ARE NOT ALONE

It is natural to be scared.



I was very nervous but found once the day arrived to 1 week post-op time flew by so, so fast! You will be amazed. Everything will turn out fine.

Best of Luck,

Hi Robin, my surgery is the day after yours. Try to think positive, and try not to worry is you have cancer, I know that's hard, but if they do find something, at least you are catching it early and doing something about it. I'm not sure what to expect after the surgery, but just take good care of yourself, and keep in touch with the hystersisters, my reading of the posts has helped me very much. Good Luck to you, let me know how you are doing once you feel alittle better. You are not alone, we'll all be here for you! Good Luck

Luann

Hi Robyn,
You didn't say which type of hyst you are having. My doctor would not start any hormone therapy until pathology report was back. Luckily is was clean and we got the results before any hot flashing occurred.

Whether your pathology is positive or negative, doing everything you can to stay well and recover is important. Keep us posted. It is better on the other side. Jan

I was nervous too. Hit the link below and go to my Hysterectomy Story. It really wasn't that bad and I think the story will help you realize this. It's the unknown that is so scarey.

Good luck.

https://www.hystersisters.com/vb2/sho...threadid=43414

Hi there-
11 years ago I also had a 11x13 centimeter cyst on my right ovary. It was discovered during my annual exam - I had no symptoms. At that time, they were not sure if it was cancer as there was some solid mass. I lost my right ovary and tube. Pathology results came back that is was borderline malignant. It was pretty scary I was only 25 years old and hadn't had children. Now 11 years later (and one child) I am scheduled for a complete hysterectomy on 11/28. I haven't had any other problems or reoccurance but my doctor and another ovarian oncologist recommend the hysterectomy. Funny I am not too scared - no more worry about ovarian cancer. Just want to get it over with. You have every right to be scared and that is normal. Keep your chin up and we will be thinking of you!

Hello -
We have many things in common! :-)
You sound like you're worrying like I did. I can tell you that even with a huge vertical incision I feel better now than before the surgery with all of that in my abdomen. I can tell you that since the surgery I honestly have tried not to worry, and the worry was worse before the surgery. I can tell you that you will be able to get through this. Trust someone. Trust your dr. I thought it was a miracle that God had lead me to my onocologist. The fact that they discovered it before it had spread. I am so thankful.

I just had a tah (total abdominal hyster) on 10/30 because of ovarian tumors. My biggest ones were the size of softballs. With others slightly smaller and much smaller.

My dr. did a CA125 test on me to test for malignancy before the surgery. My results were high. Higher than a false positive field would include. I also had cat scans that showed non clear tumors - which usually indicate cancer or precancerous tumors.

I was scared out of my wits. If you search my name you will see my desperate posts. I did come through okay. I got lots of excellent advice, info and support from this site.

My pathology during surgery for biopsies, lymph node removal and tumor removals came out pretty good. There was just one "bad spot" as my onocologist/gyn termed it. We sent out for secondary opinions on the patholgies and I am still waiting for the results. If they come back the same as surgery great no chemo, if not then I will have chemo. My dr. really thinks they will come back the same. Meaning they got it all at surgery and it hadn't spread.

I have borderline tumors. They are more common in women under 40. I'm 37. Ovarian cancers of other types are more common in women over 40. Since they were there and some had ruptured they can spread into my abdomen (reason for biopsies) but my dr. thinks we caught it in the nick of time. But borderline tumors are the "lazy" cancer. My dr. said it was the best outcome we could have hoped for considering the results of my pretests.

I know that you will continue to worry and that until it is over you won't completely rest. I understand. There are alot of people here for you to talk to.

Take Care - RobinS