No Date: Doing it anyway...

I'm brand new to the sisters & need a little reassurance. I've had problems for years but didn't realize it. In August I went to my OB because my period never stopped. Found out I had fibroids/low hemoglobin & decided to do ablation. That was done in the beginning of October. No bleeding at all (til yesterday). Jury is still out on whether it was successful. Within the last 3 weeks I have had horrible gas/digestive challenges, constant urination, feel full/bloated, started experiencing discomfort when exercising AND my tummy is huge! So I went back to doc. My fibroid is now 14 cm (up from 11 in Sept) & I have two more. I decided to do Lupron for three months to try to shrink them so I can have a Da Vinci partial (my giant uterus is well above my belly button). My symptoms are not severe and most days are ok. Decided to proceed because the tumor is just going to keep growing & eventually cause severe issues. Am I nuts?

no your not nuts...not at all. I have delt with my heavy bleeding and severe cramping for years. The ablasion worked for my bleeding but didnt touch my cramping. I will have my DaVinci in January. I am just done. Everyone is different, and everyone has different reasons for doing the surgery...but it doesn't make you nuts =) {{HUGS}}

Whether or not to have surgery is a personal decision, and for the record you are not nuts! It's not crazy to want to live normally, exercise without pain, and not spend one (or more) weeks a month in pain and bleeding constantly!

That being said, there is no take-backs once it's over either!

*Gentle Hugs* to you

Thanks to you both! I appreciate the support. The way I see it, I'm 43, don't need my uterus (not that it ever did me any good...infertility...chose adoption over extreme measures). I know my moderate symptoms will get worse because it's already starting AND there's a family history...sis is having Da Vinci total on Monday for same thing. I believe that if Lupron doesn't work I will do abdominal with TT. And best of all, my hubby completely agrees with me. Thanks guys...I really feel much better.

Good! So glad you're feeling better
When in doubt, come here--I find everyone to be sooo very supportive!

I am 51 and had heavy periods for years, when I hit 50 , things started to go haywire, clotting, severe bleeding,cramping etc---
had an endometrial biopsy and vaginal ultrasound-found a 4 mm fibroid,went on Lestida, pill you take only on your period,they were huge, did that for 8 months, then moved on to a ablation, that worked for a month or so,they did a d &c too.. I bled all of july, august and 1/2 of september, was doubled over in pain and took pain meds,clotted out felt better,ended up doubled over at work,went to the dr and did a quick check and proceeded to flood out the office(how embarassing), so both that dr, and my regular said think this is the way to go, so we started out small and in the end, ended with what will hopefully stop all the craziness

No, you are not nuts. I have been bleeding heavy with clots for the last two years. I now suffer from anemia which makes me tired ALL the time. I have fibroids, one over 3 cm and possible endo and adenomyosis. I am 42 years old and done with my uterus and think this is the best option for me. Can't wait not to deal with the bleeding and cramping and back pain!! Good Luck!!

Nuts you are not. Either that or we are all nuts together.

i had a myomectomy in 2002 and it solved my problems for a few years, but they came back again and I finally came to the conclusion that if I wanted to live a normal life again without another potential recurrence, hysterectomy would be my best option.

Here I sit, one week later, with no regrets.

Best of luck to you, whatever you ultimately decide.

Nope, you're not nuts.

It may, however, be possible to treat this without hysterectomy. Are you a candidate for the procedure to remove just the fibroid, but retain the uterus?

It also may be advised to simply "wait out" the fibroids. They do tend to shrink with menopause.

Remember, you can always have the surgery at a later date if things become unbearable or can't be treated any other way. You cannot, on the other hand, go back and put your uterus back in! This is life-changing surgery and although most patients do very well, there is a very important minority who have short- or long-term complications.

to you. Make the decision which is best for *you*.

I would also suggest getting a second opinion from another surgeon. Even if your fibroids don't shrink it is still possible to have the surgery done laproscopically. My uterus was as large, if not larger than yours and my doctor still did it laproscopically.

But I agree with mjd - if you can just have the fibroids removed it may be another option for you to consider.