LSH- is it too good to be true?

I am 26 with no kids. I have had problems for as long as I can remember. I have already had numerous laparoscopies to remove adhesions from my endometriosis. On my last go round, I was diagnosed with Adenomyosis too. Finally, my wish is coming true. I am not nervous, I am happy, I want to shout it from the rooftops. The only thing that worries me is that this is all too good to be true, and my pain will come back. I'm sure there will be more recovery time than with my other surgeries (I was up and back to work the next day), but this is something that I've wanted for so long. I am excited to regain control of my life instead of living around the pain, I am excited that I will be able to be intimate with my fiance without worrying about the pain. I know that this is not an easy choice to make, and that children will not be an option for me, and maybe I am selfish for going about this the way that I am. But I want my life back. Can someone who has gone through laparoscopic adhesion removal and the LSH tell me how they compare pain and recovery wise?

jpetrini - I am scheduled for an LSH too on 7/18. I know I don't have what you have but thought I could give some insight to the lap procedure. I have adenomyosis, fibroids, and heavy periods 2 to 3 times a month. I plan to keep my cervix and ovaries if possible. I am using the same surgeon that three women in my office used. One of those women also has a sister who saw her as well. Another woman in my office used a different surgeon but speaking to five women has convinced me that the laparoscopic way is the only way to go (they all had it). My dr. says that I should go home same day with no complications. At my pre-op she answered all my questions and told me the following: 1 week before surgery do not take anything but Tylenol, NO aspirin; eat Activia Dannon yogurt (for 7 days before and 7 days after) once a day to get more of the good bacteria into your body, it also builds up your immune system too; the day before surgery I have to start drinking 8 ozs. of magnesium citrate to "clean" me out; she gave me a strong antibiotic to take for two days before my surgery; she told me to avoid sick people and crowds like the plague for a week before my surgery; also I got Phenergan for nausea (anesthesia makes me sick) and Hydrocodone for pain after the surgery. Although she said she will be using some sort of numbing pain med at the incision sites that should last a few days after the surgery. The dr. said the surgery would last 1 1/2 to 2 hours long. She said I should buy Senokot-S to start taking the day after surgery in order to wake up my bowels and remain regular. She said I should be able to take a shower the next day. There would only be stitches on the inside because they use that bondo glue stuff to seal the outside incisions. I know I am rambling but after the 18th I'll be able to speak from personal experience. Good luck to you!

I am scheduled for an LSH on Monday. I will let you know how it goes. Most of the women here who have this procedure are pretty happy with the results so far and the recovery is supposed to be much easier.

I have had a c-sect with my son and that pain was pretty intense. You don't know how much you use those muscles until you can't. So I am hoping the LSH is an easier recovery.

I had a lap and then about 7 weeks later had my LAVH -- my cervix was removed due to abnormal paps (from endo) and to keep endo from growing there, and to insure I would finally stop bleeding once and for all as some ladies do have mini periods if they keep their cervix and ovaries, and I probably would have been one of them!

I actually had more pain with my lap than I did with my hyst. However, I had numerous complications after my hyst starting with internal bleeding from being nicked on the right side and going down hill from there. My 2 night stay extended to a 10 day "visit" and a 6 month recovery.

I hope that a hyst is beneficial to you, but I do want to make sure you are aware that a hyst does not cure endo. Having as much endo excised or cauterized as possible during your hyst obviously will be best. But some endo is too risky to remove, and some is so microscopic it can not be seen, thus not removed. Any estrogen in your body, whether from your ovaries if you keep them, from stored reserves in your body fat, taking HRT, using soy, etc. can feed any endo that remains.

Many best wishes to you! Be sure to checkout our Endo/Adeno Resources and you can also use the search tab above to search for other ladies about your health concerns and hyst type.

I had an LSH and a laproscopic procedure 3 weeks before the LSH..I`de say they were both about the same for discomfort..........I was very pleased with my surgery results and found recovery to be smooth with minimal pain ;but please rememeber surgery is surgery and to listen to your body`s signals....some women who have the LSH think because they had "the easy surgery" they can be up tearing around in a few days..........a hyst is still major surgery ,no matter what route your Dr. takes........Best wishes to you as you prepare for your surgery Blessings,Renee

Hi,
I have had 3 laps. The first one was done by an RE who burned off the endo. I did not have any adhesions at that time when he went in, or at least he didn't say so. This surgery left me with more pain than I was in to begin with, so I then decided to go to an endo specialist who excised the endo, instead of burning it off. When he went in, I was covered in adhesions, and still had enough endo to be stage II. So, obviously, the "burning-off" did not work. He excised the endo and lysed the adhesions. At that time, he told me he suspected adenomyosis, because my uterus was enlarged, soft and boggy. That if the terrible pain continued, that was the reason. I had never even heard of adenomyosis before, so I started researching it. Now, I had had this terrible, crippling pain since I was in my teens. Out of all the gyns, REs I had been to, why didn't any of them tell me about this possibility? If they had, I can assure you, I would have wanted the hyst SO much sooner than 37 years old

So, when the pain did continue, 5 months later, I opted to have him do an LSH. This was what he recommended, since there was no endo on the ovaries. When he went back in, there was no more endo and but some more adhesions. My uterus was adhered to my bowels. So, comparing the first lap I had with the endo specialist, and the LSH I had with him also, I would say that I did have more pain and the recovery took a little longer after the LSH. Probably by about 2 weeks in terms of the pain, but energy-wise, it has been a lot longer. I just get tired more from things that didn't used to tire me out at all. Just recently, I have felt almost normal energy-wise, and it has been about 4 months since my LSH. I am hoping to have even more energy than I've ever had, since I am now rid of that awful pain. Chronic pain turns you into someone you really aren't, and doesn't allow you to achieve your full potential, in my opinion.
As far as feeling selfish that you are making this decision -- please DON'T. The pain of adenomyosis is unbearable, and you will feel so much better, if that is what you have. I can't believe how much better I feel. It is like I am a different person. My whole life has changed. Sex with DH is great now. I don't have to worry about scheduling things around that time when I would be strung out on pain killers, or worried about exercising too much. Mine was done when I was 37 yrs. old, and we tried to have kids for a long time, but now we are in the process of adoption, and we are both so happy with it! I kept thinking, what kind of a mother would I be to my kids if I were able to conceive? One who is in pain all the time, and never able to fully do activities with them or take care of them, because I am always in pain? I didn't want that. I am so glad I got rid of my diseased uterus! It was SO holding me back. I do feel like I have my life back.

Here is my worth. I had LSh about 11 weeks ago. It is the best thing I could have done for myself. I didn't realize just how much pain I was in until that uterus was out. I had adeno and they also found that my left ovary was adhered to my pelvic side wall and bowel.
I have had a laparotomy, and 3 laparoscopies in my lifetime, ( oph and 1 c-sect). this was really not to much worse than the laps. I thinkg I was a little more tender, and had more bowel pain when going to the bathroom the first few weeks. Not sure how much of that was from the adhesions or just from the hyster itself.
My surgery was at 7:30 am, I was in surgery for 1 1/2 hours (twice as long as they told me), and I left the hospital at 12:25 Pm, yes 5 hours later!!! I never took any pain pills, (that is usual for me) for 2 reasons. One , it really didn't hurt that bad, actually the gas pains were the worst,( I had pain in my back and my neck, they were as stiff as boards) and 2 I wanted to feel some pain so I would not overdo things. It was a very simple way to remind myself if I felt the twinges.
I went out to dinner the next evening with my family. I didn't eat too much but it was good to get out. It took a while for my energy to come back, about 7 weeks or so.
My ovary is not working so I am in surgical menopause, which was a little rough in the beginning, but the hotflashes have dramatically improved over the oast week . The sleeping is a little better too. It has been my choice not to use HRT.
I think LSH is a wonderful procedure if you are a good candidate for it. There are times I feel like I "cheated" at having this hyster., because it really wasn't near as bad as I thought it would be.
Best wishes to you for a new healthy life ahead.

Hi JPetrini,

I had a LSH and I am still very pleased with my surgery results.

Here are some web sites that may help you with your LSH research:

http://www.goodgyn.com/lsh.html

http://www.laparoscopicsupracervicalhysterectomy.com/

Best wishes,

Mary

I too had a c-section with my first child and I had my Lsh on 7-10. I am feeling great. I am up and moving around without any pain. The pain is much less than my c-section pain was. I think it's because the incisions are in totally different places and the LSH ones are smaller. Good luck to all!!

That is so good to hear about comparing the LSH to a C-section. I too had a C-section with my second son and I always said if I had a C-section with my first son, it was doubtful that I would have had another child because the pain was pretty severe. Of course, now, knowing what I know (he's 14 and the oldest is 18 this week) I would never not have had him. He's truly a highlight in our lives. Well, I'm counting down...started taking my antibiotics today and am scheduled for LSH on Tues., 7/18 at 9:00 a.m.