newbie

hi! i am diana, i am a 30 yr old mom of 2 (both c sections) my daughter is 9 and my son is 6. i had major complications with both pregnancies, the biggest of which, i went into labor with my son at 28 weeks, luckily they held me off delivering till 32wks, but when they went to deliver him they found a huge mess, my uterus had adhered to my abdominal wall, and they had to detach it before they could deliver my son. (just breif backgroud in case it makes a difference lol).
anyway, i have had bladder issues all my life, i have always had a weak bladder, but after two pregnancies and two sections it is HORRIBLE, it is to the point now where i slowly leak urine all day, enuf to have to wear a maxi pad, i NEVER sleep more than 2 hours at a time cause i have to get up and go, i have tried several different meds and nothing even came close to working. so my PCP sent me to an ob/gyn for a consult on a bladder tack cause she did say my bladder had dropped, and i am also having a few minor issues with my monthly cycle. i go 18-21 days between periods, i flow for 4 days (huge huge clots lots of cramping) then stop for 4 days then have another whole period for 4 more days, but this one is just normal, then 18-21 days later i do it all over again. so i had the uterine ultra sound to rule out fibroids and that came back clean as a whistle, so we did meds and that didnt work either so that is why the consult with the ob/gyn. i thought i was going for a bladder consult, but when i gave the doctor my history, (i have only had one abnormal pap and that was back in april) he said he wanted to do a TAH (keep ovaries) and bladder tack with the "Burch" procedure, my question to you all, is, did anyone else expereince anything like this? has anyone had the "burch" procedure? also i have some questions regarding him taking my cervix, what are the pros and cons of leaving and taking? sorry to go on and on but i just dont know where else to turn thanks in advance for all your help =-)

Welcome diana
You may want to post this in the post op area. I myself have not had this experience but wanted to welcome you . and this up to the top.
wishing you the best

i am pre op why post in post op? lol and thank you =-)

You would look in the Post-op area because you are looking for people who have experience the Burch procedure you are asking about... not just people that have discussed it with their doctor or read about it.

Also, the pros and cons of retaining your cervix would be good to explore with post-op people, who have and haven't got theirs anymore.

So, here goes - I didn't keep my cervix. I didn't want to have the potential for mini-periods for the next 5 years or more until I reach menopause. Now that I'm post recovery, I can say that I don't miss it - it makes no difference in my sex life, other than I don't have that sensitive spot anymore. I used to experience a great deal of pain (like tylenol #3 pain) at Pap smear time, it was so sensitive. Now I don't have to go thru the roof if it gets bumped, I can just relax and enjoy.

Hi Wrinkledoglover,

I don't know about the Burch procedure but regarding whether or not to keep your cervix I can help you answer.

I kept mine as basically I hadn't done much research pre-op (it freaked me out to even think of the surgery I had to go through) and consequently wanted to keep everything if at all possible. I did not want a hysterectomy.

However, I joined this site one week post-op and couldn't believe all the plus signs I read about getting rid of your cervix, no spotting or mini periods, no more pap smears etc. And apparantly there is no difference when it comes to sex either.

If I could go back in time I'd tell my doc to take it.

Good luck with your decision

my surgery isn't till tuesday so I don't have any advice. I wish you luck though.

Hi Diana,

I can't be too much help since I'm still waiting for my castle date but I wanted to let you know that I share a number of the same bladder symptoms as you so I know how annoying it is. Mine is cause by endometriosis and adhesions binding my bladder (and uterus, bowel, ovaries, appendix, etc, etc) together. I'm just getting over a cold and every time I coughed I leaked - geesh!

I'm also a dog lover, but of the Setter varieties Hope you get the answers that you need, these sisters here are awesome

Sue

You sound like you may be dealing with adenomyosis, which is where the endometrial lining infiltrates the muscle wall of the uterus. This is far more common in those of us with history of c-section, D & C, or tubal ligation, and leads to the sort of clotting and heavy flow you describe.

As far as the Burch, I've not had experiences with it. I do know that many women do need them, and find that they must be careful with lifting for quite some time to come so that it can heal properly. Given your history of adhesions, it's not going to be an easy surgery -- do you have a Uro-GYN doing it? With complex surgeries, it's better to have someone with a bit more surgical training -- typically the Uro-GYNs or the GYN-oncologists (doesn't have to be cancer for them to be involved) have three more years and are more capable of what might be complex surgery.

In your situation, a second -- or even third -- opinion would be very useful. There might be different approaches to the cervix question. I did keep mine (hey, at the time, it was the only "normal" girlie part I had) but since have had some questionable Pap smears and an ablation for an early type of cancer. So I'm crossing my fingers that I get to keep it for a few more years!!

BTW, adenomyosis is unbelievably tricky to diagnose by any non-invasive methods, although MRI can see it in somecases. I would ask your doctor about this possibility, particularly if any history of endometriosis is present. That means the risks of adeno are that much higher.

Hope this helps -- I did see your other post and wanted to say it looks like you've gotten some good answers here. I have had threads that took several days to come to a final resolution -- and each post offered information and/or support that has been invaluable in my two-year journey through this land of Hyster!



Audrey

Hi! I also have a 9 & 6 yr old...but they are boy and then girl!! I am 32 yrs old. I had only 1 abnormal pap also...but I decided to have the cervix out anyway...I didn't want to have another surgery later. My pathology came back..CIN II wich is moderate dysplasia (pre-cancer) However it would have taken years to develop....but now I just don't have to worry about it! My abnormal pap was not rated...it just said abnormal....and my next pap ( the one right before surgery)was normal....a month later and it was CIN II . Just research this site and do research on your own...to see how you feel about keeping it or not. I will tell you I have no problem reaching orgasm....It's just great!!
I haven't been cleared for intercourse yet though.
Research the ovary thing too...I wanted mine out. I had lots of cysts on them though. I just don't want anymore surgeries. My HRT has been great...no problems!! Good luck with what you decide to do...let us know. You can PM me anytime.

Hey-
I just had to respond to this--I think someone may have mentioned adenomyosis to you--this turned out o tbe my biggest problem, and my early symptoms were very similar to what you describe. Alas...the only way to know for sure is once they take the uterus out and examine it, but ...after over 6 years of this sort of problem, with symptoms only worsening over time, I finally agreed to have it done. I was relieved to finally have a diagnosis in black and white of what were causing my problems. I could go into detail with you about the progression of the symptoms...email or PM me if you are interested. I had a lot of the same things--"natural" birth with the first child with many complications leading to surgery directly post-partum, then a C-section with the second due to those problems...blood transfusions, etc. Trauma to the uterus is a leading suspected cause of adenomyosis, and it presents first as pain, abnormal bleeding, and clots, among other things. (This is not my opinion, but info I gleaned from 2 different doctors--I am no expert)