upcoming LSH...anyone have good results?

Good evening! I was originally going to have an LAVH, but was recently talked into having an LSH, b/c the recovery can be easier/quicker. I have a 7 month old who will need heart surgery in the next 2-3 months, so I need to get myself better...quick! So the LSH, esp. since cervix is still supportive, seemed like the better option.

Now alls I read about is women who still have "mini periods" after an LSH. I was just wondering if there is anyone out there who has not had this problem after an LSH? I don't know if it is a 50/50 chance that I will still continue to have lighter periods after an LSH or what to think anymore? Just wondering if I should just endure the harder/longer LAVH recovery and get it all removed to be done with it...although, there are women who have problems with bleeding after that surgery as well...does not seem like I can win here. I have practically been bleeding ever since I gave birth last August, certainly more then not, and I just want to never see it again.

I would love to know if you or anyone you know has had the TSH done and if they have had good luck with recovery and NOT having mini periods?
Thanks so much!

JJRSC -

I wasn't able to keep my cervix so what I can offer is only what I've read and heard in some threads. Some women do have mini periods, my recommendation is to ask your surgeon what they will be doing to prevent mini periods, such as cauterizing the cervix.

There are members here who have had an LSH so here's hoping they stop by and give you some information.



G.

Thank you, G! I have not heard from anyone so I worry, but at this point it is my only option. I don't feel I can heal from a complete hysterectomy/LAVH before my son's heart surgery, so I will have to just hope my GYN will do all he can to hopefully prevent mini periods. I just wish I could have received a huge response from women who have had the LSH and have their ovaries and have not had any problems!!

Hi, I had an LSH at the end of October and I have not had any mini periods and my recovery was very very smooth, no complications and very minor discomfort. The worst was that I just felt tired for a few weeks but other than that it went very well and the discomfort was very easily managed with 600mg ibuprofen after the first couple of days. I did take the percoset for the first 2 days as directed by the nurses at the hospital as well as my dr. But I do feel it is the best thing I could do for myself, I feel so much better no constant cramping and heavy bleeding, just one small incisions on each hip bone and one in my belly button~ very glad I had LSH. Good luck to you!

Thank you for letting me know, badhair! Did you happen to keep your ovaries as well?? That certainly seems to make a difference...whether women kept the cervix but do not have ovaries, so therefore, no mini period. So glad to hear your recovery, etc. has gone well. Do you happen to have young children? That is my other issue...recovering with young children in the house, esp. a 7 month old with special needs. I just have to do this though...have to get myself better so I can care for him after his heart surgery.
Thank you again for your responses.

P.S. sorry, just saw on your response at the bottom that said you did keep ovaries. Sorry!

Hi there,
At the end of April of 2010 I had LSH and kept my ovaries- it's been almost a year now and I have not had a mini-period. My GYN did an ablation on my cervix to remove any lining there, and that seems to have done the trick. However, even though I don't bleed, because I have my ovaries I still get symptoms of a period- cramping and an overall "blah" feeling, but it isn't nearly as bad as it was pre-surgery. Ibuprofen and a good walk relieve the cramps. I had the LSH due to endometriosis which made me constantly sick and caused me a lot of pain.
As for recovery, the pain from the small incisions wasn't so bad and I didn't have to take the painkillers for more than a few days afterward (I was given Vicoprofen afterward and it worked great!). I had some great folks to help me, and part of the challenge was letting them do it. I was tempted to get in and out of bed by myself, and try and clean or take care of the dog or help load the dishwasher, and I just had to let others help. I learned that it's not a time to try and be Miss Independent. The worst pain was getting back into regular bowel movements- the first one after surgery was awful and in retrospect I probably should have taken stool softeners for a bit longer pre-surgery (I only did it for one day before). I had a lot of gas and it hurt to pass it, but after about 3 weeks that kind of pain and cramping eased up. I also experienced pain from urination, though I was drinking plenty of water. That too settled down after a couple of weeks (and a round of antibiotics). I went back to work after 2 weeks and gradually eased back into a normal schedule. I have mostly an office job and was on light duty for a couple more weeks. For about 2 weeks after returning to work, I found it hard to sit for long periods of time so I kept a pillow with me for when I did have to sit and made sure I got up a lot to walk around. After the first month I was back into pretty much a normal schedule, and had seen my GYN who cleared me to go back to normal activities.
After almost a year post-LSH, I won't say that everything is perfectly fine since I do still go through period symptoms which drag me down- but there has been no bleeding (I spotted for only a couple of days afterward) and really the recovery time was pretty fast before I could do activities I was used to doing before the surgery. Having a great support system afterward I think was a big part of it. Overall, I feel a lot better now! I was pretty much non-functional with the endometriosis and it is a big relief to be able to get out and do things again. Since I kept my ovaries, I haven't had to go on any kind of hormone therapy and I had only a brief time of night sweats.
Sorry if I was a little graphic in describing some things, but I hope this helps you with your experience. Good luck to you!

I had a SAH so it wasn't laparoscopic but I did keep my cervix and ovaries. I am almost 4 and half months post-op and so far, I haven't had any bleeding. I am hoping this continues but if I do get bleeding, I am okay with that because it will be so much less than what I experienced in the past. Hope this helps.