TAH: Hysterectomy, left Oophorectomy, Endometriosis, and Appendectomy 2/3

I was just at my pre-op appointment for my hysterectomy coming up on Feb. 3rd. Ive had chronic pain associated with IBS and Endometriosis. The best option is for me to have a hysterectomy. Ive never had children, and Im 35. Ive suffered for 6 years with pain and finally on Sept. 2nd I was diagnosed with Endometriosis, Fibroids, and Adenomyosis.

Today at my pre-op i was told that they are going to take my appendix. Im not sure why other then it plays a roll in Endometriosis. Ive done so much research in all these areas but never seen anything associated with the appendix! What have you ladies seen, read, or heard concerning the Appendix and Endometriosis? Is it absolutely necessary to have it removed?

	Quote:
Originally Posted by TrustingHope Today at my pre-op i was told that they are going to take my appendix. Im not sure why other then it plays a roll in Endometriosis. Ive done so much research in all these areas but never seen anything associated with the appendix! What have you ladies seen, read, or heard concerning the Appendix and Endometriosis? Is it absolutely necessary to have it removed?

In the past, as a precaution the appendix was routinely removed during any pelvic surgery. These days, most surgeons make case by case decisions and only remove the appendix if there are specific reasons. In my case, endometriosis had my appendix inflamed so it had to be removed.

There are still times when the appendix is removed preemptively. For example, some surgeons feel that in cases of endometriosis, it is better to remove the appendix before it's a problem as there can be a higher risk that it will eventually be a problem. If you have both endo and IBS, that could explain your surgeon's reasoning, even if your appendix appears to be healthy. It could also be that your surgeon wants consent because based on your diagnosis he expects to find it will not to be healthy and will need to be removed.

I would suggest you ask your doctor specific questions to find out exactly why your doctor recommends an appendectomy for you. It could help ease your mind. It is possible that if your appendix is found to be healthy, your surgeon will not do the appendectomy; he may simply be trying to have you prepared for all contingencies.

Also, ask your doctor how the endometriosis will be removed. A hysterectomy doesn't cure endometriosis, so it's important to have a surgeon who can skillfully locate and remove endometriosis to give you the best chance for a successful outcome. Most OB/GYN's use a method that cannot be used on all organs or doesn't completely remove implants. For example, my own OB/GYN could not remove endometriosis from my bowel walls. For one, the method he used was too dangerous to use on the bowels. I ended up having to travel to an endometriosis specialist to have that endo excised some years after my hysterectomy. During that surgery, he found I also had adhesions connecting my bowels to my vaginal cuff. The surgery was in 2008 and I have been endo and pain free every since, even with two working ovaries. In addition, 95% of my IBS was resolved.

Your a warrior! Thank you so much for your reply it was so helpful. Im glad I could see some of what doctors cold be thinking in these situations! I didn't know all the questions to ask about an appendectomy because it wasn't originally in the plan. But over this weekend I'll have more research to do and and better questions to ask! I feel that your reply points me in the right direction. Thank you so much that was so very VERY helpful!

Hello,
I want to agree with the other response about the appendix removal since the same thing happened with my own hysterectomy nearly 2 years ago. I had a good recovery and am doing very well 2 years later

I knew about the widespread areas of endo and the removing of my uterus/ovaries/left tube (rt tube gone w/ ectopic pregnancy surgery) but I had not realized the appendix was involved with the endo and my other widespread scar tissues from the other surgery. My doctor said he knew the endo and scar tissues were there, but when he saw how much was there and how the appendix was fused to these tissues they called for the hospital's surgeon to come remove my appendix for him. He did all of the gyn surgery but had the other dr assist with the appendix. You know about this part of the surgery and I can say that it was not a problem when I had it done.

I am glad it was successfully done and assure you the removing the appendix will be a good thing and I hope you have a restful recovery.

Ah! Wow... these testimonies are so very helpful to hear. My mind rests a bit better after hearing this stuff. We are always learning more about Endometriosis and I'm glad to get first hand testimonies! Thank you so much!