dVH/RALH: No peace

I have a scheduled surgery date for Sept. 16 but have no peace about it. It will be Da Vinci and leave only one ovary. The what if's worry me most. I am 38. Done with babies. Have adenmyosis (sp?) What if doing this makes me worse off? What if they can't keep the ovary? What if my husband can't deal with the outcome if the surgery is hard or recovery is awful? Maybe I should just deal with all this for a little while longer.

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Originally Posted by Hyster382015 I have a scheduled surgery date for Sept. 16 but have no peace about it. It will be Da Vinci and leave only one ovary. The what if's worry me most. I am 38. Done with babies. Have adenmyosis (sp?) What if doing this makes me worse off? What if they can't keep the ovary? What if my husband can't deal with the outcome if the surgery is hard or recovery is awful? Maybe I should just deal with all this for a little while longer.

I feel you. I'm only 34, turning 35 this Saturday and having total abdominal hysterectomy on the 21 leaving nothing. No ovaries at all. I'm very worried I'll feel depressed or have hot flashes, no sex drive etc. I don't really have an option as to leave any though because I have adenocarcinoma in situ of the endocervical tissue.

	Quote:
Originally Posted by Hyster382015 I have a scheduled surgery date for Sept. 16 but have no peace about it. It will be Da Vinci and leave only one ovary. The what if's worry me most. I am 38. Done with babies. Have adenmyosis (sp?) What if doing this makes me worse off? What if they can't keep the ovary? What if my husband can't deal with the outcome if the surgery is hard or recovery is awful? Maybe I should just deal with all this for a little while longer.

I understand your concerns, but I don't see how putting the surgery off is going to make them any better. At 38, you have easily a dozen or more years to go before you reach menopause naturally. Unless you want to "deal with this" for that long, the issue of not being able to keep either ovary is still going to be an issue.

The surgery is a major one. That's always going to be true. Recovery isn't necessarily awful, but it will always require that you rest and let yourself heal for some weeks. In fact, you're more likely to have trouble during recovery if your current symptoms get worse and you're more worn down by pain when you go into surgery.

One thing that you might want to do to give yourself more peace of mind is to get a second opinion if your healthcare system allows it. You've got more than a month, so you've got some time to do that.

I'm 53 & 10 weeks out from my surgery. The peace came the minute I woke up from the surgery. Pain gone, bleeding done, moods even. The 6 weeks of recovery was literally the most peaceful period of time I can ever remember.

I had adenomyosis (my only problem). Because I let it go on for so long, my uterus was a 20-wk pregnancy size and the pain was excruciating. The blood loss became enormous, and I was anemic. So I understand what you're dealing with.

I was at a girls' pool day this weekend, with about 10 of my friends, all my age. Once the subject came up, it turns out that 4 of us have had this surgery! The 2 thinnest, prettiest ones had it done many years ago....decades actually, and both of those women had totals, including ovaries. They are close to/over 60, but look amazing. Turns out, they both had it close to your age.

The other woman had a DvH, around the same time as mine! (mine wasn't DvH). She said it was also super easy to heal, about 3-4 weeks, and she feels amazing too.

It took me 6 years to make the decision to do it. I put up with gallons of blood and infuriating pain, and now I wish I could have done it so much sooner.

I am sure that many women with fibroids and or adenomyosis question what is the right decision. I know from my own experience the changes were subtle at first. I was adapting to my changing periods. But soon the changes became such that I could no longer adapt. I became anemic and the bleeding at times became frightening. I was given some choice but chose the permanent solution of hysterectomy. I stopped questioning my decision the night I passed out and almost hit my head on the night stand.

Perhaps you still have some less invasive options that will help with your condition.Review the pros and cons and be informed as possible. I was told that hysterectomy is the cure for adenomyosis. For me hysterectomy gave me back control of my body. I have had no regrets. Good luck on your journey and hang in there

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Originally Posted by Hyster382015 I have a scheduled surgery date for Sept. 16 but have no peace about it. It will be Da Vinci and leave only one ovary. The what if's worry me most. I am 38. Done with babies. Have adenmyosis (sp?) What if doing this makes me worse off? What if they can't keep the ovary? What if my husband can't deal with the outcome if the surgery is hard or recovery is awful? Maybe I should just deal with all this for a little while longer.

We're the same age and pretty much in the same boat. My surgery is Friday and I'm having TAH keeping the right ovary (I hope!), and I'm done with babies...on to grandchildren *whoohoo*. I had the same thought as you, of putting it off. I can have a week or two of no symptoms whatsoever, feeling fine and I will question my decision on every single day that I do.

Then everything starts again and I'm merely exhisting in a world that revolves around my uterus. I know that the longer I wait, the weaker and older I get, the worse my condition will become and the harder it will be to recover. Not to mention all those missed outings with my grandson because I need to be near a bathroom or can't move off the couch.

I'm terrified. But I need this. I have to put my faith in my husband to be able to take care of everything and that isn't easy. Taking care of the house is my thing. The best I or you can do is be well prepared going in. My freezer and pantry are stocked, the only things he'll have to shop for are produce, dairy and bread. I've made frozen hamburger patties the way he likes them seasoned, spaghetti sauce is frozen in baggies for easy thawing and pairing with pasta, I made sure I bought things I know he'll have time (and won't mind) to cook.

Prepare your husband the best you can and trust him. It's time to take care of yourself.

I also have adenmyosis and from everything I have been told that many times the symptoms continue to come back and hysterctomy is the only actual cure for this disease. I also can go periods of time without much pain, however it always comes back.

Thank you. Really!! Especially Missayaw and JustHoney. You said things that were exactly where I am!! Everyone helped... Thank you!

	Quote:
Originally Posted by Hyster382015 I have a scheduled surgery date for Sept. 16 but have no peace about it. It will be Da Vinci and leave only one ovary. The what if's worry me most. I am 38. Done with babies. Have adenmyosis (sp?) What if doing this makes me worse off? What if they can't keep the ovary? What if my husband can't deal with the outcome if the surgery is hard or recovery is awful? Maybe I should just deal with all this for a little while longer.

The DaVinci Surgery is not that bad. My first week was horrible. At 3 weeks, I am up, moving, and doing some light housework. For me, I could not be any worse off than what I was. I will not miss the painful periods or getting fired from the job because of the pain. If they can't keep one ovary, then it will be a case of surgical menopause. There are options out there and you can figure out what is right for you. Some people do the hormonal replacement and others don't. It is on an individual basis. I don't know about the sex life yet as I am not that far along in my recovery. Everyone is different. Some people, their sex life is not affected. While others, they are affected, but there are other options. I tried putting off my surgery and I never got any better. My first surgery was in 2008, then 2nd one in 2010, then my original hysterectomy was suppose to have been in 2012. Finally I had my hysterectomy on July 16th. In between the surgeries, I had alot of misery and pain. Personally, I was not going to get any better. Good luck.