Abd. subtotal - very nervous & scared

Hi everyone, I am so glad to have found this site. I am going to be having surgery on Oct. 24th and I am very scared. I have never had major surgery and have never been cut. I will be having my uterus taken out due to a fibroid in the wall of my uterus. This has caused very heavy bleeding. I did have surgery once for it (can not think of the name) but bascially he went in vaginally and shaved down the fibroid as close as he could. This did help for a short time. now I am almost back to where I had originally started. My doctor can not do the surgery vaginally due to the fact that I have never had any children and as he and others have said there is not enough play with the uterus so I have to go abdominally. I am the first in my family to go through this and am overweight by 45-50lbs. My main concern is the pain and the incision healing due to my weight. Also I have to make the decision on keeping the cervix or not. Doctor originally said that he would let it stay, but told me to think about it due to the fact in the last 13yrs I had 2 abnormal paps. But both turned out to be fine. Also my incision is going to be above my bikini line. Most that I read is below the line! Please help if any of you have gone through this. Thanks and god bless.

Hi

I am also overweight and have talked to my doctor in detail about my worries about the incision. Her comment is just to keep it dry and clean.

Some sisters suggested to put a mini pad taped to your undies facing the incision.

Another idea is to use a blow dryer to dry it a few times each day.

My surgery is Oct 8th. I will be dealing with my incision right before your surgery. Send me an email (mctc999@ihpc.net)around the 15th or so and I will let you know how it is going!!


Good Luck!

Traci

I just had a abdomal hyst on the sept.12. Everything removed and am doing fine. I know that it is really scary to face the unknown . So now you need as much info. as possible. First order the Hystersister's book , this is a wealth of information all in it's own. Second read all the pull down from pre-op to post-op. Third ask lots of questions these ladies are wonderful. I've gone through 5 abdomal surgery's and I was still so very scared, it's normal. But you have a wonderful support team here! As for the pain my "knock out guy" had pain meds going through me during the operation. I was placed on a PC pump ( morphine) in the recovery room. There is pain ... but it's not nearly as bad as what you have imagined it to be. The first day is hard but you'll have the meds right there to quickly stop the pain. Ask your Doc about the pain medcation that you'll be using. The incision I have is just above the bikini line and frankly will hardly show in about a month. Just keep it clean and dry, follow your Doctor post-op instuctions to the "T". I know that after the surgery ( about 5 days to be exact) I felt 110% better. Do worry you will make it . Remember to ask lots of question. E-mail me if you'd like. Dawn

I actually haven't been in the castle yet but I am going tomorrow. I am having a total vaginal hyster but leaving the ovaries.

I have been under before due to the fact I have emergency surgery for my appendics actually turning out to be an ovarian cyst the size of a large orange. So I know a little about the incision. Wish I had thought of the pad therory though it would have been much easier. But just keep it clean and as dry as possible and it will be fine.

I also was asked about my cervix for the same reason I have had a few abnormal cells in my paps but have been normal the last couple of years. I decided to have it removed also. Mainly because I thought after I got some information on it that it was best to take care of it all at once. I felt that it would make me feel safer in the long run to do so.

I am anxious now to live life instead of suffer through it. My thoughts and prayers are with you. Get all the info you can and believe me in her with these terrific woman no question is silly so ask! Take care of yourself and I will let you know how I make out. Please don't hesitate to email me any time and I will get back to you as soon as possible! Keep the faith and all will be fine.

quietheart and you are among friends here!

I had my TAH/BSO on 9/6. I am overweight also - I had not had a problem with my incision. I used a tampon on the inside of my panties in the incision area to help keep it dry the first few days. I would use a blow dryer (on cool) after showers to dry it and my dr instructed me to lie flat and let the area 'air dry' a few times a day. Of course everyone is different but I really did not think the pain was that bad. I very seldom used the demoral pump in the hospital and was off my pain pills by the 5th day.

My surgery date is Oct. 24 too.

Right now I'm wondering how I can ever wait that long and still be sane. Tonight I am a total basket case. paralyzed with fear and dread. I've snapped at my DH, and am having a bad case of "Why Me?" Sometimes reading here gets me even more frightened with thinking about being in the hospital, all the medical talk, etc. Sorry to say that, because the info is tremendously helpful. Any advice for the next 31 days?? I really would appreciate it.

I started looking here in July. My surgery is Oct 8th! I have been in your shoes!! Waiting is the pits!

I am much more relaxed now and looking forward to the surgery (talk to me next week..... I may be freaking out by then!). 30 days ago I was making lists of lists, printing out tons of stuff from here that I thought my DH HAD TO READ before I could have surgery, and basically making everyone around me crazy.

Now two weeks before surgery, I have modified my list. Only doing what HAS TO be done. I have decided to spend this beautiful fall having fun and soaking up some sunshine!

Bought some comfy recovery PJ's and clothes.

I still have to......

1.Re-arrange the bedroom (So I sleep closer to the bathroom and there is more room to manuver when I get out of bed)

2.Visit the dentist (have a tooth that is bugging me)

3.Do some grocery shopping next week (probably Costco!!)

4.Get some great reading material!!

and that is about it.

I am sure some other things will come up, but I am trying to focus on doing a few fun things before surgery.

Traci

Hi there!

I had a TAH (Total Abdominal Hysterectomy) a little over a year ago, due to large fibroids. I also was unable to have it done vaginally because I had never had kids, and I had to have a vertical incision due to the size of the fibroid.

Whether or not to keep your cervix is a difficult question to answer, each of us has to make a decision that's best for ourselves, but I can give you some things to think about. Discuss these things with your doctor, and between the two of you, you can make the best decision for YOU.

1. Cancer. Is there any history of cancer in your family? Removing the cervix drastically lowers your chances of cervical cancer (still a remote possibility due to the chance of some cells being left behind)

2. Bleeding. Some women who keep their cervix end up having "mini-periods" monthly (only if they also have at least one ovary). These seem to be rare, and are very light, but are a possibility.

3. Sex. There are many conflicting opinions on whether the cervix contributes to sexual pleasure. Ask 10 people, you'll get 10 different answers. I can say in MY case, at least, sex is wonderful after the surgery (I had my cervix removed). My doctor told me it wouldn't make a difference, and in my case at least, she was right - neither myself nor my husband can tell any difference.

Keep reading, talk to your doctor, and good luck with your decision!

kms16,

I had a supracervical hysterectomy back in May for the same reason. I decided to keep my cervix becuase I was concerned about sexual response without it (didn't want to take any chances -- many ladies who've had theirs removed say there's no difference) I also didn't want to remove anything that was basically healthy -- my Dr. told me that as long as I continued to get regular paps, any cervical abonormalities would likely be caught early. We left the decision on the ovaries open until the actual surgery -- if they looked OK, they'd stay, if not, out with them. (they were OK).

My incision is also a bit above the bikini line -- perhaps this has something to do with our not having had children? The incision was really no big deal -- I was much more bothered by the swelling when I overdid -- a good reminder to take it easy -- than I ever was by the incision. I am also a bit overweight -- it didn't seem to make any difference. I've actually lost some weight since my surgery -- I got in the habit of walking every day post-op, and just never stopped.

Hi everyone, (hope I am doing this right)

I just wanted to say thank you for the support. I am new to the site and didnt know how to respond to each message. So I emailed all that left me messages. But I wanted all the new people that read this to know that this site is wonderful. I am having surgery on Oct. 24th and I am still nervous but each day I go to this site and get relief from it. I look forward to being able to become a princess on the 24th and to be pain free. Once again thanks