so unsure

Hello to everyone!

I am 35 with 2 children.
I have endometriosis which isn't bothering me too much since I had my boys. I do have to take birth control pills at all times or I am phscho near my period.
I blow up like a blow fish and am miserable.
I talked to my Dr. about a uterine Hysterectomy.

My husband finds this as drastic.

My friends who have had a hysterectomy insist it is the best thing.

I will leave the cervix and ovaries unless something health concerning is found.

I'd just like some opinions and advice.

I really would love to be free of birth control and the lack of self worth at that time. It really transforms my personality.
I take zoloft, which helps, but really, again, seems like a bunch of band aids.

thanks for your time!

Carrie

I think it is a personal decision that you have to be confident in. You are the one who knows how you feel. Your hubby might think it's drastic, but he isn't the one who has to deal with the pain/bleeding. Good luck in your decision.

Thanks.
I appreciate your response. I was feeling alone.

I know nothing about endometriosis, not even how to spell it!
But do a search on here about it and get some more information. Ask, ask ask, do you have to take HRT after? I thought I read that the endo can be in other places and still bleed sometimes.

I would just get all the infor you can, talk to your hubbie about it with as much information as you can. He might have some worries about all kinds of things-you know sex, your health, a major surgery for you. My DH is mostly afraid I will die, and he said that is the one thing he cannot deal with. (I think the sex thing would be another, but he won't say that!-tee hee)

It is ultimately your decision, but at least you have this wonderful place to look up lots of information. And I also went on the web and found some good, well researched sites from national research that shed light on things. And get all the infor from your doctor you can.

Then you will be ready and know your decision is the best.

This may sound a bit silly but I was wondering if you do get the surgery your ovaries will still be intact, i am assuming, so you wouldn't bleed every month but you would still have hormones producing and still have that feeling before your period. IS that right? I am not sure, maybe someone else can answer that question. Sorry to add more questions to your question but that is something I was wondering about too.
Lori

Hi. My doctor explained to me that since I am keeping my ovaries (hopefully) that I will still have all the hormonal changes (but not the bleeding). For example, you will still get bloating (if you had it previously) certain times of the month. You will still have PMS, etc. It's a bit of a drag, but I guess that's what makes us female!

for what it's worth, my dr said that if you leave the ovaries, there's a good likelyhood that the endometriosis in your abdomen will still swell and bleed and cause trouble....and if you need to go back after them later you get another surgery and another risk of adhesions, which can be horrible in their own right....i'm not 100% sold on it, but i think i'm sure enough that my ovaries will be going away on june 4th, along with the uterus. there are a ton of good links on this site with googobs of info about that topic and others (i think you find them maybe in the resources or journals clicky-spot (that'a a technical computer term ) ). good luck. btw, my husband thinks my hyst is a good thing, but i've had co-workers accuse me of having a hyst to get a "vacation"!

Lori,
Yes, I will still have the ovaries.
I asked the same question.

The uterus also has hormones that release. If removed, they are not the kind that have to be replaced. I won't have the bleading which reduces the pms symptoms. The swelling and bloating would be relieved which will help with back pain.

Also, endometriosis would go away because the outside of the uterus cannot blead since it was removed.

It is a 50/50. My Dr. said I am likely, but no guarantee, to feel 80% better.

Gosh, the thought of no birth control pills and no period ever again seems worth it.

I will still experience some pms, but it is expected to be reduced.
I will still go through menopaus.

My Dr. said the main decision is whether I want more children.
Otherwise, it will not be noticeable my utuerus is gone except for the joy of no periods.

	Quote:
Also, endometriosis would go away because the outside of the uterus cannot blead since it was removed.

Well, that's not quite how endo works. First of all, it's the tissue lining the uterus, but it's much more complex than that.

Some studies say that 80% of all women have some bits of endometrial tissue in the pelvic cavity, but that's not the whole endo story. For most, it just sits there, without ever making itself known (the study had looked at women having surgery for other conditions, I think, and reviewing the operative reports after the fact).

But those of us with endo have substances in the pelvic fluid that changes the endometrial tissue. It starts form its own brand of estrogen, and alters normal estrogen chemistry. It also can form its own blood supply. In fact, it meets many of the same criteria that define cancer: it can spread to other organs (gall bladder, lung), and it can perpetuate itself.

That's why so many of us with endo wind up with removing ovaries as well -- and then beginning an estrogen "fast" that can vary from a few weeks to forever. Bone loss without estrogen or bone-preserving medication can be dramatic in that first year of surgical menopause. And that isn't the only risk in a surgery this major. It can turn out to be much more than just "no more periods."

You say that you've done well on BCPs. Is it possible to try a type of progesterone that is bio-identical, that is the identical molecule your body makes? Endo is definitely estrogen-sensitive; that's why Lupron (which blocks estrogen receptors in the body) is so effective for some women. Progesterone blocks those effects; for those of us who've dealt with PMS, it can be surprisingly effective.

Before going the whole route of a hysterectomy, have you had a laparoscopy? That might help define what is going on inside. If your two boys were born by c-section, you could also have adenomyosis (endo's evil cousin ) which is where the "abnormal" endometrial tissue burrows deep in the uterine muscle wall, and grows. That would typically not be diagnosed by laparoscopy. However, if they did a lap and didn't find any endo, you might be dealing with that instead. In that case, surgery might be completely different.

Your first post seems to indicate that you do better with birth control pills. In your case, it may be possible to do a laparoscopy and try to laser out any endo they find. Since the endo itself makes estrogen, that may help both with pain symptoms and also with the PMS stuff.

Hope this helps. A hyst is MAJOR surgery, and unless it's an emergency, you REALLY need to educate yourself about your condition -- and ALL your options.



Audrey

Wow!
Thankyou for all of the information.
My Dr. giving me this website was the best thing.

I am going to try a new birth control to see how I react.
I'll stick to that route for now.

And anyone who says a hyst is a vacation sure is nieve.
I cannot imagine how anyone can be so insensitive. Ignorance, I suppose.

I appreciate the support and information and advice.

A period doesn't seem so bad now.
It is the mood swings that are so brutal. I become a completely different person. Emotionally, I thought the hyst. would be worth it. But, it is so permanent, that if it doesn't work, well, where am I . I guess I know what I am dealing with right now.

I have had a lap years ago.