My Doctor Told Me Something Interesting

I had my TAH/BSO back on Jan 16th. I also had to go traditional route due to checking for cancer throughout the pelvic region due to the complex, atypical hyperplasia I had developed. They needed the whole organ to send out for further biopsy as well. Back to work in March. Some twingies here and there (when I try and lift too much).

Also told that since I didn't have any kids, the abdominal was the best for me. Great surgeons all around.

OK so here is what I learned so far....first off when I found out I was going to have a hysterectomy I was vastly overweight, so I started working out every day, lost some of what I needed to lose but made such a huge improvement in my health it was amazing. I was expecting to go LAP but due to some complications they found they couldnt. Abdominal surgery took me by surprise and the amount of pain and the recovery time is nothing to laugh at. But glad they did what they had to do...now i feel like I am lost with the hormones and am dealing with hyperthyroidism as well which can double symptoms much all the same as becoming instantly in menopause. This is where I am struggling.....inlimbo

Hi Smkelmer, I am new here and this is my first post. I have my hyster on Monday.

Now that a few months have passed how are you feeling? Did you go on HRT, did you get much of the belly swell I hear about. I am having the laparosopy assisted as well, they will be removing my uterus via my vag and I will have 3 little scars, ovaries I guess come out thru an incision. Anyways am a little nervous as I am a heavy girl already and don't want to gain weight. How are you in that department or anyone else for that matter, weight gain or loss after surgery? Also I feel my orgasms are mainly uterus and cervix contraction so am worried about how I might be able too, I have read many comments that sex is better but I am wondering if those women orgasmed different to start with. Any information or feed back would be greatly appreciated.

I had a c-section 18 & 20 years ago, my doc was worried about adhesions as we were discussing our options. She was also worried that if she tried an LVH that my bladder might be adhered to other organs.....so we opted for a TAH. On the report it stated a lot of adhesions. I'm very glad she went with the TAH route rather than trying something else before.

Some docs are nuts! Guess that's why we are told to become an active participant in our health care.

Mine was a case of do the TAH, or have problems during LAVH and then revert to TAH. To me, that was like recovering from TWO surgeries, in a way...When I had the lap surgeries before, my doctor had to remove adhesions and separate my uterus from my colon. This time he wanted a super clear view of what was going on to give me the best recovery possible from the endometriosis. In other words, he wanted to do a full clean up, LOL.

My incision hasn't given me a problem at all, and it's healing wonderfully. I quit taking prescription pain meds on the weekend after my Tuesday surgery. I've seen some post from some ladies on here who have had the lap procedures and are way worse off than me, but further in recovery. Most of what I have done carefully has only been because it's what I was told to do, not because I wasn't capable of doing more. I have a two story house and was in my downstairs with the family starting from day two at home...and slowly increased my hours to only sleeping in bed at BED time before I was two weeks post op.

I think it really depends on the person.

I'd like to suggest that the answer is far more complicated than anyone stated so far. Let's say you are flying to Europe and the airline is allowing you to choose the pilot for your trip. Pilot #1 is good looking, 28, and has flown to Europe 25 times. Pilot #2 is also good looking (hee, hee), 54, and has flown there over 2000 times. Both pilots know how to fly the plane, but which pilot would you choose if you had to fly during a storm?

Just because a doctor is trained to do laparoscopic pelvic surgeries doesn't mean that he is an expert at it. There are doctors out there who can do almost anything by lap (I believe that LAVH should be considered a laparoscopic hyst.) and do it well, even though another doctor may not have the skill or experience to do that same surgery except through an large abdominal incision.

I think that this whole discussion really highlights the need for us to be our own advocates and realize that we are consumers when it comes to our healthcare. Most people don't only test-drive one car before making a decision to buy. Yet many feel comfortable with only one opinion when is comes to having our insides cut and rearranged. Obviously, if you are in an emergency situation, you are at the mercy of whoever is there at the time. But most hysters are not emergencies, and most insurance plans allow patients to obtain a second opinion when it comes to a decision like this.

Because of my career in health care, I have become painfully aware that physician's practices are increasingly ruled by the demands of insurance companies, time constraints, drug companies, and the need to make a profit. I don't doubt that most of them have the best intentions and truly want to help people, it's just that it has all become so complicated. That being said, we all need to keep our own best interests at heart when making these decisions. Ask a lot of questions and don't stop until they are answered to your satisfaction. Then ask someone else and compare the answers. Do a lot of research. See yourself as part of the health care team who is going to make you well (the most important part).

When it come right down to it, it isn't about whether you first got out of bed after 2 hours or 2 weeks, or whether your surgery could have been performed abdominally or laparoscopically. It's about having the best possible outcome.

I will now meekly step down from my soap-box.

ampyali, excellent post! Applauding you from east county!

You are right, that is my exact problem with the doctor saying what he did--putting emphasis on how quickly someone was out of bed. I want the best possible end LONG TERM;-)

We have military insurance...with three options for coverage. My ob/gyn is not on the preferred list, but I stayed on the higher deductible/copay version of insurance so that I can still see him to see me through this. I also moved 20 more miles away from him and still drove there to deliver my last two babies and to get this endo treated. That's commitment.

I hope that everyone feels a connection to that extent with their physician, so that they ask questions, but then trust the answers they get, also.

At Easter I had laparoscopy surgery to remove an ovary and look around. My Dr. found so much endometreosis (my ovary was attached to my uterus and the uterus which was 3X the normal size was attached to my back. My DR. took pictures but did not remove the ovary. He has done laparoscpy hysterectomies (he did one of my sisters a few years ago) and he agrees they are easier on the woman but he would not do one on me. He was very concerned about the additional danger of removing such a large uterus that was attached to the back. The surgery went great. I could see the relief on the DR face after surgery. The nurses and the DR have been pleased with my recovery as well. Of course it takes longer and when possible I would go with a laparoscopy ( my other sister had one a few weeks after mine for cancer) She recovered in a week. I was so pleased for her since she had both breast removed just weeks before that. But not all situations are so simple. I really feel my DR did what he felt was best for me.
TAH/SBO very large uterus/endometriosis/scaring/adhesions healing well