What do you wish your doctor would have told you?

Ladies,
If you had been given written information about a hysterectomy from your physician, what would you like to have known that you were not told about? What would you have liked your physician or his office staff to have done differently. Your responses will be very helpful.

My dr could have warned me about the possible post-surgery spread of cervical dysplasia. He told me I didn't need to have a pap for two years. Consequently, I am seeing an oncologist because the dr chose to ignore my vulvar symptoms instead of taking biopsies for the spread.

That, I regret.

I wish the dr would have told me what a roller coaster it is to get my hormone meds in check. It has been an unpleasant, costly experience for me and to think I now have to rely on meds to keep from tearing my hair out....not fair.

We'll see how my pre-op appts. go (one at his office, one at the hospital), but so far he's told me NOTHING. I've had several months to investigate it myself, so I don't know what's left for him to tell me, but that's not the point, is it?

I wish doctors would tell patients how easy it is to cut into your intestines during a hysterectomy and that if you don't have a bowel prep that you might end up with a colostomy and possibly many surgeries afterwards.

My family doctor said hysts have a "six week recovery period." My gyn/surgeon told me, "There is a six week recovery period." The Surgery Scheduler said, "This surgery requires six weeks off from work." I may be a total moron, but I interpreted these statements to mean it would likely be six weeks before I "felt better." I wish someone would have told me that it could take a YEAR to "feel better." I truly believe that only a 22-year-old Olympic athlete could have a total abdominal hyst and feel "recovered" six weeks later! Mercy! Three months after my surgery I told my family doctor that I still felt like I had been run over by a truck, and asked him if he ever had ANY abdominal hyst patients who said they felt "recovered" at 6 weeks post-op. He said, "That's just the healing time involved." Oh....NOW he tells me!?! I wish someone had made it clear to me just how long it really takes to feel good again.

I wish my dr had told me that there's possible weight gain even if you're not on hormones. That even if you still have one ovary you will experience strange feelings like it's another person in your body, and that swelly belly will still be there at the 6 weeks mark. I don't regret the hyst because the pain I had is gone, but I wish that I could've been told these things so that I could be prepared afterwards.

LSAVH ( laparascopic supracervical assisted vaginal hysterectomy) due to endo, fibroids, irregular periods and lots of pain

Hi Renata,

I'm curious...why are you asking? Are you a doctor or work for a doctor and are thinking of putting something together?

I was so incensed by how little my doctor told me that I am now writing a handbook called "Patient to Patient: Recovering from Total Abdominal Hysterectomy." I'm going to send multiple copies to my doctor - am not sure he'd even use them but we'll see. I'll try to find a way to upload it and post the link here when I'm done. Recommending this website will be a prominent feature!

Some other things are:

1. Risk of incision opening
2. DVTs
3. Femoral neuropathy
4. The hormone jungle
5. UTIs
6. Vaginal atrophy, dryness and sexual issues

One advantage has been that my internet research has vastly improved!

Pam

My dr. told me everything - he went over possible risks and side affects - but I was so tired of hurting -- and so glad to talk to a dr who didn't say "Im not saying you don't hurt but there is nothing wrong with you physically - and giving me Lortab prescription and saying come back in a year"

I'm 7 weeks post op and "not healing well" so still no sex or only gentle sex - and who can do that after this long?

I tuned out the side effects -they only happen to one in a million

But turns out I may be the 1 in a million - that's life - but I wouldn't change my mind about the surgery --- no periods, no more laying on the bathroom floor, puking, cramping, back and legs and tummy all hurting - begging God to just let me die - its worth it to me - whatever recovery from the surgery entails.

Good luck

I wish my doctor had warned me that I would wake up with a huge tube call an EG TUBE going from deep inside my stomach, up through the throat and out thru my nose, where this nasty green bile drained for two days into a bucket. Thus, no food or drink, until "bowel sounds" occured ..as apparently with some abdominal surgeries the bowels shut down for a while. OMG...this was the absolute worse as it was nasty uncomfortable and was gagging me and backing up. If I had know this...i would have insisted he keep me in a coma until that thing is gone.