kept ovaries? Whay type of incision did you have?

Still undecided about my TAH on 10/11..I'm scared
I am 44 yrs old, never had children, and have a large fibroid , told the size of a 20week baby. I am also overweight, 5' tall and 175 lbs. My tummy is pretty large and my surgeon is doing a vertical incision rather that a horizontal because of the size and location. Fibroid is going up to my navel. I worry about the scar how my belly will look after it heals or I loose wieight later on. Also, should I keep my cervix and ovaries?? Is it wort the risk to keep my ovaries to avoid breast cancer and heart disease but yet risk having ovarian cancer??... Or should I just cancel it altogether, get on pills to shrink it and then look at other options?. Anyone has a word of advise out there? Also, did anyone loose alot of weight while recuperating?? I'd love to hear your stories !!. God Bless all of you and good luck!.. Thanks!

Thought I'd this up for you.....

Hi Lucita,
I know its hard making all of these decisions and being uncertain about the outcome and wanting to do the best you can for yourself.
I want to encourage you to please take your time here and make sure you know what you want to do. I know you don't want to go through with a surgery when you don't have all your questions answered, even if you have to post pone it for a time.
I see you do have your date set, but you might want to go to the Hysterectomy Options and Alternatives forum and ask some of these questions. That particular forum is set up to help you have a place to discuss your choices and read about what others are deciding and why.
I will share here that I decided to keep my ovaries and am so glad I did. I didn't have any family history of cancer though. My dr recommended I have them out because of my age, but I read on here that the ovaries do continue to give out some hormones even when they aren't fully functional. I had the choice and have been very happy so far that I kept them. I was also concerned about having my cervix removed. Because I had a TVH the cervix had to come out with the uterus. I can honestly say that for me I notice no difference. Another reason I was ok with this was that I didn't want to mess with the possibility of having miniperiods, which can happen when you keep your cervix.
All of these are such personal and individual choices. I hope you will continue reading and posting until you get all the answers you need.

's,Rita

i had a 20 wk fibroid removed with a horizontal bikini line incision - I didn't have a hyst at all - it's called a myemectomy. My fibroid was in a perfect place to do this, on the outside of my uterus at the front - but the surgeon didn't know this til he opened me up, he was still prepared to remove just the fibroid, even if it had been in a harder position.

The first surgeon i saw told me my only option was a hyst - I sought a second opinion, he was a professor of gynaecology and specialised in the removal of fibroids - he told me the surgeon gave me the first diagnosis because he wasn't skilled enough to perform the operation i needed.

9 years later - it grew back and I opted to have the hyst this time, but i kept my ovaries and cervix as they were good and healthy, so why get rid of more than you need to?

Having been in a similar postion I can recommend getting second (and third etc) opinions until you are sure you know all your options.

I hope this helps

Good luck
Chicky

Thank you Rita !!

Hi Lucita,

I was 46 at the time of my LSH and I kept my ovaries and cervix. Why?? Well, my ovaries were healthy and I did not have a family history of ovarian cancer.

Here is a Hyster Sisters link on the the ~ovaries~ presently running on the Hysterectomy Options board. Info. was a real eye-opener for me on the ovaries. The ovaries secrete important hormones that help with the bones, skin and hair to name a few.

http://www.hystersisters.com/vb2/sho...d.php?t=224039

If you opt for surgical menopause and have your ovaries removed, I can suggest you check out the Hormone Jungle forum boards.

On the cervix, my Dr. advised me to keep it since I was a good candidate. I had a sturdy cervix and I had had normal pap smears for years. My Dr. also told me that he thought the cervix helped with future pelvic support and with sex. True for me. Also, my Dr. told me that cervical cancer runs in approx. 3% of women so I thought I had good odds.

I had my cervix cauterized during my hyst and that has prevented me from having a mini-period in post-op. If a Hyster Sister keeps one or both ovaries and the cervix, there can be the chance of a mini-period. It generally requires a pantyliner at that time of the month.

Best wishes. You will make the right choice for yourself.

Mary

Hi Lucita,

Here is an online article I just read since October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Thought you might like to read it:

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Health/sto...1179061&page=1

Best wishes again,

Mary

Hello,

I also had a 20 plus size week uterus as well.

I had a vertical midline incision. My uterus had to be cut down in surgery to be able to remove it.

My. Dr. also found endo that we did not know that I had-so I lost both ovaries-which was very upsetting to me-but I seem to be responding well to the Vivelle patch that he put me on.

Honestly, the incisional pain has not been so bad. My abdomen felt like I had been working out a little too hard. I took only 1 Darvocet for pain after my PCA pump was d/c'ed and have had nothing stronger since than Motrin. I did have a JP drain-which did cause some discomfort while it was in. Most hysterectomies do not require this.

I am 2 weeks post op and am barely sore. Am walking around the block and driving short distances.

Sister in waiting- the waiting is the hardest part. None of this pain has even come close to what I experienced every month w/my period. I am looking forward to a pain free life You are going to do just great!!!!

Best Wishes to you.

Sweet Pea in SC

I am not sure what kind of scar I will be left with. I am a bit overweight as well and have had previous surgeries that may not give them much choice but to have a scar that is up and down and not small and unsightly like my c-section. I am keeping my ovaries but not cervix. I just turned 38 and have been finished with having babies for almost 6 years. My surgery is not because of fibroids or anything like that. They will be doing some tests on my uterus after surgery to determine the cause of my symptoms. I cramp for 2 weeks before menstration and then clot and bleed terribly for over a week. My quality of life has diminished to the point of me making this decission. I feel VERY good about it all. I've had some friends that think I'm insane and some that think it's the best choice for me.

I was very worried about the scar and how it will look and what my hubby may think of it. I talked it over with him and he has assured me that he loves me for me and is not going to change because of a scar. I already have a few that I hate and he loves! Silly man. The best thing you can do for yourself is be informed. Talk to your doctor.. research online.. talk to others in the same boat. This is an awesome place for support. I feel so much better about my choice since being here.
Take care.

We have a similar history. I had 2 or 3 large fibroids and at 44 had my hysterectomy. I had a vertical incision. The DR wanted me to take the Lupron to shrink the fibroids in the uterus. I said no, putting my body thru false meno and than having surgery at the same time sounded like too much stress for me and the bode. I am almost 6' tall so I was able to hide the bulkiness as middle age spread. I went up one dress size about one year before the surgery. Since the surgery, I haven't lost the weight. I gained about 10 lbs over the last 5 years and I think it's just I enjoy my meals and don't move around as much. Keep your ovaries! IF they are healthy, tell the DR to leave them be. I did and they are working well. I do have a scar but this summer I wore a two peice bathing suit to the beach. Something happened to make me not feel selfconscious. I really didn't care. I am healthy and liberated from what people think or say. I just lost that sense of self-awareness when I woke up from the surgery.