I cant fit into any of my clothes!

I am staying so swollen that I have nothing I can wear except my stretchy pants. I can't take this much longer. I hate looking like I am pregnant! And feeling that way too. Has anyone been diagnosed with adenomyosis and feels this way? I sure hope when I get to have a hysterectomy that I will feel human again. Thanks....

Hi!
Just noticed your post.
I am having surgery this Wednesday. After a same-day procedure in January my Dr. was confident in saying i probably have adenomyosis. After hearing this and researching alot of information, it explains alot of my symptoms.
Some days my jeans fit, and others not. I feel like i look about 4-5 months pregnant in my abdomen. I also have to pee alot. I hope this surgery helps because i'm tired of feeling this way.
This site has lots of good information and you can also google adenomyosis . I hope you feel better soon.

_____________________
Kim
TLH 03/26/08

I had my hyst for Adenomyosis on 3/5 and I have to say that except for the occassional bouts of swelly-belly returning, I'm back in the jeans I wore a year ago. I had just thought that I was putting on weight and was a bit bloated from the pain meds, since I'd had that experience before when I had a back injury, but it appears that there was "more" to it than that. *grin* And my uterus wasn't even all that enlarged according to my doc.

Good luck with your surgeries and I hope you get your bounce back like I did.

how big is your uterus? unless its really huge you shoudnt have such a huge belly? is it fluid retention?

Thanks for replying. I always feel better knowing that I feel and look like this for a reason. As far as how large is my uterus, I have no idea. All my dr told me was it was adenomyosis and a hysterectomy is about all that will take care of it. There is something going on here, thats for sure. I have gained about 13 lbs since Nov. So maybe it isn't the adenomyosis causing me to feel like this?????

Hello!
I, too, understand your feelings of swollen belly. I extend out quite a bit and look very pregnant and have gained about 15 pounds in the past 6-8 months. I am having my LAVH/BSO for cysts and dysmennorhea and am looking forward to getting past all of it!
Hang in there and take care of yourself. Ask your doctor loads of questions!
Hugs!

How did your DR diagnose the adenomyosis? My understanding is that it can only be definitively diagnosed through pathology after the uterus is removed; until then it's just speculation. How will you feel if they remove your uterus and then the pathology report comes back saying it was completely normal?

You mentioned in a previous post that your primary symptom is bloating. My understanding of adenomyosis is that the primary symptom is severe pain, followed by heavy bleeding.

I hate to burst your bubble, but if you search this site for posts mentioning "swelly belly", you will find that almost everyone who has a hysterectomy has this problem for weeks, months, years or even forever afterwards. I did not have adenomyosis and cannot come close to fitting into pants I wore pre-surgery.

I'm hoping that you're wanting a hysterectomy for other reasons besides just wanting to fit into your clothes? It's major surgery, and carries with it lots of risks - not something to be undertaken unless one has no other choice, imho.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

s,
-Linda

My doc did a diagnostic laparoscopy after ultrasound and MRI showed enlarged uterus with no indications of fibroids or other masses. Apparently a good radiologist can tentatively diagnose Adenomyosis from MRI, but my doc preferred to go in herself and poke around. She told me my uterus was "boggy" (the real medical term), meaning soft, squishy and floppy. I haven't actually seen the path report, but at the 2-week post-op the doc didn't say anything that contradicted her previous diagnosis.

All I know is that I was about a size or 2 bigger around the lower abdomen and feeling pretty tender, with plenty of strain on ligaments which caused my sacral and hip muscles to go into full spasm, with pain radiating down the front of my thighs. Since the LSH, the muscla spasms have gone, the pain is gone, and I seem to have lost that extra size. It could have been general inflammation from the irritation and muscle spasms but, whatever it was, it's no longer an issue.

I had an ultra sound and the dr. said that it looked like that is what it could be. I have pretty bad periods, lots of cramping and blood clots. I also have been having pain in my legs and always in my lower back. I do know that I feel like I am always on my period. I may have one good week the whole month. Of course I know that this is a serious surgery, I have been putting it off for a while. So I have more reasons than wanting to "fit into my jeans". No one wants this for just any reason. I think I have a pretty good one. But who knows.. It may be another 6 mo or so before I decide. Until then I am sure I won't fit into my jeans and will still continue to feel like this.

Cookie, I was originally aiming to have my surgery in June, after being diagnosed at the end of Nov and with several months of debilitating pain prior to that, escalating gradually from painful periods for a good part of my life. I was lucky that it was not life-threatening but it was certainly quality-of-life threatening.

I wanted to wait until school was out (I'm a teacher) but it got to the point where I was barely functioning on narcotics and snapping at everyone. When several people with whom I work closely, not to mention some of my students (11th graders), were telling me that I looked like death warmed over I figured it was time. I went in and begged my doc to schedule me as soon as possible. I just couldn't deal with the pain any more. At times I could only walk with a cane, the muscle spasms were so bad, and being on my feet all day would leave me pretty much wiped by the time I got home.

I know it's a hard decision to make and one that will likely affect the rest of your life. Recovery from major surgery can be slow and you may not feel any better for some time. However, my life was being adversely affected by my condition and I wanted my life back. It was not an easy decision, by any means, but it's one about which I tried to become well-informed and the information and insights that I found on this site certainly helped me understand just what a hysterectomy entailed and what recovery was going to be like. I can't say I don't have regrets, but I think I made the right decision for me at the time. I wasn't thinking about clothes, although I was thinking that if I could get rid of the pain I'd be able to get back to my exercise routine and an active life and trim off some of the excess weight I'd gained. It was really just a nice surprise that I was able to get back into my jeans again after the surgery swelling went down.

Take the time you need to make the decision that is right for you. All I can say is that, for me, the outcome was worth it.