Pre-op FEARS!

After reading many of the posts here I am totally not sure I want to go through this procedure. Should I just continue with this pain as opposed to the post op pain? I am looking for support either way.

Keep reading!

An awful lot of us come through surgery without any problems, its just that the sisters with problems are far more active on the boards.

I couldn't believe how quickly after surgery I was pain free and walking around.

Hugs

Katy

I get scared reading the forums too, but I do think we are reading more post of women who entail problems because the others have just return back to normal life and don't post nearly as much. Thankfully, I do know women personally who have had hysterectomies and are 100% fine. (it's my A & P repairs that are mostly scaring me!!)

I was one of those posters yesterday. mine was the "I feel like i got hit by a bulldozer". Belive me, I would take all this instead of what I had before. I would not trade it. My achy legs,arms,and belly are NOTHING compared to what I have delt with in the past. I think most of the poster, me included go there and post concerns that we were not expecting. Also if they are anything like me, I am baby at first until I get used to something. Please do not let the post op forums scare you into not having what your body really needs. I am 5 days post op and am 100% better this way then with the bleeding and cramps.

Two.Cantina,
Please trust me, the post surgery pain is NOT that bad. I was on 8 tylenol a day, only because of achiness and a little discomfort. The first few days were uncomfortable but the nurses are awesome at monitoring pain and will help you move around, roll over etc...

By the second week I was off all tylenol and felt fine. The the third week I went out shopping and walking.
I just tired really easily.

If I had the choice again to deal with my ridiculous periods and pain or have the surgery I would opt for the surgery in a nanosecond!

Remember there are hundreds of hyters done each day and the ladies who are posting are those that have some issues, those that are fine and recover quickly we don't hear from that often.

Your feelings are normal, its a daunting thing and I'm not trying to belittle your feelings or the surgery, just trying to offer you some feedback on your worries.

I agree with what our other Sisters have said. It is much more common to post a thread dealing with a problem, pain, or complication, that it is to post a thread telling the world how great we feel.

Please keep in mind that pain caused by the surgery or incision is temporary, and can be relieved easily. You may be sore for a few days, or even a few weeks. But compared to a lifetime of pain, whether it is from fibroids, periods, or anything else, I'd take the short-term pain from surgery any day.

Oh, and if it will give you any reassurance, I'm 7 weeks post op tomorrow, and I feel pretty darn good!

I can honestly tell you that it was less painful recovering from the hysterectomy than from the ablation procedure I had a year before. Now THAT was painful! The cramps were so intense no amount of medicine helped. I also had Laparoscopic holes to deal with last year. Other than some bladder issues I think this was a bit easier in some ways.
I really didn't miss having a horrific period this month!

My periods have never been a breeze, but I never had uncontrollable pain. I could pop a few ibuprofen, and that would easily take care of any cramps I had. That time of month was never particularly fun, but it wasn't a misery, either.

Then, this past August, the fibroids I knew I had started bleeding...and bleeding...and bleeding. I didn't have pain, just bleeding...and bleeding...and bleeding. I knew in my guts that I was headed for a hysterectomy, and I was right. I took the pill for a couple of months to control the bleeding until surgery was scheduled.

And...I had to have one last period right before my op, as luck would have it. And I couldn't take ibuprofen. And I hurt. Oh, it was awful. Just regular period pain...nothing really out of the ordinary, I'm sure, but I learned that there is something particularly enervating about that kind of pain, and by the time my op came around, I was ready.

Honestly, no pre-op pain came close to those cramps I had. Well, let me clarify. I am 2 weeks post op, and my incision irritates me. It is not painful...it is itchy and annoying. I can put up with it.

The most pain I had was gas pain, and I will tell you that that hurt like the dickens. But I'd bet that that was NOTHING compared to the pain from dodgy uteruseseseses about which I have read on these boards. Post op pain is VERY manageable. No one is going to make you suffer!

I'm one of the princesses with problems that were uncovered as a result of the surgery, but probably not caused by it.
I am very happy I had the surgery, because it eliminated the cause of many of the aches and pains and menstrual issues I had been having for most of my life. This was for me a three year process, including removal of polyps twice, endometrial biopsy, cone biopsy, numerous ultrasounds, and finally with the fibroids and cysts and very irregular cycles and spotting and very heavy to nonexistant periods for 2 or 3 months and major cramping, the decision was made that I was not going to go on like that any longer.
Yes, I have had other health issues, some were probably already there and being masked by the hormone turbulance and menstrual issues, some are an ongoing thing that took second fiddle to everything else. So, absolutely, the hysterectomy was the best decision for me, and I would not choose otherwise, even knowing that I would be going through so many other things.

Please make your decision carefully and consider all your options. Do not let anyone force you to make a decision you are not comfortable with. But also, please consider--will your quality of life be better with or without the surgery?

Does everyone here still stand by what they said? Because my surgery is not for 4 days and I can still change my mind! Feeling worried about known pain now versus unknown long term issues arising from hyst. Ugh!