Scared to death

After a yearly ob ckup my gyn found a 7cm ovarian mass/cyst. CA125 is 47. Sent me to onc and now having total hyster on Monday 5/04/09. I am 47 yrs old and have children thank God for that. I am constantly looking on the internet about sypmtoms of ovcan but I really do not have any. That in itself scares the hell out of me since many people call ovcan the slient killer. Went to the hosp this am for preop and that alone scared the heck out of me. I have never had any surgery. All the different types of tubes they may or may not have to put in me and poss ICU after surgery is that normal or do they have to tell you this just in case. I am so tired of everyon telling me not to worry. My doctor wants to do a bikini cut so she can see more. Sorry for this post for sounding so choppy and possible mispelling, but I just cannot stop crying and do not know where else to go. Thanks for any words from any of you who have been through this before.

I know exactly how you're feeling. I had the exact same thing happen to me earlier this month. I'm 51 and they also found a 7cm. cyst/mass. I spent the last 3 weeks crying my heart out, scared to death. And the more I read on the net, the worst I felt. So staying away from it has helped me. The sonogram I had said is was a 7cm adnexal complex mass/cyst. I had an MRI and it came back saying it was a simple fluid filled cyst which is a relief. Of course there's no clean bill of health until they test your tissue. My ca125 was 5. I got myself so worked up I had to ask my doctor for some sort of tranquilizer because I was a mess.
Ca 125's aren't the end all as I'm sure you've read, there are apparantely lots of things that can cause numbers to be on the higher side. Compared to some numbers I've seen yours isn't that bad. They're taking my cyst/ovary out in 3 weeks. Hysteretomy will be later in the year. Saying a prayer for you and hoping it all works out!

AOLIHS,



I am glad you found us! On the outside I was calm and cool but on the inside, I was a MESS!!!! I kept telling myself to STAY POSITIVE and SMILE. But, after my pre-admission pre-op appt, I FREAKED. I preferred to see my procedure called an lavh/bso. NOT to have it all spelled out on a form and ask me to SIGN it all away. The closer it got to my date, the more and more terrified I became. I don't know what I would have done without all of the post-op sisters coming over to support and give a big . And of course all of my fellow sisters in waiting reminding me that I wasn't the only person freaking out and scared. TOTALLY normal feelings.

Just remember, you are NOT alone!

Hello Aolihs,
I go in on the 5th for my hystie. I was fine several weeks ago but now that surgery is just a few day's away I am getting a little weirded out.
I am 47 as well and this will be my first abdominal surgery. I know what you are going through, the last few days I find myself getting weepy at very strange times. This site is wonderful a friend of mine told me about it and am very glad for it.
Take care, pretty soon we'll be helping other princesses out with our wisdom's too.
Take care and lots of hugs,
Diana

Hang in there! I believe that we are all in the same boat. I go in on May 6 for my hystie I am 39. I find myself crying at songs on the radio for no reason I don't even have any memories of the song and cry. I was talking to my dog and cried because, I told her mommy had to go to the hospital. I wish the best for you like they always say no news is good news. I will say prayers for all of you.

Wow, I had to look twice at your first few lines to make sure I didn't post that and then forgot that I did.
Everything in your post is exactly like my case, except that I don't have children, down to the age and CA125 count!!

I have nothing to help you get over your fears, because I'm there, too.

However, it's been a remarkable comfort to find this place and know I'm not alone in this, even though it feels that way out there in "the real world"

Zev

Hello it is nice to meet you and I understand totally how you are feeling. I am scheduled for a TAH May 19th due to large fibroid tumors and prolapse. My problems started a couple years ago and when my dr first mentioned the word hysterectomy I was in shock. Then the more I thought about it the worse I felt. I just could not believe that this was happening to me. Well since that time my uterus got larger I had hoped my fibroids might shrink the closer I got to menopause but but I was wrong I went in about a year ago and found out they had grown larger so I knew that a hysterectomy would be somewhere in my future. Now that it is scheduled I am actually relieved and glad I don't have too much time to think about it. When I recently visited this website I found alot of good information and advice. I remember in particular the checkpoints where they talk about anxiety and fear about having the surgery because i was getting the jitters. I guess I learned that the more prepared you are the less stressed you will feel. They also tell you to spend your energy preparing your recovery room and getting everything ready for the hospital. This helped me change my focus from worrying to doing something that is actually constructive. I also purchased a book I found helpful called "101 handy hints for a happy hysterectomy" and I liked this book because it talks about all the ways that you can help yourself heal for the weeks following your hysterectomy (which is a very important time). So I would like to encourage you to visit this website if you haven't already. Learn as much as you can and don't be afraid to talk about your feelings with your family. I am sure they are willing to help and offer you support through this in any way they can. Also don't be afraid to share your concerns with your doctor. If you are concerned about pain after the surgery be sure to talk to your anesthesiologist about it. You know they have come along way in pain management in the past ten years and there is no reason anyone needs to suffer after surgery be sure also to talk to your doctor about it (before the surgery) so you can have peace of mind when you go to the hospital. I will be praying for you and I hope you will be feeling better soon.

I have three children, ages 7- 15 years of age, I am 43 years old. I am scheduled for a "hystie" w/bladder sling and vaginal wall reconstruction on 6/30/09.

I have had problems for at least 9 years. I had a Novasure procedure for adenomyosis with polyps three years ago, it didn't work for me.

I have put off the hystie for at least three years. I have had two abdominal surgeries, an appendectomy and a c-section with my first child. I hate having surgery, very afraid of general anesthesia...its an unfounded fear, but its there.

Also not looking forward to being dependant on my family instead of the other way around. I have "neurotic superwoman syndrome" LOL!

Thanks for listening.

Hi to all of you ladies in waiting,
I just had my hysterectomy on Tues 4/28 and so can totally relate to the fears you are all experiencing. I am a nurse and had the same anxieties and nerves! But let me tell you that is is very normal to be feeling the way you are feeling! As a surgeon told the lady waiting next to me in the OR holding area," You are going to have a major surgery (hers was a total hip replacement) so it would be strange if you weren't nervous!". I made it through just fine and I am a total worrier. Everything went right on schedule and I couldn't have asked for it to be a smoother process. I had a laparascopic supracervical hysterctomy and actually came home that night. My Dr. was going to use the DaVinci robotic device but that changed when it was decided to keep the cervix. I am doing a little better every day. You will all be SO relieved once it is over! I was almost in tears at the amount of relief I have felt. I had wonderful nurses who pampered me after I got back to the room and I got up and walked within a couple of hours. I do have pain but am managing it with the pain meds and just taking it REAL slow which is very hard for me. I am an on the go type of person.
The surgeon removed huge fibroids and a very large uterus but was able to save my ovaries and cervix. Now I wait for the pathology report (8-10 days !)but am trying to not focus on that too much. I am looking forward to feeling like a new person once the recovery phase is over. I have talked to a number of woman who have had hysterectomies and every single one has said it was the BEST thing they did and they all feel better. You will too! The waiting is the hard part. Try to focus on the positive things and plan out your recovery area: pillows, an area for a glass for liquids, books, and I keep my cell phone with me since my husband is at work. He checks in frequently! ) I bought some loose large PJ type pants and tops and have been living in that. Super comfortable. I have a soft squishy pillow that I hold across my belly to support it and to protect me from my cats who like to run across it while I am in bed. The HysterSister list is really helpful.
Well, I hope you all will take a deep breath and tell yourself ," I will get through this and I will be OK." I hope this helps a little. Hugs to all of you and I will keep you in my prayers,
Nancy (peacefulmoon)

People keep telling you not to worry because they don't understand. They don't know what else to say. However, the people telling me not to worry were my friends that had already gone through the surgery so that was ok, they'd been there and done it.

Honestly, the worst part for me was getting put to sleep i hate that, but i woke up in not alot of pain, just discomfort. The only advise I would give is make sure sure they give you something for nausea before they put you out, that is truly the worst part if you wake up sick.

You will be fine and glad you did it