Being fat makes vag hyster harder?

Just spoke with my surgeon who is saying that he can try a vaginal hyst or lapro vag on me BUT because of my weight (I am 260 and 5'8" tall that it may be difficult and he may have to do an abdominal. Has anyone been told this? I am so angry I could spit! I know he is covering himself and I will have to sign a release to the affect. I am still angry as I do not want an abdominal. I told him I do not want an abdominal and he said there isnt a choice if he and his assistant run into a problem. He did a cone on me and he said it was tight going as everything is 'high' on me.
Has anyone been through this? Any big ladies out there that thought they would have a vaginal but it was changed to a abdominal? I am trying to calm down but I HATE DOCTORS!

Hi--forgot to write that anyone can email me--poetzmuse@aol.com; especially overweight ladies who ran into roadblocks.

Hi,
I just had my hyst 8 days ago. My doc told me I wasn't a good candidate for a vaginal hyst because everything was high up (not prolapsed) and that the cervix was firmly in place. I am a little overweight now (165lb) but used to be 258 lb so I understand how you feel. It is my understanding that docs prefer to do vag hysts on patients with at least some prolapse as it is easier to perform. The doc may also be concerned with the duration of the surgery because the risk of blood clots is much higher than normal for those patients who are heavy. Addominal surgery can be done in about an hour where vaginal or laproscopic procedures can take 3 hours or more. Please believe me in that I truely can understand how you feel. I only lost my weight because I chose to have surgery to do so 10 years ago. Even so, the painful memories remain. I wish you the best and hope you can find a solution that meets your needs.

Judy

I had a TVH 3 years ago. At that time I was considerably overweight (5'5" and 210 pounds...)
My doctor told me that if at all possible he would do the procedure vaginally but I too had to sign all the various permissions prior to surgery in case a vaginal hysterectomy was not possible. One factor is that I never had children so my organs were pretty much up there. I am pleased to say that when I woke up in recovery the first thing I did was feel my abdomen and was greatly relieved to find NO BANDAGES!!!
Best of luck on the 12th. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at graefjo@pios.com

Hi, Poetzmuse,

I am also a woman of size, and my doctor strongly recommended a vaginal hysterectomy for me. I had a TVH/BSO in June, and experienced a normal recovery. No problemo!

Just my opinion, but the approach chosen for hysterectomy seems to depend as much on the doctor's personal preference, as it does on the individual patient's condition.

My doctor told me that since I haven't given birth, my uterus was small, and the TVH would easier for him. He also said the TVH would be better for me because larger women seem to heal more slowly sometimes, and an abdominal incision could be a problem for me. I did sign a permit for a TAH if the doc was unable to do tha surgery vaginally.

By six weeks postop, I was back to a normal lifestyle, and I never had the gas and constipation problems that seem to plague so many hystersisters.

You may have different medical issues than I did. I know that women with large fibroids or large uterus size, and women with endometriosis, usually require abdominal surgery.

It will be interesting to follow this thread to see what other women of size experienced.

Good luck with your decision.

princessh