12/6 surgery and shaking in my boots!

Hi Ladies, My surgery was origionally scheduled for Jan 18th due to a large fibroid causing such terrible bleeding I was missing work and had days where I could not leave the house. The plan was to take Lupron shots for 3 months to shrink the large fibroid and my uterus and stop the bleeding and improve the anemia. However the bleeding wouldn't stop so surgery was moved up to Monday. I am afraid of hemmoraging during surgery because of all the bleeding that's been happening. I heard hysterectomies are very safe but then read 1 in 1000 women die during a hyserectomy. Now I am sick to my stomache with worry. The doctor may have to do the surgery abdominally if the fibroid did not shrink. The plan is to take the cervix and uterus but leave the ovaries. I haven't slept since the date was moved up. I am in a constant state of worry. Can anyone offer some advice?

Those are really pretty good odds in your favor. When I got my tubes tied in 1989, there was a 1 in 500 chance of getting pregnant. For most of the first year I called my doctor every month. I thought I was pregnant and he would tell me he was positive I wasn't. He didn't have me come in or take a pregnancy test. I never got pregnant again. I personally don't know of anyone that did get pregnant after a tubal. My point is, I don't think you need to worry at all. You must be in the care of a great doctor to get you right in and perform this procedure. I would be comfortable with the 1 in 1000 surgery. Think about all the ER surgeries that are performed without all the pre-op screening. You will be fine and probably feel better at Christmas than you do now. What a great way to start 2011 off!

Take tender care,
Evie

Dearest Miss....go shopping, get a pedicure, cook lots and then REST REST REST tomorrow. Breath, Pray, and get Hugs from the ones you love including your animals. My TAH was awesome, no complications. I am so glad I had it that way. My doc could see everything really good and I was under Anest. for less than 2hrs. I'm 8 weeks postop now and am back to a much better normal Trust God and your your job is to heal and nothing else. This time you MUST take for yourself. I was amazed after I said that to myself about a hundred times I was able to do it and the results speak for them self. Dont be afraid of pain meds they are your friend and tordal shots in your iv are awesome...it is an anti inflamitory.....dont worry remember you are in the hands of trained professionals so you go girl you will be on the otherside soon

I am already feeling a little better simply because you both took the time to care and reply to me. I am a divorced mom of 9 yeqar old twins and a Cancer survivor. All my Cancer treatment was pre-mom so I just let go and let God so to speak but now that I'm a mom I find it hard to do that. THe girls have an amazing Dad who is probably the best father Ive ever known (other than my own) but girls need their mommys. Dont we all?

The 1 in 1,000 death statistic worried me a bit at first also. But then I told myself that everyone is included in those statistics, including women in their 80's with many health problems. That helped me to worry much less about it.

Educate yourself; by visiting this website you are doing that!

Your doctor would probably worry if you were not concerned to some degree or another. First-timers to surgery/anesthesia seem to worry the most (that was me, too).

I found that the whole bowel prep procedure, last minute cheery phone calls from friends and the whole hospital check-in process kept me busy and doing the right things...it is easy to say, but try to relax and go with the process. It worked splendidly for me and so many others here. It hasn't been a month since my DaVinci surgery (total - no feelings of menopause, either!!) and I already feel so good...I can see why I did this.

You came to the right place for support; I was a basket case during the two month wait but the Sisters here were a tremendous help.

I shed a couple of tears as they wheeled me to the cold OR hallway...then I saw the robot, mumbled something to the anesthesiologist about loving my dog - and I woke up in recovery with a dry mouth and very little pain. really, it was amazing. You can do it

Hang in there!!! Sounds like the doc is trying to address the issue, and not waiting is accomplishing that. Do something fun and time-consuming...making Christmas cookies, long walk in the cold, etc. Long walks will help with the stress. Best wishes, and let everyone know how you are doing.

Here on hystersisters, we try to avoid saying, "This is the right course of action, that's the wrong course of action" -- appropriately so, because in medical matters things are never cut and dried. With that said, I think when you're considering an intervention such as a hysterectomy, when you've gotten to the point where you are comfortable that this is the right course of action for you, you want to get it done at the best possible time. A lot of the time we focus on external events to determine what that time is -- I don't want to get it done right before the holidays, my sister's getting married on such and such date and I want to wait until after, etc. -- but we need to remember that your health is really the #1 determinant of what the right time is. It sounds like your doctor's thinking is that he/she tried Lupron in an effort to buy you some time and keep the fibroid under control, a little...but it's not proving to be enough, and your doctor is thinking that the "right time" is before the problem gets worse. So you're choosing to get this done on the best possible terms, when you are at your strongest physically -- that's how I'd think of it. In the couple of days that remain, maybe you can try to get your spirit strong as well. It's hard because this is all coming at you in a rush, but you can do it, and we are with you.

I had a LAVH (laporoscopically assisted, entire uterus including cervix removed through the vagina, tubes and ovaries left behind) on 11/5. I went into it with the possibility that it would have to be abdominal, but my surgeon said she thought she would be able to manage it vaginally, and she did. Whatever your procedure ends up being, please believe that it won't be too much to bear. It sounds like you have a caring and concerned surgeon who is really looking out for you -- he/she will understand how you feel rushed and scared, but please, do not be shy or ashamed to say to any of the personnel in the hospital, "I'm really scared." Just say those three little words. Chances are they will already be taking good care of you emotionally as well as physically, but help them out and let them know ALL the ways you're hurting so that they can help you. I hurt, I'm scared, I'm thirsty, I'm cold...whatever it is, let them know, and let them help you.

Please stay in touch and let us know how you are. We're all pulling for you.