dVH/RALH: Upcoming hysterectomy 1/17: Kinda Freaking Out

Hello - my name is Amber, I’m 33 and will be getting a robotic assisted total laparoscopic hysterectomy on the 17th of this month (Jan). Clearly I’m nervous, anxious and all of the above. I’m looking forward to the end result but the closer I get my anxiety level is heightened. I’ve been hearing more horror stories lately (of course weeks before my surgery date) and I’m even more on edge because of them. I also have bipolar and am concerned about my mental health with all of this too. Point Blank… I’m kinda freaking out..

I have Asperger's Syndrome, which predisposes me to anxiety. When I was told that I needed a hysterectomy, I started my research by reading descriptions of everything that could go wrong, but once I spoke to my medical team, and found more factual information, including this site, I recognized that the horror stories I'd read would never come to pass. My anxiety level was still high, because I'd never had major surgery; I managed it by seeking out information from sources I could trust, taking my preparation one step at a time, exercising regularly, doing yoga twice a week, stopping to take a few deep breaths whenever I felt overwhelmed, and redirecting my thoughts of the surgery to how much better I'd feel after it was done. One common after-effect I have seen in these forums is a hormonal imbalance from the ovaries temporarily shutting down because of decreased blood flow, so you may need your medication adjusted during this time; I recommend keeping an open line of communication between your surgical team and the doctor who's managing your bipolar, so you can all be on the same page about managing it during and after your surgery. Wishing you all the best for a successful surgery and a smooth recovery!

Hi Hausman13 to HysterSisters!

I am so glad you found this site.

Having a hysterectomy is such an overwhelming experience. All of your feelings, fears, emotions and anxieties are completely normal, as well as any freakouts . I remember about 5 days before my surgery I had a major, major freakout!

Most women have this surgery without any significant complications.

Know that there is much misinformation out there on the Internet, so be careful with which sites you browse and believe. This site is good, and standard medical sites are also good. Also keep in mind that people tend to post about the negative things that happen to them - even on this site. They do not talk about the positive events. It is just human nature. Because of this, you can get a skewed view of things, including this surgery.

Tiger_Eye makes a good suggestion. Make sure that the doctor that treats your bipolar disorder is well aware of your upcoming surgery. Also make sure your surgical team knows you are bipolar.

Ask what questions you have, and we will try to answer them for you. You are not alone in any of this. We will be by your side throughout this process.

Thank you marestail and Tiger_Eye for the reassuring words. The internet is misleading and I often try to avoid the “google search” but one page leads to another.. I am a “I’ll cross that bridge if it comes to it” kind of person but realized with this major surgery I needed to prepare myself a little more and educate myself of what is going to happen and could happen. I was told from a friend of a friend to look at this forum because it saved her when she was going through her surgery. Figured I could use all the support I could get along with connecting with others who are experiencing and have experienced to understand and learn more. I have notified my psychiatrist about my surgery and my medical team is aware of my bipolar. I also notified my therapist to be on stand by for impromptu appointment request in the event I needed to talk to her. The problem with having bipolar disorder is when my anxiety gets bad some of my moods can become exacerbated. I have been emotionally stable for some time, I am just worried with the anxiety and the changes in my body may tip me over. I have a huge support system at home along with other family and friends which helps. Having gone through severe manic episodes in the past, there is this cloud that hangs over my head and I fear of it happening again. With the changes in my body that will occur with my procedure I am just hypersensitive to all of the “horror stories”. I realize I need to stay level headed, confident and open minded with whatever is coming my way, good and bad. Thank you again and I will post updates when I can. Also .. I might post more freak outs before hand too ha but I really do appreciate the hystersister support.

Hello! I think you've taken some really good steps to help prepare.

What helped me a lot was reading that a hysterectomy is one of the most often performed surgeries (maybe #2 after C-section if I remember correctly) and seeing that helped me think that this was probably pretty routine for my doctor and the staff.

I was really worried about anasethesia so read about that and it seemed like everything I read said that complications were minimal. I still worried but finding some of this stuff helped here and there.

I posted a lot here about any and all worries and was reassured reading the replies. This was probably the most helpful thing I did in the months leading up to the surgery. I still like coming here 2 years later!

Hi Hausman13 -

Because you are keeping your ovaries, the change may be a bit easier than those of us ladies who were rudely tossed into surgical menopause, including yours truly.

But, as Tiger_Eye indicated, your ovaries can get a bit sleepy because their normal blood supply (the uterus) has been taken away, and this in turn can lead to temporary menopause. Once they get used to the scenario, they should wake up and function normally. Here are articles that may provide information:
Hot Flashes with Ovaries? 5 Reasons Why!
Ovarian Blood Supply
Sleeping Ovaries after Hysterectomy?

You are welcome to post updates as well as freakouts and emotions. It really does help. We understand exactly what you are going through.

Thank you DeniseHyst, I’ve been reading as much as I can. Thank you for your advice, I sincerely appreciate it. Marestail thank you again for your continued support too, trying to remain calm. I got my paperwork ready from work to hand over to the doctor today.. I really love company policies (rolling my eyes here) but it is what it is. I was feeling confident and organized today and then tonight hit and I’ve been freaking out a bit. Like.. I don’t want to do this kind of freaking out. Psyching myself out for sure.. I’ll tough up, it’s my nature. I am finding posting here relieving but also feel vulnerable because I do not often participate in platforms like such. So everyone’s support means a lot and helps me knowing you all can relate and have valuable insight.

Good luck ! I am also freaking out. Mine is scheduled for the 31 if it’s not canceled because of Covid numbers. I am a mess. I spend way too much time worrying and googling bad outcomes . This site as helped some but I’m still so nervous. I’m right there with you ! everyone tells me I will feel so good after so I am trying to focus on that

I have scheduled to *hopefully* have my hysterectomy this Friday (1/14). I had a MAJOR freak out/anxiety moment yesterday.
(I have underlying anxiety and depression to begin with.)
My hospital is the only major hospital in the area that hasn’t cancelled all elective surgeries that involve an overnight stay due to COVID. I’m literally living in fear that a phone call will mean a cancellation…
I too am worried about possible menopause symptoms - they’re hoping to keep at least one ovary but my fibroids are so large they can’t see either one in the ultrasounds. I’ve been desperately trying to lose weight, and knowing that menopause, plus being sedentary for 6 weeks, is going to cause weight gain has me panicking as well.

It’s nice to know that I’m not going through this alone; that other women are anxious getting ready for their surgery too and that other women have gone through it…

Melder, talk to your doctor about activity. At my two week appointment my doctor said I could walk as much as I wanted. I had mainly lifting/no twisting restrictions. I only walked around house in first two weeks and then did laps in the backyard to stay close to home. But if your doctor clears it and you feel ok, you might be able to get some decent walking in.

Hoping your date doesn't get cancelled!