Pre-op

Hi Ladies-

I'm so glad that I found this website. I am in need of some support from those of you who have gone through the process. On Tuesday I went to see a ob/gyn as instructed by my dr. (I have fibroid tumors on my uterus.) Thankfully the Dr. was very nice and had a wonderful bed side manner. Because I had done some research before going in I had a better sense of what questions I needed to ask. After reviewing my ultrasound my Dr. was convinced that a hysterectomy (sorry I haven't gotten all of the spelling down yet) would be needed. The question was what type of hysterectomy he would be doing. After doing an internal examination (YEAH!!! we all love those, NOT!) he found that my uterus is the size of a women's that is 4 1/2 months pregnant. That ruled out a vaginal or lazer hysterectomy. So Friday, May 20th I go in for an abdominal hysterectomy. I am 35, have 3 kids, and had my tubes tied after my youngest was born so having more children really wasn't ever in my plans. But now after hearing that I will NEVER have more children I feel so empty. I keep going back and forth between reality and the what if's. I am so nervous that I am making the biggest mistake of my life and yet reality is that I am in so much pain and bleed so much that I'm miserable 2-3 weeks a month. I am a very active person and the thought of not being active for up to 8 weeks is soooo scary to me. I hate the thought of having to depend on other people to take care of me and my kids. Don't get me wrong I do have a great support system. My boyfried (who lives with me and the kids) is a wonderful, caring man and I find myself very lucky to have him. At the same time I don't like being fully dependent on someone else. I am also very fortunate to have my parents live just down the road from me and to know that they will help us out. Anyway, I'm sorry to go on and on. I'm hoping that you all could chime in with some words of encouragement. Again, this website has been so wonderful for me. I've gotten lots of information that will be useful pre-op and post-op.
Take care and God Bless

Marsha

First let me say that you are not alone. I was in the same boat as you are in now. I found out that I had a fibroid tumor the size of a 4 month pregnancy and was told that I had to have a Total Abdominal Hysterectomy which I had done on 3-18-05. The only difference with my situation is that I have no children. I was told by my doctor that even if I wanted to have a child, there was no way because the tumor was so large that the fetus would be aborted because I would not be able to carry it. It sounds like you will have the same problem. I know its hard to swallow, I'm still trying but health wise you are doing the right thing. I was told by my doctor that if the tumor isn't removed it will continue to grow and would eventually cause other problems and start affecting your organs. Mine was sitting on my bladder. When the doc went in, he not only found the tumor in my uterous but there was another one behind my liver. Both tumors were 5 pounds in weight.

Just think, after the surgery there will be no more pain and you will be free of the monthly visitor.

I too had reservations about being "taken care of" but after surgery you will need ALL the help you can get for awhile. Enjoy the pampering...I sure did.

You will be in my prayers...Good Luck!

Sounds like a slam dunk to me. You have 3 great kids, you made a clear decision to not have more by having your tubes tied already, and you are in pain half the month.... ding ding ding! You are doing the right thing!

My uterus was the same size as yours. I requested the pathology report afterwards and discovered my largest fibroid was the size of a grapefruit. But, unlike you, I wasn't in any pain, really - just some lower back pain and I pee'd all the time!

Despite being 47, overwieght and unfit, I had a smooth surgery and a great recovery. I had an 8" horizontal incision, which I was grateful for (easier to bend over). I am not married and don't have kids and am frightfully independent, so I had no choice about getting back to self-sufficiency pretty early. I had onsite help from family for a week after coming home from the hospital - after that I was totally on my own. I had to walk the dogs, scoop the cat litter, fix my meals and so on and I did fine. A friend helped me go to the grocery store at exactly 2 wks post-op. A week later, I went on my own. By 4 wks post-op I was feeling guilty for not going back to work. At 5 wks post-op I drove the 100 miles from Richmond to Williamsburg and walked around the colonial buildings for awhile and ate lunch at one of the taverns. At 6 wks post-op I went back to work and never looked back.

The only complication I ever expereinced was some constipation when I first came home from the hospital. Once I weaned myself off the percocet (using Advil instead) that went away.

So, I wasn't waited on for more than a week and I certainly wasn't out of commission for 8 weeks. And I'm gloriously out of shape! So lighten up and think good thoughts. It may not be all that bad!

Good luck!