Hyst w/ POP surgery

My date has not been set yet. Will meet with the Urologist on the 23rd and then second trip to the OBGYN the 28th to set up date and get a lot of questions answered. The two docs have already conferred w/ each other but the Urologist wants to do his own tests to see what all he is going to be doing. I have Cystocele, Rectocele,as well as Uterine prolapse. I am scared to go to the Urologist because after the exam at the OBGYN my pain level shot up from about a 4-5 to a 7-8 and has not stopped yet. I am not able to lead a normal day to day life right now so I know that it needs to be done but the stress I am feeling is about to make me pull my hair out.LOL Having no insurance is also adding a lot to the stress level. I do not have a very strong support system so having found this site has been a God send. Would love to hear from others that are pre-op and especially post-op.

On 12/12 I had a da Vinci hysterectomy with Cystocele, Rectocele repairs and a sub urethreal sling. I had 1 Dr do all the surgeries - a Uro-Gyn. She was excellent. I was very informed by this site and my Dr before surgery so I was not too nervous. It was a 6 hour surgery, but they also found a cyst and drained it.

Post op - the pain comes and goes but mostly is bareble. The meds she gave help alot, but there is some breakthrough pain. Rest is your biggest friend, even though at times you feel likeyou can do more. If you have any specific questions let me know.

Thanks for your support and I am glad that you are doing well. It gives me great hope that I can eventually be out of this pain. I will be 44 next month and have been fighting the heavy bleeding and severe cramping for at least 10 years. The POP for about the last 5 but the pain is just gradually getting worse. I live in a very rural area and am having to travel about 300 miles round trip to the doctors and hospital.
I think that the time frame that they gave me for surgery (2-4 hrs) is probably going to be longer because I am sure they are going to find adhesions when they get in there. I have had them before as well as cysts.
How long were you in the hospital?
Did you have to go home with a cath?
What type of hyst did you have?

Again thanks for the support,
Michelle

My surgery was at a Women's (and Babies) hospital and was scheduled for 7:30 am. My doc had said 4-5 hours and it ended up being 6.25.

I was in the hospital overnight, and went home around 10am on 12/13. I had to do a "Voiding Trial" before I left. With this the doc filled my bladder with sterile water and then removed the cathedar. I then had to try to pee on my own. If I couldn't then I would go home with the cathedar. Fortunately, I did. It was hard because everything is in a different position after surgery and your muscles have to relearn. Running water helps.

I had the da Vinci Hysterestomy (dAH). This is a robotically assisted Laproscopical Hysterectomy. My cervix and Uterus were removed. I chose this type because it is least invasive and quicker recovery time.

My repairs were done vaginally and do not hurt at all. My abdomen is tender at the puncture sites from the robot. All my punctures were sealed with glue. 1 site has both stitches and glue.

My primary reason for seeing the doc was the pelvic floor issues. Due to all my issues and the fact that though I am young (33), I already had my tubes tied and did not want more kids. I was not nervous going into surgery, as I found a Uro-Gyn who specialized in pelvic floor disorders. It took a while to get into her as she takes her time talking to her patients. My pre-op appointment with her and her resident was over an hour just discussing my surgery and what my options were. And there were a ton. Mesh or no Mesh for the repairs - I chose no mesh and she used my own ligaments. What type of Mesh I wanted for my suburetheral sling - I chose a loose H type as it provided more control for leakage, but she kept it looser for sports activities (the other tye is used for athletes). I had to decided on the type of hysterectomy and if I wanted to keep my cervix or not - I chose the da Vinci robotic surgery and decided to remove the cervix. I didn't want to leave the cervix and still have to get pap smears and leave it open for cancer. I had to decide about my ovaries - I kept both as they were healthy and I am fairly young and no where near menopause.

The biggest things I feel is to read up about your options and express any concerns to your doc. Don't let them chose your options for you, unless they can back it up and say why you need to do things that way. If you don't feel comfortable, get another opinion. Its your body and this surgery forever changes it. Even if it takes longer to get the surgery, if you are more comfortable and informed, things will go better. You won't be stressed and worried about surgery and afterwaard you wont have regrets and will know what to expect.

Sorry I wrote so much, but this is major surgery and the more you know the better decision you can make for you and your family. Even though you have the surgery, family/friends are involved because of the extensive recovery time and drastic limitations. Also the more you know, the less stressed you will be and stress has a major effect on your body and your recovery.

I wasn't nervous at all. Not the night before, not the morning of, not as I said See ya later to my fiance as they wheeled me down to the surgical room.

Oh when my Uro-Gyn did the Urodynamics bladder tests to see what she needed to do, I was testing for about 2 hours. And it was the hardest part. Lots of probes and sensors to record, and a cathedar to fill your bladder and to measure your voiding. And they fill the bladder to the max. It seems like alot to do, but the doc has to know the ins and outs of your bladder. How much it holds, when you start feeling urges, if you leak at all and when. Its a very important test.

If you opt for surgery make suure you have all the cons Make sure you keep your ovaries or you will have problems later on with needing HRT and etc that's bad for your health. Hyst is the last resort.

Thank you ladies for all that you said and no you did not say to much I am def. a person who wants to know as much as possible so I can make an informed decision.
I am almost 44 and have had my tubes tied since the birth of my 3rd and last child at the age of 21 (yes I know WOW!! I got married when I was 16). When that doctor did the surgery he told me then that because of so much scar tissue and cysts that he would be surprised if I made it to my 30th birthday w/o a total hyst. Because of that I am not sure if anything is going to be salvageable or not and I have been in peri-menopause for the last several years so I will talk to the doc about everything and go from there.
I have a three ring binder w/ my medical records in it from my past surgeries so that will help me to be able to talk to him about everything. I also have been keeping what I call my pain diary daily for the last 3 months. I am in the pre hospital medical field as an EMT and know how important it is to have past and present pertinent medical history available.
Again I would like to thank you ladies for the info and support.
Michelle