Upcoming hysterectomy 10/4: Nervous

I am going in Tuesday for surgery and will be having everything removed vaginally. I am not sure on how I should feel other then I am getting so nervous of out come of this. It will be out patient so will be going home same day however I had a lengthy surgery on my shoulder and I was so very sick after. It took three days to stop being nauseous. I have made this clear with surgeon so they are aware. It's easier for me to know what to expect then not. Going into a surgical menopause is it right away or does it take time? Will I finally feel normal or am I going to be faced with a whole new set of issues? I live out in the middle of no where and don't talk much to others and when I do it's with usually friends that aren't close or never experienced menopause. I was raise we don't talk about these things and yes there are still people like that. So my mother isn't really no help and I feel alone. And my husband well though he tries well he has no clue.

Hi Lisa,
I'm sorry you have no one to talk to near you but you have come to the right place! I just had a total vaginal hyst but just ovaries were left , so some other sisters may have to answer hormone questions. I would have a plan in place with your doctor ahead of time, though, esp if you live a long way from the doctor and hospital. I live in a very rural area, too. One traffic light in our county and the doctor and hospital are an hour away. I think the hormone issues can vary in the time they show up and to what degree. I read so many positive experiences on here that I had to stop and ask myself a few days before surgery if I was going into this thinking it was going to be too easy. However I knew I had a good doctor, the odds were in my favor and stressing over it wouldn't do any good so I decided to not worry about it, just be positive and take any complications one step at a time. My surgery went well. The anesthesiologist came in prior to surgery and saw that I told them in pre-administration that I got motion sickness, so he asked the nurse to put a sea-sick patch on me. I had no nausea at all. I left it on until the next afternoon to make sure it stayed that way. The patch does make your mouth very dry. My tongue would stick to the sides of my mouth. I was so glad I went in well hydrated. I ate dinner the night before and then kept drinking water until midnight. When I woke up from surgery I felt crampy pain but not doubled over crying pain. It was more like "I want to sleep and this pain is waking me up" type pain. The nurse kept checking with me every few minutes and gave me pain meds in my IV until I was comfortable. I've had worse with my cycles. I never needed more than 3 Advil after leaving the hospital that day but everyone is different so take what you need to keep you comfortable.
Make sure and read and share on the recovery thread for your surgery date as it helps you to know what's normal for recovery and what you might need to check with your doctor about.
I have been absolutely amazed at how good my experience has been. I wish you all the best and an uneventful procedure.

It's perfectly normal to be nervous, and a little freaking out is allowed ! The good thing is that here, in this forum, we do indeed "talk about those things". Our health is at stake, we all understand that, so there is no dumb or silly question, nor is there TMI. You should see some of the things we share about post-op !

I second the suggestion on getting an anti-nausea patch. I'd not been under in my adult life, but I get motion sick easily and mentioned this to the anesthesiologist's assistant. Patch prescribed, and I felt no nausea post-op.

It's major surgery, yes, but the stories of unremarkable surgeries and recoveries far outnumber those had complications, other issues post-op, or their initial problems unresolved. When I mentioned to a group of ladies my age during a church service project that I was having a hysterectomy, three of them said that their hysterectomies were liberating. I never even knew they'd had surgery, but their lives had returned to normal minus the issues that led them to the surgery. My surgery and recovery were both textbook as well.

I kept my ovaries. While I can't directly address surgical menopause, I've learned from here that some women are hit with it right away, but for others it's gradual, depending on how much estrogen is stored in your body or if the small amount produced by adrenal glands may ease transition. Here's 6 Tips to Help You Prepare for Surgical Menopause, and there are many other articles and forums to guide you.

Yes, I agree with Cussette, it is very normal to be nervous and scared. I have been dealing with bad issues for over 11 years because I was terrified. However after hormones made my already bad problems worse and a failed cryo-ablation, I was just ready to throw in the towel (Towel Tosser ). This site and knowing I had a good doctor really helped put me at ease as well as the reassurance from other women that had a hyst years ago, that I would be so happy I did it. So many people were telling my husband that he would have to get a pair of track shoes to keep up with me!
I read tons of stories/experiences on hear of the type of surgery I was having but I was careful to only read positive ones for the most part. It really helped me to prepare and when my doctor told me I would be going home with a catheter, I didn't freak out. I had read many women's experiences saying the catheter wasn't uncomfortable and even if they had to get one put back in, it was fine. So glad I had read that because my doctor routinely sends his patients home with a catheter with no bag but about 12" of tubing with a removable and replaceable plug. It was great because without a bag your bladder starts to get back used to the sensation of filling and emptying but you have the catheter so can pee whenever you need to after surgery. He gives simple instructions for removal the next day and it was very easy and painless. He said many women end up at the hospital longer just because they can't pee.
I hope your surgery goes smoothly and wish you the best with your hormones!

I guess I nervous for various reasons and I have only lived in my state for a year. My profession is medical so I have heighten anxiety because I don't know the Dr very well and only seen him twice he comes highly recommended however they don't do things they way I was always shown however with that said I haven't worked in 10 years lol so you could say enough info to make me not a good patient. I am just nervous and wanting a good reason to back out except I can't and I keep telling myself it's best and I will feel so much better......skeptically

I am kind of in the same situation with my doctor as you are. I've only seen her twice, I don't really know her at all. I left a medical group a few years ago and haven't seen a gyn since.

She wants me to do a bowel prep in a very different way from the preps I have done for colonoscopies in the past (Drink the magnesium citrate before fasting) and there are a few other oddities. But she is highly recommended by other doctors and I have made the decision to trust in her judgement. As you said, we will feel better afterwards, is a good decision and we will be in good hands!

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Originally Posted by Lisalulu2 I am going in Tuesday for surgery and will be having everything removed vaginally. I am not sure on how I should feel other then I am getting so nervous of out come of this. It will be out patient so will be going home same day however I had a lengthy surgery on my shoulder and I was so very sick after. It took three days to stop being nauseous. I have made this clear with surgeon so they are aware. It's easier for me to know what to expect then not. Going into a surgical menopause is it right away or does it take time? Will I finally feel normal or am I going to be faced with a whole new set of issues? I live out in the middle of no where and don't talk much to others and when I do it's with usually friends that aren't close or never experienced menopause. I was raise we don't talk about these things and yes there are still people like that. So my mother isn't really no help and I feel alone. And my husband well though he tries well he has no clue.

You'really not alone wondering about the unknowns or feeling like you have no one to talk to. This site is a great place to read about some of the things you might be worried about, and an even better place to connect with sisters who have been through it, or are going through it with you.

My family and friends talk about everything, but neither my mom or sisters have had hysterectomies, so they can't relate at all. Only one friend and one cousin have gone through it, and for them it was at least 10 years ago, so they don't remember a lot about the procedure or recovery, so like you, I had no one to talk to.

Then just two days ago I found the group that had their surgeries the same week as I did (9/12) and I feel so much better! They have had all kinds of hysterectomies, for a variety of reasons, and everyone is experiencing a wide range of things. Some are very different than me, some are very much the same. I would strongly recommend that you join that group as soon as you can, I wish I would have. It is so good to have people to talk to that understand!

Oh, there is also a group for the men--HysterMisters that might help your husband.

My advice is to take a deep breath, read up on anything and everything that you have questions about, and lean on those of us who are ahead of you. I'm not sure if they help with vaginal procedure recovery, but the one thing I wouldn't do without is an abdominal binder. My gyn and I talked about it in advance and she made sure I got one in the hospital. For me, it was a lifesaver and made everything easier. If you can't get one through your surgeon/hospital, you can order them here. Make sure and ask the other vaginal sisters if they've used them.

Best of luck, and before you know it you'll be on your way to recovering. I wish I would have had it done sooner!