Want to make sure hysterectomy is the right choice.

Hi, my doctor told me that he is ready to do a total hysterectomy as soon as I am. I am a teacher and I need to plan this during the summer. I'm just trying to decide if I need to go ahead and do it now or wait it out a year or more.

My problem is endometriosis. It really doesn't cause me too many problems right now. Just some pain the week after my period. This pain is not debilitating as I have read some women have, but it is pain in my lower back and some sharp stabbing pains in my stomach.

We know I have endo. because of fertility problems. I have been able to have 2 children though and we know we do not want any more. I am 33 years old. My youngest child is 1 and this is one of my fears about having the surgery while she is so small. The oldest is 6 and can help out tremendously with the baby.

The doctor first found out that I had a very small amount of endo about 7 1/2 years ago. He burned it out and I got pregnant right away. When we tried for the next child we were having problems conceiving so he looked again (laproscopic) and said that it was pretty severe. One of my tubes were adhered to the uterus. He sent me to a fertility clinic which specializes in these surgeries and they were able to open the tube up and burned out all the endo. There was apparently a lot in it.

I talked with my doctor about my pain (again not severe) and he said that I would for sure have to have a hysterectomy one day and that he was all for going ahead and doing it now as long as I was sure we didn't want any more children.

I know that endo. can mess up a lot of other organs. I've heard about it getting wrapped around the intestines and bowels. I just want to make sure that I'm doing the right thing by having the total hysterectomy now I guess in hopes of preventing any damage it may do later.

Thanks,
elizamack919

Hi ((elizamack919)),
I'm sorry to hear of all your suffering and your Drs. recommendation to undergo this surgery

The thing with Endo is that a Hysterectomy is not always a
cure Many times Surgeons will remove healthy organs < Endo is rarely ever found on the uterus > and leave behind the implants. The then hope by withholding any HRT for a certain amount of time, the remaining implants will dies off as they thrive upon Estrogen. Researcher now believe that Endo can create its own Estrogen supply...

Have you ever consulted with an Endo Specialist? Many studies show that woman who undergo surgical excision of the Endo gain the best long-term relief. It takes a skilled & knowledgeable Surgeon to perform this. An Endo Specialist can posses better & more precise surgical skills along with a more trained eye in recognizing implants that don't have the more known, *classic* appearance.

There are many, many women here who have underwent a Hyst for Endo, many have gained relief from the symptoms but then many haven't. After this surgery, any further surgery for Endo that may be needed can become extremely difficult. One of the most common places for Endo to occur < other than the Ovaries > is the cul-de-sac. After a Hyst, this area can become inaccessible, and the Endo can be sewn up into the Vaginal cuff which can make it unidentifiable. Also the more invasive surgeries we have the more Adhesions we can form, these can also make finding/seeing Endo hard.

Here are some links that contain some excellent & insightful
info into this possibility:

Hysterectomy and endometriosis - Q & A


Endometriosis after Hysterectomy?


Diagnosis and Treatment of Endometriosis

There is also several more links with info on Endo in our Resources Directory in our
Endo/Adeno Resources section

Please don't think I'm trying to tell you I don't think you should have this surgery..I just wanted to share with you these possibilities. There are soo many women that come here, undergo this major surgery without even knowing that it isn't a cure until they start experiencing familiar pains & symptoms and a Dr then suggest this possibility :-(

To be able to make a well-informed, educated decision, IMO, I think we should be aware of all the possible risks & outcomes. Aware of any/all viable options we may have as well. We are our own best advocate when it comes to our health, this is our body, our health...only we have to live with the outcome good or bad

Good Luck in your decision I'm sure others will come along and share more experiences & insight with you. I do hope in whatever you decide, it will finally bring you some much needed relief. Please know we will be here for support no matter what you decide to do..

Keep us posted on how things are going with you..((hugs))

HI Elizamack

I am so sorry you are having to make such a hard decision I know how difficult it can be.

I decided to have my hysterctomy because of endometriosis and it was not an easy decision. I so far have been one of the women who has had a successful outcome from my surgery. Not all women do and my truely goes out to those women.

My deciding factor came when my GYN scheduled a urologist to look at my bladder. He said it was only a matter of time before the endo punctured through and I would need to have a catheter the rest of my life.

As (((Sheri))) said there are many things to consider and a hysterectomy is not always a cure. It can be successful, but not always.

There are other options to explore and research before you make a final decsion so that you will be completely confident in whatever decision you make.

I wanted to share an article about women using progesterone cream to help with their endo. Some research has pointed in the direction that it is the estrogen dominance in the body that could be causing the endo. That means there is more estrogen present than progesterone. So when you add progesterone to balance out the estrogen, you will no longer have estrogen dominance and the endo will not continue to grow and spread.

Here is the article.
http://www.cemcor.ubc.ca/ask/qa_endometriosis.shtml

Here is a lsit to some other wonderful articles to read about endometriosis that shares other options and alternatives methods.

https://www.hystersisters.com/vb2/lin...n=browse&cid=6

Please take your time and do alot of reading and research. It is also a good idea to get another opinion from a doctor who specializes in endo. There are more precautions that need to be met if you do decide to have the surgery.

Best wishes!!