LyMonica’s Hysterectomy Story
Type of Hysterectomy: Laparoscopic Vaginal Hysterectomy and Bilateral Salpingo Oophorectomy
Age at Hysterectomy: 40
Location: Louisiana
I had the surgery because my doctor recommended it. My diagnosis was fibroids. I have had them since I was twenty years old. I have been on many different medications for them. At first the doctor said it was pea sized. It went from pea sized, to a couple of pea sized to many pea sized. Every year at my annual my doctor suggests that I have the surgery and I declined his suggestions. My cycles were heavy and painful, so painful that I was prescribed medication for the cramps and pain. I suffered for over five years with these symptoms and each month these symptoms got worse and worse. My second days was the worse and I couldn’t work my first two days because either i couldn’t get out of bed because of the cramps or if I did take my pain medication I couldn’t function properly at work. I did not get a second or third opinion because I have had the same doctor for years and I trust him completely.
This year at my annual my doctor informed me that he is not recommending that I had to have the surgery because my fibroids had fused together and become one large mass the size of my uterus and to remove it would mean removing my uterus because it has taken over by the fibroids. He informed me that he could leave my ovaries of he could take them. So that weighed heavy on my mind and we talked about the pros and cons of having it all removed and I just decided to do it all at once. I would go through menopause in a few years anyway.
I arrived at the hospital at 8 am and my surgery was at 10 am. When I arrived I was given something to relax me and something to help me use the bathroom. When it was time for the procedure I was rolled into the operating room and it seems that a million different people were all doing different things to me. It was one person on each side of me putting something on my arms, another two were doing something on my legs, someone was putting a mask on my face, and several others were doing other things. I wasn’t going to sleep so a voice said “Monica I need you to take deep breaths” I inhaled and by the time I exhaled I was sleep. I woke up and it was over. I did not go home that day but i did go home the very next day. I slept most of the time I was in the hospital and the first couple of days that I was home and I haven’t slept much since then.
The most important thing I had to remember is that although I had few scars it was still a major surgery and I had to take it slow and easy. Recovery was not difficult in the physical sense of the matter but emotionally I am on a roller coaster of emotions. I had many worries about life after the surgery and I still have them two months after. My entire life has changed. I get very little sleep, my insomnia is horrible, weight gain is a mess, and this thing in front of my body that use to be my stomach is huge and has not gone down yet. I am two sizes larger and my anger issues are still not under control and I have HRT. My greatest challenge is controlling my anger enough to function normally from day to day. I was released to my normal activities in just six weeks.
I believe that my decision to have the surgery has been good for my life in a way and bad in others. I no longer have the extreme pain once a month, the heavy bleeding and blood clots, or the extreme cramping but I do have hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, anger issues, and I cry about almost anything. The other day I cried because my sun roof wouldn’t open and I knew I needed a fuse nut when it wouldn’t open I just couldn’t help the over flow of emotions.
My overall health is great. My doctors say I’m in great health physically but mentally I’m a mess. Seems I traded the pain and cramps for hot flashes, headaches, and weight gain. I am glad I had the surgery over all and I know I will get these things under control one day I just pray it is one day soon or one day before I kill one of my co workers.
I would say ” you can do it” and “go ahead make your life better in the long run”. When faced with this I would say do your research and be sure to join hystersisters. It has been my saving grace. There will be ups and downs on this journey and there will be times when you just don’t know but through it all know that your decision was right for you and that you are not alone in whatever you are feeling. There has been many to feel just as you and there will be many more to feel like you and there is nothing wrong with you, it is all part of the body trying to get back to normal after a very traumatic thing, so cut yourself some slack and give your mind and body time to heal and get back to some type of normal.
