Hysterectomy right for me?

[catuxa]

first of all,apologies in advance for I'm about to give tmi!
I'm 41 andI've been suffering from painful and extremely heavy periods for many,many years. Things got worse after having my ds 5 years ago. In a normal period I have to change a super plus tampon and double pad every 25-30 minutes and get up every 90 minutes during the night to get changed.extremelly embarassing episodes of flooding and severely anaemic. i have been on iron forever...
I have fibroids, had a uterine polyp removed August 2011. Tried Tranexamic acid and improved slightly (change every hour). Had mirena coil fitted January 2012 and it's made things 10 times worse, the tampons will only last 5 minutes and clots the size of the palm of my hand. Had scan and coil is being pushed out the uterus by the calcified fibroids.
Have tried for another baby for 4years but now I've accepted we won't be able to have anymore children so fertility is not longer an issue.
Oral progestOgen is the only thing that has managed to stop bleeding but it does start again as soon as I stop taking it. The coil needs to be removed and I think I'm running out of options. My quality of life is rubbish at the moment
Gynaecologist recommended hysterectomy as soon as I decided not to have more children.
I have always been dead against it but I now think is my only option. Any advice?

Wow a few weeks that's brilliant! Better than being on a NHS waiting list! Good luck with the surgery and recovery. I can recommend the hystersisters website for loads of info/support. It's an American website but people from the UK post as well.

littlemissbossy thanks . I've checked the website you recommended and it's great!

Just thought of updating this thread just in case someone has been reading it recently. I had LASH surgery mid-June and 4 months later I feel better than ever, I'm even back to my regular martial arts class!

Just seen this thread - so pleased you are feeling so well now! XX

Hi catuxa, that's great news! It's funny how we all fight not to have a hysterectomy but it works out well in the end. I can't believe the crap I had to put up with for years and now six months later I finally have my life back. If anyone reading this is thinking of having a hysterectomy, don't worry just get it done and over with, you won't regret it.

hi littlemissbossy, good to hear you've finally got your life back. Feeling healthy and with energy is the best feeling ever, isn't it?

It's good to hear all the positive stories to add to the positive stories from women in my family that have had a hysterectomy.

I have extremely heavy and painful periods and, coupled with the fact that due to various disabilities I will never be able to care for a child myself, I have just been referred to try and get the ball rolling towards having a hysterectomy myself.

I'm just going to throw this into the mix. Brief backstory first. Had similar experiences as many here. Horrendously heavy periods, clotting, flooding etc. Had a couple of minor procedures to try and improve situation. They worked for a short while but only for a while. Declined mirena coil and all other suggestions - not indefinitely, just whilst I considered my options and to allow myself time to come to terms with potential big changes and adjustments. During this time, I, predictably, asked Doctor Google for some help. Long story short, I ended up going to see a reflexologist (who specialised in menopause/infertility etc). It is the single most remarkable intervention I've ever had in my life. All my symptoms improved overnight. I could wax lyrical about what happened but I won't, in the interest of being brief. I remained symptom free for about a year and then gradually saw a worsening. I went again recently and (Tmi alert) on the way home from the clinic, I had the biggest flooding of my life, all through the car seat etc. This lasted about 2 days. I had to take to my bed and was swigging painkillers like they were going out of fashion. 2 days later, all symptoms vanished and I've been ok again since. Its worth exploring, as it can't do any harm and it's worth discounting it if nothing else, when on the brink of making a significant decision such as this. Happy to provide more details if anyone's interested.