Hysterectomy.

[Beanfield]

Hurrah and Hallelujah. My uterus has been given an eviction notice!

30 years of being a complete bitch. Let me down twice (miscarriage and ectopic). Did what it should do twice (2 grown up DDs). Never officially diagnosed with anything but suggestions have been PCOS and endometriosis. 30 solid years of hideous periods. 30 years of being fobbed off by assorted GPs who told me it was normal to faint, vomit, incapacitate and take over my life for one out of every three or four weeks.
It’s got to the point where my cycles are just 18-20 days long, I bleed huge amounts for 5 days (emptying cup every 2 hours), overflowing, clots. Light bleeding on and off for a further 4 days. Bleeding on and off randomly mid-cycle. Puking and dizzy. Period diarrhoea, excruciating, labour style pain. Another 3 days of pain while i ovulate plus bleeding then too.
Tried everything. Mirena - I bled for 8 months then it fell out. Painfully. Pill - unhinged. Drugs - I’m allergic to the good ones and the others don’t work so well. Herbs, flowers, tea, homeopathy, diet - all bollox.

Finally saw a Dr who actually listened and agreed to whip the bugger out. Not sure how yet as apparently it's ‘bulky’ (like the rest of me) so need a scan to see how big it is. Also waiting on smear results and endometrial biopsy (which hurt like a bastard and is still hurting 4 days later).

Ahhhh - sorry. Still, I hope not. I was horrified enough to find the one I’ve got!

Nat6999 I'm in awe!! So entirely possible I could be working from home after a week and driving?
Think my husband is worried about the ironing ha ha

Had massive fibroids and horrendous bleeding. I had the whole lot taken at once (cervix, uterus, ovaries), after asking my fab specialist what he would advise his wife to do. His take was if you could remove three options for cancer to get you, do it. I was of an age where there was not much life left in my ovaries, so that makes a difference. Down to theater at 2:30 pm, up and dressed at 5:00 am next day and home by 6:00 am. Didn't take anything other than OTC painkiller for a couple of days, was perfectly fine. Made to stay home 4 weeks but truly could have returned after a long weekend. I do a desk job though, so no strain involved. Best thing that ever happened to me. No side effect.

Except I did get fatter.

@2018SoFarSoGreat I really don’t want to gain any more weight! Have you increased with no change to your diet/lifestyle at all? Is it down to the HRT? Your specialist sounds great & that makes sense so guess I will get rid of the lot then.

@FrancisCrawford wow how awful for you! But how lovely of your ex MIL

I did HRT for the first 12 months - low dose - then nothing since. My doctor is not a fan. Have had no symptoms of anything adverse, other than the weight gain. Despite walking more vigorously and frequently, the weight still creeps up. I have never been so heavy. Yuck. I suppose I have to diet :)

Good luck, hope it all goes swimmingly - and that you get it done soon!

I have foul, raging PMT and gripey, cranky guts and no sign of a bloody period. And I know is coming and will be vile.
Bastard uterus be gone.

Congratulations- had a hysterectomy in dec 2016 and it's been fabulous. Mine was done because of fibroids and due to the size of them it had to be a full open procedure. It hurt quite a bit after surgery and morphine makes me vomit which didn't help.

But I got a bit better each day. Back driving in 3 weeks.

They won't let you keep it in a jar but if you have a particularly nice surgeon they may take a pic. I have a pic of my fibroid, Fallopian tubes and cervix on a theatre tray. Would post it but it's quite gruesome!

Full abdo hysterectomy here almost 6 years ago. One ovary left. I’m glad to have no cervix left as no more smear tests!

Recovery is slow and exhausting and it was 6 months before I felt properly over it. But walk a little bit every day, sleep when you need to and don’t overdo it

Ah. I’m sad i can’t keep in in a jar. I’ll ask him for a photo (we are colleagues!!) so that will have to do.

I dont own a dressing gown! Will i need one?

I'm 34, I had a hysterectomy three years ago now due to a myriad of issues. I hated my womb; so desperately wanted it gone (kept ovaries); it had done what I needed it to and finally given me a child, and it was just sitting in me causing chronic pain and preventing me from enjoying the child I had. I love being without it. I even loved the recovery stage, painful as it is, because it was gone. Sex is so much better! (Though I did 'dry up' rather, so lube is now a fact of life).

My top tip: get some peppermint tea. The pain in my shoulders from being 'blown up' for the (laprascopic) op was agony for several days after and although the tea itself is, imo, foul, it reeeeeally helps relieve the trapped air feeling.

Best of luck with it; best thing I've ever done. Also, HysterSisters online is a fantastic resource and site for help and advice both before and after.

Also - I got thinner!

Ooh I would love a picture too! Wonder if they have to use your phone or if they have a camera handy?

I would say you need a light dressing gown, just for when they walk you from Ward to the theatre so you aren’t showing everyone your behind in those lovely back fastening gowns. when I had my laparoscopy I found I needed one.

Ah yes, the dreadful shoulder pain from the gas- weird how it migrated up there. Hope I get thinner too! Thanks Dljlr I will check out HysterSisters

When you have your pre-op appointment at the hospital they'll give you the run down on what you need. This will depend on how they are doing the operation - for example if it's being done keyhole, you probably won't have a catheter and can wear pyjamas rather than a nightshirt/nightdress. Because mine was a full abdominal, I needed to buy nightshirts and I took a bathrobe thing to wear afterwards to shuffle around the ward. Knickers too - because my scar is large and on the bikini line, I needed the proper full pants rather than skimpy bikini pants - you dont want a seam on your scar.

As for the photo - I was lucky that we have BUPA so had the op in a private hospital. Surgeon had more to chat than in the NHS and when I asked for a photo she laughed - she did say it's generally a big no-no to take any photos in theatre when your patient is unconscious and unable to consent but because i'd explicitly asked for a photo she'd take one on her phone and email it to me. I am assuming this was done at the end of the op when I was in recovery rather than mid-procedure....

Ton be honest the first couple of days were hell, mainly because I reacted very badly to the anaesthetic and when I came round in recovery I promptly vomited all over the nurse. And then vomited again. And again. Then they gave me morphine, which made me vomit more. It's a balance, you're in a lot of pain so need an effective painkiller, but don't want to be ill. After about 24 hours I started refusing the morphine and they were giving me codeine and some diclofenac along with your standard paracetamol and I started to feel a lot better.

I had my operation late afternoon on a Tuesday, on the Thursday the surgeon said that I was well enough to go home, or if I preferred I could stay another night. I stayed until the Friday morning but by the time I got home I could move around, climb stairs, shower myself etc.

It's all been so worth it though, the bleeding was awful and it's lovely to have that all stopped.

I had a hysterectomy and removal of ovaries when I was 45 and was put on hrt straight away although the dose had to be increased. I had huge fibroids and had to have a large vertical incision but felt great once the scar had healed and little trouble when I tailed off the hrt 10 years later.

My best advice is do all the physio exercises they give you. I was soon back to a better version of my old self and have very strong abdominal muscles (I do pilates).

I went down to theatre in tears because I thought I'd come out an old crone but really the reverse was true.

Well. After being vile to everyone all week and blaming PMT I am now on day 24 and no sign. My last 6 months cycles have been 18-19 days. So wtf is all that about?

Hideous period pain. This is why the fucker has to go.

Sorry you are suffering. Hope you get a date soon

I’m working in an average waiting time of 18 weeks.

Which would tragically mean I’d be off work over Christmas. What a terrible terrible shame

18 weeks!! & I’m half way through an average 12 month waiting list lots of envy, especially about Christmas off

Hi I’m ten weeks post op today. Total abdo hysterectomy leaving one ovary. Not gone back to work yet. I feel great but so achy all over every joint hurts. I can’t talk now but ask me any questions I’ll reply later.

10 weeks! were you expecting to be off that long?

18 weeks is optimistic and based on my desire to have Christmas off sick but better enough to enjoy myself.