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).

Just me then.

Can anyone tell me how long their bleeding lasted for?

Stripes I had hardly any bleeding. A little bit when I finally got up and went to the loo (had a catheter for the first 36 hrs) but that was it. It had stopped by the time I left hospital after 3 days and none since.

Sorry Stripes, I just had a big clot on my first visit to the loo and haven't bled at all since.

Are you still bleeding?

Thanks to you both for replying.

Yep. Still bleeding, although it has slowed again. Google says there can be bleeding for a few weeks but I’m a bit baffled. I mean, with no womb WTH is it coming from? Just seeping through the sutures?
Lost a small clot this morning so maybe that will finally finish it but had huge stabbing pain on L side yesterday and all very sore again today. It’s 15 days since my op, I’m not sure what to do really. that’s why I was trying to find out what is normal.

I also have pretty much had period type cramps ever since the op-is this normal?

Stripes no cramps here, once the pain from the main incision went, I have had what I can best describe as stinging under my skin, where I presume the internal incision is but that’s stopped now. I have one bit on my right side which has consistently been more painful than anywhere else but even it is nearly away now. I just occasionally get a ‘pulling’ feeling inside , and that’s usually because I’m doing something I shouldn’t like stretching up to get something off a shelf or lifting something too heavy!

Hmmm I do have internal pain if I overstretch or twist or bend a bit quickly (and one patch of really numb skin that I can’t scratch which is driving me mad) the period type pains are odd. I joked with DH that maybe they got distracted halfway through the op and forgot to take it out!

I managed to find NHS info at 5:30am. Had only managed to find USA info up to that point and I’m always suspect about “contact your physician“ advice because I know it’s all based on how much money they can get. Seemingly bleeding up to 6 weeks is ‘normal’ so I will stop panicking......a little.

No cramps here either.

Just keep an eye on it, fingers crossed it's away soon

Can I join? Got a date yesterday for September. I'm so relieved. Severe endometriosis and fibroids. Laparoscopy last year bought me about two months marginal relief from excruciating pain that lasts from ovulation up to periods which then last up to ten days so I get approximately 5-7 days per month not bleeding or in pain. Only 39 so this is much earlier than I ever thought I'd be doing something like this. So glad I found this thread and will read properly now!

Hi IRemember, welcome to the club!

Welcome IRemember! Great advice on here from everyone.

How is everyone?

IRemember welcome and I’m glad you have got your date.

Bringbackthestripes how is the bleeding?

D day (or O day) is Tuesday for me so I have some prep to do this weekend. It seems to have come around really quickly.

I need to get my gel nails removed and buy slippers (I hate slippers and never wear them) sanitary towels and peppermint tea. I might buy a new nightie too.

I just had a minor wobble. I have just finished my last ever period and it really wasn’t that bad. Minimal pain and flooding compared to what I’m used to and now I have been wondering if I need to put myself through this. I will though, I want rid of the pain primarily and that is intense and lasts all month. It’s a bit like having great hair the day before you are booked in for a cut! Did this happen to anyone else?

DH has been telling me not to even think about cancelling, I need this doing. I know he’s right but I also know he’d like sex again so has a vested interest

Ah Megan welcome to The Fear. Perfectly normal but quite upsetting nevertheless. I’m afraid you might feel like this all the way til Tuesday. I was terrible for the couple of days beforehand until about 3 hours before I went in, then I suddenly went all calm and normal again - probably because I knew there was no getting out of it by that point!! Honestly, you will be fine, all of us on the other side of it are testemant to that.

Your comparison to good hair the day before a haircut made me laugh btw- I thought that was just me!!

Thanks for the welcomes Good luck Megan. I remember before I had my laparoscopy last year I nearly cancelled as the month leading up to it was the least pain I had had in so long. The very best of luck. Looking forward to hearing how you get on. I'm focusing on the upsides of pain free, ordered time off work and my dh and kids waiting on me, no matter how short lived 😃

IRemember you will be counting down the weeks, hope it passes quickly for you.

Megan that absolutely happened to me. I said to DH that maybe I didn’t really need to go through the op now, maybe they would be okay from now on. I suggest if you have a pair of flip flops you take them in to wear in the shower but I do accept it might just be me who is odd about things like that. Another suggestion is to put things you need often (lip balm, mints, tissues) in a little sandwich bag with tie handles. Saves you reaching and rummaging in the locker if you can just pick the little bag up, use the bits you need then easy to pop back on the side. Preload is vile, I had powder I had to mix but I know some patients are given pre mixed. Best to chug it down as fast as you can

Glad the bleeding is slowing down stripes

I’m actually quite reassured that others have had the fear too! Funnily enough, DD just asked me what my pain level was from one to ten and said about 5 or 6 today. It struck me that normal people have no pain, even good days for me are about a 3.

I so hope this fixes it! I want none.

Top tip about the sandwich bag, thanks.

Megan I hope it all goes smoothly today and you don’t have to stay in too long.

Hope all went well today Megan

Been reading this thread on and off as I have fibroids. Currently on week 16 of the period from hell and loosing a half to a pint of blood a week. I can't take hormonal contraception and my son was born With a copper coil around his toe. I am allergic to nsaid medication so I'm hoping to be given a hysterectomy.

I am only 39 though so not sure about it all.

Some questions- if you lose your cervix, does it affect sex?

Vagina moisture levels?

Is there a limit on how long you can take hrt?

You ladies are all so brave.

Hope all went well today Megan.

Missing I'm only 4 weeks post op (cervix removed too) but haven't noticed any dryness yet. I'm 41, started HRT the day after surgery. Consultant said to expect to be on it till around 52 - and that some obviously take it for a lot longer.

Thanks foo

I think my main concern is that mine is a complex case. I have mental health issues that are affected by hormonal contraception. I have auto immune diseases that have led to sjogrens and oral/optical/vaginal dryness . I am worried it could end up 100 times worse.

No matter what I can't carry on the way I am. I have my first gynaecologist appointment since diagnosis of fibroids on the 19th so fingers crossed.

All done, thanks for the messages. Couldn’t be keyhole in the end as all my insides were glued together with stage 4 endometriosis that no one has ever bothered to check for despite all my symptoms.

Can you believe I actually got a telling off for letting myself get into this state? Uh right. Yes perhaps all women should be given a crib sheet on how to handle medical professionals who don’t believe they are in pain and bleeding to death and try and send them away with a pat on the head and a pissing mirena.

Still onwards and upwards now and I can imagine I will be feeling loads better in the weeks to come!

They have just taken my catheter off me, I don’t want to get up!

Megan how are you doing? Hope you are not too sore.

Missing I initially thought I would keep cervix & ovaries but gynae warned me I could still have pelvic pain if I kept ovaries and if even a tiny bit of tissue remained on cervix I could still have bleeding so I opted to have the whole lot removed. I was concerned that it could affect sex as that used to be said but the young male gynae I saw insisted this was not the case and that it made no difference. As I had a lot of cervical pain anyway I agreed to removal. Not sure if I’ve done the right thing but too late now! I’m only 4 weeks post op so I can’t give you my personal experience. Gynae said I would be on HRT until I’m 50 but GP said 55 would be better. Discussion thread here re sex.

forums.hysterectomy-association.org.uk/forums/topic/removal-of-cervix-and-closure-of-vagina-and-effect-on-sex/

Foo. I still haven’t started HRT yet, I was advised not to until 4 weeks post op due to the risk of clotting- wonder why the different advice? Picked my prescription up yesterday. The side effects are all things I suffer anyway and I was hoping HRT would cure them!

Finally 3 weeks post op the bleeding has finally stopped. I had 3 hours on Saturday of really heavy bleeding and (sorry tmi) passed 3 huge clots. It was slightly terrifying and I was all set to phone GP on Monday but it eased off Sunday and less on Monday. Finally stopping last night- yay!

forums.hysterectomy-association.org.uk/forums/topic/personal-question-do-you-miss-your-cervix/

Thanks for those links Stripes, interesting reading. Bit of a mixed response! Fingers crossed it's not so bad missing a cervix.

And I DID wonder about HRT when I saw your comment about the four weeks. Also, I wasn't given any blood clot busting injections, other than for two days in hospital. My sister had the ten day course post C section three years ago (as did I previously), wonder why it's changed. I'm in Scotland, don't know if there's regional differences? 🤔