[LostMom3]

I have had severly heavy bleeding since my last pregnancy. That was 16 years ago. I have had to have 2 blood transfusions because of it. I am on Iron supplements, daily vitamins with iron, and flintstones with iron(3x daily). I have gone for my testing to see if there is anything that could be causing this heavy bleeding. They assume it is because of scar tissue from having 3 c-sections. I just wanted to have the utereus removed and keep the ovaries. The doctor says he needs to take the ovaries because there is going to be alot of scar tissue he is going t have to get rid of and there is a chance he will damage some other internal organs. Great, so now I am freaked out about that. Has anyone had any complications with having a hysterectomy. What about having to take hormone supplements what are the side effects? My surgery is scheduled for Dec. 3. My sisters birthday and the day my oldest son has to go to court.

[shezbut]

(((LostMom3)))

I had a complete hysterectomy (uterus & cervix) a few years ago, due to complications from very heavy, long periods for many years. I did have c-sections with my daughters, as I'd had a myomectomy before even becoming pregnant to remove tissue covering the uterus...causing extreme pain and preventing pregnancy anyway.

After I had my 2nd girl, I'd had my tubes tied. Still, the pain and heaviness returned very quickly & was soon determined to be necessary to remove, in order to improve my life a bit. The surgery was a success. They left both ovaries in ~ to keep me from going through "the change" prematurely. It's worked very well so far *knock on wood". I recovered rather quickly, but I have heard that getting the ovaries removed complicates the emotional recovery a bit. Not to mention hot flashes!

Out of curiosity, have they done ultrasounds, or other testing that shows growth on your ovaries (or are they simply assuming)? I recommend that you visit the attached site to get advice and support ~ they were wonderful to me there!

http://www.hyster-sisters.com

They also carry very helpful products which make the change more bearable. I bought a "chillow", came in very handy! They also have quite a few products for those going through the oomphorectomy as well as hysterectomy.

Very best wishes to you ~ and gentle hugs.

[LostMom3]

They want to take the ovaries because of family history of female cancer. Plus the fact that there is so much scar tissue from the 3 c-sections. It has been almost 17 years since my last c-section. Bleeding and pain have just gotten worse year after year. Thank you for the link. Very helpful.

[kindachaotic]

Hope all goes well. First 24hrs pretty painful but after that not bad.
They left ovaries but that was 17yrs ago & am 55 now. Take Premarin now & has been a great relief.
No cancer in my family so feel pretty safe taking it. My reg doc says taking it for 2-7yrs can reduce chances of osteoporosis, which does run in my family.
Sending you good thoughts for speedy recovery.

[LostMom3]

They are doing mine through my c-section scar. They said that I would be in the hospital 3 to 4 days. And would take about 4 weeks to heal. I am really nervous.

[Fresia]

My thoughts and prayers are with you. Will be wishing for the best and for a very speedy recovery. Hang in there meanwhile! ((((((LostMom3))))))))

[Leed]

Hi ~ I had a COMPLETE hysterectomy, which meant taking the ovaries AND the Cervix too. They did all this thru the vagina! They didn't have to go thru the abdominal wall at all! I was so happy!

I had NO problems at all. NONE. But I did have to go on hormonal supplements, and I had to trouble with that either. I was on them for 10 years too!!! I had my hysterectomy when I was 43, and I stopped taking the hormones when I was 53. No hot flashes, no nothing. It was wonderful. I never felt so good in my life, because I was always so anemic from HORRENDOUS blood flow.

I had fibroid tumors in the uterus, plus they would wrapped around the ovaries too. So that was causing all the terrible blood flow. Thank God I had the surgery!!! I'd probably still be bleeding now, and I'm 63 yrs old.

Don't worry about the surgery. Are they going to do it thru the vagina? I hope so. It's much easier that way. God bless & let us know how you do. Hugs, Lee

[LostMom3]

With all the scar tissue from c-sections with 3 boys, they said they have to go through the abdomen. At least I already have the scar.

[~Christina]

((( Lostmom )))

Im 46 and had my hysterectomy in 2001. The doctor left my ovaries in hope to keep me from menopause at the time. Surgery went fine, pain was for the most part controlled from pain meds. My ovaries basically never woke up from surgery, My doctor said they must have gone on vacation.. I tried meds to combat the hot flashes and all that fun fun stuff. The meds really didnt help and I wasnt will to take the risk of meds. The best advice I can give you is get up as soon as possible after surgery and walk as much as possible and try to stand straight , yes its hard to straighten up.

Good luck .... Oh and , I found a great place for loads of great advice and forums like here but its a hysterectomy support site ..... Hystersisters.com <~~~ Fabulous, It helped me so much!

[LostMom3]

I am going for my pre op this wednesday. Have to have blood work. My blood count was down to 9 last week and just had my period, so I am sure it has probably dropped even more, The doc said they can do a blood transfusion during surgery. I have my bag packed and I guess I am ready. This is being done on the same day my oldest son goes to court and faces the judge with up to 25 yrs on the table. I am worried more about him than I am myself at this point. I have someone that is going to be at the hospital every minute that I am there. But My son won't allow anyone but his dad to go with him to court.

[shezbut]

I vaguely recall losing a lot of blood through my surgery, now that you mention it. I needed 2 liters of blood to be transfused due to their difficulty removing the uterus from the bladder. The two had become fused together somewhere along the way.

I am so sorry that your surgery is occurring on the same day that your oldest son goes to court, facing a possible long sentence. When it rains, it seems to pour, doesn't it?! You're in my thoughts, LostMom. I hope that things go well for you. (((((hugs)))))