Are you considering a hysterectomy? I had one and it was the worst experience of my life. My goal here is to help you understand what I went through before and after a total abdominal hysterectomy.
Please note that I am neither a doctor nor a surgeon, but a victim of a hysterectomy, and this is my attempt to help you not to become a victim.
A lot – so many surgeons won’t tell you the real things – and so on!
First, I will let you know what was going on with me and how I came to be who I am today due to the side effects of the hysterectomy.
I had struggled with endometriosis and fibroids for years. My gynecologist said a hysterectomy would solve all my problems. Instead, my whole life has changed for the worse in every way possible!
The excitement of not having a painful and difficult period was incredible! What I didn’t know is that endometriosis can still develop outside your uterus. So please do your homework if you are seriously considering having this life-destroying operation carried out. Read on for my personal experiences. It’s been 15 years and the nightmare continues. These things could probably happen to you.
- Swollen from head to toe. My stomach was hurting a lot and I looked like I was eight months pregnant. They give you something that you can wear around your belly to reduce the swelling and tell them that “in about 6 months everything will be back to normal”. Uh, no, that didn’t happen.
- It is almost impossible to walk upright for 2-3 months. I couldn’t urinate without asking for a photo on my wall for the fountain to flow – for what was forever. (I don’t think the picture answered what I’m really grateful for.)
If you LOVE having immediate and intense hot flashes, terrible sleeplessness, depression and anxiety, then go for surgery! Do you like it when your hair is in extreme proportions even after the “Oh, that’s just shock from the operation” phase? So yes, do it. My hair is now 1/4 of the amount I had before … and people have commented. Humiliating, to say the least.
- For so many women: No matter how well you eat or how active you are, weight does not drop. What they don’t tell you is that your uterus respects all other organs and bones (ribs) in place. When you lack a uterus, your organs fall out until your ribs rest directly on your hips. More detailed! I don’t know a lot of women who want to gain 50 pounds.
- You may wear a catheter because of urine retention. Imagine the pleasure of having urine around your leg in a strange bag. Be sure to wear baggy pants when using. Ah yes, it’s a super fun time.
- If you find the right bioidentical hormones, your insurance company will not normally pay for them. I tried the oral covered pills but didn’t do anything right. The next step was to create creams. Usually a month is worth hundreds of dollars. The creams helped a bit with the hot flashes and insomnia, but I will never have my body again. I’m still very worried … boy, I wish I had had someone talk to me about this! NOTHING replaces estrogen, progesterone and testosterone like your own body. Unfortunately, they let in an ovary because it “would wake up and make the hormones like you’ve never had a hysterectomy.” Mine never woke up and endometriosis invaded the ovary for an even more entertaining experience. It looked odd and required a biopsy, which meant another invasive operation. They must have taken the whole ovary. I fell asleep thinking I had “possible colon and ovarian cancer” and woke up
“Good news! You don’t have cancer, but your organs are stuck to your pelvic wall and other organs. We found adhesions everywhere! To begin with.”
Adhesions are a fancy medical word for scar tissue – which has been shown to be studied by a hysterectomy. The biggest problem is that the scar tissue has to be prepared to free my organs. This leads to even more scar tissue … and so on.
Now the hormonal problem is worse. I recently paid the exorbitant sum of $ 2,000. for a “specialist in bio-identical hormones” who comes to the office free of charge for one year