I just came from my doctor and one probe from the hand, and the words of a full hysterectomy came out of his mouth. I have had endometriosis already and had the surgeries to remove it, only to have it return ten fold three years later. I have been in extreme pain for the last few months and finally after all the pain I could not take it any more and went to see my Doctor, told him all my symptoms and he examined me and there ya go. I just married for the first time ( Sept 23, 2006) after being a single mom for 14 years and the talks and wanting a child with him just flew out the window. I am so heart broken. Not sure how to feel I kinda knew that it was going to happen but it really slaps ya in the face. My question is how can I not only help me deal with this but how can I comfort my husband and tell my son he will not have a brother or sister. I am heavy hearted and seriously sad. Any help or suggestions would be extremely helpful and needed. Thank You
Hello Everyone, First and foremost I wanted to thank you for all the replies I received.
I had the hysto on the 8th(they did the laser so no huge scar and recovery is quicker not for everyone though) and had 8lbs of endo removed, there was no need for a second opinion this was the second time that I have had it and had a lot removed three years ago.
I had to back yesterday for a cuff repair because it tore one stitch though had a few bladder problems that was great walking around with a cath. But all in all went well I came through with flying colors. My husband was there from a-z and was very supportive of me and my son. So far so good still cramping but that is to be expected. The only draw back which I will get more info today is that if I go on the estrogen patches ( which makes endo grow) So we will see. Again I want to tell every who responded to my request thank our support and stories helped through a very emotional time. Thank You M.
I understand you completely, I had a hysterectomy 3 years and I dealt with a lot of issues, if you feel you need someone to talk to I will be happy to talk with you. You can contact me here.
B.
Dear M.:
I read your email and wanted to suggest a few things that might be worth investigating before you decide on the hysterectomy.I have an ultrasound practice in Obstetrics and gynecology and you could call the office to speak with me to discuss some individuals that could offer you a 2nd opinion.
The office is ###-###-####.
S.
My advice. seek a 2nd, 3rd, 4th opinion. there is more that can be done to help protect your fertility and get you out of pain besides a hystercotomy.this is a last ditch effort. you need to find a doctor that knows and understand your desire to have more children. get as many opinions as it takes till you find a doctor that is willing to do what it takes to make sure that all has been done before talk of a hystercotomy comes up again. there may be new treatments, new surgeries. I just think it is strange that this doctor would tell you this is the only thing left to be done, without exploring other options for you. Keep seeking professional advice. i'd suggest going and seeing a fertility specialist as well. they may know more than the average OB about endo and further treatment options. It is all up to how badly you would like tohave another child with your dh.
hth
B.
RUN, don't walk, to either here:
Women's Health and FertilityCare Ctr at St Anthony's Hosp
Phone: ###-###-####
or here:
Fertility Care Services of Tampa
Phone: ###-###-####
It is a Catholic organization, so the LAST thing they will do is a hysterectomy. They will try anything and everything to clear up your endo and help you have more children. Don't let the Catholic thing scare you off- as far as I know, they'll address your medical concerns alone.
i haven't dealt with this but i just wanted to say im so sorry that you are going throught this.
have you considered a surrogate? there are of course options. some may be for you some may not. again, im so sorry for your pain.
To start with, I have had a full hysterectomy and love it. Prior to mine, I had fibroid tumors removed and endrometriosis was also a problem. When I found out I would need one, my Husband and I were only married a few months.Another child was not even a topic. We had children already, I had one and he had 3. But we made the choice to have one together. So after only being married for a couple of months, I had the tumors removed and got pregnant. My understanding is that even with endrometriosis you could get pregrant and it would relax a bit until after the baby. Get a second opinion. I recommend getting a second opinion also. If you are in St Petersburg, Fl area try Dr. Thomas McNeill. I can not say enough great things about him. After another doctor messed up a surgery on me, he fixed it...Love him....
Anyways, I am sorry for your situation. But I am sure you Husband loves you for you not what you could maybe give him in the future... Good Luck!
Dear M.
I have to agree with one of the other responders in getting a 2nd opinion....I too went thru all kinds of problems with endometriosis, cysts, etc...was in severe pain all the time, bled severely on my periods....I ended up having one of the surgeries to have the endometriosis removed and a cyst in my left ovary...well they ended up opening me all the way up on what was suppose to be laproscopy (spelled wrong) and removing my left ovary, left fallopian tube, burning off the endometriosis and closing me up and telling me in another couple of years I would probably need a hysterectomy...now in my case I already had 3 children...so I wasn't needing my "works" so I was upset they hadn't gone ahead w/the hysterectomy when they were already in there.....lo and behold almost a year to the day...I got pregnant AGAIN!!!...so there are ways to take care of the problem and still keep what you need to get pregnant...of course it lowers your odds...but at least there are still "odds"...I did end up having a hysterectomy approximately a year after my youngest (who is 3 1/2 now) was born....and in my case....I have never been so relieved......I don't miss the pain (so bad I would vomit), the severe bleeding...there is nothing I miss about it...they did leave my right ovary when they did my hysterectomy so that I wouldn't have to deal with menopause at such a "young" age...I was 33 yrs old then....I don't know if any of this rambling helps but take it for what it is.......A.
If you are not positively sure you want a hysterectomy, I would recommend you get another opinion. I have had severe endo (adhesions, cysts, etc) for years and have battled with it tremendously - numerous laparascopies, etc. Because of where I was in my life (either not married, just married, wanting kids, etc), the drs found many other alternatives to help me deal with the endo. Have you tried lupron? Have you had a uterosacral nerve ablation? These you had a laparascopy in a few years? These are all options that are viable and would probably bring some level of relief to you if you are wanting to put off having a hysterectomy. Best of luck to you.
Hello. I am so sorry to hear the pain you are going through. My gyn problems are different but potentially affect my reproductivity (is that a word?) also. One thing we have talked about is adoption. My fear is that having had one child and nursed him, that I won't have the same kind of bond with an adopted child. I go round and round about it, but I thought I would put it out there to you. Whatever you decide I wish you luck.
Dear Marci,
Take heart, you will feel fantastic after the surgery.
Did you ever consider adoption?
We did and it is wonderful.
D.
M. -
My heart goes out to you and your family. I personally have not gone through this, but I have a very close friend who is. I would suggest you seek a 2nd opinion before allowing a full hysterectomy - you owe that to yourself. I can get you the name of great doctors in the New Tampa area if you'd like. Best of luck.
I had a full hysterectomy almost 6 years ago now. In my case even though my 2 children were grown, I was reluctant to do the surgery, I was afraid I would feel less of a woman. I put it off for quite awhile and as time went on the bleeding got progressively worse each cycle, to the point I was almost passing out. When the surgery was done, my Dr showed me pictures of the endemetriosis. It almost totally covered my ovaries and uteras wall. I was glad I finally did it. My daughter was diagnosed with endemetriosis before she had her first child. She had a laparoscopy but was told it would come back and the only thing that would hold it off (though not totally cure it) other than surgery was to get pregnant. She's had 2 children now and so far so good, but she still has that chance it will come back.
Did you ask your Dr. if you could try to get pregnant before having the hysterectomy? Sometimes that holds it off. Then perhaps you could have the surgery after.
Just an added note, since I had the surgery, it has actually freed me, because I don't have to worry about when my cycle is going to hit. I was very irregular. It's nice to be able to wear light colored pants if I want.
I'll pray for you and hope it works out for you, but I'd definitely see if the Dr. would say it's ok to get pregnant first.
