I’ve had a pretty sh*tty year and it’s ending on a particular low.
My gynae nurse phoned yesterday to say that I had exhausted all options and I’m facing a hysterectomy.
I have ridiculously heavy periods, extremely painful and pass huge blood clots. I end up having to take time off work every single month
I’m on tranexamic acid and it’s doing very, very little to help.
I had Scans last year and no one followed them up (they blamed it on Covid, my GP surgery blame everything on Covid!!) but this week I contacted them again and asked for more help. My gynae nurse then phoned back to push the merina coil. I said I wasn’t interested and the evidence wasn’t strong enough for me.
She then searched for my scans and told me I was out of options. I have a fibroid between the muscle layers of the womb. It is distorting the shape of my womb so a coil is no longer an option. It’s causing a huge amount of pain, constantly feel like I need a wee when I barely squeeze a teaspoon out. The bleeding is horrendous. I’m just so fed up with it all.
She is referring me on and told me that, due to a condition I have, ablation is not an option and that I’m 99% looking at hysterectomy.
My family is complete so I’m not bothered about that bit.
I’m bothered about the waiting times, the time it’ll take from referral to actually seeing someone to then actually having the operation.
I’m considering going private should the waiting time be over a year. I cannot go on for another year like this.
I’m worried about how long the recovery time will be.
I’m worried about what life is like after a hysterectomy?
I’m unsure if worried is the correct word actually. I am concerned as so much of the day-to-day stuff falls to me. Who will pick up the slack when I cannot?
If you got this far go get yourself a stiff drink! You’re a star
My wife’s mother had a hysterectomy. Around 6 months recovery period, and the 1st 3 months she could do very little- my wife, as a young teenager, stepped up to the plate (no choice) as the husband and her brother weren’t expected to do laundry/cleaning because, well… they were men?
An ex colleague had to have one has her period were so painful she would pass out through pain.
Just be patient, you’ll be better on the other side of the op.
My OH had one about 20 years ago for health reasons, including Endometriosis and ITP. The recovery time was 3 months. We were told by the gynaecology nurse that gentle sex would be ok a fortnight after the op. I didn’t think it would be possible and resolved to wait until my OH was ready. But a fortnight after the op, she initiated sex and it was fine, we just took things slowly and gently. HRT was prescribed afterwards. Can’t remember the waiting time, but the op was cancelled at the last minute a couple of times due to the ITP ( blood not clotting, so a major op too risky)
My sister had one about 6 years ago, and it was keyhole surgery, which i think had a shorter recovery time. Hope this helps!
I’m 46 and had a hysterectomy in April this year for fibroids and heavy bleeding. It was an outpatient laparoscopic procedure. I was back to work in 10 days. The fatigue lasted 2-3 months and I took naps during my lunch breaks. At my 4 week post surgery follow up I felt great. I didn’t recover from my 2 C-sections as fast as I recovered from my hysterectomy. Once the fatigue went away, I noticed I have more energy than I did before my hysterectomy.
Side note: sex after hysterectomy is great. I’m not sure why but it is.
I hope you’re able to get yours soon. I didn’t even know I had fibroids until I had a four week period. The nurse practitioner in my doctor’s office immediately sent me for an ultrasound then referred me to an ob/gyn. I’m in the U.S. and from my initial appointment with the nurse practitioner to surgery date was about 3 1/2 months. If you can, get it done sooner rather than later. 2-3 months of recovery fatigue is nothing compared to bleeding for weeks at a time and praying to just make it through one more day because you can’t stand it anymore.
I wish you luck and hope you get your surgery soon.
Thanks everyone. I’m just feeling sorry for myself!
There are many reasons why a hysterectomy would be beneficial so I need to focus on those. They believe my debilitating migraines are hormone related (always around my period or ovulation), PCOS is no fun anyway so who needs sh*tty ovaries that don’t work properly and cause more pain than they should. Obviously horrendous periods that disrupt my working day every single month and leave me completely exhausted and drained from the sheer volume and pain caused. I don’t want any more children, I’m completely done done and I should be sssooooo much more grateful for the family I have. My immune system is floored each month just before or just after my period.
So actually going a month without any of the above would be heaven right now! I’d pay big money for that!!
Those who have experienced a hysterectomy; did you go via NHS or privately? I’m debating privately to just get the cogs turning as the wait time is so long and then with all the covid stuff ramping up again it could be even longer
My OH was NHS as it was combined with treatment for both Endometriosis and the aforementioned blood clotting disorder ITP. I think from decision to operation was about 6 months, with a couple of last minute cancellations due to her platelets not being a safe enough to do the op. She had transfusions of platlets as a pre-op, but her immune system destroyed them virtually immediately a couple of times, so they wouldn’t risk the op.
This was over 20 years ago, and Covid wasn’t affecting the NHS, so not sure how long the wait would be currently, and i guess it would depend on your local NHS trust too. Hope this helps.
