Why I finally had to have a hysterectomy
My hysterectomy was planned after I had a complication due to uterine ablation surgery two years prior. (I knew going into the ablation surgery that I might eventually need to have a hysterectomy but these are the steps I needed to take.) We had exhausted all options after I had severe abdominal pain for about 2 months and a quick exploratory surgery revealed that my uterus needed to come out. I had made peace with this and actually felt relieved to finally be rid of the cramps and issues that had been plaguing me for years.
I do not blame or regret my uterine ablation surgery because it did in fact help with many of the issues I was dealing with at the time. I was in perimenopause and my periods had gotten very heavy and were so sporadic that I never knew when it would happen which resulted in many annoying & embarrassing accidents. When I had to leave work to change my clothes, I knew I had a problem so I spoke with my doctor. And don’t get me started on the awful cramps! I would say that I felt worse than I ever did as a teenager while going through this. The surgery helped so much and I never had a period again and all seemed good in my world. I did however still have cramps and I learned that a uterine ablation would burn the lining of my uterus which in turn would prevent the lining from shedding and bleeding. Because you can still technically get pregnant after a uterine ablation, my doctor wanted to also remove my fallopian tubes. However after surgery my body still went through a cycle and although there was no bleeding, I still had some cramping and other pms symptoms. Still, I would do it all over again.
Two years later, I noticed that my cramps were getting a little worse and suddenly the 800 mg of ibuprofen were not helping the pain so I ended up in the ER and had several scans and tests done. It turns out that my uterus was completely full of scar tissue (I do create a lot of scar tissue in my body) and it was bleeding inside but the blood couldn’t come out and it was sitting in there causing pain until eventually my body would absorb it and after a month or so would start the process again. I went to the hospital on a Friday and a few days later I was squeezed into the surgery schedule due to the severity of my pain. My doctor wanted to insert a scope with a camera into my uterus and hopefully do a DNC to clear out the scar tissue. She wasn’t able to even get the scope into my uterus because there was too much scar tissue so she said a hysterectomy would be my best option.
My doctor and I discussed the surgery and since I was just turning 49 and most likely heading into menopause in the next few years, we both decided the best thing would be to take everything out including my ovaries which would put me in immediate surgical menopause. I felt comfortable with this decision because I would rather not have to worry about the potential for cervical, uterine or ovarian cancer in the future.
We scheduled my surgery for a Friday in January and worked on a pain management plan and then I worked on getting my lesson plans ready to be off work for 6 weeks. I cannot explain how much preparation went into getting ready for my surgery! I spent so much time getting things ready at school and at home. My husband works out of state Mon-Thrs and so I had to prepare to be alone and be able to take care of myself. Luckily I have amazing friends and two of them offered to stay with me those first days when my husband had left.
I would have to say that the preparation was the hardest part of having a major surgery. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to having nothing to do but rest and recover after all the prep work.
Please see the next article for more information about my surgery.
