I had an emergency vaginal hysterectomy four days ago due to heavy uterine bleeding....(uterus and cervix removed, kept ovaries) Four weeks previously to the day I had a D&C for heavy bleeding...well when I got my period last Thursday it started out heavy...D&C did no good at all...By Sunday morning I had already lost two units of blood....so it was decided to do the hysterectomy....well I have been a mess since the surgery....the pain has gotten better, but I was back in the ER yesterday for a UTI and dehydration...I have no appetite, when I do eat it makes my stomach cramp with gas so I eat very small amounts. I am having tons of hot flashes, I am not sleeping over two or three hours a night, and due to my anemia I am weak and my heart races...so I am not having a very easy time right now and could really use some hugs and prayers....all my kids are grown, but I am so profoundly sad about losing my uterus. It held all my precious babies, and now it is getting dissected and tested in the pathology lab and when they are done with it they will just throw it in the trash. I am crying constantly. I have been trying to get in touch with my surgeon...I really need to talk to her about how I am feeling. I never dreamed this would be so hard. I have been through hell the last month...first losing almost half my blood volume and having the D&C, and then four weeks later I had the emergency hysterectomy....Please Lord, let me have a quick recovery. I need a break.

((((Oh Tina))))
BIG HUG!
you poor thing, you have been through so much and now this!
When I read you had the hysterectomy I thought good, that old bad thing is gone!
There are days I want to lose mine!
I never thought about (It held all my precious babies, and now it is getting dissected).
Where so sensitive right now!
Now you made me cry!
It a lost and you are experiencing grief...

Take care of yourself!

To TIna who had the emergency hysterectomy. My heart goes out to you. Try to relax and think of something positive. I know that may sound trite right now but so important. I had a hysterectomy in July '06 due to very heavy bleeding. I wish they had done a vaginal one, but unfortunately I was told that my fibroid tumors were too big and they had to cut me in half (or so it felt). I can relate to your missing your uterus. But I am really glad to be rid of all the bleeding. It was making such a negative impact on my life. And I started sweating like crazy at night afterwards too. My dr put me on estradiol and it went away. I love not having a period. I do not seem to be as "hormonal" as I was before. Seemed like I was "hormonal" about 2 out of every 4 weeks before the surgery.
Hope this helps. I'm new to this chat site (or any for that matter). Sure looks to be a wealth of information for us gals!

Hi Tina:
I've never had a hysterectomy, but faced the possibility of one a month or so ago..For me losing some of what made me a woman felt like it would diminish me..so I understand the profound feelings of grief. And anemia and hormone loss sure can't be helping matters. I'm saying a prayer for you right now..Hopefully, your gyno and other docs can get you balanced hormonally and nutritionally and you will feel better soon.
Peace and love,
Avi

{{{{Tina}}}}} My thoughts and prayers are with you. Hang in there...when this is all over, you'll feel so much better, and you're still YOU...one of my friends who had a hysterectomy refers to herself as the "streamlined hot rod" now!! Be good to yourself, okay? And just lie there and let everyone wait on you hand & foot till you feel better. And know that you're surrounded by prayer!!!!!!! IrishLass

Hi Tina,

I had a vaginal hysterectomy, and a rectocele and cystocele repair done in January. Mine wasn't an emergency, it was planned due to a uterine prolapse.

You've got to be really patient with yourself and your healing. I takes a good 6-8 weeks before you're back to "normal."

I didn't eat much the first couple weeks either, and felt very ill, gas and cramps are very normal...although I didn't have a lot of pain at the incision sites.

You might want to visit a website *** where all they discuss is hysterectomies. You might find other women who have had to have emergency hysterectomies, and will be able to relate to how you're feeling.




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Hey Tina,
I know exactly how you are feeling i myself had a hysterectomy (complete) 5 years ago.
I felt like i was no longer a complete woman and every time i looked at the scar which is from belly button to hairline i would cry. It will take alot of time for you to get used to the idea. i had to have mine because of a tilted uterus and left ovary was double in size i did have cancer cells but thank God they were beign. It is a big adjustment all at once, but you are a survivor and you will pull through. It does have it's good point and that is no more periods and not having like alot of the girls here do is it coming or is it not and then it going for days on end. Istill have days that really bother me but overall i am getting better,and i have faith that you will also. But please take it very easy and do what your dr. advises you .You have been thrown into instant meno and it is a struggle, but as i am sure you know there is alot of great info here and wonderful ladies willing to help any way they can. Godd Luck and big hugs. northcarolinahappy

hi tina, i too have had the big 'H', and i only have 1 ovary. just try to look at the positives, like no more worrying when you wear a white bathingsuit....and no more money on feminine products, and no surprise babies...since your kids are grown, like mine, we can be happy for grandbabies we can love on and then give back ! LOL just give yourself time to heal, and i'm sending you a big hug !!! kelly

Hi Tina,

Give yourself time. You had emergency, major surgery and didn't have time to prepare yourself mentally. Prior to my TAH, (keeping ovaries) August last year, hysterectomy was mentioned twice and both times I cried all day. I guess I wanted to keep my uterus When I had my hysterectomy I was ready emotionally, my hysterectomy was a necessity, I had no choice.

A couple of days after my surgery, I couldn't stop crying, the hot flushes were so bad the nurses would have to come in and sponge me down and change my nightwear. My doctor explained what was happening which helped. She said that they don't know why, but a few days after a hysterectomy most women go through a similar experience as they have after childbirth.

After a hysterectomy your ovaries can shut down for a short time due to the blood supply being interrupted during surgery, therefore we experience hot flushes and crying bouts, ect. It takes a few weeks for things to settle and get back to normal. I had hot flashes for about 3 weeks after my hysterectomy.

As the days go by you'll start to feel better, stronger and happier and when this happens you'll be pleased that you had your hysterectomy. No more pain, no more bleeding, going out when you want and not having to worry about what you're wearing or bleeding through your clothing, I could go on, but I'm sure you'll find another 150+ reasons

Give yourself time to heal physically and emotionally and don't overdo, you only have one chance to heal properly after a hysterectomy, so make sure you give your body the time it needs to heal in it's own time.

Aussie*S*

Sounds like they need to consider estrogen replacement - unless cancer was present or you have some other reason you can't take it! It made a world of difference for me - once we got it right! I now take estrogen pills and testosterone cream and usually feel much closer to myself!

Zelma

Hi Tina,

Just want to run in and give you a (((HUG))).

My thoughts and prayers are with you right now. Hope you're feeling a bit more encouraged as the days go by.

Love to you,
JJ

Tina,

Sorry, I somehow missed the post of your surgery. I hope you are feeling much better. You've been through so much, give yourself time to heal, any loss comes with grief. Take care of yourself. Big ((((HUGS)))). Arla.

Dear Tina,
This is my first posting....please forgive me for it looking plain. I am 55 years old. I started hot flashes in 1993 when I lost my Mom due to a doctor's error and then I lost my only child my son, Philip to AIDS in 1994. As the years have gone on the hot flashes have increased. I am now officially diagnosed with Focal Hyperhidrosis...which means I sweat profusely on my entire scalp and face.
The last two and a half years I was bleeding constantly....went to three GYN's and no one had an answer for me they would always right it off to depression from my loses.
This past January I was just about bed bound and was given the name of another GYN.....thank God.....he listened. I had a D&C in April plus a hysteroscopy.....which is a test to see if there is Cancer present. Indeed, I did have Uterine Cancer. I had a full hysterectomy on May 24th. I am one of the lucky ones.....I did not need to have any chemo or radiation....my biopsies were all negative.
As the weeks are going on the hot flashes are worse and worse. They have placed me on Premarin but it is not making a dent. I am going to have blood work done tomorrow to see what if any counts are out of wack. I go to a new Endocrinologist on Thursday ( I have had Thyroid disease since 1993).
Even with all the loses in my life I always try to keep myself on a positive note for my husband.....we are married 37 years. My recent crying spells are horrible and not me at all. There were things I should have been told to expect having a radical hysterectomy BUT no one did.
Reading your blog has given me the courage to learn how to be a member of this incredible sight. My heart is breaking for you and you will be in my constant prayers. I am a larger woman and I was scared that I would have pain where the incision is....thank goodness....it did not happen.
Again, I want to thank you for reaching out to other woman that are experiencing what we are. Your pain will get better each day......both physically and mentally. Don't stop posting, you are an inspiration to us. Life is so precious and so worth living. Again, you are in my thoughts and prayers as are the other courageous woman who have posted on this remarkable website.....thank you one and all for helping me get through this night. I promise my nest posting will be snazier looking.

Peace and Love,
Immy (Philip's Mom)

Dear Immy,

I am so sorry for all that you have gone through. Please know that my thoughts are with you.

I have not have a hysterectomy, but when my estrogen was decreased too quickly, I started having very bad crying jags which I have never had before. Maybe when your estrogen levels are optimized, you will feel much better.

Take good care of yourself.

Colleen

Hi Immy
I have just read your message and have to say welcome to the site and you are not alone!
I was also diagnosed with uterine cancer but a year previous to you so I am further down the line.
I too was one of the lucky ones. I was diagnosed very early and had a radical hysterectomy and ovaries removed and no further treatment.
No-one prepares you though for the horror of having all your hormones and womanhood ripped away in one fell swoop and the year following the op I was suffering most dreadfully both physically and mentally.
I am only just beginning to accept it all.
I was fortunate to have had three children who are all now grown but the anguish of losing my womb took a long time to get over, even though I didn't want any more children.
The hot flushes, anxiety, tearfulness, tiredness and loss of libido were dreadful. Sometimes I wondered what was the point of being cured from cancer only to be in a living hell. I was not allowed any form of HRT to help as my cancer was hormone driven.
I want to say that things do indeed get better.Its a long slow process though! After all, what a physical shock it is to have everything suddenly taken away!
But in time it does get better and now I look back and I am glad-yes glad that it happened and I wouldn't change a thing.
You see I suffered so dreadfully with my hormones all my adult life and most of the time I was moody and irritable.
During peri I was so depressed I was suicidal although I have been told that cancer can cause depression too.
I have had several good checkups since my op and as time goes by I find myself becoming more the person that I always should have been and never had the chance to be.
I am having success with soy products to help with the hot flushes and am not planning on going on HRT even though I have been told I can in November.
Like you I have been married a long time and I agree- they dont tell you what to expect after this op-I have a suspicion that they keep it from you because it would be too much to handle.
I found that after a year I completely lost any sexual feelings I had and my heart was broken. On top of everything else I had lost that too.
I went to see my doctor about it 3 weeks ago and she put me on low dose testosterone.
I cant tell you what a difference it has made. Not only to my libido which is better than it has been in years-but also to my renewed interest in life, increased energy and sense of well being.
My marriage is better than it has ever been and I always know that I am going to feel happy when I wake up in the morning!
So keep going and things will get better in time.
You and I have been so lucky to be cured of our cancer and we know that life is precious and we have to appreciate every day.
Take care
janet c

Hey Tina!!!!
I am so sorry that you have gone through all this so fast. I think that the emotional side of all of this is completely overlooked by the medical world. Didn't you have any time in the Hospital to recover? 4 days and already home? You poor thing. What is being done about the anemia? That is no laughing matter and hope that you will atleast be scheduled for an iron infusion after soooo much blood loss., that atleast would put you on the right track to feeling a bit better. Time will have to be your Friend right now. Allow yourself time to feel sad, the sooner all the emotions can come out, the sooner you can clear your head and heart and gather the strngth for your recovery.
I am really terribly sorry that you have had such a traumatic experience. I hope that SOON you will be able to post with good news that you are on your way to a healthy recovery!
Lots of Love,
Girlsmom

This is to ALL of us ladies who have had hysterectomies. Mine was done when I was in my late 20s after having a tubal ligation at age 23.

There is an extreme emotional low first mourning the loss of a part of yourself and then upset in hormonal balance. This coupled with pain (I've had friends who have had the vaginal surgery done where they pump gas in to distend the area and their pain is a lot like you've confessed ... a LOT of bloat and gas that has to find its way out).

It does take 6-8 weeks before you feel fully recuperated again. Hot flashes are part of this whole mess and they are indeed furious, but....they DO go away if your ovaries remained. HRT is a must if they have not and it takes several weeks for HRT to take full effect and then over time, with continued therapy, symptoms go away.

Make sure, when you've lost a lot of blood volume, to drink a LOT of fluid and I'm sure, Tina, your doctor has advised vitamins to help build up iron again?

I can tell you with certainty that being female is a huge (and at times thankless load). A male could never hope to endure (nor would I wish this on them either), yet at the same time, even in spite of our panic attacks, physical, emotional storms, we typically end up living longer than our men do and that doesn't feel very fair either.

Sometimes, when I'm very focused on my own terrors about what my body is doing or not seeming to do right, I look at my husband and think, 'I'm not going to worry about whether this next breath will take me. I'm going to worry about whether HIS next breath will take him from ME!'

I know that sounds awful...........