Dr recommends future myomectomy... what can I expect?

I am curious to know if any women suffering from fibroids or adenomyosis/endometriosis or cysts were diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Or told to do physiotherspy or visit Chiropractor for pain.

the same was said to me but i insisted on having the surgery cause i cant live with the symptoms especially they suck the energy out of you

Hi there,

Obviously, every time you have surgery there is a risk for your health. That said, depending on the size and location of your fibroid/s will determine the type of surgery that can be conducted, and statistics show that if you grew more than one fibroid once, you will grow more again (requiring possible future surgeries).

On may last year I had an almost 1kg fibroid mass removed (perdunculated subserosal) via cesearen style as key hole was not an adoption (17cm). I was lucky they didn't puncture the uterus as if they had of, due to location, I wouldn't be able to deliver future baby naturally. If I had noticed the mass sooner (blamed a hardened bladder for the mass that sometimes disappeared) then I would have has a less invasive surgery, and lower risk overall.

It doesn't hurt to get a second opinion on your situation and have explained to you why the doctor is recommending his approach so that you are able to make the decision for yourself on what to do. I went back and forth many times, and with second opinions before accepting what needed to be done!

Ps. My stomach still sticks out weirdly from the fibroid location so I maybe wouldn't base any decision on just that, just in case.

I had a myomectomy about seven weeks ago. Recovery is not fun, but let me tell you, it helped me SO MUCH! I had at least 23 fibroids (I think the doctor stopped counting after a while) which were essentially taking over my abdomen. My uterus was so enlarged and my bladder was being squished as a result.

Here's what to expect:

You'll need to take laxatives the night before. Unpleasant, but trust me, you WANT to be cleaned out, especially since you probably won't be able to move your bowels for a few days following the procedure.

The procedure itself may take several hours, depending on how bad the fibroids are. When you wake up, you will most likely have an IV pump for pain medication and a catheter so you won't need to get up to go to the toilet.

You will probably be in he hospital for approximately 2-4 days. You will need assistance from the nurses to get in and out of bed, especially to go to the toilet after the catheter is removed. Let your doctor know immediately if the pain medication makes you nauseous--I could hardly eat during my second day in the hospital because of this. It's also best to try and get up and have the nurses assist you in taking a walk down the hall if you're able. Do NOT be alarmed if you need a blood transfusion, as you will understandably lose a lot of blood during the procedure (I needed two bags of blood during my third day in the hospital). However, your doctor will most likely prescribe you medication before the procedure to prevent excessive bleeding.

When you go home, the most important thing during the recovery process is PATIENCE. It will be quite difficult to get in and out of bed and on and off the couch, so be sure to have a family member, significant other, etc. assist you. You'll need constant care for a while. (I live by myself, so I stayed with my parents for a few days immediately upon my release from the hospital.) Stairs will be a HUGE no-no, so be sure to stay downstairs if you live somewhere that's two stories.

It will take about 3-4 weeks until you can drive again. It will take about a month until you can return to work and resume your normal schedule. It will also take about 4 weeks to resume your normal walking pace. Until then, TAKE IT SLOW. To get out of bed or off the couch, I recommend a barrel roll. If you have a lounge chair (especially one that contours to your back), I highly recommend laying on and sleeping in one for a few weeks. I wasn't able to lay on my side for about 4 weeks, which my back was NOT happy about, especially since I have scoliosis. It's amazing how much we take our abdominal muscles for granted.

As for moving your bowels, don't expect to do so while you're in the hospital--this is perfectly normal. After you're released, it's super important that you eat prunes and use stool softeners because you don't want to have to push (in fact, you WON'T be able to push). I got extremely lucky in this department--my stool was really loose for about 6 weeks following my surgery.

The most important thing is to NOT lift anything heavy. My lifting limit is still about 4 pounds. (My boyfriend still comes over all the time to assist me with laundry, food shopping, etc.)

Physical therapy is highly recommended. My PT showed me gentle core exercises to strengthen the abdominal muscles and as you heal, more exercises can be added on. Also, after about 3 weeks, it's important to massage and work your scar, otherwise little knots will develop underneath it and make the skin tighter. My doctor had me wear these surgical strips over the scar for about two weeks. I didn't have any stitches or sutures, which was pretty cool--they used glue, which eventually peeled and came off over time.

Any other questions, please feel free to ask, and good luck!