why is hysterectomy such a "major" op?

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I went into hosp this week for endometrial ablation due to 2+years of heavy erratic & prolonged bleeding with no cycle whatsoever, & a thickened womb lining of 11mm. (I am peri menopausal by the way aged 46). They attempted the ablation 3 times but apparently i have a smaller than normal womb & because it is only 2cm across the ablation procedure failed as the novasure equipment requires the womb to be a minimum of 2.5cm across.  my gynae consultant is going to get another consultant to have another go in day care in the coming weeks, but she said if this proves unsuccessful too, other options may be to try the mirena coil or a hysterctomy. i tried the mirena 10yrs ago when my gp recommended it for contraception but i had to have it removed as it caused very low moods & pelvic pain. i dont know if this was because my womb is small & retroverted (tilted) plus i have never had children. so i am reluctant to try the mirena again. which leads me to think about a hysterctomy.... i had always been led to think this is a major op, but when one of the nurses in hosp this week told me the size of your uterus, it made me wonder why such a small organ removal would be classed as such a big operation - can anyone shed any light, explain ?  many thanks for any replies. x

0 likes, 12 replies

12 Replies

  • Posted

    Its not about the size its more about the blood supply. The womb for obvious reasons has a huge blood supply so the risk of bleeding out is much higher . With such large blood vessels if you have  a problem you can bleed out so quickly it makes risk much higher of complcations.  Having said that it is a routine operation these days for hospitals  its just the recovery that has to be well managed by the patient while your body heals and adjusts.
  • Posted

    It is a big op I also had the cervix removed and I've never felt so ill in my life I had to have 3pints of blood replaced because I bleed do bad took me s long time to recover it's laughable when they telling you six weeks recovery it takes much longer but worth it i the end I was the same as you no more constant blessing

    • Posted

      I'm with you on that Gillian, there are different procegers with hysterectomies. Different recovery times, I like you had my cervix removed due to Endometriosis and womb and ovaries. I was cut from my pubic bone to my navel, I have never felt so much pain in all my life, took at least 3 months for me to feel well again,   But like you said it's worth it in the end tho.

      3 less things to go wrong with my body now, that's how I look at it, 

       

  • Posted

    Hi Looloo,

    I had a total abdominal hysterectomy 5 weeks ago. It tires you out for sure! I wondered the same question myself as to why it's so major- and read up. Its like taking your internal scaffolding away and your body has to adjust. In my case I had ovary removal too. You might have much better optipns though - such as vaginal or keyhole hysterectomy - all much better in recovery terms.

    Good luck to you!

  • Posted

    Hi Looloo,

    As others have said, it is a major operation.  Even if your uterus is small, it's removal affects to a certain extent the positioning of your other organs in your abdomen.  

    You are wise to beware of the mirena coil.  I've noticed that it seems quite popular in the UK, but in the US, women are more aware of the complications it can cause, even in a more normal size uterus, in can perforate the uterine wall.  Yikes!

    Please let us know what you decide to do, and how you get on!

  • Posted

    It is a major operation.  I had the Davinci robotic assisted lap vaginal hysterectomy one and a half years ago.  My ovaries were healthy and therefore left in.  My gynecologist told me it would take me from 6 months to a year to have my full energy back and she was right!  Thank God I don't work because, even at six weeks, I could not have gone back to work!  I think this was partially because of the extensive endometriosis and scar tissue that also had to be removed.

    I do believe that even though my ovaries were left in my transition into menopause has been hastened and I am trying to deal with this naturally...but not very successfully so have an appointment next month to see what my options are regarding hormone therapy.

    That being said, each person is different and how easily one recovers from this surgery depends on many things.  I will say that I am glad I had the surgery.  Gone are the days of heavy bleeding and pelvic fullness and pain!

    Good luck to you in whatever decision you make.🙂

  • Posted

    Thankyou to all you smashing ladies for taking the time & effort to reply to me. it does help give me some info to balance any future decision i may have to make should the next ablation attempt not work. i was hoping to have the ablation procedure to put an end to my painful, prolonged & completely erratic bleeding for a couple of years by which time i would've hopefully reached full menopause & naturally stop having the almost constant bleeding. (i have been peri since approx beginning of 2016).  I have been on low dose bio hrt (oestrogen gel & progesterone tablets) since april 2016 which help greatly with the array of  mental symptoms i was getting; i can cope with the hot flushes if i am mentally in control! but the prolonged painful bleeding gets me down & tires me out.  A great point Julie made about having "the op" - one less thing to go wrong with your body. I did read on wikipedia that many women who have a hysterectomy often go on to having to have another op a few years later due to adhesions, & other reasons; have any of you ladies that have had a hysterectomy had this problem? & could you just have your womb removed (not ovaries) to prevent sudden drastic onset/worsening of meno symptoms, or is it best to get the whole lot removed ovaries too?? x

    • Posted

      19 months ago I had a total robotic hysterectomy. They took it all. Threw me straight into menopause. Managing well with my Dr. naturally, no drugs😉

      I can't even begin to express how much each and every woman on this sight has helped me make it through the days.. .

      If I had to do it over again I would.

      The robotic surgery is less healing time, less blood loss, less chance for infection.

      My Dr was honest with me. He kept me home until I was ready and comfortable to go back to work and he told me it would be about 2 years before I would start to feel "normal" again. I'm finally starting to.

      I suffered with severe endimetriosis, cysts, tumors, abnormal paps, biopsies on my cervix and utetus, for years...since my 20's. I'm now 51, no more bleeding, no more biopsies, ultrasounds, sonogram etc.

      Take your time, get 2nd and maybe even a 3rd opinion. Find a great surgeon and a menopause life coach for afterwards.

      And remember the women on here including myself are always here for you?

    • Posted

      Dear Lottie,

      Thankyou so much for your lovely & kind reply. You sound like you have really been through the mill over decades; far less than i have had to cope with. I am glad you are coming out the other side now.

      Coincidentally, the senior gynae consultant rung me on monday to discuss what i do next following the novasure ablation failure with my my regular gynae consultant. After a long discussion, he thought it was best to try one of the first generation methods of ablation on me under general anaesthetic due to my not having had children , & small retroverted womb.  if that doesnt solve the prolonged & painful bleeding he said the next step would probably be a hysterectomy.... so we are going to take the next step of another method of ablation which i actually prefer the idea of as this will involve the eyes, hands & experience of this fabulous gynae consultant i saw many years ago as opposed to a "blind" machine (the novasure) going inside me to do ablation. i have more confidence in this very experienced consultant than a machine!!!  i am just not looking forward to the pain as when i come round from the 3 attempts of the novasure ablation a few weeks ago, i was in agony for a few days, but as they say no pain no gain. Just waiting for a date now.

      Thanks again Lottie & all the other great ladies for helping me with info & background.  xxxxx

    • Posted

      Hi Lotti,

      Thanks for your response to looloo! I just turned 68.  I had a total robotic hysterectomy in July of 2016 due to endometrial cancer. Thank heavens nothing else was really needed due to the staging.  

      I was on medication as an additional precaution.  My doctor suggested it because I was terrified it would reoccur.  I took it for three weeks in August and had to stop.  It took until December 2016 for the side effects to begin to abate. 

      I have been trying to regain the physical well-being and stamina I had before the surgery (not that I was in that great a shape before).  I'm havng a hard time physically and have been feeling depressed because of it.  I feel safer at home, and don't like to venture out much.  If I do, I try to get back to my safe zone as soon as possible.

      My doctor told me that three weeks after my surgery I would begin to feel "great." That hasn't been the case for me and I am glad to hear from someone that it took them longer to recover and feel better. xx

    • Posted

      lynda,

      I'm sorry about the cancer. Thank God all of my pathology reports came back negative.

      I am depressed. Anxiety is full blown. Some days are horrible. Others are good. But it is getting better! And as long as it's getting better that's all that counts right?

      I'll go a week or 2 of hurting and complaining...then I say to myself "Hey! But it was better than a month ago"😉

    • Posted

      Thanks.  I'm glad that your pathology was good.  I wouldn't wish cancer on anyone.  

      I'm sorry about the depression and anxiety...but it's good that things are getting better.  Sometimes it just takes time, doesn't it?  I know that things have been getting better for me gradually, sometimes imperceptively. It's good to realize that.

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