Re: Newbie with Questions I Have

[Guest guest]

Darla,

Couple of questions for you.

Are you sure you want to have a complete hysterectomy?

Why would they remove your ovaries for treatment of fibroids? Those little

buggers are important in hormone regulation and if you don't have to have

them removed, why do it?

Did you research other options such as myomectomy or UAE?

I know you think you have an absolutely huge uterus, but there are women on

this board who have had as large or larger and didn't go the hysterectomy

route.

To answer some of yours:

Yes fibroids can grow fast (although what is fast?).

I know you don't have time to read through the old posts, but you can search

them to get the ones you are looking for (enter words such as Hysterectomy,

Lupron....) There are also entire groups associated with hysterectomies and

lupron given the issues associated with these two treatments and the

complications that can occur.

Good luck,

Ann

[Guest guest]

umm... why are you having your ovaries removed for fibriods?

Newbie with Questions I Have

>Hello everyone: I am new here and am scheduled to have a

>hysterectomy/salpingo-oophorectomy (ie the works) next Friday 21 June.

>This is because of uterine fibroids the size of Texas (I look like I

>am about 5 months pregnant and there is a hard lump in my lower abd. I

>was put on ??Luprone (I think) an injection to lower estrogen. I am

>54 and have heavy flow until the last menstrual period which was about

>6 weeks ago. The injection may have stopped it for this month.

>

>Actually, I'm not sure where to begin so I shall just fire off some

>questions and state that I am so sorry that I don't have time to

>research your message archives due to a chaotic work schedule.

>Forgive me please. Here goes...

>

>1. It (the fibroids) seems to be growing in me lately fairly fast. Is

>this normal?

>2. Will there be a decrease in libido/sexual lubrication post

>hysterectomy?

>3. I think I may have had my 1st hot flash (power surge they like to

>call it now LOL) last night and my whole body felt like it was heated

>up several degrees. This may be due again to the injection my Dr. gave

>me to reduce estrogen. Anybody else have this?

>4. Will there be more of the hot flashes after the surgery or will

>this end it?

>5. Off the cuff -- what do you think about hormone replacement -

>general comments are OK,

>6. Will hormone replacement therapy affect my libido post

>hysterectomy?

>Most appreciative of whatever help, validation, coping, suggestions,

>or encouragement you can provide.

>

>Many Thanks

>femfree

>Darla

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 6/14/02 2:10:11 PM US Mountain Standard Time,

femfree@... writes:

> : I am new here and am scheduled to have a

> hysterectomy/salpingo-oophorectomy (ie the works) next Friday 21 June.

> This is because of uterine fibroids the size of Texas (I look like I

> am about 5 months pregnant and there is a hard lump in my lower abd. I

> was put on ??Luprone (I think) an injection to lower estrogen. I am

> 54 and have heavy flow until the last menstrual period which was about

> 6 weeks ago. The injection may have stopped it for this month.

>

Hi, Darla.

I'm 55 and I also look about 5 months pregnant but it's because of

adenomyosis not fibroids. I just wanted to say that I hope you've discussed

all these issues with the doctor who is doing your surgery next week. At

some point, you will be asked to sign an informed consent paper. Those two

words --- informed --- and --- consent ---

are both very important. It's also important to go into your surgery feeling

that it's the right choice for you to be making. Good luck with whatever you

do.

Cheryl

[Guest guest]

Darla,

Before my myomectomy, I also looked five months pregnant and I had a

hard lump im my abdomen. My menstrual flow used to be heavy on the

first two days. I did not need a hysterectomy. The doctor removed 31

fibroids without any blood transfusions or Lupron. It was all done

with a bikini cut.

Here are some books you might want to read before going ahead with the

hysterectomy:

" The Hysterectomy Hoax " by Dr. Stanley West available at

http://www.amazon.com

" The Ultimate Rape: The Ultimate Rape: What Every Woman Should Know

about Hysterectomies and Ovarian Removal " by L. Plourde

C.L.S. M.A. available at http://www.amazon.com

" Misinformed Consent - 13 Women Share Their Stories About Unnecessary

Hysterectomy " by Lise Cloutier Steele available at

http://www.misinformedconsent.com

Good luck,

Donna Jung, 48, New York Metro

> Hello everyone: I am new here and am scheduled to have a

> hysterectomy/salpingo-oophorectomy (ie the works) next Friday

> 21 June. This is because of uterine fibroids the size of Texas

> (I look like I am about 5 months pregnant and there is a hard

> lump in my lower abd. I was put on ??Luprone (I think) an

> injection to lower estrogen. I am 54 and have heavy flow until

> the last menstrual period which was about 6 weeks ago. ...

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 6/15/02 8:42:17 AM US Mountain Standard Time,

femfree@... writes:

> He has warned me

> that there could be possible damage because of the extensiveness of

> the size to bladder, bowels, uterers (the tubes going from the

> kidneys to the bladder), possibility of cancer etc.

Hi, Darla.

Have you had an endometrial biopsy to rule out endometrial cancer? Also,

have you had an ultrasound or mri? When I had an mri, I was surprised to

find out that the majority of my bulk was from adenomyosis, and not from

fibroids. Good luck with your surgery.

Cheryl

[Guest guest]

Hello everyone and Thank You all so very much: Gee, where to begin.

I have been told by other Drs. (I work at a University Med. School)

that my Dr. is one of the best. It was his recommendation that he

remove uterus and ovaries. I am 54 and certainly not wanting more

children. I have one child a son, age 27. The size of my uterus is

very, very large, and I will need an incision that runs from the

pubic bone to the umbilicus and possibly more because of the sheer

size of this thing. Also, I do have a lump which is quite hard in

there in the lower abdomen (right side of the abd). The Dr. did say

that he would try to conserve the ovaries if that was my request, but

due to my age and his preference (to remove it) I felt that it was

the easier and best way to go. Hormones can be replaced by a

patch/pill and I don't think it is a major issue. He has warned me

that there could be possible damage because of the extensiveness of

the size to bladder, bowels, uterers (the tubes going from the

kidneys to the bladder), possibility of cancer etc. Of course, he

must make me aware of all the factors but I want to go with his

decision.

One thing that kind of puzzles me is that I get some days where I

feel bloated and heavy and by the next morning I am not bloated. I'm

not sure why this is happening. My hope is that after surgery and

when I can begin exercising again that I can trim this 'stick out'

tummy of mine and reclaim my girlish figure. LOL

Thank You all again so very much.

Take Care

Darla

" We have all come here in different ships, but we're in the same boat

now. "

Dr. Luther King

> > Hello everyone: I am new here and am scheduled to have a

> > hysterectomy/salpingo-oophorectomy (ie the works) next Friday

> > 21 June. This is because of uterine fibroids the size of Texas

> > (I look like I am about 5 months pregnant and there is a hard

> > lump in my lower abd. I was put on ??Luprone (I think) an

> > injection to lower estrogen. I am 54 and have heavy flow until

> > the last menstrual period which was about 6 weeks ago. ...

[Guest guest]

Darla,

I agree with the words of Sue Winner, please take a moment

and consider what she has to say. Your ovaries belong to

you and they serve an incredibly wonderful purpose. I

personally do not believe that the Universe created ovaries

to destroy us, as some docs would have us thinking.

Think long and hard and do lots of research before you

decide to remove them....long after menopause the ovaries

continue to produce hormones, albeit smaller amounts, but

nevertheless, they do indeed continue to produce hormones

until we die.

Fran Donovan, RN, MBA

The Law of Dharma

Everyone has a purpose in life...a unique or special talent

to give to others. And when we blend this unique talent with

service to others, we experience the ecstasy and exultation

of our own spirit, which is the ultimate goal of all goals.

Re: Re: Newbie with Questions I

Have

Dear Darla,

There are two parts to your post that bother me:

1. The Dr. did say

that he would try to conserve the ovaries if that

was my request, but

due to my age and his preference (to remove it) I

felt that it was

the easier and best way to go.

2. Of course, he

must make me aware of all the factors but I want to

go with his

decision.

The phrases " his preference " and " his decision "

concern me. Please give some thought to your options

and and make sure that YOU are the one truly deciding

and not being overly influenced by your doctor. Has

your doctor clearly informed you of all of your

options besides hysterectomy? Your fibroids are not

that large compared to some in this group. Also there

are risks associated with hormone replacement therapy.

If your ovaries are healthy, why remove them? Age

should not matter.

Good luck no matter what you decide.

Sue

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

> Hello everyone: I am new here and am scheduled to have a

> hysterectomy/salpingo-oophorectomy (ie the works) next Friday 21

June. This is because of uterine fibroids....I don't have time to

> research your message archives due to a chaotic work schedule

******************************

Hi Darla,

Please, please go to posts 19961, 20592, 13911, and 13947. These

are but a few you'll find on hysterectomy here. Yes, they're all

negative, but your surgery is coming up so soon!

Here are a few excerpts (edited for brevity):

-------------------

The uterus is good for more than reproduction. It regulates blood

pressure and the thyroid. We lose hormones other than estrogen. HRT

cannot make up for the loss.

.... the uterus produces a hormone which helps prevent heart disease

and/or regulate blood pressure – a hormone which no other organ

produces and which has never been replicated in a laboratory.

Hysterectomized women have a higher rate of elevated blood pressure,

stroke and heart failure.

Some women spend years, trying to get their pharmaceutical hormones

into some sort of reasonable balance they can live with. Even when

the ovaries are left in place, which is often not the case, they shut-

down in half of those women within a few years.

Our ovaries are supposed to continue to function all our lives; even

in menopause they produce hormones... which our bodies are designed

to have.

-------------------

My Mom and grandmother had hysterectomies. My grandmother has high

blood pressure and broke her hip due to osteoporosis. My Mom also

has osteoporosis; she seems a bit shorter every time I see her and

has chronic back pain. I don't know about their sex lives--never

asked and they don't talk about such things.

Darla, I think you mentioned you trust your doctor in another post.

I'm sure he is trustworthy, HOWEVER, please get a second opinion.

I've learned the hard way that even though a doctor is well-meaning,

he may not know all there is to know about a particular health

problem. Your gyn may not have recommended (or worse yet, mentioned)

other options like myomectomy or uterine artery embolization because

1)he doesn't have the skill to perform a myomectomy on you, 2)he

doesn't know much about UAE, 3)he has not yet learned the uterus and

ovaries function throughout our lives and are not just for making

babies, 4)he probably discriminates unfairly (even if subconsciously)

based on age, and the worst, 5) he recommends hyst. because " that's

the way we've always done it. "

As others have already replied to you, please do more research and

be absolutely certain you know ALL your options and ALL THE RISKS

associated with each option. Reschedule your surgery if necessary to

give you more time.

A hysterectomy is so final -- you can't go back! With myomectomy or

UAE, if they don't relieve your symptoms, you can still have your

uterus removed.

On to your questions.

> 1. It (the fibroids) seems to be growing in me lately fairly fast.

Is this normal?

**Many women here have reported " growth spurts " in their 30s and

40s. I think our estrogen/progesterone balance gets out of whack in

these decades. Why? The theories abound. Am reading a book by

Lindsey Berkson called " Hormone Deception " that blames chemicals in

our environment for messing up our endocrine system. It's very well

researched and thought provoking.

> 2. Will there be a decrease in libido/sexual lubrication post

hysterectomy?

**There is a risk those will happen, but no way to know if they will

happen to you. Have you tried any of the hysterectomy webgroups for

advice?

> 3. I think I may have had my 1st hot flash (power surge they like

to call it now LOL) last night and my whole body felt like it was

heated up several degrees. This may be due again to the injection my

Dr. gave me to reduce estrogen [Lupron]. Anybody else have this?

**Great term, " power surge " :-) Several women in this group have

reported they've had hot flashes as a side effect of Lupron. There

are other side effects as well, bone and joint pain, memory loss,

bone loss. Did your doc mention these to you?

> 4. Will there be more of the hot flashes after the surgery or will

> this end it?

Hard to say. Your hot flashes may continue for as long as the

Lupron is in your system. My mom had hot flashes after her hyst.,

but only when she took HRT. But, that was in the 60s before we had

all the varieties and dosages of today.

> 5. Off the cuff -- what do you think about hormone replacement -

> general comments are OK.

** On the one hand, thank goodness there is HRT for those women

who've had cancer and had no choice but hysterectomy/oophorectomy.

On the other hand, why load your body up with more synthetic

chemicals if you don't need to?

> 6. Will hormone replacement therapy affect my libido post

> hysterectomy?

** I expect women experience a wide range of effects, from increased

to decreased libido. I'm taking BCPs continuously to prevent

bleeding/anemia until I can get my fibroid treated. My libido is on

vacation! But that's just me. Can't wait to get off the pill.

> Most appreciative of whatever help, validation, coping,

suggestions, or encouragement you can provide.

>

If you do end up deciding to go with the hyst., may you have a speedy

recovery and only good side effects!

Best wishes,

Ellen