Total Abdominal Hysterectomy – my experience first 6 weeks, Karen ’ s story

I am 43 yrs old, have suffered abnormal smear test results, endometriosis and blocked fallopian tubes since my early 20’s, resulting in four unsuccessful rounds of IVF treatment, and more recently, increased heavy bleeding during my menstrual cycle. Prior to Christmas (2014) I underwent my third laparoscopy, in which large cysts were found on one ovary. Due to my history, I was offered a hysterectomy and given the choice of partial or total removal. From research, I believed myself to be at higher risk of ovarian and cervical cancer, so decided with my consultant that I would opt for a Total Abdominal Hysterectomy and have everything removed. However, my consultant persuaded my to leave one ovary in place, due to it being cyst free. This meant that the remaining ovary would continue producing hormones and delay me entering the menopause by around 4-5 yrs. Whilst waiting for an operation date, I took the opportunity to prepare myself by researching countless websites, to increase my knowledge of what to expect before, during and after the surgery. Various sites and forums predicted an average of 6 weeks recovery time. Already having good fitness levels and wanting to aid my recovery, I increased my exercise activity to get myself into optimum condition, which included cycling, cross training and core strength exercises. With a rough idea of an admission date, my home preparation included buying freezable containers (plastic and foil), and cooking various meals which I po...
Source: The Hysterectomy Association - Category: OBGYN Authors: Tags: Health endometriosis hysterectomy stories total abdominal hysterectomy Source Type: news