Pre op assessment

Women's health
1

hi everyone 

I'm new to this forum and have been having problems for many years with heavy and painful periods. After finding out that I have a very large fibroid, I have been advised that I need a total abdominal hysterectomy. They are also removing my ovaries and tubes due to my family history of ovarian cancer.  

In in some ways I'm so glad as it means an end to the pain but im also anxious as I hev heard so many horror stories. I have my pre op assessment tomorrow and I'm hoping that it's not going to be too long after that I have my operation.  Does anyone have any ideas on the timescale please? Also what type of questions should I ask 

thanks 

Shelley x

2

Hi Shelleyl

im 10 weeks post op, I also had TAH everything gone, you need to ask about HRTi wasnt going to go on it, but after op you could go into immediate surgical menapause (which I did) completely different to normal menapause, .

you will hear horror stories but thats human nature, yes it hurts, yes its emotional but its not for long and each day gets easier.

this site is the best, I have chatted to many women on here who went through the same and its so helpful, we are all going through it some in different ways with different ops but outcome the sameeveryone so nice and caring.

My pre op assesment was a month before op.

you will definetly need minimum 10 weeks of work then phased back in especially if you having abdominal cut.

the amount of rest at the start really helps recovery towards the end of recovery, however can be months before feeling 100%,

Im starting back to work tmrw feeling apprensive.

good luck

3

Thank you for your reply Luisa Im finding this forum very useful.

i suppose everyone's experience is different but it's good to have as much information as possible so that your prepared. I am nervous and there is no getting away from that think I'm like a grizzly bear at the moment my poor family.

how long was you in hospital for? Xx

4

Hi Shelley,

I'm coming up to 8 weeks post TAH (kept ovaries). My pre-op assessment was just 2 weeks b4 the op. I guess different hospitals do different things. Though I kept my ovaries I don't think they are working yet as I was on prostap to try to reduce the massive fibroid I had (hence need for hyst). The thing I have found hardest to deal with is the fatigue. It is a slow recovery for sure. 8 weeks on and I'm definitely not ready to go back to work. I am trying to build myself up and have steadily increased activity but you can be amazed how quickly you can tire. See my consultant for my post op check tomorrow. Wonder what he may advise for my continued moods and hot flushes? Good luck with it all and I wish you a good recovery.

5

Thank you Sally I hope have a quick and speedy recovery and the worst is over for you .

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Hi Shelley I was supposed to be in for 7 days but by day 4 I was ready for home, as long as I could walk up and down stairs I could go,I made sure I did, it was exhausting tho, but much better at home.

definitely make sure when your home you go to bed every afternoon for a few days to sleep, it really helps,

tiredness is the biggest thing, im really surprised how tired I get, hence nervous about work, only doing mornings at first

I agree with you, the lead up to op was horrid, I was irretable and stressed leading up to op

7

Hi Shelley

Welcome, you will love this forum everyone is so helpful and friendly, and they make you laugh as well!  Good luck with your pre op assessment tomorrow.  Hopefully your op will be very close to your pre-op, but .... I don't know what area you live in but I had my pre-op last Thursday, expecting to be having the op in about 10 days afterwards, and then they apologised but said all ops (except for emergencies) were cancelled as so many people were sick, they had been assigned beds in the surgical wards so no operations for the foreseeable future!  I was gutted, but the ladies here rallied around and cheered me up.  Hopefully this will not happen to you and you will  sail through your op.  If you look through the forum called 'Dates 2015' several of us have put questions to ask on there.  Hope they are of use to you.  

Good luck with everything Shelley,

Warmest Wishes Jacqui  

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Hi luisa i to had exactly same as you all removed and a 6 lb tumour boarderline thamkfully had all clear i was straight into surgical menapause when you say its differant what do you mean chick im having weird symptoms what are you experiancing xxx

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Hi Jacqueline 

thank you so much for the reply. I am so anxious and nervous about the operhtion it's unbelievable I'm so terry as well maybe because I know that it's getting closer. 

I have aver been off work since June as my symptoms have been so horrendous and that's all I want to do is sleep. My manager isn't that supportive either which makes things worse and told me that she had the same op and was on her exercise bike a couple of days later (I'm not sure what planet she is on) she expects me back in work a couple weeks after which again is worrying me to be honest.  It's nice to know that there is a place like this where you can have so much support.

hood luck with your operation I hope they do it soon for you waiting is the worst and please let me know how it goes 

kindest Regards xxxx

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Hi Shelley and welcome smile

I also have a large fibriod and am having a TAH (retaining ovaries) on 29th Jan, I had my pre op last Thursday so for me exactly two weeks between but, I was given both dates in a letter just before Christmas. I'm terrified (see my thread scared and emotional) but the ladies here are fabulous and have given me some VERY supportive replies. Most of your questions will be answered at your pre op without you having to ask but you may want to know visiting hours (also if any age limits on that if you have children). Good luck tomorrow xx

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Hi Bev

Mood swings, very tearful, occasional hot sweats, aching joints.feel sometimes been hit by a truck, prob still from surgery too im sure

HRT is helping alot but still feel quite odd, doc said that my body has not had the chance to prepare for meapause so HRT will take a while to fully work, I guess it dort of makes sense really. She said give it 6 months to fully work

what are you feeling?

12

Thanks so much for posting I have so much to ask tomorrow they will probably be sick of me at the end of it. Aww bless you at least it's coming to an end now but I can empathise with how anxious your feeling. 

Thank you so much for the support and good luck with you operation xxxx

13

Hey shelley  smile  smile

Ok... I had the SAME issue... the bleeding, constantly, and yes... a big ol' 4+ lb. tumor too.. thank god the BIGGER the tumor, it is not dangerous smile

I had a FULL ABDOMINAL HYST. exactly 9 weeks ago today... They did leave one ovary.. my dr. told me one ovary acts like two.. andI wouldn't go into menapause.. so far, so good!

Yes... you will have an END... and it is IMMEDIATE!  You will have soreness in other ways.. but NO   MORE    BLEEDING... and get RID of that FIBROID!

I would ask at assesment why they can not go another way vx. abdominal... I had 22 staples  right down the belly, like an old fasion C section.  She told me they could have done it another way if it was a smaller fibroid.  So ask the "size" of fibroid.

Timescale... well.. where I live.. USA.. we do them on Mondays (go figure, lol)... I had to wait 2 months... they do them all day, but only 1 day a week.

I'm sure your dr. will have some ahead of you... but you need the time to "prepare".. so much to Asready, to make it easier for you.

Also... I noticed on this site that some women did NOT clean out there bowels well, they didnt use the red drink the day before..

My dr. told me there is always a chance of "damage to the bowels" if they are not cleaned out well... I did just liquids the day before, drank the drink, and it makes you go to the bathroom for over an hour (on and off of course)... the day of OP, I was totally CLEAN... she said PERFECT!

They should tell you to drink this stuff the day before, and cut off when you stop eating.

Ask how long OP is... good to know.. mine was 2.5 hours..

Ask how many dr.s are in there.. I know I had 2 for mine due to the size of it, and the anathesiologist, and nurses...

Also... if you are worried, and want to use your 'OWN BLOOD" if needed (very few due), you have to donate MONTHS ahead of time... I wanted to, it was TOO LATE.. so if I did have a problem , I would have to use someone elses blood.  I am a blood donor, so I wanted to give to myself.

Keep in touch, let us know what they say... there are so many of us here, we have had/or are going to have the same thing.

WE all have great tips, ideas.. all good!

I love this site!

Welcome aboard!  And please know... we are all here for ya!

Your Hyster-sister from USA   smile

 

14

Hi Shelly

im probably the oldest on here at 54 so was already 2yrs+ into Menopause and put on Livial to help with the symptoms but it didnt agree with me and after tests they found a tumour. I live in Melbourne so pay for private healthcare. I saw Oncologist and 2 weeks later had FAH, everything removed. I am hoping to get the all clear at the end of March.  My advice to you is do nothing for 5-6 weeks. I went back to work at 6 & half weeks but think that was too soon.  I still have discomfort in my stomach and a niggly pain in my right side which I may have to visit GP to have checked before my Oncologist appointment in March.  

Everyone heals differently and a lot depends on how you look after yourself.  Hope all goes well for you.

debbie

15

Hi Shelley

I had a total abdominal hysterectomy 8 weeks ago and was admitted within a couple of weeks as the doctor found a mass on my womb which luckily turned out to be endemetriosis not anything more sinister thank goodness. I had everything taken out so have gone into surgical menopause but am going to see my doctor next week when apparently she can give me some tablets for the night sweats. My surgeon wouldn't put me on Hrt as I'm 52 so I've been taking a herbal remedy for a week now so fingers crossed it will help. I had no problems at all with the operation and made sure I took all the painkillers that the hospital gave me which I would urge you to do also. Also make sure you rest lots after. My husband cooked Christmas Dinner for the first time ever and it was brilliant !!!!!!! I wish I had found this forum a few weeks ago as it would have helped a lot. Good luck with the next few months and I'll be thinking about you. The only thing I wish I had done was ask the nurses in the hospital more questions about how to look after myself after the operation and how I was going to feel as they seemed to want to get rid of me really quickly!!!! Hope this helps you a little

Teresa xxx

 

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Hope all has gone/is going well with your pre op, let us know please, especially if they give you an op date xx

17

Hi Shelley

Your Manager telling you how she was on her exercise bike in a few days was not very helpful at all.  Everybody has a different recovery rate and also it depends on so many factors.  Also it seems the only thing you are allowed to do is 'walk'.  Every exercise I asked about (I'm an exercise nut, I just love it!) it was nothing until 3 months and then very very slowly!  

Nerves are terrible aren't they, once they kick in it is very very hard to turn them off but just keep thinking about your recovery, and all the pampering you can do until you are fit again. 

I agree this site is wonderful so much support just when you need it.

Love Jacqui 

18

Just an update I went for my pre op yesterday think the clinical nurse had pmt and really couldn't be bothered I felt so guilty asking questions as a sigh came when I asked anything so come away from there with a lot unanswered. I wasn't given a date she basically told me that I would receive a telephone call giving me a date to come in but reminded me of the current bed situation around the country. So I am none the wiser and just have to wait now. I was thinking of telephoning the consultants secretary just to see where I am what do you think? 

19

Thank you so much for your helpful reply. I went for my pre op yesturdsy and didn't really get much out of it as the clinical nurse was quite grumpy and appeared to not have the time.  Thankfully I have found this wonderful site which I know will help me.

when you say to clear your bowels is it worth me asking my go for something to do that or can I just take an over the counter laxative? The nurse advised that I would be going in on the morning of the op and just gave me a sample bottle to bring in with me for them to do a pregnancy test (even though I have been steraliser and there is no chance of me becoming pregnant) she advised that this was common practice. 

She did say that my fibroid was completely filling my uterus and was the size of a melon. She went onto say that I would have a diagonal cut.  She also mentioned that my markers in my blood were slightly raised and that all my bits would be sent to the lab after the operation.  She did explain the operation and what it would contain and that due to the history of ovarian and breast cancer in the family they would be removing my ovaries and tubes (she used a medical term for this). 

I am just hoping now that it won't be too long before I have a date as things are quite difficult at the moment and not only am i worried about the operation plus the outcome I am worried about work as I have been off since June and my managers isn't that supportive.  I would love to go back but just can't function at the moment and honestly couldn't saty awake long enough 

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I think you should, I would also mention her attitude, she is there to help and guide you not make you feel guilty,

its a massive op that needs care empathy and thought, something this pre op nurse obviously has none, the consultant needs to be aware of this.

keep us posted