<p>“This will definitely put me into surgical menopause; I’ve been perimenopausal for a few years now, and have done OK, but no more transition; it will be cold turkey. That, I’m not ready for; I was hoping for a more natural transition. My hot flashes have been pretty tolerable up until now; I hope it doesn’t get too bad.”</p>
<p>Good luck to you teriwtt. I know your beautiful dog will be happy to help you out with your recovery. There is nothing they do better than comfort, as you know.</p>
<p>As far as going into menopause quickly, have you considered bioidentical hormones? I’ve been taking them for three years, and they say I probably won’t even notice when I go through menopause. I’m 51 and haven’t noticed a single symptom, and I’d guess I should be perimenopausal by now. There are so many benefits, I could type a page on them, from things like preventing heart disease, cancer, and feeling better…the least of which is preventing the misery that menopause can cause.</p>
<p>@busdriver11 - Yes, I am actually on BHRT progesterone and have been for about a year. My regular gynecologist prescribes only BHRT. I had a couple of months of hot flashes last fall, and blood test revealed my estrogen was starting to drop. Then the hot flashes went away, and I thought I was done with them, then when I had blood work in March, it showed my estrogen had spiked again which is why the flashes had gone away. About a week and a half ago, they started to come back, so I know my estrogen is dropping again. I’m hoping this more recent drop will make the surgical menopause not be so drastic. But I do plan on talking with my regular GYN about adding estrogen BHRT if things become unbearable. What I’m not clear on at this point is if it will be a risk factor for me, regarding cancer; it’s a new topic we’re going to have to visit now that I’ve been diagnosed. </p>
<p>As if on cue, as I began to type this, the pooch came over and kept insisting on a belly rub (scratches at my hand), which is difficult to do when typing. And it can’t be any belly rub. If he’s sitting in front of me and I try to reach his belly from between his two front legs, he’ll pick up one of those legs and place it in front of my hand so that the belly rub is now down from between his front leg and back leg as he’s sitting. </p>
<p>Terwitt-I had the real deal hysterectomy-with ovaries removed as well. I recovered quickly. I was up and walking the first day post-surgery–three friends took me out to a fancy lunch 8 days post-surgery. I was fine. I followed doctors orders and didn’t drive for two weeks and went back to the gym at six weeks. Upped my trainer to 2x per week–no problems, even lost weight.</p>
<p>I had a great gyn who told me not to agonize over the hormone decision and to wait before jumping in one way or another. I opted for no hormones because there’s a strong history of breast cancer in my family (mother, aunt, first cousin). I had some night sweats but that was it. I had them before the hysterectomy too and the frequency was about the same–night sweats went away completely within 3 months.</p>
<p>Since you are already taking bio-identical hormones you might not experience too many increased symptoms. Good luck with your surgery and recovery!</p>
<p>Got a call from the hospital pre-anesthesia department today, and am feeling a little bit better about the surgery. I asked them about the awful pain I’ve heard some people have from the surgery, and the nurse assured me that she very rarely hears any negatives from women she calls for follow ups with a couple of days after surgery. Some women don’t even get their narcotic pain reliever filled, and do fine with ibuprofen or Tylenol. Saw the GYN today who did the minor procedures last week and asked him about activity level. He says the large majority of women find that they don’t necessarily have a lot of pain from the incisions that keep them inactive; it’s more just being very fatigued that lasts a while. When I saw my trainer today (before the doc), he asked me if it would be OK to do some upper body stuff with tubing and resistance bands; I was able to ask the doc this, and he said upper body stuff with tubing/bands is no problem, once I feel like it. So I’m feeling a bit better about recovery. Sounds like the fatigue is the worse of it.</p>
<p>Before I saw the doc, I stopped in my regular GYN’s office (the one who prescribed the BHRT progesterone for me) and asked his office if I needed to also set up a time to meet with him after the surgery to discuss what to do about the hormones. The GYN happened to be free, so I talked to him for a few minutes. He said, yes, schedule an appt. four weeks out from the surgery for some blood work, then an appt. a week later to see him. He said to stay on the progesterone, and in fact, the progesterone I’ve been on might have actually played a more protective role from the type of cancer and how early we caught it. Had I not been on it, the lining might have been much worse in regards to thickening. I should say I’m paraphrasing some of this, as so much of it is new to me. But he didn’t seem to hesitate adding estrogen to my regimen depending on how I respond after surgery and what my blood tests look like. </p>
<p>Complaint of the day, though - I also had an appt. the hospital lab for pre-surgical blood work, so I went there after I saw the GYN. They said the GYN oncologist ordered a couple of blood tests, but didn’t include the one that they use for type matching in case I were to need a blood transfusion (which they do not anticipate, but need to make sure they have some around, just in case). The phlebotomist called the doctor’s office back to double check, and they said they don’t do that test until the morning of surgery. I just don’t get it. If they’re drawing my blood today, why would they not take another tube and do the typing today instead of sticking me another time that morning. The phlebotomist didn’t seem to get it either, but was only doing what she was told. It just means I get stuck twice that day - one for the additional blood draw, and then the IV. But doesn’t make sense. Go figure. It’s not like my blood type is going to change between now and next Tuesday!</p>
<p>Cross matching cannot be done more than 3 days prior to the procedure. Your blood type will not change, but the sample can be held for only 3days. The sample is “cross matched” with the donor blood supply on hand. No sense charging you for a test that would not be viable on the day of surgery. Depending upon the practice of the surgical unit, you can ask if the person starting the IV can draw a tube of blodd first. Not a lot of nurses will do this. Best of luck with the surgery.</p>
<p>OK… I can understand that they have protocols, and accept that. But you’d think the phlebotomist would have known this, then. She works in the lab at the hospital. I would guess doing pre-surgical lab draws is a regular part of her job. She specifically said she called the doctor’s office to ask if she could run this test today, instead of having it done Tuesday. </p>
<p>I think a lot of doctors don’t understand the entire bioidentical hormone thing. I know my GP doesn’t, she thinks it’s all crap. Many doctors think they just prescribe one thing or another for a specific symptom, not that it’s a whole person sort of issue, and they really need to test for (I think) 8 different hormone levels and look at them accordingly. For example, I take DHEA, pregnenolone, progesterone, testosterone, and estrogen (via the pill). They would never just give me one hormone. I have an ovarian cyst, and apparently progesterone helps a lot with shrinking ovarian cysts, along with many other benefits.</p>
<p>I’m agreeing with your dog, teriwtt. When he wants a belly rub, you’d just better drop everything you’re doing and give him a proper one! They are relentless.</p>
<p>Hope you’re feeling better, stacey. </p>
<p>I realized today that not being anemic has led to more energy. More energy led to making a decision to get fit. Making that decision led to liking working out (this has never been normal for me before) and eating better (myfitnesspal, thank you). I’m down 15 lbs, my good cholesterol jumped 25% and my triglycerides went down 20%, in a little more than two months. And not wondering where and when I’ll bleed through my clothes makes all of these things so much better, beyond the physical symptoms. I’d underestimated how psychologically worrisome those things were. </p>
<p>Jaylynn–yep,yep, yep! I gained (even more) weight when my symptoms were the worst. Between the anemia (which I didn’t know about at first) and the heavy bleeding It was almost impossible to exercise. I need to exercise to lose weight. Dr. put me on BCP to help with the bleeding, and it did help at first. Now not so much, although still not as horrible as before. I’ve lost 10 lbs so far, but it is a slow process involving lots of exercise and really counting calories and eating the right things. I’m just so tired of bleeding all the time. I’m sure I’m anemic again although I’m taking iron. </p>
<p>My fibroid is so big that I was told my uterus is as big as a 4-5 month pregnancy. So the ablation might help with the bleeding, but not the size. I’ve also read that the ablation might not fix the problem due to the large size of the fibroid (it’s about the size of a large orange). So I really don’t know what to do. I read about embolization but I’m not sure how that works. I’ll discuss all options next week at my appointment. I just know I’m ready to do something to fix these issues.</p>
<p>Teriwtt–thanks for the info on the ablation. Maybe that is an option for the short term. I’ve got so much going on in the next few months that it would be difficult to find time to do the surgery–I’ve got a wedding at the end of may, a trip at the end of june, a trip in the middle of august and a trip in the middle of october. I’ve paid for most of them already, and they are exercise intensive so if I can find a temporary solution I will be happy for now. </p>
<p>With heavy bleeding, please ALWAYS ensure it’s not uterine cancer. Very manageable in the early stages. Always make sure they have run the tests for that. I have a dear friend who died in her mid forties because they didn’t check until it was way too late, just gave her pills to control bleeding.</p>
<p>I did embolization and would highly recommend it. Problem solved. </p>
<p>Good news is that the surgery is done and I am home recuperating. I almost had to stay an extra night in the hospital when we finally realized it was the Norco that was making me feel so dizzy and nauseous that I didn’t want to eat (which is not a good way to take Norco - a vicious cycle). Felt just a few trapped gas pains in my shoulder area, but typically only when I was reclining, and not in an upright position. Have not looked at the incisions (5), but have been told I can shower or bathe any time I want; they put some kind of surgical glue over the stitches to protect them. Probably because my surgery was later in the day and I didn’t get to my room later in the evening, I had to keep the catheter in until the next morning after my surgeon saw me. Last night I must have slept over ten hours (well, had to get up a couple of times to go to the bathroom), and have already had one nap today. Am about to go outside with H for a short walk. Pooch has been very well-behaved and has obeyed the word no as it comes to getting near my lap!</p>
<p>The final pathology report came back late yesterday afternoon - the cancer is stage 1A/grade 2. There were no lymph nodes involved, and the involvement in the uterine wall was less than half; but the nuclei of the cancer cells caused just enough concern that they graded it a stage 2 for now. It doesn’t even get garner enough attention to order radiation right now, but I have a visit protocol for five years with the gyn-onc. First two years, I see him every three months for an exam and blood work and if that stays normal, then the following three years I’ll see him every six months.</p>
<p>So far, no hot flashes to go along with the surgical menopause, but that may still come. Pillows are my friend right now, as I try to get comfortable. Thought I would sleep in a recliner last night, but just could not get comfortable. Eventually brought up a memory foam wedge I’d bought years ago, but hadn’t used in a long time. Put the wedge on the couch, and along with a lot of other pillows, was able to get comfortable. Still don’t have much of an appetite and was told that might take a few days to come back; at least I know now to take the Tramadol with food to help avoid the upset stomach that I had with the Norco. </p>
<p>My guess is that there are a lot of surgeries out there that are worse than this one (it was done with the da Vinci robot), but I can also see it taking the full six weeks to feel back to normal again.</p>
<p>@teriwtt Yay and congrats! Glad to her you are feeling so well and so glad the path report is a good one, all things considered!</p>
<p>I do want to caution you to REALLY take it easy. Easier than you think. Ask me how I know 
…I already overdid it a few times (doing basically nothing, by the way) and paid the following 2 days.</p>
<p>Also, I hope you are well armed with the following: Miralax, Colace, and Senekot. Drink looooooots of water!</p>
<p>I’m at day 13 and my abdominal swelling is just starting to go down. Stopped pain meds (other than Ibuprofen) about 6 days ago and only have some minor pain, mostly at the end of the day. More than pain, there are just a lot of odd/unpleasant sensations as things continue to heal and resettle in the new bigger space in there. I do still need a nap every day, or I feel really lousy by 4 pm.</p>
<p>It’s REALLY hard to take it as easy as we’re supposed to when you re used to doing so much all the time and being the one to take care of everyone else!!!</p>
<p>Best wishes :)</p>
<p>Yes, Stacey - they put me on SenekotS, which is a combination of two meds, not just Senekot and told me if nothing happens by Sunday, to add Miralax. They told me the absolute best thing to avoid any of those problems to begin with, is to move, so I plan on one more walk today; the path around a pond next to our house is about 1/5 mile and I did once around just now. Unfortunately the weather sucks here today; 45° and raining on and off. I told H, “So what… we’re going to walk!” Things are starting to wake up down there, though, and I won’t get into detail, but I’m sure you know what I mean. It’s the first sign, which is a good one. </p>
<p>Yup, I know. Good!
So glad this has worked out well for you.
Take care…</p>
<p>Very common condition. As far as I know every single female in my family had fibroids. While you may decide to proceed, I was never told that fibroids are life threatenning. Waiting until you hit this so desirable under your circumstances menopause might be very worth it. Menopause is not a joke to go thru. You might find later that you experience worse simptoms than the ones from fibroids (they cause problem only once a month, menopause you will have to deal with for the rest of your life every day, having 5 years without it is a blessing). When I said “for the rest of your life”, I did not mean hot flashes, not everybody has them. There are other symptoms that you might research yourself to make a decision.<br>
When you do not have your periods any more, the symptoms from fibroids WILL DESAPPEAR, they will be gone, no more, they will be gone without surgery.</p>
<p>@MiamiDAP Unfortunately, it’s not exactly true that all fibroid symptoms disappear after menopause. In my case, a large part of symptoms were bladder-related, because the fibroids were SO large that they were pressing on the bladder. While my GYN said there might be some shrinkage after menopause, she said many women with fibroids this large do not experience much shrinkage at all, so the bladder symptoms were likely to continue. </p>
<p>@MiamiDAP - Actually fibroids can be life threatening if they cause you to hemorrhage. I specifically recall my doctor telling me if I started bleeding a certain amount, I needed to get myself to an emergency room. As Staceyneil suggests, fibroids can incapacitate some women. It would be a huge disservice to women reading this if they thought once their periods stopped, their problems would be over. That’s just not true. </p>
<p>Ugh - I try to live in my fantasy world that all my problems will cease at that magical moment when the “menopause” appears. Thanks for the thread ladies - I hope you both have swift recoveries.</p>
<p>I had very large fibroids–so large that my uterus was the size of a woman who was 3 months pregnant. I went through 5 miserable years waiting for menopause. The last straw was when I went to a business meeting and got up from a chair and saw a blood stain. My gyn told me that my uterus would not shrink after menopause–it would remain that large. I had a hysterectomy and never looked back. It wasn’t a decision that I made lightly. I went through all the pros and cons with my doctor. Each woman has to make her own decision and for me I know I did the right thing. I suffered no ill effects following the hysterectomy–didn’t take hormones (family history of breast cancer) and I even lost weight. I had some menopausal symptoms (night sweats) but those symptoms were minor compared to the bleeding/anemia that I suffered waiting for menopause so that the fibroids would shrink.</p>