Best thing I ever did – Debbie’s Story

Hi, I am 44 and childless and made one if the most difficult decisions in my life to have a total abdominal hysterectomy. I had large uterine fibroids that had basically taken over my womb. They were causing me to have very heavy very long periods (11 weeks was the record) plus I was in severe pain and some days unable to walk properly. They also effected my bowels and my bladder as my uterus was so big it was pushing on all of my other organs in that region.

I was given decapeptyl injections for 8 months to try and reduce the size of the fibroids before my op. Horrible things but they did the job, however not without awful side effects. I had a choice to make between a myomectomy and a hysterectomy and not having had children it was a really difficult choice to make. My consultant was excellent and told me all the pros and cons of each op and I eventually decided on a hysterectomy.

I am now 1 week post op and have never felt better. I went in on the Tuesday and was out on the Thursday. I have a 15cm incision that is so neat that it just looks like someone has drawn a line on me in red pen. I still have a little discomfort in the tummy area near the scar, it feels kind of heavy but I put that down to the swelling. The most remarkable thing for me is the absence of all other pain, I feel human again for the first time in years. I am up and about and walking a bit further each day, and can’t wait to start living life to the full again.

I have managed to keep my ovaries so will go through the menopause naturally, but as I have effectively already experienced this thanks to the injections for 8 months next time round will be a doddle!

I hope my story goes someway to helping others make their decisions, it’s not an easy one to make. Final note, I did increase my exercise before my op and believe this has helped a lot in my recovery.

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