Hysterectomy at 25 – Lou’s Story
From the age of 11 I suffered from really bad periods, Heavy bleeding & bad pain, I met my now husband at 19 & soon after we started trying for a baby with no success, I had every test you could imagine until my only option was to go for IVF,( I was 23 at this time).
We went through the process & were almost ready to start treatment when I became really ill, suffering from bad pelvic pain, Hot sweats & weight loss, due to not being able to keep any food down.
I was in & out of hospital for 2 years but no one could identify what was wrong, I was always given antibiotics & sent home after a couple of days, still none the wiser, When I was 25 I had a gynaecology appointment with a Consultant by the name of Dr Bruce. I walked into his office & sat down, (sweating & in pain). He took one look at me & said “I’ve read your notes, & I believe you’re suffering from Chronic Pelvic Inflammatory Disease” & I was booked in for an emergency hysterectomy less than a week later, 6th December 2000.
After the op Dr Bruce told me he’d never seen such swollen fallopian tubes & they had scar tissue that had attached itself to my bowel, So during the op part of my bowel was removed too; thankfully I “function normally” in that department!
The hysterectomy came as a massive blow as I’d always wanted children & was unable to have any. Waking up after the op was the worse, I was on a ward with women that had children & were middle aged, I was 25 years of age & I felt cheated!!
Following my op, I received no counselling whatsoever & I’ve been blighted by depression ever since, I hate my scar (which still feels numb) because it serves as a permanent reminder.
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Now available on our online store and all other online book store’s. In My Own Words: Women’s Experience of Hysterectomy is full of many other real-life stories from women the world over.
Other people’s stories help women feel less isolated. They show that they aren’t going mad, missing the point or stupid.