My total hysterectomy for fibroids – Maxine’s Story

Although I am 54 I had exactly the same. I am 9 weeks post op & don’t feel any different a person for having all my bits removed! I am rid of pain & bleeding which is wonderful & so nice to walk through the women’s needs aisle in the shops as I have no need for any of it anymore. I feel liberated.

After the op, I too had very bad trapped wind & was told by most people (family & friends) to take mint tea, mints, fruit amongst other things. I had a night where the wind pain was moving around & through my chest & shoulder, I actually thought I was having a heart attack. Next day I went the Dr’s & was told not to eat or drink anything minty or eat fruit. Eat lots of natural yogurt, rice, potatoes, porridge, which I did religiously for a week & everything started to move & go naturally. I now eat fruit & am fine with it but not to eat it was such good advice at the beginning as it was just bloating me out even more. I drank mainly water but no alcohol or fizzy drinks for 2 weeks. Walked around which helped a lot too.

I had my total hysterectomy early Friday morning & on Sunday the Dr on duty that day said I looked too well for someone who only had it done couple of days ago would I like to go home. I went home & slept 24/7 for first week, I really can’t remember anything but considering I was being told its a major,major op, I cannot see what all the fuss was about. I was very nervous going in to have my op but I had had a few small day surgery ops & a particular nurse who had the same problems as me and had a hysterectomy herself at age 38 was so understanding, gave me lots of advice and helped to calm any fears I had. When I woke up after the big op I just kept waiting for the pain to kick in (it didn’t) and the bleeding to start (it didn’t), got up to walk the next day & was told I was doing so well because I wasn’t bent over or holding my tummy which most people do after this op. I was more bent over & holding my tummy with pain before the op!

The only problem I had after the op was instead of blood draining through the tube into the bottle I was loosing blood from the actual drain site which was more annoying than anything but the nurses got it sorted by taking the drain out & putting a stoma bag over the incision.

I am 9 weeks post op and feel really good. I can do everything I could before & Only when I stand too long I get a dragging feeling low in my stomach. I wander if my internal organs are having a moving party now there is more room inside my abdomen!

I was never able to have children due to severe endometriosis and poly-cystic ovaries, so my periods were very painful every month & some months was all I could do just lay on the bed. I started to be peri menopausal when I was in my early 40’s, I started HRT but periods were still very heavy & caused clots, 2 years ago I developed fibroids & polyps, a year ago the fibroids were so big and growing in a position that distorted my womb into a banana shape & also grew on the top of my cervix making it impossible for my surgeon to get in to do any biopsy. My surgeon felt things could not be left as it was & we both agreed hysterectomy was the only answer. It has been the best decision ever & last week I got my lab results which showed it was all benign which is another great relief & made me even happier that I had made the right decision.

I have hot flushes but they don’t last so long and not as many, I am waiting to see what oestrogen my surgeon recommends at the end of this month but this is mainly for my bones as I have severe juvenile chronic rheumatoid arthritis.

For anyone out there contemplating a total hysterectomy there is a good life after it.

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in my own words book cover 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.