Why Me! – Sharon’s Story – Hysterectomy Association

My story starts in 2003, I was trying for a baby and suddenly started to get heavy periods… Why Me!

Despite my self pity, I am happy to say in 2005 my son was born and when my period returned they were normal. Over the next few years I started to bleed extremely heavily again and my periods became irregular so I finally went to my Dr’s when I couldn’t cope anymore. This was Feb 2012. After a referral to a consultant, and a laparoscopic investigation I was advised I needed a total hysterectomy…Why Me! Luckily I found The Hysterectomy Association and found it wasn’t just happening to me.

In June 2012 I was admitted to hospital to have my op by key hole surgery. I went down to the theatre at 8.30am expecting to be back in my room by 11am however, I woke up in the recovery room at 5.30pm being told I was being transferred to another hospitals’ High Dependency Unit as I had been on the operation table so long and I had also lost a lot of blood. When I finally came around fully, I found out that during the operation my bladder had been stuck to the bits being extracted….Why Me! Apparently, this is quite common in women whom have had a caesarean section.

The surgeon had to revert to open surgery and a Urologist had to try to fix my bladder. I had two catheters inserted to ensure that my bladder was kept completely empty and I had to have a blood transfusion. After 2 nights I was transferred back to my original hospital where I stayed for another 5 days. I was finally discharged, with the two catheters and told my bladder should heal in 3 weeks. I was glad when the 3 weeks was over as life with catheters is not nice, the ureather one was so uncomfortable!!

DDay came and I went to the hospital for my bladder scan, looking forward to getting rid of the catheters only to be told my bladder still had a hole in it! Bladders apparently are very good a self-healing but mine seemed to be taking its time….Why Me!

I was sent away for another 4 weeks of sheer hell with the catheters, only to find out I still had a hole! I was then booked in for another op to refix the hole in my bladder, this time it was done by key hole surgery. I was sent home for another 4 weeks and yes you’ve guessed right, it was still not fixed!!

Finally, at the end of November I went for my last scan before the consultant decided what action to take next as my bladder didn’t appear to want to heal itself. This time the radiologist came out smiling….the hole had self healed. Despite reserved worries about how my bladder would work after being ‘flat’ for 5 months, boy did it feel good when the catheters came out.

After a long 5 months of mixed emotions; feeling sorry for myself asking ‘Why me’ I can almost put this episode of my life behind me. My bladder is almost back to normal, I have had no complications from the hysterectomy and the HRT injection is working a treat. My belly mind you is like a patch work quilt, with a new patch being added every 6 months for the HRT injection but I have stopped feeling sorry for myself and asking Why Me!

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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.