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Subject: Hysterectomy Friday, February 10, 2006 I had my hormone cream prescription filled. The cream is a concoction of three estrogens (Estriol, Estrone, and Estradial). Dr. Francis Hutchins said, "It is usually put together by compounding pharmacies as a 'bioidentical' product."
Another thing I am experiencing is an outbreak
of adult acne.
July 19, 2005, was a very exciting and eventful day for me. It was the first time in over 15 years that I was NOT refused giving blood!!!! Before the hysterectomy I was always anemic. My hemoglobin count was always below the recommended requirement to give blood. This time my count was 13.5. After giving blood, I was given a restaurant coupon for a dinner and free gift. I used the coupon that night to celebrate the great feeling I had about sharing the gift of life (blood). July 20th my family doctor performed a yearly preventive check-up, which consisted of examining my vagina, breasts, and performing a rectal exam to check for blood in the anal area. Note: Dr.
William Parker said, “Women who do not have a cervix no longer need a pap
smear (this is a recent change in recommendations), and women who have no
ovaries do not need a pelvic exam. So they can just see their
internist/family doctor for regular care.”
For my hormone replacement I decided to use the patch, mainly because that was what my older sister was using. I eventually had to stop using the patch, which I found out via a Health Fair that my blood pressure had increased. When sharing this with my GYN she was not concerned. But when sharing it with my primary physician she was indeed concerned because she knew my medical history. Just to let you know I NO longer go to that GYN. When searching on the Internet for a natural hormone replacement I came across a cream that I could apply. I found a pharmacy in my area, Cumberland Apothecary, that specialized in this. I also found out it was covered by my prescription benefits. I forgot to mention also when I was on the patch I also had to try three (3) different strengths because I was getting a lot of hot flashes. With the cream I do get some, but mainly when I eat certain foods or drink hot beverages (mainly coffee). Also if I find myself in a stressful situation (not often but I do get hot flashes then). As far as weight gain if you maintain proper eating habits and exercise you won't have a problem. Exercise is very important, especially using weights to maintain muscle density. In addition taking calcium and daily requirements of vitamins is very important.
I stayed off work for eight (8) weeks mainly because I had a job where I lifted 60 pound boxes. The first four or five months when I tried to do too much I felt the results of it. Though it wasn't so devastating that I could not completely function. I would just get some rest after I got off work and then the next day just go back into work. The first
time I took off work sick since the surgery was February 2005 and that was
for a cold and sinus infection. The main thing I must stress is that
as soon as you are permitted to walk after surgery, do so.
Friday, June 18, 2004 I started to notice an extreme change in my period when I was in my early 40’s. During my period I would bleed so much I had to use maxi pads and Depends at the same time. The Depends stopped the accidental spotting of blood on my clothes. I was very concerned about the bleeding because it was starting to interfere with my work and other daily activities. I made an appointment to get an exam and talk to my Gynecologist (Gyn) about my problem. My Gyn ordered an ultrasound. The ultrasound test results came back with uterine fibroids as the problem. After finding out I had fibroids, I decided to make an appointment with an Interventional Radiologist to see if I was a good candidate for Uterine Artery Embolization. I created a list of questions to take with me to the doctor consultation. The Interventional Radiologist ordered an MRI. My MRI was done in an enclosed MRI unit and I was not allowed to eat food four hours before the test. I didn’t care for the closeness of the MRI and how I had to fold my arms in it. I was allowed to listen to music while the test was being performed. The music relaxed me and it helped to make the time go faster. The MRI confirmed I did have uterine fibroids and possibly something else showed on the results. The Interventional Radiologist notified my Gyn about the MRI results and told her that something was showing on the MRI that might not be a fibroid, but maybe a polyp. The Interventional Radiologist and Gyn thought I should have a hysteroscopy done to see if I had a polyp before the UAE (if there is something seen inside the uterus, hysteroscopy or endometrial biopsy would need to be performed anyway to make sure there is no cancer or pre-cancer present). After talking with my husband, I decided to have a hysterectomy performed (a radical hysterectomy includes removal of the lymph nodes and is only performed for cervical cancer). The hereditary factor for uterine fibroids disease is very strong in my family. I prepared for the hysterectomy surgery by getting the pre-admission tests performed (blood work and laboratory tests). I talked to my Gyn about the surgery and took in a bag of vitamins and herbal sport drinks. She told me which sport drinks and vitamins to stop taking (some vitamins and herbs can cause more bleeding). I was not allowed to eat food eight hours (after midnight) before the surgery, my bladder had to be empty, the catheter was put in after the anesthesia, IV inserted – one nurse couldn’t do it, but a second nurse did get the IV in correctly. My surgical incision was from my belly button vertical thru my pubic hairs and was approximately 6 inches long. The reason I had a vertical incision was because I had a Caesarean to deliver my son, so they went through the previous incision. The doctor used 20 staples and some dissolvable stitches to close the incision. The staples were in for approximately one week and it didn’t hurt when they were removed. The Gyn said my uterus had several fibroids, but NO polyps. My sister bought me a plush stuff animal to hold on to when I coughed (a pillow worked great for this too). I think the way Dr. William Parker explains the hysterectomy terminology and surgery may be helpful to others. He said, “Hysterectomy terms are always confusing because they are Latin – hysterectomy means removal of just the uterus, hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy means removal of uterus, tubes and ovaries. Most Gynecologist’s make a horizontal incision, except when they think the uterus is “too big” and then they make a vertical incision. I almost never make a vertical incision – it takes a bit longer to heal, causes more pain, and is cosmetically worse. By the way, it is not necessary to cut the abdominal muscles with either type of incision – the muscles are just spread apart.” I can’t say the recovery from hysterectomy is easy. I had a lot of pain and used more pain medication than I expected. My stamina was low for several weeks after the surgery. I had to walk as soon as possible, cough to get the fluid out of my lungs; the gas removal was not fun and required suppositories. I had to wear medical leggings, which put pressure on my legs to stop the forming of blood clots. The medical leggings felt like I was getting a periodic blood pressure on my legs and it felt good. I had a fever after the surgery and the doctor made me stay in the hospital for an extra day (four days total). (The timeframe for the hospital stay will depend on the insurance policy and the doctor.) I did have some blood and tissue expelled from my vagina for several weeks after the hysterectomy. I couldn’t shower for about a week, only sponge baths (this depends on the doctor’s instructions). The pain medication I took after the surgery made me constipated and I had a lot of gas (not all women will experience this). I really recommend women have a prescription or over-the-counter stool softener (sulfax or colace) to use with the medication. (Check with your pharmacist if you have a question about medication for constipation.) For a little while after the surgery I didn’t feel like eating a lot and the stool softener helped me through this timeframe. I also ate a lot of grapes and pears. When I went home I slept in bed, but sometimes I used a reading pillow to help me angle my body and take pressure off my incision. My husband bought me a rocker and I used it a lot during my recovery. He also created a step to help me get into the shower. I highly recommend women have someone with them for the first week or two after the surgery. My husband was a trooper. I can’t express enough how much he helped me. He did all of the errands because I couldn’t drive for six weeks (my car is a stick and it would have been hard to change the gears). My son gave up many of his weekends to be with me and help me through my recovery process. I can’t thank him enough for all the love, care, concern, and attention he gave me. I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful son in my life. At home, I took a lot of walks with my husband and my son’s girlfriend. The walking was very helpful to the recovery process. I wasn’t allowed to go back to work for 8 weeks and when I did it was regular duty (I had my surgery February 24, 2004 and returned to work April 21, 2004). My incision was OK, but inside there was fleshy tissue that my Gyn had to use silver nitrate to dissolve. (This delayed healing is called granulation tissue, or “proud flesh”. It is formed when new blood vessels begin to grow in a wound, but are not covered by skin when the tissue heals. It is usually discovered because it bleeds or becomes tender.) This took two visits back to the doctor. I wasn’t allowed to have sex until it was cleared up. Since I had my uterus and ovaries removed I needed a hormone replacement. I highly recommend that women check what their prescription cards cover for hormone replacement prescriptions (hormones are only necessary if you have your ovaries removed). Check to see if you will need it, why, how much, etc. Be prepared to have to work on getting the right hormone prescription for your body. V-DOT HRT did not work for me. I used it and I still had heat flashes. As of June 11, 2004, I am still working on getting the right hormone prescription for me. Soy is supposed to be good for heat flashes. I stayed away from Black Cohosh because tests have shown it may cause cancer to grow faster in women who have cancer. I am now seeing a Compound Specialist and using Natural HRT (this is covered by my insurance). It was during a Community Health Fair I had my blood pressure checked and learned my blood pressure was really high from my V-DOT HRT hormone patch (this is very rare). I immediately called my doctor to report the high blood pressure reading (my blood pressure reading was always ok before the hormone patch). There may be some side effects to hormone replacement and it is very important for women to research and educate themselves about them. My husband and I have learned a lot from this medical experience and our relationship has grown even closer. I am glad I researched ALL of the uterine fibroid treatments and asked questions before I decided on a fibroid option that suited my medical situation. - Harrisburg, PA
Suggestions From
Hysterectomy Patients |
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