Asking for alt views/info/experience regarding hysterectomy.

Thanks Momine and Jenjenl for some positive stories.  Did either of you have the Da vinci/vaginal surgery?  Could you work out/resume normal activies at the same level after 6 weeks or earlier?

Melissa ~ that really is a horrible case of misdiagnosis! Wow! I'm glad that they finally did diagnos it and that it wasn't a more agressive type. My sister also had a contained ovarian tumor that got to the size of a grapefruit.  Although it was cancer,it was a more rare non-invasive type so she didn't have to have radiation or chemo either.  Hers was a granulosa cell tumor.  At the time, they wanted to take her other ovary but she was single and 30 with no kids, so she refused.  That was about 17 years ago and she is now married with 3 kids and no signs of cancer since then.  It's such a scary crapshoot!

I've heard of the trapped air pain.  Is there anything we can do to avoid/prevent that or it just happens?  I also read somewhere that you are slanted almost upside down for the procedure.  I need to ask at pre-op.  Not that it makes a difference I guess. Just was surprised. Maybe that's why the air goes to the shoulders?

And you were cleared at one week? Wow!  I have a fairly low stress office job (and could even lie down for breaks if I needed to).  I'm hoping to go back after a week part time for the first week.  I realize I will have to take clues from my body and be cleared by the doc, but your experience gives me hope!

Thank you Momine! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a quick recovery.  I'm going back on a pre-op/post-op supplement regimen my Naturo Onc put me on for my mastectomy 2 years ago so am trying to do everything in my power to increase my odds.

I could see pretty much crashing at home after work for the first few weeks back.  That I can handle.

By downstairs...do you mean bowel or sexual function?  I'm a little nervous about the sexual function part, like there might be pain, or the cuff could break open.   But I'm sure they do a visual exam before they give you the okay??

Interesting.  My gyno told me that they hardly ever leave the cervix anymore.  And the gyno onc said he takes the cervix because it is impossible to not leave any uterine lining which could turn into cancer...albeit the risk of uterine cancer is only slightly increased by the tamoxifen.

Sigh.  Who knows what to believe. 

I made the mistake of looking for too many hysterectomy stories and found one where the lady said her vaginal cuff tore during sexual intercourse and her intestines started coming out of her vagina. Nice. 

Momine ~ Both my gyn and gyno onc said it was up to me whether to keep the cervix (and uterus, other ovary for that matter).  They both laid out pros and cons.  The only con to removing it I heard was from my gyno who said that she has had "some" women say that sex wasn't the same afterwards, but then she pointed out that she had just as many say that it made no difference.

My gyno onc did say if I want to keep my cervix then the surgery would be fully laproscopic as opposed to vaginally.  Because my ovary is enlarged and (somewhat) suspicious of cancer..it would mean that they would have to encase it inside a little bag before they took it out laproscopically in case it burst.  It sounded like it would be less "touch and go" to take it out through the vagina because it is a bigger area to work with.  This is one (of the many) reasons I'm leaning towards the full hysterectomy.  Granted, if it is cancer, all bets are off and they'll make a big vertical abdominal cut anyway.  Was yours laproscopic (not vaginal)?  

Thanks Melissa. I did find it, as did my husband .. he was apparantly googling all over the place after we heard about the ovary and found hystersisters.  Very sweet...but he was just trying to gain ammunition in case I balked at taking out anything.:) (He thinks I should get it all out just to avoid any type of cancer whatsoever).

From what I've read so far..it seems like the majority don't have many problems with the surgery and actually feel great/better afterwards.  But then again, it seems like many of them were having painful uterine problems and couldn't wait to have it out.  I'm still poking around on their site and have already learned a ton of what to expect...which helps me to be prepared physically and emotionally.

So I had the complete davinci vaginal hysterectomy on Monday the 22nd.  (No cancer - Yay! Maybe they can put it back? Went home the next day and have been fine on just regular Advil since.  Not really in any "pain" after the first few days.  Just not as much energy as normal.  I was able to go back to work (desk job) after one week (last Monday) for 4hrs/day and that seems to be working out pretty good.  Totally doable and I am glad to be able to have plenty of time to rest during the day.  Making sure I drink plenty of water, eat healthy foods, nap when I need to.  I actually feel pretty darn good all things considered.  No instant menopause symptoms yet...it's been 9 days.... could they still hit me like a ton of bricks??  Everybody keeps looking at me with "sad eyes" when I tell them I won't be able to take any HRT, bioidenticals, etc.  I keep waiting to wake up to the menopause monster..but so far she seems to be absent? Could I be one of the lucky ones? 

Melissa, do you think I could have been in perimenpause and still have had regular periods?

Yay, Susan! What else did your dr. say about recovery? Any idea how long before you are back to normal activities? Sorry to ask this very personal question, but how soon before you can have sex?