Re: Test turned out OK???

From: jetstamp (jetstamp@yahoo.com)
Fri Apr 17 20:39:18 2009


".....The Dr asked me if I was attached to my uterus....I said yes, I had had it a >long time and really wasn't ready to part with it.  I fear that if I am
>prone to adhesions, and they take out the uterus, then it will be stuck to
>the small bowel causing ACTUAL obstructions.
>This doesn't sound like a good plan either.

>Anyone else been down this road?....."
>Thanks,
>Juli in MN

Juli,

I had an exploratory lap at age 31 at the U of MN women's clinic. I can't remember exactly what they said, but just remember being told that my insides were a 'mess' and also that my uterus was enlarged and distorted and that I should have a hysterectomy. I declined- I was still hoping to get to the root of my problems and if I ever did I might want to have children. I had severe pelvic pain (still do get bouts of severe pelvic pain- it happened today and I was in the biff for about half an hour with spasms that wouldn't stop- even with no uterus) Plus, even though I had fibroids, I never did believe that they were the cause of my symptoms although the gynos kept harping about them.

Finally, in 1998, after being bounced back and forth between gynos and gastros (neither specialty was of much help and they only wanted to be rid of me as a patient), I had a hysterectomy with ovarian sparing. I had it done by a gyno recommended by 2 co-workers- however, once the hysterectomy was done, he would barely speak to me at the follow-up appointments. He had made his money. Also, my understanding was that during surgery he would check around-I was hoping that he might see what was REALLY wrong while he was in there but he was several hours late for the surgery after having to deliver a baby and I'm sure he rushed through it and only did what he had to. Maybe that's why he was so evasive afterward? I also developed symptoms of some kind of rectovaginal abcess or fistula from the surgery that nearly drove me to the looney bin- and nobody could diagnose it or would even give me anything in an attempt to treat it. Doctors would actually laugh about it when I'd try to get help for this very embarrassing and uncomfortable issue.

I'm with you- doctors are too quick to remove the uterus and always have been- 'female castration' is what Mary Lou Ballweg of the Endometriosis Association calls it. As she said, if it were men, they wouldn't consider doing this to them! They'd find a way to fix the problem fast before doing that! (The word 'hysterectomy' comes from the word 'hysterical')

But, if you do end up finally giving into this over-performed surgery, as I did, I would recommend that you find a gynecologist who does not deliver babies so that what happened to me doesn't happen to you- having your surgery performed in a rushed manner. I think part of the problem with ob-gyns is that they try to cover too broad an area and as a result are spread too thin and don't have enough knowledge and experience in the 'gyn' part of 'ob-gyn' to do the best job.

Joan  


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