No one knew the real reason why I was scared to get a hysterectomy.
It wasn’t because I would lose a part of me… my uterus, cervix, and possibly my ovaries. It also wasn’t because I wouldn’t be able to have more kids. But it was a fear that I would never be the same. Not be at the same fitness level or have periods. Yes, that’s right. Periods — although they made me miserable.
It was fear that I’d be menopausal. Fear that I’d struggle to maintain my weight. And it was fear that the procedure wouldn’t eliminate my pain.
I had read several nightmare stories about women who couldn’t keep the weight off (and in fact, gained weight uncontrollably) after their hysterectomy, so I perused fitness and health resources, searching for answers. Alternatives. Natural remedies. Researching the side effects of getting a hysterectomy and circumventing them.
When I finally decided to go through with a hysterectomy, I couldn’t believe it myself.
And because I didn’t want just anyone to perform the surgery, I went with an expert in the field. Someone who had done the procedure successfully many times. Someone renowned — hoping it would make a difference between living through the surgery and not surviving it.
I knew I couldn’t continue living like this… Taking off from work because of excruciating pain. You know, the kind of pain that shakes you whenever you drive over a crack or pothole in the road? The kind that drags you to the floor as you try to walk?
I was tired of the embarrassing incidents — bleeding through my clothes and only sticking with black pants with pockets, where I could hide sanitary napkins as I headed to the bathroom once again within the hour.
I was tired of the sleepless nights rolling around in bed. I was tired of coping with “over a year” of non-stop bleeding. Yes, a year and counting!
When my doctor asked for the date of my last period, I said, “I didn’t know,” because that was true. All I knew was that I’d been bleeding continuously for over a year. It was a miracle that I was still alive.
On good days, I changed my sanitary pad once every two to three hours. But that only lasted a few days each month, but then it was back to the old routine.
If I stood for more than 30 minutes, I’d wind up with horrible cramps for hours, followed by bed rest over the next few days. If I didn’t take painkillers within three hours, I’d be in severe pain for the rest of the day. The directions on the pill bottle had the maximum at 4-6 hours.
Thankfully, I could average out the daily intake during sleep. Still, that was tough since the pain woke me up throughout the night.
I was also tired of being “tired all the time.” My anemia was so severe (6.9) that I had to get two blood transfusions the day before my myomectomy, so I wouldn’t die during surgery. Again, it was God’s grace that got me to the doctor in time.
Call me headstrong. But even after my doctor advised me to get a hysterectomy, I wanted other options.
My first choice was Acessa, but it was off the table because my insurance wouldn’t cover it. So, I decided to go with a hysteroscopy myomectomy.
The first week after my myomectomy was smooth sailing. Things looked promising. I was still bleeding, but not as much, and the pain was much more manageable. The end of week two was a different story, however. The pain returned with a vengeance and so did the bleeding.
I scheduled an emergency appointment with my surgeon and told him that I was ready to have the hysterectomy. He scheduled it right away. My blood count was low again, but it was high enough to proceed with the surgery without another transfusion.
The hysterectomy took place four weeks after my myomectomy.
On the day of surgery, I was terrified with thoughts haunting me, “What if I didn’t make it? What if the surgery was unsuccessful?”
So I prayed, and in the end, God gave me peace. If I didn’t survive, I would end up in His loving arms and He would take care of my loved ones. If I survived, that was His will too.
Thankfully, the surgery was successful, and the nurses were absolutely amazing.
Back at home, I was shocked to still be in excruciating pain — parallel to extremely painful cramps. I spoke with my doctor about it, and he said it was normal. Still, I didn’t like it, and I wanted to feel better right away.
I also wanted to get back to my workout routine and check things off my to-do list. I thought, the sooner I got out of bed, the faster I could keep off the unwanted pounds. I wanted to pick up my dumbells and attack my abs. But I reluctantly obliged and slept more because of the meds and because my body was too exhausted from not having truly rested for a long time.
Eventually, I found the doctor was right. The pain went away in about 2 to 3 months. I also got the clearance that I’d been craving — to get back to my regular workouts.
Over the remainder of the year, the pain returned occasionally, sometimes for no particular reason — but it usually didn’t last more than a few hours and rarely, a few days.
Today, the pain is few and far between. Sometimes it returns when I accidentally eat fried food from a restaurant. But I’m excited to share that I’m mostly pain free.
If I were to do it all over again, I would have gotten a hysterectomy sooner and not even bothered with a myomectomy. I wouldn’t have worried so much about things beyond my control. I also would have started my research on life after a hysterectomy much sooner.
If you’re considering a hysterectomy and need help deciding if it’s the right path for you, my free questionnaire might help. It includes 101 questions to ask before proceeding with the procedure.
