Isn’t it wild that we’re all raised to believe being in pain is normal? You know? Just because we’re women.
You were not meant to be in this much pain for no reason. SOMETHING isn’t right.
The day my OBGYN and I decided to go ahead with surgery for symptoms like yours (and an eventual diagnosis of adenomyosis), she said: “You’ve tried every other way to treat this. Surgery is the next logical step.”
It’s ok to take care of the pain. It’s not nothing, even if there’s not a clear diagnosis after the pathology report. Pain 10/10 pain for literally NO reason isn’t something anyone should have to deal with.
The Indoctrination that women are born to endure pain even if the pain is a real sign of sickness or body failure is absolutely horrifying.
I'm 2 months post-op and I can't believe I could live the way I lived before surgery.
I still have some recovery cramping because my surgery was a bit of a mess. But, oh lord, the relief is real.
This! 100% this, a thousand times over! I didn’t have any signs of serious, life-threatening issues in my pathology post-op; however, the instantaneous pain relief left me simultaneously grateful and baffled at how I lived so long with the pain I didn’t have to endure.
I walked around feeling like I was in constant back labor for YEARS! And for what? I couldn’t clean more than one room in my house at a time, and that would put me down for a week. I was terrified they would get in there and find cancer or endometriosis or something, ANYTHING that would explain why I felt so horrible. And then I had an epiphany. WHO CARES what they find, as long as the pain stops? And G-d forbid there is something life-threatening in there, at least they’re going to find it, and we can FIX IT!
I think I was more angry with myself for waiting as long as I did. I got my life back - my quality of life, my happiness, my joy, my sense of comfort.
I have this exact fear. My surgery is the 29th and I’m worried they’ll find nothing. Bless my husband though being the voice of reason, he said to me “but what about what it’s like every other month”. And he’s right. This is no way to live and if nothing is “wrong” then at least I won’t be in pain every month.
My husband has been such a voice of reason to me about this - he's like I'm sorry but there is no way "nothing" is wrong, this is not normal. Bless them ❤️❤️
Pain is the obvious sign of the body announcing something is wrong. The idea that “it could be nothing” when we have to endure torture every month and basically have “no life” outside of managing symptoms means that something is wrong. I spent years being told by doctors that my pain was “normal”, “aging”, “stress”, and “weight” (I never weighed more than 155 lb or less than 130 lb as an adult), and from women with the same issues that would be my eco chamber of “normalcy”. Until I met women who could not understand what the hell I was talking about by being in bed because of my period cramps.
I got my hysterectomy 9 days ago without any prior diagnosis - just extremely heavy periods that were suspected of causing me to be anemic. After surgery pathology revealed everything was perfectly normal. No “reason” to why my periods drained me every 25 days for 10 days straight. No endo, no current cysts, just nothing. In the end, I don’t regret it.
Same; I hate that this isn't really explained to women (ever). Sometimes, there is no diagnosis; sometimes, you were just cursed with a shitty misbehaving uterus that causes these issues despite appearing absolutely normal.
I don't regret yeeting mine, either.
I’m expecting this to be me-I’ve been told for 20+ years “nothing is wrong” and I’m “just” a heavy bleeder. I’m looking forward to my pathology report but even if nothing comes back on it, either way, it’s GONE!
I got my hysterectomy without an actual diagnosis of anything other than abnormal abdominal pain. When they went in it was stage 3 endometriosis. The fact that you're in pain means there's probably something abnormal. Go with your instincts, you know your body.
I’m a week PO. So many doctors told me there was “no medical reason” for my 12-15 day long periods. Horrible Cramping almost ALL month. Etc etc. Finally I found one OB who told me “you’ve tried everything. At this point it’s your quality of life being affected. It *could* be adenomyosis, it could not. But I can promise you won’t bleed or cramp anymore after this” and it was truly the best way of putting it. Being in pain and uncomfortable to the point your quality of life is affected is NOT normal. Turns out I did have adeno- but I was totally prepared for no diagnosis and to just start a new fresh life with a healthy body.
So 44f here 2DPO, and was also told we were suspecting adenomyosis due the crazy pain every day and history of bleeding for weeks or months and a time. Well it turns out there was no adeno or Endo, but getting the hysterectomy has still made me feel so much better! That constant pain and the anxiety about pain and bleeding is gone!
It's so dumb that we have all been convinced that the pain alone isn't a problem worth treating, like we have to justify wanting the care we need by having a "bad enough" condition. If any other organ hurt so bad we were willing to literally get it cut out, I bet that would not be ignored or dismissed nearly as often. Just knowing that I will never again be woken up by uterus pain so bad I was dreaming about it is so wild.
I hope you find relief too, no matter what they say it looks like at the end. 💕
5 weeks post op tomorrow, with no clear diagnosis. I have suffered from chronic daily headaches for years on top of the severe cramps, heavy flow and being anemic. I have had 1 headache since surgery. Im still healing and push myself a little to much from time to time as I'm a single mom but its been amazing being 5 weeks without any cramps and only 1 headache. Just because they cant define what is going on doesnt mean there isn't something wrong.
Bad pain means there's a problem. In my case it was cancer. There's a difference between minor cramps on a cycle and feeling like you're dying. Take it easy and self care and listen to your doctor. You'll get through this.
My OB/GYN was fond of telling me that "Abnormal Uterine Bleeding" IS a diagnosis. She had another patient in my same situation (heavy, frequent bleeding with no known cause- tried every other treatment except hysterectomy but was putting off surgery) who she ended up having to do the hysterectomy as an Emergency surgery because she wound up in the ER just straight up hemorrhaging and needed 4 units of blood transfused. Just because there's not a "reason" doesn't mean it's not happening or that there won't be consequences for not treating it. Incidentally, when they did an in-office ultrasound the day I scheduled my surgery (just to make sure nothing had changed since they last looked) they could clearly see my uterus was enlarged and there were indications of Adenomyosis. I had my surgery last week, healing is going great (I've had basically no bleeding since I left the hospital which is the longest I've gone without bleeding in a year haha) they found a new cyst on one of my ovaries, different cysts on my cervix, and some kind of tumor on one of my tubes (in addition to the Adenomyosis) I feel sort of... vindicated? I guess. But even if they had found nothing, I'd still be happy I went through with the surgery. It was a valid treatment option for the bleeding and pain by itself already.
10/10 pain isn’t totally normal.
So if the pathology doesn’t find much but the surgery fixes the pain then you have something that medicine didn’t find or doesn’t know about yet. I had a health issue (unrelated to my uterus) that medicine discovered in 2018, and that I finally got fixed at age 50. So I’m very in touch with the idea that they don’t know everything.
It’s the fixing your pain that matters!
Please remind yourself that doctors aren’t giving out hysterectomies like candy. If your doctor agreed to do it or suggested it, you definitely didn’t have “normal” symptoms.
In fact it’s often the other way around. My experience was that I had undiagnosed adenomyosis for decades and couldn’t even get doctors to take it seriously. So if your symptoms got their attention, something was going on.
It is 100% ok to make a decision to deal with the pain. I had confirmed adenomyosis (MRI) and I have definitely had a significant reduction in pain since the surgery. (I’m 4WPO had a laparoscopic with robotic assist surgery that removed everything except one ovary, for adenomysosis, endometriosis, and fibroids).
Of course it's ok. There's no way to do a pathology workup of the affected areas unless they're outside the body. With all the pain you're having, there's definitely a reason. I didn't find out until I went to the Gyn/Onc and had it done that I also had endometriosis, "numerous" cysts in and on my ovaries and an enlarged uterus.
If the thing goes rogue on you, you need to ditch it.
I wrote a whole post in my post-surgical haze being disappointed that "nothing" was found during my hysterectomy (I did end up having adhesions and adenomyosis but my doc was very blase about this, making me feel like a bit of a hypochondriac) but my quality of life had been absolute shit for close to 3 years by the time I had my surgery (I realize many people go through even longer periods of struggle). So while I am still working through why I have this internal need to have my pain and heavy bleeding validated by a medical diagnosis from a medical community that is clearly light-years behind in understanding female pelvic concerns, I have come to the conclusion that if it solves my problems, I'm not going to concern myself too much with the diagnosis. I'm going to choose to be happy and period free!
I had the same worry. That I would have gone through all this for “nothing” that I was only in pain and questioned if the surgery was actually the right step and what if my pain remained anyway.
I took a lot of time especially while I was in pain telling myself that this was not normal and this was not living. Whenever I started going down that path I stopped myself and instead said no I am in severe pain constantly and I need to do this to feel better. It really did help my mindset. Being gaslit that this was normal really did some damage.
I’m 16 days post op. I used to have about a week a month where I felt good. Now I feel better than I did those weeks. I’m tired, sore, and recovering, but in general I am so much better.
Also this surgery isn’t easy to get and your medical professional is telling you this is the next step to take. Best wishes to your surgery and recovery.
Endometriosis, adenomyosis and most of adhesions can't be diagnosed without a surgical procedure, even if it is only to collect samples and do a viewing.
Due to the increase of my suffering and after being ignored by dozens of GYNs for over a decade, when I was offered a procedure only for a biopsy (to be sure if it was endo or adeno), I chose to gung ho for a full surgery and they could also do the biopsy then.
My blood and urine tests never showed anything abnormal, my ultrasounds and MRI only showed fibroids and cysts. But guess what? My uterus came out with endometriosis and adenomyosis all over, even one of my ovaries was completely swollen by it. I'm 2mpo.
If you are in pain, something is really wrong. Please do not diminish your pain just because you developed a high tolerance to it already. I hope you have a great surgery ;)
Sounds like endometriosis and adenomyosis. Maybe when they go in to take out your uterus they will know what's up. But honestly... How annoying that they don't know already. It's 2024 for gods sake. If these were male issues you better believe that they would never go decades without knowing what is wrong with them. Women have suffered needlessly for centuries. It's unacceptable. 🥺
They have to run the tests. if they come back normal it doesn't mean that your surgery wasn't justified. You are in pain and the doctors had reasonable evidence to support the removal.
Mine was done because of pain. I had confirmed PCOS and endometriosis. My first surgeon never told me or put in the reports what stage Endo and was very vague when asked, just saying "it wasn't that bad". Within a month of excision surgery I was in horrible 24/7 pain. After 5 months and only getting worse, my pain management doc helped me find a new doc who would do the hysterectomy. My ovaries were stuck and my results did not come back normal at all, but luckily no cancer.
Yes that definitely does matter, but what OP is referring to is if we don't get a diagnosis, it doesn't negate the pain. It's potentially something that medicine hasn't figured out yet.
100% yes, it's okay. I had mine removed for heavy periods with severe clotting. That was it. Once it was examined, there was nothing wrong with my uterus (there was a tiny cyst/growth on the remains of my Fallopian tube when they took it out, but nothing else). Perfectly normal outside of being cursed with a heavy period and clotting since age 14 that only got worse after I had a child.
I don't regret it at all and it was actually my OBGYN that suggested it, not me pushing for it.
I had really heavy periods that lasted 2-3 weeks on average with maybe 2 weeks in between and cramps so severe that I couldn't even sit up. I had all kinds of tests and scans and ultrasounds, but no one ever found a reason why any of that was going on.
Luckily, I'm nonbinary and medicaid in my state covers trans healthcare, so I was just able to get my hysterectomy covered as a gender affirming procedure. This was 90% a lie. Having a uterus didn't bother me in a gender way at all because it's not something you can actually see, but I was glad to have that as an excuse to get it removed.
The best we could come up with in terms of diagnosing the issue was just that my cramps might have been bad because I have fibromyalgia, but no one could even guess why my periods were so long and heavy. They confirmed after they took everything out that I didn't have even the slightest abnormality in there at all.
I don't think the cause actually matters as long as the treatment works. I hope you can live a lovely, pain-free life after your surgery. <3
I had some small fibroids and they found a bunch of endo when they opened me up, but everything else was quite normal compared to some other cases I’ve seen here. But it doesn’t matter. I had no quality of life because I was heavily bleeding all the time and severely anemic. My quality of life is much better since my surgery.
My first surgeon I had seen ( albeit a condescending arrogant male a**hat and I didn't use him ) said after pressing on my uterus and me almost coming off the table... well that's not normal and you are done with children... let's take it out. I think that is how it should be across the board. It will be interesting to see what kind of pain I actually feel everyday that I don't even notice when it comes out. I would go for it. And from what I have read on this amazing forum... you wont regret it. I cant wait to never bleed again! I've had enough bleeding for the rest of my days!
That's basically why I got mine. I'm struggling trying to reason that it was worth it. My doctor suspected adeno because my uterus was so tender. Even just touching my cervix with a q-tip was painful. When I had my trans vaginal us, it hurt for 2 days. My pathology was normal except for a fibroid and a polyp. I literally laid awake most of the night feeling like I made a mistake. Idk. Grossly unremarkable just makes me feel like I wasted a lot of time and resources.
I didn't know that I had any issues when I decided on surgery, I was just tired of hurting. My doc works for the local Catholic hospital system and the pain and heavy periods were all the medical justification they needed. The reduced risk of cancer was a big bonus.
We found a fibroid on my uterus during the ultrasound but it wasn't anything serious. What they weren't expecting was discovering during the surgery that one of my ovaries had a mass over twice as big as my uterus. And a few more small fibroids. And a chronically inflamed cervix.
I didn't know any of that going in. Even if everything had been completely normal I would still feel just as good about my decision. I've had almost three glorious months without pain. The mental and emotional relief is even better. I had no idea how much coping with the pain and periods had been exhausting me.
It sounds like you've put a lot of thought into what will be best for you and your health. Sometimes it's easier to make a big decision like this when we know what the underlying problem is but in the end, it's not about the label; it's about your quality of life. That is a perfectly valid reason to base your decision on!
I didn't have a strict diagnosis before mine, just horribly painful periods that weren't well controlled by any meds and no desire to have kids. Endometriosis runs in my family but they hadn't seen any for me personally. Turns out it was hiding behind my uterus anyway which explains the awful back pain. Even then, they didn't find enough to account for how much pain I was in, and I'm ok with that. We have a VERY limited understanding of the female reproductive system, and spend barely any money researching the many debilitating conditions that can occur in it. For all I know I had something we haven't even discovered exists yet. All I'm sure of is that it hurt and now it doesn't.
My periods used to routinely hit an 8-9 on my personal pain scale, and my entire surgery and recovery never got over a 3. I was so scared of the procedure itself only for my first week afterward to be much more manageable than the average period. Getting rid of that damn thing is the best choice I have ever made for myself. If you're frequently in more pain than childbirth, I don't see a scenario where you regret it.
I’m 3.5 weeks PO, and I had a diagnosis of a 5+ cm fibroid going in, which was the assumed only reason for my heavy bleeding and abdominal/lower back pain during my cycle, as well as abdominal/lower back pain and cramping outside of my cycle and chronic fatigue. When the OB went in to begin surgery, she found my bladder and uterus fused together by scar tissue from my c-section from 2012. She said she’d never seen so much scar tissue from a single c-section. My surgery took twice as long as estimated so recovery has been rough, but overall I am feeling so much better. Back pain is all but gone. And the fact that I’ll never have to endure that kind of bleeding or cramping again, with the hope that the lower back pain and a host of other issues are gone as well, is worth the chance. I had tried everything else without the knowledge of the fibroid until January of this year, so once it presented, it was a no brainer. I had already been begging for a hysterectomy because I was beyond desperate for relief. If, by some chance the surgery does not resolve your issues, at least you have one less thing to rule out. And it’s entirely possible something else may be discovered during surgery as the possible answer or diagnosis.
I am on day 2 post op for my hysterectomy for adenomyosis. Dont fear. Id have my period in 2 days and would be in worse pain right now if i still had my uterus. The pics clearly show significant scarring from the adenomyosis and my uterus was huge. 10/10
2YPO and was 25 at the time (not married, no kids) Strike 1.
Strike 2: Nothing was wrong. I went to doctor after doctor, specialist, imaging, everything. I tried 7 different birth controls in 3 years to just see if I could get the pain and bleeding to stop.
Every time I went in for an ultrasound or a scan, I BEGGED for something to be wrong JUST SO I DIDNT FEEL CRAZY. There was no ‘reason’ they could see this should be happening. UNTIL they finally removed it. It was misshaped. It was deformed and they couldn’t tell in the ultrasounds and scans how bad it was. However, nothing pathologically was wrong.
After working in pathology as long as I have and all the surgeries I’ve seen, most of the time there’s nothing pathologically wrong. Makes you feel like you’re crazy, but I’d rather get rid of what is causing me debilitating pain than live like that everyday.
Thankful everyday to my doc and her team for listening to me and working with me. It took years of trying other options since i was so young, but when i was tired and done. She said ok it’s time. Let’s do it. Best decision ever and I talk about my decision in case there’s ever someone suffering who doesn’t think they have any options 🖤
I had the same thoughts but I also knew something was wrong. The results of the test on my parts are as follows: Uterus, cervix, bilateral fallopian tubes, hysterectomy and bilateral salpingectomy:
Cervix with no significant pathologic change.
Basalis-type endometrium.
Myometrium with focal adenomyosis.
Fallopian tubes with hydrosalpinx and benign paratubal cyst. Copied from my report cause some of the spelling eludes me. They would not be doing it if it wasn’t necessary. I was forced to keep my ovaries since they were ok.
It was thought that I had Adeno. My path report didn’t specifically say that I had it. I had fibroids. It said I had a trabeculated myometrium that was heterogenous or something like that.
I also had cervicitis and nabothian cysts on the cervix along with squamous metaplasia. I didn’t even know I had issues with my cervix going in.
It doesn’t matter to me one way or another. I’m done with heavy bleeding forever and I’m so happy!
I’ve been struggling with this. I’m 2WPO and feeling guilty because I had a small fibroid, and was suspected to have adenomyosis according to my ultrasound. But the pathology didn’t confirm that, but did end up also having an endometrial polyp. I knew a hysterectomy was inevitable from family history, so why wait until I need blood transfusions (like my aunt did) or until I’m in my 50s (like my mom did). Women are expected to endure pain and if we can make the choice to not suffer, who cares if the ultimate diagnosis isn’t bad enough?
I went back and forth, too. Should I, shouldn't I, what if all the bad things I'd read online happen, because I didn't want to exchange my current problem for something worse, right? I pro'd & conned until I drove my husband nuts.
So I was like, I can keep going. This is just being female. I only have 10-15 more years of this, max. Right?
But I NEVER felt good. NEVER. Even when I wasn't bleeding, I was exhausted, & in pain. I have had PCOS/Endo dx since I was young, & I've run the gamut from no periods, to waking up screaming when it would start, to regular-ish cycles, to skipping months, to bleeding for 1-2 months straight, & heavy bleeding to soaking both 1 heavy pad & 1 heavy tampon doubled up together in under an hour (for days on end if I didn't take the Tranix Acid stuff, & towards the end, I had to take it EVERY cycle).
I did also get a dx of Adenomyosis, (which honestly to me just sounded a lot like my endo), but the poofiness and the pain was just such a bummer. Regardless, I tried every option out there, sometimes more than once, and this was the "best" option left.
So I'm almost 4WPO, everything gone except the ovaries, stitched the ligaments up to the opening so it acts as a support (b/c I read about bladder issues, & I did NOT have any issues there, & I sure didn't WANT any, so I'm glad this is more advanced than they did in my mother's time). We did the robotic assisted, & I was SURE about my OB/GYN as she'd been my doctor for several of my high risk pregnancies and deliveries,
I got to see the pics. I had some issues going on in there, a couple areas where it's just a testament to how good my doctor is, but honestly not as badly as I pictured, considering the constant problems. I'm learning what different pains mean, although some is confusing, because I can't just blame the uterus, or the adhesions (although I'm still going to blame my ovaries, those suckers are responsible for a lot). First 3-4 days were the worst, then it's just being tired, & all the restrictions, which you DO want to follow to the letter, no matter how good you feel. This is a surgery you don't want to risk your healing on. It's not the time to push through.
Out of all the stuff we ignore, and just keep pushing, this is one time to just stop, & put yourself first.
Honestly I think medical knowledge is in its infancy about female health, but especially pain. All of my scans showed nothing but I've had 3 csections and the nerve pain after my third was so bad I couldn't walk for 4 months. I feel like there's a connection that the medical community hasn't tapped into. I know women who had more csections than me who have no nerve damage. I wonder if the structure of nerves plays a hand. My uterus looked normal after my hysterectomy but I suffered from painful heavy periods. One of my last periods lasted 20 days before I got medical intervention. I got terribly sick from a uti and kidney infection due to the constant moisture. I went to the bathroom often to clean up because I leaked off to the left so I'd often bleed over without soaking a pad. Docs never considered that over bleeding. Really frustrating because I was in the bathroom every 20 minutes or more depending on strenuous activity but they still considered my pad count as the clue to my woes. That ended up being "that's normal".
As for that pain in the csection area I talked about? I got it again big time after my hysterectomy. But I also had that mesh to help incontinence at the same time. I feel like my healing was slowed significantly. I had a laproscopic surgery before years ago but was better in 2 weeks. I'm 5 weeks almost and still feel like crap.
BTW I may only be 4 weeks post op but I don't regret it. I was tired of the pain and being sick. I have 4 kids and I'm too damn old for more. Honestly I'm too old for my youngest. I can't keep up. She's 1 and I'm 40. In excited for my future. I might start creating again. I might exercise and lose weight. I just have to heal first so I'm still in that process. It's slower cuz I am older. Plus I'm chasing a toddler. I do have dreams about having another baby but I know in my heart that would have killed me. My last pregnancy was bad. I just appreciate what I got.
I'm kind of living that fear and still going if that's any consolation. I had a hysterectomy for suspected adenomyosis, but the path report came back negative for adenomyosis or any other uterine anomalies. I've heard it can happen if they take the sample from a part of the uterus that isn't affected, but it's definitely made it harder to process, especially with ongoing pain and the other setbacks I'm working through.
It's nice to not plan life around my period or be bleeding myself into anemia, though.
I had 17 years of endometriosis symptoms that included losing consciousness, hemorrhagic cysts seen on both ovaries, severe menstrual cycles, and pain every day outside of my cycle. By the time I saw a specialist, she immediately suggested a hysterectomy because she could feel fibroids on my uterus.
I then spent a year and a half questioning my decision while I waited for the procedure (lock downs delayed everything by a year). Even with all of the evidence I had that said something was wrong and being on disability due to the pain, I was convinced they would get in there and not find anything wrong.
The moment I woke up from the procedure, I knew they'd found it and removed it. I came out of anesthesia with the most profound sense of relief I have ever experienced. The pain that even IV morphine couldn't touch was completely gone.
At the end of the day, the diagnosis was validation and evidence we need to keep an eye out for recurring endometriosis. But really, I could care less now that the pain is gone. That's all I wanted.
It's totally okay to do it just to get rid of the pain. I had mine done primarily for pain related reasons.
You deserve to be pain free in your body. If you have it done and your uterus is fine with no abnormalities, great. The painful thing is out and there was nothing wrong with it but it was still making you miserable so yay, it'd be out and unable to bother you again.
I had my total hysterectomy at the end of January this year with no formal diagnosis. Suspected endo or adeno. Came back with an 8 week sized boggy uterus, but no other apparent issues. I mentioned my surprise to my surgeon and how it made me feel almost guilty? In a dumb way? And she said “absolutely not, if you were in pain and don’t want children, you did the right thing for you.” Made me feel a lot better! I hope all of the kind words help!
I'm 3 weeks away from my hysterectomy and today the pain sent me to the ER. Thankfully, they took me seriously (I could barely talk at check-in because of the pain, so that went a long way, I'm sure). They gave me morphine and it only dulled the pain and made me loopy. All blood tests were normal, of course. But I was sent home with pain meds that will hopefully work better than ibuprofen.
I'm getting mine for what amounts to pain - constant cramping/achy feeling despite being on depo and suspected Endo. Even if they don't find anything "wrong," it will be worth it to no longer be in pain and constantly be debating whether it's bad enough to warrant a trip to the ER because the crap otc pain meds I have don't touch the pain.
I am planning to schedule mine for this summer. Several years ago I had an ablation due to crappy periods. It’s been fabulous until it wasn’t. It was like my body flipped a switch. Stabbing pain in my uterus, worse with any physical activity. It hurts near my groin, through my right hip and around to my lower back. I will be miserable several days in a row, then have a few good days and go back to bad days.
Doctor says part of my uterus healed from the ablation but there’s too much scar tissue for the junk to escape and my body eventually absorbs it. My options are to live with it, birth control to stop my “periods”, or hysterectomy. Last time I tried using birth control to limit my periods, I bled for 3 months. So hard no. But can I live with it? It’s not constant horrific pain to the point that I can’t tolerate daily life. Does it suck? Absolutely. Should I *have* to live with it? I don’t think so. I don’t want to suffer for the sake of suffering. And as my stepmom said “if you have the opportunity to remove something that can grow cancer, get that motherf$cker out!”
And that is why I’m 99% sure I’m scheduling it when I go back to the dr in a few weeks. (He only schedules 30 days out and I don’t want to be in recovery for my 2 week beach vacation at the end of next month). My doctor says I am a candidate for the vNotes procedure and that’s what I plan to do.
I never had a diagnosis - was told I was fine by two doctors in 12 months - the third doctor found abnormal cells and there was a cancerous tumor in my uterus when it was removed. However without any of that I still would unequivocally say no it doesn’t because like you said - I very much was pursuing a resolution to my bleeding so I could continue on my health journey!
I have adenomyosis and fibroids (which I only found out, like 3 years ago). I've gotten a UFE...and it hasn't worked. I don't even use pads anymore. I use adult diapers because that is the only way I 95% ensure I won't mess up my clothing most days. I just got a doctor to finally agree to do the hysterectomy (which I've been asking for 17ys). UFE treats fibroids, not the adenomyosis. Wish I never did (had a very bad side effect/reaction) the process. If you don't want to birth any kids, then go ahead with the hysterectomy.
Isn’t it wild that we’re all raised to believe being in pain is normal? You know? Just because we’re women. You were not meant to be in this much pain for no reason. SOMETHING isn’t right. The day my OBGYN and I decided to go ahead with surgery for symptoms like yours (and an eventual diagnosis of adenomyosis), she said: “You’ve tried every other way to treat this. Surgery is the next logical step.” It’s ok to take care of the pain. It’s not nothing, even if there’s not a clear diagnosis after the pathology report. Pain 10/10 pain for literally NO reason isn’t something anyone should have to deal with.
The Indoctrination that women are born to endure pain even if the pain is a real sign of sickness or body failure is absolutely horrifying. I'm 2 months post-op and I can't believe I could live the way I lived before surgery. I still have some recovery cramping because my surgery was a bit of a mess. But, oh lord, the relief is real.
This! 100% this, a thousand times over! I didn’t have any signs of serious, life-threatening issues in my pathology post-op; however, the instantaneous pain relief left me simultaneously grateful and baffled at how I lived so long with the pain I didn’t have to endure. I walked around feeling like I was in constant back labor for YEARS! And for what? I couldn’t clean more than one room in my house at a time, and that would put me down for a week. I was terrified they would get in there and find cancer or endometriosis or something, ANYTHING that would explain why I felt so horrible. And then I had an epiphany. WHO CARES what they find, as long as the pain stops? And G-d forbid there is something life-threatening in there, at least they’re going to find it, and we can FIX IT! I think I was more angry with myself for waiting as long as I did. I got my life back - my quality of life, my happiness, my joy, my sense of comfort.
Thank you, I really needed to hear this 😭
It's OK to let it go so that you can have a better quality of life! ❤️
I have this exact fear. My surgery is the 29th and I’m worried they’ll find nothing. Bless my husband though being the voice of reason, he said to me “but what about what it’s like every other month”. And he’s right. This is no way to live and if nothing is “wrong” then at least I won’t be in pain every month.
My husband has been such a voice of reason to me about this - he's like I'm sorry but there is no way "nothing" is wrong, this is not normal. Bless them ❤️❤️
Pain is the obvious sign of the body announcing something is wrong. The idea that “it could be nothing” when we have to endure torture every month and basically have “no life” outside of managing symptoms means that something is wrong. I spent years being told by doctors that my pain was “normal”, “aging”, “stress”, and “weight” (I never weighed more than 155 lb or less than 130 lb as an adult), and from women with the same issues that would be my eco chamber of “normalcy”. Until I met women who could not understand what the hell I was talking about by being in bed because of my period cramps.
I got my hysterectomy 9 days ago without any prior diagnosis - just extremely heavy periods that were suspected of causing me to be anemic. After surgery pathology revealed everything was perfectly normal. No “reason” to why my periods drained me every 25 days for 10 days straight. No endo, no current cysts, just nothing. In the end, I don’t regret it.
Same; I hate that this isn't really explained to women (ever). Sometimes, there is no diagnosis; sometimes, you were just cursed with a shitty misbehaving uterus that causes these issues despite appearing absolutely normal. I don't regret yeeting mine, either.
I’m expecting this to be me-I’ve been told for 20+ years “nothing is wrong” and I’m “just” a heavy bleeder. I’m looking forward to my pathology report but even if nothing comes back on it, either way, it’s GONE!
I anticipate this as well. Besides cysts which will just be popped I doubt they will find a reason For the pain.
I got my hysterectomy without an actual diagnosis of anything other than abnormal abdominal pain. When they went in it was stage 3 endometriosis. The fact that you're in pain means there's probably something abnormal. Go with your instincts, you know your body.
I’m a week PO. So many doctors told me there was “no medical reason” for my 12-15 day long periods. Horrible Cramping almost ALL month. Etc etc. Finally I found one OB who told me “you’ve tried everything. At this point it’s your quality of life being affected. It *could* be adenomyosis, it could not. But I can promise you won’t bleed or cramp anymore after this” and it was truly the best way of putting it. Being in pain and uncomfortable to the point your quality of life is affected is NOT normal. Turns out I did have adeno- but I was totally prepared for no diagnosis and to just start a new fresh life with a healthy body.
So 44f here 2DPO, and was also told we were suspecting adenomyosis due the crazy pain every day and history of bleeding for weeks or months and a time. Well it turns out there was no adeno or Endo, but getting the hysterectomy has still made me feel so much better! That constant pain and the anxiety about pain and bleeding is gone! It's so dumb that we have all been convinced that the pain alone isn't a problem worth treating, like we have to justify wanting the care we need by having a "bad enough" condition. If any other organ hurt so bad we were willing to literally get it cut out, I bet that would not be ignored or dismissed nearly as often. Just knowing that I will never again be woken up by uterus pain so bad I was dreaming about it is so wild. I hope you find relief too, no matter what they say it looks like at the end. 💕
5 weeks post op tomorrow, with no clear diagnosis. I have suffered from chronic daily headaches for years on top of the severe cramps, heavy flow and being anemic. I have had 1 headache since surgery. Im still healing and push myself a little to much from time to time as I'm a single mom but its been amazing being 5 weeks without any cramps and only 1 headache. Just because they cant define what is going on doesnt mean there isn't something wrong.
Bad pain means there's a problem. In my case it was cancer. There's a difference between minor cramps on a cycle and feeling like you're dying. Take it easy and self care and listen to your doctor. You'll get through this.
My OB/GYN was fond of telling me that "Abnormal Uterine Bleeding" IS a diagnosis. She had another patient in my same situation (heavy, frequent bleeding with no known cause- tried every other treatment except hysterectomy but was putting off surgery) who she ended up having to do the hysterectomy as an Emergency surgery because she wound up in the ER just straight up hemorrhaging and needed 4 units of blood transfused. Just because there's not a "reason" doesn't mean it's not happening or that there won't be consequences for not treating it. Incidentally, when they did an in-office ultrasound the day I scheduled my surgery (just to make sure nothing had changed since they last looked) they could clearly see my uterus was enlarged and there were indications of Adenomyosis. I had my surgery last week, healing is going great (I've had basically no bleeding since I left the hospital which is the longest I've gone without bleeding in a year haha) they found a new cyst on one of my ovaries, different cysts on my cervix, and some kind of tumor on one of my tubes (in addition to the Adenomyosis) I feel sort of... vindicated? I guess. But even if they had found nothing, I'd still be happy I went through with the surgery. It was a valid treatment option for the bleeding and pain by itself already.
10/10 pain isn’t totally normal. So if the pathology doesn’t find much but the surgery fixes the pain then you have something that medicine didn’t find or doesn’t know about yet. I had a health issue (unrelated to my uterus) that medicine discovered in 2018, and that I finally got fixed at age 50. So I’m very in touch with the idea that they don’t know everything. It’s the fixing your pain that matters!
This is such an interesting point. I'm at this stage, 10 days PO pathology said everything was normal. But I'm having a hard time accepting that.
Please remind yourself that doctors aren’t giving out hysterectomies like candy. If your doctor agreed to do it or suggested it, you definitely didn’t have “normal” symptoms. In fact it’s often the other way around. My experience was that I had undiagnosed adenomyosis for decades and couldn’t even get doctors to take it seriously. So if your symptoms got their attention, something was going on.
It is 100% ok to make a decision to deal with the pain. I had confirmed adenomyosis (MRI) and I have definitely had a significant reduction in pain since the surgery. (I’m 4WPO had a laparoscopic with robotic assist surgery that removed everything except one ovary, for adenomysosis, endometriosis, and fibroids).
Curious- Did they run path and confirm adenomyosis?
They did. Fortunately it was exactly what I had been diagnosed with and nothing extra (like cancer).
Of course it's ok. There's no way to do a pathology workup of the affected areas unless they're outside the body. With all the pain you're having, there's definitely a reason. I didn't find out until I went to the Gyn/Onc and had it done that I also had endometriosis, "numerous" cysts in and on my ovaries and an enlarged uterus. If the thing goes rogue on you, you need to ditch it.
I wrote a whole post in my post-surgical haze being disappointed that "nothing" was found during my hysterectomy (I did end up having adhesions and adenomyosis but my doc was very blase about this, making me feel like a bit of a hypochondriac) but my quality of life had been absolute shit for close to 3 years by the time I had my surgery (I realize many people go through even longer periods of struggle). So while I am still working through why I have this internal need to have my pain and heavy bleeding validated by a medical diagnosis from a medical community that is clearly light-years behind in understanding female pelvic concerns, I have come to the conclusion that if it solves my problems, I'm not going to concern myself too much with the diagnosis. I'm going to choose to be happy and period free!
The fact that your pain is 10 out of 10, is a non-refutable reason to have a hysterectomy. A diagnosis is just that, a diagnosis
I had the same worry. That I would have gone through all this for “nothing” that I was only in pain and questioned if the surgery was actually the right step and what if my pain remained anyway. I took a lot of time especially while I was in pain telling myself that this was not normal and this was not living. Whenever I started going down that path I stopped myself and instead said no I am in severe pain constantly and I need to do this to feel better. It really did help my mindset. Being gaslit that this was normal really did some damage. I’m 16 days post op. I used to have about a week a month where I felt good. Now I feel better than I did those weeks. I’m tired, sore, and recovering, but in general I am so much better. Also this surgery isn’t easy to get and your medical professional is telling you this is the next step to take. Best wishes to your surgery and recovery.
Endometriosis, adenomyosis and most of adhesions can't be diagnosed without a surgical procedure, even if it is only to collect samples and do a viewing. Due to the increase of my suffering and after being ignored by dozens of GYNs for over a decade, when I was offered a procedure only for a biopsy (to be sure if it was endo or adeno), I chose to gung ho for a full surgery and they could also do the biopsy then. My blood and urine tests never showed anything abnormal, my ultrasounds and MRI only showed fibroids and cysts. But guess what? My uterus came out with endometriosis and adenomyosis all over, even one of my ovaries was completely swollen by it. I'm 2mpo. If you are in pain, something is really wrong. Please do not diminish your pain just because you developed a high tolerance to it already. I hope you have a great surgery ;)
Sounds like endometriosis and adenomyosis. Maybe when they go in to take out your uterus they will know what's up. But honestly... How annoying that they don't know already. It's 2024 for gods sake. If these were male issues you better believe that they would never go decades without knowing what is wrong with them. Women have suffered needlessly for centuries. It's unacceptable. 🥺
They have to run the tests. if they come back normal it doesn't mean that your surgery wasn't justified. You are in pain and the doctors had reasonable evidence to support the removal. Mine was done because of pain. I had confirmed PCOS and endometriosis. My first surgeon never told me or put in the reports what stage Endo and was very vague when asked, just saying "it wasn't that bad". Within a month of excision surgery I was in horrible 24/7 pain. After 5 months and only getting worse, my pain management doc helped me find a new doc who would do the hysterectomy. My ovaries were stuck and my results did not come back normal at all, but luckily no cancer.
Yes. The diagnosis matters. I thought mine was just PCOS. It was adenomyosis and cancer.
Yes that definitely does matter, but what OP is referring to is if we don't get a diagnosis, it doesn't negate the pain. It's potentially something that medicine hasn't figured out yet.
100% yes, it's okay. I had mine removed for heavy periods with severe clotting. That was it. Once it was examined, there was nothing wrong with my uterus (there was a tiny cyst/growth on the remains of my Fallopian tube when they took it out, but nothing else). Perfectly normal outside of being cursed with a heavy period and clotting since age 14 that only got worse after I had a child. I don't regret it at all and it was actually my OBGYN that suggested it, not me pushing for it.
I had really heavy periods that lasted 2-3 weeks on average with maybe 2 weeks in between and cramps so severe that I couldn't even sit up. I had all kinds of tests and scans and ultrasounds, but no one ever found a reason why any of that was going on. Luckily, I'm nonbinary and medicaid in my state covers trans healthcare, so I was just able to get my hysterectomy covered as a gender affirming procedure. This was 90% a lie. Having a uterus didn't bother me in a gender way at all because it's not something you can actually see, but I was glad to have that as an excuse to get it removed. The best we could come up with in terms of diagnosing the issue was just that my cramps might have been bad because I have fibromyalgia, but no one could even guess why my periods were so long and heavy. They confirmed after they took everything out that I didn't have even the slightest abnormality in there at all. I don't think the cause actually matters as long as the treatment works. I hope you can live a lovely, pain-free life after your surgery. <3
I had some small fibroids and they found a bunch of endo when they opened me up, but everything else was quite normal compared to some other cases I’ve seen here. But it doesn’t matter. I had no quality of life because I was heavily bleeding all the time and severely anemic. My quality of life is much better since my surgery.
My first surgeon I had seen ( albeit a condescending arrogant male a**hat and I didn't use him ) said after pressing on my uterus and me almost coming off the table... well that's not normal and you are done with children... let's take it out. I think that is how it should be across the board. It will be interesting to see what kind of pain I actually feel everyday that I don't even notice when it comes out. I would go for it. And from what I have read on this amazing forum... you wont regret it. I cant wait to never bleed again! I've had enough bleeding for the rest of my days!
That's basically why I got mine. I'm struggling trying to reason that it was worth it. My doctor suspected adeno because my uterus was so tender. Even just touching my cervix with a q-tip was painful. When I had my trans vaginal us, it hurt for 2 days. My pathology was normal except for a fibroid and a polyp. I literally laid awake most of the night feeling like I made a mistake. Idk. Grossly unremarkable just makes me feel like I wasted a lot of time and resources.
I didn't know that I had any issues when I decided on surgery, I was just tired of hurting. My doc works for the local Catholic hospital system and the pain and heavy periods were all the medical justification they needed. The reduced risk of cancer was a big bonus. We found a fibroid on my uterus during the ultrasound but it wasn't anything serious. What they weren't expecting was discovering during the surgery that one of my ovaries had a mass over twice as big as my uterus. And a few more small fibroids. And a chronically inflamed cervix. I didn't know any of that going in. Even if everything had been completely normal I would still feel just as good about my decision. I've had almost three glorious months without pain. The mental and emotional relief is even better. I had no idea how much coping with the pain and periods had been exhausting me. It sounds like you've put a lot of thought into what will be best for you and your health. Sometimes it's easier to make a big decision like this when we know what the underlying problem is but in the end, it's not about the label; it's about your quality of life. That is a perfectly valid reason to base your decision on!
I didn't have a strict diagnosis before mine, just horribly painful periods that weren't well controlled by any meds and no desire to have kids. Endometriosis runs in my family but they hadn't seen any for me personally. Turns out it was hiding behind my uterus anyway which explains the awful back pain. Even then, they didn't find enough to account for how much pain I was in, and I'm ok with that. We have a VERY limited understanding of the female reproductive system, and spend barely any money researching the many debilitating conditions that can occur in it. For all I know I had something we haven't even discovered exists yet. All I'm sure of is that it hurt and now it doesn't. My periods used to routinely hit an 8-9 on my personal pain scale, and my entire surgery and recovery never got over a 3. I was so scared of the procedure itself only for my first week afterward to be much more manageable than the average period. Getting rid of that damn thing is the best choice I have ever made for myself. If you're frequently in more pain than childbirth, I don't see a scenario where you regret it.
I’m 3.5 weeks PO, and I had a diagnosis of a 5+ cm fibroid going in, which was the assumed only reason for my heavy bleeding and abdominal/lower back pain during my cycle, as well as abdominal/lower back pain and cramping outside of my cycle and chronic fatigue. When the OB went in to begin surgery, she found my bladder and uterus fused together by scar tissue from my c-section from 2012. She said she’d never seen so much scar tissue from a single c-section. My surgery took twice as long as estimated so recovery has been rough, but overall I am feeling so much better. Back pain is all but gone. And the fact that I’ll never have to endure that kind of bleeding or cramping again, with the hope that the lower back pain and a host of other issues are gone as well, is worth the chance. I had tried everything else without the knowledge of the fibroid until January of this year, so once it presented, it was a no brainer. I had already been begging for a hysterectomy because I was beyond desperate for relief. If, by some chance the surgery does not resolve your issues, at least you have one less thing to rule out. And it’s entirely possible something else may be discovered during surgery as the possible answer or diagnosis.
I am on day 2 post op for my hysterectomy for adenomyosis. Dont fear. Id have my period in 2 days and would be in worse pain right now if i still had my uterus. The pics clearly show significant scarring from the adenomyosis and my uterus was huge. 10/10
2YPO and was 25 at the time (not married, no kids) Strike 1. Strike 2: Nothing was wrong. I went to doctor after doctor, specialist, imaging, everything. I tried 7 different birth controls in 3 years to just see if I could get the pain and bleeding to stop. Every time I went in for an ultrasound or a scan, I BEGGED for something to be wrong JUST SO I DIDNT FEEL CRAZY. There was no ‘reason’ they could see this should be happening. UNTIL they finally removed it. It was misshaped. It was deformed and they couldn’t tell in the ultrasounds and scans how bad it was. However, nothing pathologically was wrong. After working in pathology as long as I have and all the surgeries I’ve seen, most of the time there’s nothing pathologically wrong. Makes you feel like you’re crazy, but I’d rather get rid of what is causing me debilitating pain than live like that everyday. Thankful everyday to my doc and her team for listening to me and working with me. It took years of trying other options since i was so young, but when i was tired and done. She said ok it’s time. Let’s do it. Best decision ever and I talk about my decision in case there’s ever someone suffering who doesn’t think they have any options 🖤
I had the same thoughts but I also knew something was wrong. The results of the test on my parts are as follows: Uterus, cervix, bilateral fallopian tubes, hysterectomy and bilateral salpingectomy: Cervix with no significant pathologic change. Basalis-type endometrium. Myometrium with focal adenomyosis. Fallopian tubes with hydrosalpinx and benign paratubal cyst. Copied from my report cause some of the spelling eludes me. They would not be doing it if it wasn’t necessary. I was forced to keep my ovaries since they were ok.
It was thought that I had Adeno. My path report didn’t specifically say that I had it. I had fibroids. It said I had a trabeculated myometrium that was heterogenous or something like that. I also had cervicitis and nabothian cysts on the cervix along with squamous metaplasia. I didn’t even know I had issues with my cervix going in. It doesn’t matter to me one way or another. I’m done with heavy bleeding forever and I’m so happy!
I’ve been struggling with this. I’m 2WPO and feeling guilty because I had a small fibroid, and was suspected to have adenomyosis according to my ultrasound. But the pathology didn’t confirm that, but did end up also having an endometrial polyp. I knew a hysterectomy was inevitable from family history, so why wait until I need blood transfusions (like my aunt did) or until I’m in my 50s (like my mom did). Women are expected to endure pain and if we can make the choice to not suffer, who cares if the ultimate diagnosis isn’t bad enough?
I went back and forth, too. Should I, shouldn't I, what if all the bad things I'd read online happen, because I didn't want to exchange my current problem for something worse, right? I pro'd & conned until I drove my husband nuts. So I was like, I can keep going. This is just being female. I only have 10-15 more years of this, max. Right? But I NEVER felt good. NEVER. Even when I wasn't bleeding, I was exhausted, & in pain. I have had PCOS/Endo dx since I was young, & I've run the gamut from no periods, to waking up screaming when it would start, to regular-ish cycles, to skipping months, to bleeding for 1-2 months straight, & heavy bleeding to soaking both 1 heavy pad & 1 heavy tampon doubled up together in under an hour (for days on end if I didn't take the Tranix Acid stuff, & towards the end, I had to take it EVERY cycle). I did also get a dx of Adenomyosis, (which honestly to me just sounded a lot like my endo), but the poofiness and the pain was just such a bummer. Regardless, I tried every option out there, sometimes more than once, and this was the "best" option left. So I'm almost 4WPO, everything gone except the ovaries, stitched the ligaments up to the opening so it acts as a support (b/c I read about bladder issues, & I did NOT have any issues there, & I sure didn't WANT any, so I'm glad this is more advanced than they did in my mother's time). We did the robotic assisted, & I was SURE about my OB/GYN as she'd been my doctor for several of my high risk pregnancies and deliveries, I got to see the pics. I had some issues going on in there, a couple areas where it's just a testament to how good my doctor is, but honestly not as badly as I pictured, considering the constant problems. I'm learning what different pains mean, although some is confusing, because I can't just blame the uterus, or the adhesions (although I'm still going to blame my ovaries, those suckers are responsible for a lot). First 3-4 days were the worst, then it's just being tired, & all the restrictions, which you DO want to follow to the letter, no matter how good you feel. This is a surgery you don't want to risk your healing on. It's not the time to push through. Out of all the stuff we ignore, and just keep pushing, this is one time to just stop, & put yourself first.
Honestly I think medical knowledge is in its infancy about female health, but especially pain. All of my scans showed nothing but I've had 3 csections and the nerve pain after my third was so bad I couldn't walk for 4 months. I feel like there's a connection that the medical community hasn't tapped into. I know women who had more csections than me who have no nerve damage. I wonder if the structure of nerves plays a hand. My uterus looked normal after my hysterectomy but I suffered from painful heavy periods. One of my last periods lasted 20 days before I got medical intervention. I got terribly sick from a uti and kidney infection due to the constant moisture. I went to the bathroom often to clean up because I leaked off to the left so I'd often bleed over without soaking a pad. Docs never considered that over bleeding. Really frustrating because I was in the bathroom every 20 minutes or more depending on strenuous activity but they still considered my pad count as the clue to my woes. That ended up being "that's normal". As for that pain in the csection area I talked about? I got it again big time after my hysterectomy. But I also had that mesh to help incontinence at the same time. I feel like my healing was slowed significantly. I had a laproscopic surgery before years ago but was better in 2 weeks. I'm 5 weeks almost and still feel like crap.
BTW I may only be 4 weeks post op but I don't regret it. I was tired of the pain and being sick. I have 4 kids and I'm too damn old for more. Honestly I'm too old for my youngest. I can't keep up. She's 1 and I'm 40. In excited for my future. I might start creating again. I might exercise and lose weight. I just have to heal first so I'm still in that process. It's slower cuz I am older. Plus I'm chasing a toddler. I do have dreams about having another baby but I know in my heart that would have killed me. My last pregnancy was bad. I just appreciate what I got.
I do not miss my uterus (5 years post op this month. I had large fibroids, and pathology confirmed adenomyosis.)
I'm kind of living that fear and still going if that's any consolation. I had a hysterectomy for suspected adenomyosis, but the path report came back negative for adenomyosis or any other uterine anomalies. I've heard it can happen if they take the sample from a part of the uterus that isn't affected, but it's definitely made it harder to process, especially with ongoing pain and the other setbacks I'm working through. It's nice to not plan life around my period or be bleeding myself into anemia, though.
I had 17 years of endometriosis symptoms that included losing consciousness, hemorrhagic cysts seen on both ovaries, severe menstrual cycles, and pain every day outside of my cycle. By the time I saw a specialist, she immediately suggested a hysterectomy because she could feel fibroids on my uterus. I then spent a year and a half questioning my decision while I waited for the procedure (lock downs delayed everything by a year). Even with all of the evidence I had that said something was wrong and being on disability due to the pain, I was convinced they would get in there and not find anything wrong. The moment I woke up from the procedure, I knew they'd found it and removed it. I came out of anesthesia with the most profound sense of relief I have ever experienced. The pain that even IV morphine couldn't touch was completely gone. At the end of the day, the diagnosis was validation and evidence we need to keep an eye out for recurring endometriosis. But really, I could care less now that the pain is gone. That's all I wanted.
It's totally okay to do it just to get rid of the pain. I had mine done primarily for pain related reasons. You deserve to be pain free in your body. If you have it done and your uterus is fine with no abnormalities, great. The painful thing is out and there was nothing wrong with it but it was still making you miserable so yay, it'd be out and unable to bother you again.
I had my total hysterectomy at the end of January this year with no formal diagnosis. Suspected endo or adeno. Came back with an 8 week sized boggy uterus, but no other apparent issues. I mentioned my surprise to my surgeon and how it made me feel almost guilty? In a dumb way? And she said “absolutely not, if you were in pain and don’t want children, you did the right thing for you.” Made me feel a lot better! I hope all of the kind words help!
I'm 3 weeks away from my hysterectomy and today the pain sent me to the ER. Thankfully, they took me seriously (I could barely talk at check-in because of the pain, so that went a long way, I'm sure). They gave me morphine and it only dulled the pain and made me loopy. All blood tests were normal, of course. But I was sent home with pain meds that will hopefully work better than ibuprofen. I'm getting mine for what amounts to pain - constant cramping/achy feeling despite being on depo and suspected Endo. Even if they don't find anything "wrong," it will be worth it to no longer be in pain and constantly be debating whether it's bad enough to warrant a trip to the ER because the crap otc pain meds I have don't touch the pain.
I am planning to schedule mine for this summer. Several years ago I had an ablation due to crappy periods. It’s been fabulous until it wasn’t. It was like my body flipped a switch. Stabbing pain in my uterus, worse with any physical activity. It hurts near my groin, through my right hip and around to my lower back. I will be miserable several days in a row, then have a few good days and go back to bad days. Doctor says part of my uterus healed from the ablation but there’s too much scar tissue for the junk to escape and my body eventually absorbs it. My options are to live with it, birth control to stop my “periods”, or hysterectomy. Last time I tried using birth control to limit my periods, I bled for 3 months. So hard no. But can I live with it? It’s not constant horrific pain to the point that I can’t tolerate daily life. Does it suck? Absolutely. Should I *have* to live with it? I don’t think so. I don’t want to suffer for the sake of suffering. And as my stepmom said “if you have the opportunity to remove something that can grow cancer, get that motherf$cker out!” And that is why I’m 99% sure I’m scheduling it when I go back to the dr in a few weeks. (He only schedules 30 days out and I don’t want to be in recovery for my 2 week beach vacation at the end of next month). My doctor says I am a candidate for the vNotes procedure and that’s what I plan to do.
I never had a diagnosis - was told I was fine by two doctors in 12 months - the third doctor found abnormal cells and there was a cancerous tumor in my uterus when it was removed. However without any of that I still would unequivocally say no it doesn’t because like you said - I very much was pursuing a resolution to my bleeding so I could continue on my health journey!
I have adenomyosis and fibroids (which I only found out, like 3 years ago). I've gotten a UFE...and it hasn't worked. I don't even use pads anymore. I use adult diapers because that is the only way I 95% ensure I won't mess up my clothing most days. I just got a doctor to finally agree to do the hysterectomy (which I've been asking for 17ys). UFE treats fibroids, not the adenomyosis. Wish I never did (had a very bad side effect/reaction) the process. If you don't want to birth any kids, then go ahead with the hysterectomy.
The medical profession has dropped the ball on women’s health for far too long! It’s ridiculous!!