Hysterectomy Support Group

Welcome to the amazing Hysterectomy Group. There are so many wonderful people here who are willing to help you get through this time. I am so glad that you have found this group!! Please tell us a little about yourself - anything that you are comfortable with sharing - & how you entered into the hysterectomy family.

Thanks!

Cathy

You can post your Intro here or start a new discussion by clicking the button at the top right side of the page **Please make sure it includes INTRO in the subject line if you choose to start your own discussion **

Okay Cathy, I'll start!

My name is Julie, you can find me here and also as group leader of HPV, Cervical Cancer, Menopause and Endometriosis support groups.

I had my total abdominal hysterectomy back in December 2008, due to long term endo and a fairly large tumour that we couldn't get to shift. I am fairly used to living in chronic pain now (having done so for 14 years) and have had some medical training on pain management and more recently on HRT, so I know a bit about both, although I am NOT a doctor, nor should I be a substitute for one!

I am lucky enough to have a beautiful daughter, who is the light of my life. She is eight, you can see family pictures etc in my profile. My husband has just left me, so I am trying to come to terms with that as well as the loss of my fertility and the onset of surgical menopause at the age of 31. It is a bit of a roller coaster ride right now!

I work in a pharmacy which is wonderful. I also do freelance photography work, which means I get to combine my hobby with my job... and I spend far too much time on here!

I live in Hampshire, which is a fairly large county in the South West of England, I am about 30 miles from London. My family are from Yorkshire, which is in he North, and as well as travelling to London most weekends, I go to Yorkshire as often as I possibly can.

MDJ is a superb site. I know a lot of people (like I did) stumble upon us when they are at their lowest ebs and it is great to be able to find a group of people who understand and now what you are going through. I am at the stage now where I give out more advice than I take, but I still love having you all around. You won't catch me leaving in a hurry!

I am always available for a chat, or to vent or (if I can) to give advice. But well done for finding MDJ, it is such a cool community, you will be very welcome!

Julie

Thank you Julie!!

My name is Cathy. I had my hyster in 2004 at the age of 23. My only child was 10 months old at the time. I have since had a few more surgeries to remove endo that was missed the first time around. I am always available to talk to, so feel free to PM me if you need to.

Since I am just starting to take over the leadership of this group, I hope that you will feel free to tell me what you would like to see in this group, if you want to see something changed or any thoughts/concerns that you have. I will do my best to make this group easier to use & make posts easier to find.

Cathy

Hi. My name is Tara, and I had my hysterctomy about 10 weeks ago, after years of begging for one. Right after surgery, things were great!, but since I've gone back to work, I've started really experiencing some of the symptoms: major fatigue, pounding headaches, achy joints, memory loss (well, that was an issue earlier). I try to keep going, but my boss is getting a little...agitated about the absences. I'm hoping someone here will have some suggestions on ways to get through all this. It's not like I can take any more time from work, especially since testing time is soon. My husband and kids have been great, though! They're big on me taking as long as I need to feel better; it's the rest of the world that's a problem.

Hi Tara! My name is Cathy. I had my hyster in 2004. Are you on any HRT to help with the loss of estrogen? That can help a lot with the symptoms of surgical menopause. Otherwise there are over the counter things that you can try - Estroven, Soy, Black Cohosh. I have also read that taking higher doses of Vit D along with Calcium help a lot. My aunt is taking 5000 IU of Vit D daily & she is no longer having hot flashes or anything. Otherwise, I am at a loss. I myself have suffered from massive headaches/migraines for a long time, so I'm not sure if mine are connected to the hyster. I know that achy joints & memory loss can happen & I do have both of those. I am trying to take OTC things for both of those, but am still in the phase of trying to find the right thing to take for me. Have you talked with your doctor about any of this to see what they suggest?

Thanks for the response, Cathy. Yes, I'm taking Estradiol 2mg daily, and I've talked to my doctor. The funny thing is that I actually feel better about four hours before time for the next dose. I'm thinking about trying some of the OTC things instead, but I'm a little iffy about doing it right now. The only reason I agreed to the HRT in the first place is because I work with children (I teach 6th grade) and was concerned about the mood swings. If it doesn't get any better over the next couple of months, I think I'll ditch the hormone pill this summer. I'm not really having any trouble with hot flashes until after I take the pill in the evening. Of course, with the weather the way it's been around here, a hot flash just means I finally got warm. I saw my GP on Friday, and she thinks my OB-GYN may have sent me back to work too early. Unfortunately, I can't take any more time off and still have a job when I'm done. I think if I could find a way to get over being sooooooo tired, I'd be alright. Going to work just drains every ounce of energy I have, but that may just be the nature of my job.

Anyway, I hope you are well, and I appreciate having someone to talk to who doesn't think I'm just trying to get out of work. Even my relatives are done with being supportive.

Hello all, my name is sibyl I'm 55 and I just had a radical abdominal hysterectomy 6 days ago and I have to say you all are scaring the shit otta me. I am 5 yrs into menopause without hormones and have done well. Dont really plan on jumping on that wagon any time soon. I am still pretty sore and have gas pains from hell.

A few months ago I found out I had cervical cancer from HPV. I decided just to get rid of it all. Though I still have to be checked because of the HPV but I pray that I dont have to go through more surgery.

I had problems before with stress incontinence and it would be wonderfull if things stay the way they are in the area. Since the surgery I have to concentrate to urinate but so far it works fine. I am more worried about blood clots than anything since I have P.A.D.

Well its back to the couch but I will be reading and writing more.

Hello my name is Chris and I am the group leader of the menopause and compulsive gambling groups. I had a c-section hysterectomy in 2005 due to a rare pregnancy complication. I had placenta percreta. I had several complications afterwards that caused me to have 9 more abdominal surgeries.

I am using the vivelle dot for HRT. It has helped me alot.

I am so grateful for everyone that takes time out to be here on MDJ. It is wonderful to talk to others that have gone through similar things. Thank you all, Chris

I'm debbie i need a hysterectomy after having my last child

Post edited by: hysterlady, at: 12/12/2010 07:52 PM

Welcome Debbie!!! I'm looking forward in to getting to know you. Please let us know if there is anything we can help you with. There are many wonderful, caring people on this site. I'm so glad we were able to talk tonight.

Bless you and your family. Chris