Debilitated by hysterectomy

Oh dear...9 days ago I had a hysterectomy, to treat painful fibroids, but I still have the chronic pain and am devastated when I started to search for psychosomatic pain, to find this body of work, and know I have made a terrible mistake, I am terribly depressed, anxious and angry that I allowed this to be done to my healthy body. After reading about tms I know I am a classic example, I have so much pressure in my life, I am really scared.

 

See posts by Mala, she had the same procedure and seems to be OK now.

 

Hi, Sage. I hope you got encouragement from Mala. Try not to bully yourself about having had the surgery. Doctors can be very convincing
that we need it. Now that you know your fibroid pain could very likely have been caused by TMS emotions, just be glad you discovered that.
The SEP will help you to discover the emotions that caused the fibroid pain.

 

Thanks Walt..I hope I hear from Mala...I will try to be easier on myself, but my regret is very profound and very distressing.

 

Do a "SEARCH" for her posts here and at the other TMS site, just put in fibroids and Mala and you will get lots.

 

Hi Sage,

I had a hysterectomy in 1993 for chronic pain due to endometriosis. This was long before I knew about TMS. My pain went away following the surgery, but about 6 months later the symptom imperative kicked in and I developed chronic pain that was diagnosed as fibromyalgia (which is TMS). So looking back, I realize the surgery was probably unnecessary, but I made the best decision I could at the time. You need to forgive yourself and move on, and begin to treat your pain as TMS. Many people on this site have had unnecessary surgeries that were recommended by respected medical professionals. It is still possible to be pain free. You can read my Success Story in the Success Stories sub-forum.

If your pain is due to TMS, the good news is that recovery is possible. Just take it one day at a time. There are many tools and good books to help guide us. Let us know how you are doing. We are all here to support each other.

Best wishes.........

 

Hi. If you had large fibroids, there is no way to know if surgery may have eventually been necessary or not. 9 days is really not much time at all to recover from surgery so be as kind to yourself as possible. Now that the hysterectomy is done, you can rejoice in the fact there there are all kinds of potential life threatening medical problems that you will not ever have to worry about. My grandmother died rapidly of uterine cancer in her mid seventies. My mother had large fibroids and decided to have a hysterectomy in her early fifties primarily so she would not live under the shadow of her mother's uterine cancer. She never regretted this decision and often talks about how much better her life became after the surgery. She was prone to panic attacks and those completely went away. Now she is 79 years old and in very good health. She walks with her large dog regularly for 45 minutes to an hour. I know many women who have had hysterectomies and are very happy. I am so sorry you are still feeling pain. If it is TMS, be encouraged because you will be pain free soon.

 

Hello Sage, the advice given to you by other members here is excellent & I hope that I can help in some way too.

I can't speak for anyone but myself and in my case a hysterectomy was the best option. I had a total of 13 fibroids. The largest was the size of an orange & pressing on my bladder & nerves which caused a lot of pain. Normally fibroids shrink after menopause ( I am 57 & I had my surgery last year in September) but in my case they were still vascular & growing. After seeing many doctors & living with a lot of pain I decided it would be best to have the surgery as I was worried there may be further issues down the line.

Recovery from a hysterectomy is hard & will take time despite what doctors tell you & what other women may say. If like me you had abdominal surgery then healing will take longer. Muscle & nerves have been cut & although doctors say 3 months it's more like a year before u really feel yourself again so please don't beat yrself up. Give yrself plenty of time to rest & heal & don't get too worried if there is some pain. I don't know how old u are but u may want to consider some hormone therapy especially if u r young & had yr ovaries removed too as a sudden change in hormones can cause much discomfort & anxiety.

Now is probably not the right time to wonder whether the decision to have the surgery was right or wrong. You have had it & I'd like to think that the doctor who recommended the surgery had nothing but yr best interest at heart. Hundreds of thousands of women have had this surgery with great results & there is no reason why it should be any different for you.

The pain will take time to go away so allow yr body to heal itself & provide it with the best environment to do so. 9 days post surgery is too soon to really know anything. I know I felt awful the first 2 months. Relax, take all yr pain meds, eat healthily, read, watch TV or do anything else to keep yr mind occupied & walk around the house to get yr circulation going. Then after 2-3 weeks or so u can maybe start taking very short walks outside. Remember that everyone's healing pace is different.

If even after say a few months yr pain does not go away & yr check ups come back clear then maybe u can consider going down the 'thinking psychological' route. For now take it easy, don't put too much pressure on yrself by overthinking things.

Feel free to ask me anything & I wish u a speedy recovery

Mala

 

Thank you so much Mala. I am 63 years old and had growing

Thank you so much Mala. I am 63 years old and had growing fibroids and polyps, the abdominal surgery was on July 2 . My mother died of uterine cancer. I have been under a lot of pressure since my beloved husband of 35 years died 5 years ago. I have put our beautiful family home on the market.. The pain before and after abdominal surgery was a feeling of pressure on my bladder, which is still there. But you are right, it is very early and perhaps I have done too much. I am able to walk 6 blocks, but maybe my insides didn't like that. I am a yogi, so I am strong and flexible. My doctor said 6 week recovery. I was experiencing depression and anxiety pre surgery and accepted an antidepressant since I had been struggling for awhile, I felt like I had a mental breakdown pre surgery... accumulation of all the pressure after my husband died. I really appreciate having your support.

 

Dear Ellen
Thank you so much for your words of support. I did read your success story and will read it again, since it has a lot of good advise.

 

Dear Anne
Thank you for your response. I really appreciate your support at this time.