Hysterectomy

[sarahkonamojo]

Tuckerville,

I don't think most people walk into major surgery glibly. My story was similar to IFJane, but I had fibroids and endometriosis. There gets to be a point where there is no point in dealing with the pain, discomfort, and lack of life. Seriously, your life revolves around access to a toilet at all times.

There have been advances in surgery that lessen the severity of the procedure, but it doesn't make the surgery easy.

Everyone must (and may) make their own choices and the more voices the better.

sarah

[Thorn]

Not glib--well thought and well considered even though I was under forty at the time (the ovaries stayed). For me it was a quality of life issue. I am thankful that I wasn't born 100 years ago because my options would have been limited. I shudder at the thought.

That said, my glib response is...has anyone else read "Even the Queen" by Connie Willis? It is a heavily tongue and cheek short story about removing menstruation and the world that results. I guess I don't feel the need to keep my parts if all they were doing was causing me excrutiating pain.

[Tuckervill]

Tuckerville,

There gets to be a point where there is no point in dealing with the pain, discomfort, and lack of life. Seriously, your life revolves around access to a toilet at all times.

sarah

I understand this completely, having had a similar choice to make with regard to my herniated disks (except I was bedbound, not toilet-bound).

I know it was not an easy decision for most people (except my SIL's, who seem to take every word out of a doctor's mouth as gospel, and some doctors just can't be trusted, in my opinion). I guess the stories that were posted here did not include everything that happened before the hysterectomy that lead to the decision, and that's what gives them an air of nonchalance.

I feel the same way about inducing labor and c-sections--there are really good reasons to do both, but sometimes they're rushed into without a lot of thought.

Karen