Miss Vickie
Well-Known Member
Just a warning for those of you squicked out by girlie stuff -- this is very TMI, and fairly graphic. I share this because I think we large women -- unfortunately -- have our share of gynecological problems, as do our thinner sisters. My hope is that my experience with this procedure can help others who may be in the same boat. So it's with that in mind that I beg your indulgence to tell my "story". Also, some of you have been wondering how I'm doing, where I was, etc. This is my attempt to answer those questions.
As I think I've alluded to in previous posts, I've had a lifetime of unbelievable uterine bleeding. From the time I woke up at 11 with my first period in a puddle of my own blood, to my latest problems of passing baseball sized clots, this has been an issue for me. (Did I tell you it was TMI? I wasn't joking...) The only time I haven't bled heavily is when I was pregnant, and even then I started up within weeks of birthing my kids, despite exclusive breastfeeding and co-sleeping. It's gotten to the point where I'm severely anemic (they almost didn't do my WLS because of it), and had to have a blood transfusion last month. I've had my uterus scoped, ultrasounded, biopsied, poked and prodded and so far they have found nothing wrong, just crazy uterine bleeding. Maybe it's a hormonal imbalance. Maybe I'm just lucky. Hard to say, but I finally had enough.
My options were hormones (which have made me crazy in the past and which are only a short term fix), a hysterectomy (um, another surgery? No thanks), or an endometrial ablation. I chose the ablation, which is basically a mechanical removal of the endometrial lining. For some women it results in no bleeding at all. In most women it results in significantly less bleeding.
I had my procedure (I hate calling it a surgery) on Friday and I'm doing fairly well. The spinal they gave me because I truly hate and fear general anesthesia has been the worst part; the swelling and pain in my low back is somewhat astonishing. But during the surgery I was feeling no pain because of the happy juice they gave me. I was aware of what was going on, was able to talk to my providers (I guess I entertained them heartily), and yet felt absolutely nothing. Until the spinal wore off, that is, at which point my cramps became quite bad until they gave me IV Fentanyl (niiiiice druuuug) and then when I could eat again, Vicodin, which I've been taking since I got home, along with Motrin. Overall, I'm doing well, other than the back pain. Just some minor "seepage", a little spotting here and there, and manageable cramps. I'm hoping I'll be ready to go back to work tomorrow (minus the Vicodin, of course).
Anyway, the idea is that this will buy me some time and I won't have to have a hysterectomy, at least within the next several years. Even though I'm not using my uterus anymore, I'd miss the old girl if I had to have her removed. I'll let you guys know how it goes. But in the meantime if you have more questions about uterine bleeding, or anything else, feel free to ask. Or if you just want to share your story, your frustration, etc I'd like to open this thread to you. (And my apologies to the moderators if this post is either too graphic, or too off topic. I just feel that these issues come up a lot for women and I want to maybe give us a place to talk about it within the scope of SA, since we know how doctors can be in ignoring our symptoms or giving us the whole "just lose weight" spiele). I think it's important that we share our experiences so that we know what our options are.
Thanks for listening...
As I think I've alluded to in previous posts, I've had a lifetime of unbelievable uterine bleeding. From the time I woke up at 11 with my first period in a puddle of my own blood, to my latest problems of passing baseball sized clots, this has been an issue for me. (Did I tell you it was TMI? I wasn't joking...) The only time I haven't bled heavily is when I was pregnant, and even then I started up within weeks of birthing my kids, despite exclusive breastfeeding and co-sleeping. It's gotten to the point where I'm severely anemic (they almost didn't do my WLS because of it), and had to have a blood transfusion last month. I've had my uterus scoped, ultrasounded, biopsied, poked and prodded and so far they have found nothing wrong, just crazy uterine bleeding. Maybe it's a hormonal imbalance. Maybe I'm just lucky. Hard to say, but I finally had enough.
My options were hormones (which have made me crazy in the past and which are only a short term fix), a hysterectomy (um, another surgery? No thanks), or an endometrial ablation. I chose the ablation, which is basically a mechanical removal of the endometrial lining. For some women it results in no bleeding at all. In most women it results in significantly less bleeding.
I had my procedure (I hate calling it a surgery) on Friday and I'm doing fairly well. The spinal they gave me because I truly hate and fear general anesthesia has been the worst part; the swelling and pain in my low back is somewhat astonishing. But during the surgery I was feeling no pain because of the happy juice they gave me. I was aware of what was going on, was able to talk to my providers (I guess I entertained them heartily), and yet felt absolutely nothing. Until the spinal wore off, that is, at which point my cramps became quite bad until they gave me IV Fentanyl (niiiiice druuuug) and then when I could eat again, Vicodin, which I've been taking since I got home, along with Motrin. Overall, I'm doing well, other than the back pain. Just some minor "seepage", a little spotting here and there, and manageable cramps. I'm hoping I'll be ready to go back to work tomorrow (minus the Vicodin, of course).
Anyway, the idea is that this will buy me some time and I won't have to have a hysterectomy, at least within the next several years. Even though I'm not using my uterus anymore, I'd miss the old girl if I had to have her removed. I'll let you guys know how it goes. But in the meantime if you have more questions about uterine bleeding, or anything else, feel free to ask. Or if you just want to share your story, your frustration, etc I'd like to open this thread to you. (And my apologies to the moderators if this post is either too graphic, or too off topic. I just feel that these issues come up a lot for women and I want to maybe give us a place to talk about it within the scope of SA, since we know how doctors can be in ignoring our symptoms or giving us the whole "just lose weight" spiele). I think it's important that we share our experiences so that we know what our options are.
Thanks for listening...
