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[Mrs Mally]

Hi all,
I'm new here.
I was put into a chemical menopause (prostap and HRT) 3.5 years whilst awaiting a radical hysterectomy.  At the time I practically begged my amazing gynaecologist to do it.  I was only 39yo.

Obviousot covid delayed the op, and so now, finally, I'm set to have it next week.
Thing is, now I'm in 2 minds....
On the prostap I felt better than I had EVER felt. Ever.... it was life changing.  My consultant assures me that after surgery, I can expect the same because the prostap mimics what your natural menopause would be. I guess time will tell, but aside from this I am hugely incontinent.  That in itself affects my quality of life in many ways.

Only they aren't going to fix my bladder during the surgery, and I'm told there is a risk it would be even worse after 

Sorry for rambling..... just alone in this and really struggling to get my head around it.....

[ATB]

Sorry for my ignorance, what is the reason for your hysterectomy?

[Mrs Mally]

Horrendous endometriosis, many many fibroids and periods so bad i literally couldnt get off the loo!   Very nearly cost me my corporate job which ide worked really hard for!

[ATB]

Oh no, I am sorry, my mum had endometriosis really really badly all my childhood without knowing what it was. She had a radical hysterectomy at around 40, and it resolved. I know it doesn’t always as a friend had one and 5 years later the pain came back. But the bleeding really affected mums life and it was gone after the hysterectomy. She has taken estrogen in tablet form since with no issue until they tried to take it off her and she had a prolapse and went back on it.

What is your incontinence caused by? Menopause related?

[Mrs Mally]

Oh it's so good to hear if someone of a similar age having gone through it and about the estrogen after as I'm told thats what I will have 

The incontinence.... I don't know. Possibly menopause - it's definitely caused heart palpitations but then there is a chance being on the prostap that long is behind both. 

I was unable to have children so I got to thinking that if my parts are no good for that and all they do is cause me so much pain etc then I might as well have them all taken out and be dine with.  That still applies! But I don't know what to expect after and that scares me

[ATB]

Hopefully some women who have personally had one will come along soon, I just know my mum wish she had it sooner. Her periods were so awful she turned green. I remember just before she had it, I must of been 15 or 16, and she couldn’t stop the blood and we lived in an old old tin farm house thing with no washing machine and she was doing all our washing in an old ringer, trying to squeeze clothing through it while bleeding down her legs. It’s truly awful. She had a bit of a bad period after until she found out about HRT and went on it and then she was away! Got a job off the farm, left my Dad finally, went and started a degree and joined the gym! She’s 75 and still going to the gym and enjoying life.

[CLKD]

Could you have a prolapse which would impact on the bladder?  MayB ring the Consultant's Secretary to see if anything is in your Notes?  Or mayB ask your Practice Nurse to see whether the letter from the Consultant to the GP mentions a prolapse?

As oestrogen levels drop muscles may become lax - this won't alter if you have major surgery but it may help with the bladder issues.  If I were hesitant I would ask for another Consult B4 signing that Consent Form ;-)

Let us know how you get on?

[Taz2]

Hi Mrs Mally.

I had a hysterectomy plus bladder repair in 2014. Do you know why you can't have the repair done at the same time? I take it that you have had your incontinence investigated i.e. camera into the bladder (cystoscopy) plus examination by a pelvic floor specialist?

As to the hysterectomy - you have similar problems to a younger friend of mine with the endometriosis etc. She too is on Prostap and is not undergoing hysterectomy as she finds it controls the problems well. She was worrying about staying on Prostap for a long time (four years so far) but her consultant has confirmed that it is ok to remain on it as long as she continues to be on oestrogen too.

I understand your worry about having the op unnecessarily. If you do go ahead then please retain your ovaries if you can rather than having everything whipped out. They do continue to be of use to us even when we are post menopause but often this fact isn't taken into account it seems. Are you able to have a vaginal or laparoscopic one? Sometimes fibroids are too large to be removed in this way. I agree with CLKD that you should find out as much as you can before going ahead.

On the plus side of having a hysterectomy the recovery was nowhere as bad as I thought it would be (mine was for prolapse) and I was in my sixties so healing is sometimes slower for older women. I did have to take twelve weeks off work instead of the planned eight due to a couple of small infections. Pain was also minimal. I found it difficult to just sit around though afterwards but it is important to follow instructions exactly to give yourself a best chance of healing well.

Hope this is useful

Taz x