What's a hysterectomy?

On Monday last week I had a hysterectomy! Since finding out my surgery date a few weeks ago I've done a fair bit of googling and asking questions on a hysterectomy forum to find out everything I need to know. I'm going to write up a few posts collating what I learned in case it's helpful to anyone else.

First of all, having discovered there's a whole load of different kinds of hysterectomies and for different reasons, I thought I'd better specify what I've had done and why...

Types of hysterectomy
I have had a Total Abdominal Hysterectomy (TAH) with Bilateral Salpingo Oopherectomy (BSO).
Total hysterectomy means the whole womb/uterus including the cervix. Abdominal means I had open surgery with everything removed through a cut in my abdomen. (Mine is a horizontal cut along the bikini line. Some women have vertical cuts.) Salpingo refers to removal of fallopian tubes. Oopherectomy refers to removal of ovaries. Bilateral means these were both removed on both sides.

So in short that is TAH BSO and means I have had uterus, cervix, both fallopian tubes and both ovaries out through a cut along my bikini line.

There are many other types of hysterectomy- some women have the womb out but the cervix left in (sub-total hysterectomy) , some have both of those out but the ovaries and tubes left in, some have the womb and one ovary and tube out and the left rest in etc etc. 

Also, some women have whatever bits are being removed through a cut in their abdomen like me, some have them removed vaginally, some have them removed laproscopically, ie through keyhole surgery, and some have a combination eg laproscopic and vaginal. Sometimes women won't be completely sure what kind of surgery they'll end up having until after it's done (eg the plan might be to try keyhole but if it ends up tricky for any reason then the surgeon may change to abdominal).

Reasons for hysterectomy
One of the reasons there are so many kinds of surgery is because there are so many reasons for having it done in the first place. We are all different and need the kind of surgery that is most suitable for our own situation. Common reasons include endometriosis, adenomyosis, cancer or suspected cancer, PCOS, prolapse, fibroids and many, many, many more. (It honestly appears to me that the list of crap women have to put up with is actually never ending).

My surgery was prophylactic which means preventive. I am at a high risk of ovarian cancer due to my personal history of breast cancer, having a faulty PALB2 gene, and having a family history of cancer which includes ovarian. So I needed my ovaries and tubes out (many ovarian cancers are actually thought to start in the fallopian tubes) to reduce/eliminate my risk of ovarian cancer. But in addition to this, the tablets I take to reduce the risk of my breast cancer returning (Tamoxifen) increase my risk of womb cancer. So it made sense for the uterus and cervix to go too.

I have never had any other health complications in this area so in that sense my surgery was quite straightforward.

Here Comes the Gross aka Preparing for The Abominable Surgery (Part 1)

Hello friends! I'm baaaaaaaaaaaack! To anyone who has missed my TMI posts filled with detailed descriptions about (and photos of) bodily fluids and other embarrassing/ disgusting/ sticky matters from the good old chemo and boob job days, you are in for a TREAT over the next couple of months!

 

On 7th November I'm going in to hospital for a hysterectomy. Before I get on to the more juicy stuff, here's the background. I am a genetic mutant. As well as having superpowers which I'm yet to discover, this means I'm at high risk of getting breast cancer and ovarian cancer. I know you shouldn't knock something unless you've tried it, but I already tried breast cancer and I definitely didn't like that, so I think it's fair to work on the assumption that I won't like ovarian cancer either. So, the ovaries got to go.

 

 

 

Meanwhile, the drug I'm taking for the next 9 years to reduce my risk of recurrence of breast cancer (called Tamoxibollocks) increases my risk of endometrial/womb cancer. If the ovaries are gone, the womb is essentially useless anyway. So that is why I'm having a Total Hysterectomy with Bi-lateral Salpingo-Oopherectomy. (Try saying that after a few limoncellos.) Middle fingers up! Put them hands high! Uterus, cervix, fallopian tubes, ovaries Bye!

 

Anyway my gynae appointment to agree all this was way back in May. I got put on a waiting list, told them I didn't want the surgery before the end of September anyway because of work and stuff, heard nothing back since, and put it out of my mind. Until Wednesday when I got a call from the hospital telling me:

1. My gynae surgeon has dumped me as he will now only do business with cancer patients. (To be honest though, the snap judgement I made on the one occasion I met him which was for all of about 3 minutes, is that he is a massive dick, so I'm not going to shed any tears over it.)
2. He's the only one here that does keyhole surgery so I have to have open abdominal surgery.
3. Surgery date will be within the next 2-3 weeks. (Confirmed yesterday to be 7th November.)

I spent a couple of days in a flap about how soon it is and at the thought of open surgery which means a longer recovery time etc. I considered kicking off and demanding to be referred to elsewhere for the keyhole surgery. But having thought it all over I am probably (I think) not going to do that, and will (almost definitely) just go with the butcher knife/meat cleaver method of surgery on the 7th. Partly because I just want this ticking cancer-time-bomb removal done as soon as possible. Partly because being referred to a different city is likely to cause as many practical issues as having keyhole surgery solves. And partly cos I have started to get back to being a cocky fucker and feel like if I can handle the other surgeries I have had over the last 2 years then I'm sure I can handle this one too. It'll be a piece of piss, right?!

 

Talking of piss...

 

So all of a sudden I am having what's classed as major surgery in 3 weeks time and being that cocky fucker that I became following My Cancer Journey (hahaha soz) I hadn't bothered looking into it at all. Like, AT ALL. So I have a lot to learn over the coming days and weeks, and I will be very pleased and happy to share this whole experience with you in minute detail as I become a fully fledged Hyster-Sister (oh yes). Highlights to follow will include:

• Pissing shards of glass (but hopefully not "self catheterisation" *prays*)
• Swelly-belly
• Vaginal discharge
• Problems with flatulence
• Using laxatives and screaming when shitting
• Buying knickers the size of France
• (Risk of) prolapse.

So exciting! I can't wait! And I'm not entirely joking. From what I have read to date I'm in with a good chance of  being given the morphine button. Plus you know how much I love my hospital dinners and remote controlled bed.