Due to have a hysterectomy but am scared to death after viewing a video about side effects!

Hello, and this is in reply to your last post, Alison,

I certainly can appreciate you are coming from a place of care and compassion. Perhaps you still do not understand the "compassion" of what has been posted by me and others who have posted here to make sure Terri does not go through with this. This is "real". What has happened to me and millions of women to be talked into unneccessary Hysterectomies is "real", factual, and "women's experiences". There are too many of us out there who put their faith and trust into the doctors and medical providers who told millions (yes, again, millions) of women this was the best and only option. As I said before, there will come a day when this type of surgery will be almost outlawed; except, when truly a life threatening circumstance. Research masectomies with women. Plus, women, once this is done, cannot go back. Scary, yes. I live every day with scary with the aftermath of my symptoms; all due to the Hysterectomy done to me for a needless reason.

I will never forget talking to a 26 year old female at the Hers Foundation conference I attended in Pasadena, CA. in November of 2007. It was so hard for me to make it there, by the way. I could barely afford the travel expenses, and physically hard on me, so hard, but I did it; hoping I could find answers and help and talk with other women who have gone through this. Well, I spoke with this gal during a break at this conference. I asked her why she was attending. She said she was trying to seek help also. She was told she had to have a surgery due to a problem with endometriosisis (sp?). She got the "scare tactics" put into her by this doctor she trusted. She came to find out, when she woke up from surgery; this doctor not only took her uterus out, but took her ovaries also. She wanted to have more children. She told the doctor this. She found out later, by doing research, none of this was necessary. She started to cry while I was talking to her during that break. I thought, "She is so young. How could a doctor do this to her?" He is the one who would know (she thought) to make things right.
She was not only crying, but expressed to me how awful it was for a doctor to take advantage of her. Oh, she had good insurance. I asked her about that. This is just one story. While I was there at this conference, I spoke with others who had their same horror stories to share. So many had the same stories as far as putting their faith into doctors, and believing what they said to be the only route; i.e., a Hysterectomy, and again, the common statements doctors made were: "You will feel so much better after having this done. You won't have to worry about anymore bloody periods. Your sex life will not change." Then, there were the stories, like this young woman's - being put under the knife, and coming out with everything removed, and unknowing of this, but had to be done. If we want to speak of "scare tactics", Alison, look first to the doctors doing and saying this to all these women; including this young woman and myself, and all the other women I witnessed at this one conference alone. I do not think they were there for any other reason then to question why this could happen in this day and age, and how doctors continue to get away with this. Pretty scary is what I thought when I left that conference.

I do not know if you are married, but if so, how do you think your husband would be after his sexual organs removed? Do you think he would be the same? You must understand the correlation here; in that, it is the same for a woman. Doctors do not tell women this. There are also so many women who have had this done; yet, they are afraid to speak up for fear, yes fear, that family, friends and doctors will say... "It is all in your mind." I feel sorry for these women also, who have to keep what they really feel and tolerate with pain, and in a silent 'Hell'. My heart goes out to them too. They are champions, as the rest of us. Oh, Alison, you have no idea what we live with daily... But ask your husband/significant other if a doctor told him he had to have his testicles taken off and half his penis removed if he would have it done? I guarantee he would say "Never", but only if it was life, truly life threatening. How would he be; however, in the aftermath? You sound like a very compassionate person, and sure you would be there to support him, but do you think he would be the same? Would you be the same?

Women are taken advantage of, and this has to stop. If this would be the same for men; there would be everything out there, as far as alternatives given to men to save their organs. Why should this be any different for women? It is a shame we do not have our sex organs on the outside of our bodies. What is not seen must not be. I do not think we can count our breasts as sex organs, but precautions are now met to save women's breasts (thank goodness) and any male would understand this. Again, why not our uterus, ovaries, cervix, etc.? These are our sexual organs along with the gift of bearing a child.

You are trying to help, I know this. You, I hope, will never have to be subjected to having to make a decision as this for any problems with your female sexual organs. I hope I have empowered you to get the word out to have women check all avenues before doing any kind of surgery, and I stand strong with my statement still: "Run, do not walk out of a doctor's office" if the word "Hysterectomy" is mentioned. Speaking of walking - walk a mile in the female's shoes who I spoke of who I met at that conference. She will never be able to bear children again. Her body is so 'messed up' now, physically. She has more problems now than before the Hysterectomy. She is not alone, but the poor girl - to be told one thing, and then wake up to a nightmare afterwards, is the sickest thing I can think of for a medical professional to do, and her story is not unlike so many I have heard; including my own.

You take care, Alison.

I almost missed your post because it was right after Alison's from yesterday. I commented below before seeing it.

Boy, you've really hit a nerve! There hasn't been a response more passionate than yours! I am so sorry for how you feel. I can't even imagine it. Let me reassure you, I am going to look into alternatives. I don't want my identity, my personality to change. I pray that you have some joy in your life despite your physical problems.

Terri