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I just viewed Dr. Ramsey's Video here, and interesting what she says with doctors doing a "Quick Fix". This is how I feel what was done to me. I suffer immensely for this now, and not told of the alternatives which were available for me. Informed Consent? I do not think so...
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SeeDandy1,
August 30, 2009 - 2:50pmI'm so sorry you are going through this - thank you for sharing your story and spreading awareness about unnecessary hysterectomies. I did not have a complete hysterectomy but no longer have my ovaries due to ovarian cysts and stage 4 endometriosis. I went to several GYNs that immediately suggested a complete hysterectomy. I didn’t want to believe that a hysterectomy was my only alternative. I’d heard so many horror stories like yours and didn’t want to go through it myself, plus I wanted to have another baby.
I have to thank Michelle for helping me advocate for myself and getting me in touch with the right doctors that heard my concerns and most importantly cared about my medical conditions. I was blessed to have doctors that didn’t think a hysterectomy was a fix all! As a matter of fact I had heard hysterectomy at every consultation that when my doctor said it was a last resort -- I could have kissed him! Unfortunately, the endometriosis had spread and my ovaries couldn’t be saved but I still have my uterus and cervix. I was in hell after surgery my hormones were all out of wack and felt horrible for about 2 months. We finally figured out the right dosage of estrogen and have been feeling better.
I’m with you gals about spreading awareness about unnecessary hysterectomies! I actually had a friend tell me a month ago that she was having a hysterectomy because she had heavy periods and no longer wanted to deal with them. My jaw dropped open because she said it like she was going to the dentist to have a cavity filled (not that that’s much fun but you know what I mean). I shared my story with her and told her about other medical conditions (menopause for one) she may have because of the hysterectomy and said her doctor mentioned no concerns and said it was the best thing for her.
I worry that so many women “follow doctor’s orders” and have a hysterectomy when they really don’t need it. Thank you again for sharing, I know your story will touch someone elses life and help them advocate for themselves. Please keep us posted and let us know how you are doing.
Angelica
This Comment
Dear Angelica,
Thank you for your reply and sharing. I would love to talk with you. You are right. We need to thank Michelle for all her efforts and work. At the same time, thank you for sharing, and your voice. We do hope other women read our comments, and think twice/thrice about having this surgery done. It is so unnecessary! Isn't it so funny; in that, if a man was to go to a doctor and told he needed to have a surgery which basically the same (and even more so with women) to have his testicles removed and half his penis - wouldn't any man run out of that doctor's office, do EVERYTHING possible to avoid that surgery, and never see that doctor again? Someone needs to tell me why this is different for a female?
Also, this surgery deals with more of our insides, and a man would, as I said previously also have to have some of his 'insides' displaced and deal with cut ligaments, nerves, tendons, tissue, etc., in order to make it a fair and similar experience. I would love to hear my doctor talk (a male) after he had the similar surgery I had, and then have him say, "You will feel so much better after this..." Until he has this done to him; i.e., the same to his body, he has no ground to stand on...
Please let me know if I can get in touch with you personally. I wish you the best.
Hugs,
See Dandy
August 30, 2009 - 4:07pmThis Comment
I would love to talk to you SeeDandy1. I want to roll out a campaign "No more unnecessary Hysterectomys" period. You are where I am. Life will never be the same for me again. My goal is to make sure no other women has to go through what we've been through. That's why I created EmpowHer and that's what keeps me going every day. I'm now going to have to have yet another surgery, because of my unnecessary hysterectomy. If it's the last thing I do, it's going to be to stop doctors from removing woman's female organs. Doesn't anyone know what this does to us?? If you email me on my section of the site, I will give you my cell number so we can talk. We are kindred sisters in a way and I would love for you to help me and EmpowHer with my campaign.
August 30, 2009 - 12:05pmBig hugs,
Michelle
This Comment
Thanks for sharing your stories ... I am on a mission to inform my friends about their health alternatives. So many OB/GYNs are old school and don't look for the latest info on womens health.
Small fibroids can be treated many times with a simple progesterone cream. They are hard to cut out so they just get rid of everything because it's "less risky".
When I hear a woman say they are getting a hysterectomy I say "please don't until we get a chance to talk" because I want to try and direct them to a naturopath before they go through with it.
Keep sharing your stories!
August 29, 2009 - 8:49pmThis Comment
Atta Girls!!! I am thinking of all this too - as a MISSION. I agree and feel the same whenever I hear a female mention the idea/told she needs a Hysterectomy; I am on top of it. I mentioned this before. I wish I would have had people as you and myself to be there to stop me and at the very least consider the alternatives out there, and just with your offering up to go to a 'naturopath'. How I wish I would have heard this!!! I will continue to share my stories, and you also. I cannot go back, but I will try to save any other woman from this happening to her. But, hey... it is not just the woman affected. It also affects her significant other, her family, her friends, etc., etc., and the costs involved are hurrendous to try to get answers in the aftermath of a Hyst., and how sick this is to be written off by the GYN who performs the Hyst., and he is happy, but the woman bears the "aftermath" of problems, as I have, and I have paid severely - financially alone; i.e., seeing other doctors, and the bills they charge, costs to see these other doctors, etc., etc.. As an example - I went to Portland, Oregon to see a so called specialist GYN after my Hysterectomy in hopes he could help me with my "aftermath" of problems. I live in Medford, Oregon. It cost me $225.00 in gas. It cost me $197.00 for a two night stay at an 'Inn' (lodging) in Portland. I have medical insurance, but it still cost me $40.00 to see this doctor - this specialist GYN. It cost me $78.00 in food for myself. So, just to see this one doctor, after this Hyst., and mind you, this is just one doctor to try to seek help from; it cost me about $540.00. I did not get any answers from this doctor either; other than he said he felt I had 'Fibromyalgia', and needed to see a 'specialist' for this now. I did, and won't even get into the costs with seeing him. Is this not sick, or what? I do not know about anyone else, but $540.00 alone is a lot of money to me, and what is even sicker is that the GYN who did this to me, and talked me into having a Hysterectomy is fine and well. Of course he is. He made $22,000 off of that surgery. (Well, gross...) I keep remembering some of his words to me before the surgery - "You need to have this surgery, and you will feel so much better afterwards." Was he talking about me or him?
I adore anyone who listens to me, and thank you for this, and you also... keep up with getting the "H Word" out there. How dare doctors do this!!!
August 29, 2009 - 10:52pmThis Comment
Bless you for your reply. Oh, my gosh - I could write a book on what happened to me. It does 'boil' down to not being told of alternatives, and even the surgery (The Hysterectcomy) was not even necessary. What a shame I trusted in a long time OB/GYN, and he pushed me into having it. He said things to me which I have heard the same of other women being told the same by their doctors; i.e., "You will feel so much better after having this Hyst., and it won't change anything - other than not being able to bear anymore children." Being that I told him I was not wanting anymore children (have two children); he said, "Well, than why have to suffer with these ongoing heavy periods due to these (two small) fibroids, and you will have no more bloody periods." My husband was at this one appointment when he said this, and winked at my husband. I will never forget that. It was as if he was stimulating my husband to push me into having a Hyst., so my husband did not have to deal with my 'time of the month' ever again. It is the sickest thing a doctor could have done when I think back on this. Talk about being a 'third person'. Oh, and my husband, who is wonderful, by the way, and certainly was concerned about what was best for me; however, did pick up on that, being a male, and thought, "Gee, sounds great to me. No more periods. Where does she sign?" The one part he did not hear is how a woman loses her sexual drive and feelings. Now, let me tell you. I used to be a 'sex kitten'. I think this is one factor of why my husband loves me. Hey, 'Sex, and initimate relations with one's significant other is so important. My husband loves to 'make love'. I did too. I would even be the one to promote it before the Hyst.; i.e., I would - as an example, sneak up on him while he was in the shower and surprise him for a fun romp in the shower. I would surprise him by going around in a robe, and then at the right time, while he was in the middle of a football game, a news program, etc., he was into - stand in front of him, open up my robe to display a very sexy lingerie outfit I put on. We are talking not only the lingerie, but fishnet stockings and garters, and, in other words, 'the works'. I do not think he got the final score on the football game he was watching that night...
Ever since the Hyst., I have no desire for sex. I have been married to my husband for twenty eight years. Prior to the Hyst., and as I stated, our sex life was fantastic. This doctor never mentioned once that there was a possibility my feelings would change. Well, they certainly have. Goodness knows what he has taken from me. My whole body has changed. I am sure I deal with a shortened cervix, my uterine orgasms are no longer, and I do not feel the same when having him make love to me. It feels 'weird', to say the least.
But oh, let me get to the 'physical changes' on top of this: I hurt all the time in my back area. I have, and only after the Hyst., to deal with horrible back pain. I was a runner before this, so I know 'stamina' after doing years of events with running 10k and 12k runs. I also have horrible fatigue since the Hyst., and feel off so many times throughout my day. I also had been diagnosed with RSDS before I had the Hyst., and told this doctor this. It is a 'Nerve Disease'. Had he been a 'good doctor' and caring; he would never have done this surgery on me. It may well be the cause of other problems I suffer with now. Isn't this sick; in that, this doctor did not care about this (if anything), and he was greedy to 'make a buck'...
Oh - get me going... I have every right to be upset. My husband, and any other in my family, has every right to be upset about the whole scope of this. This doctor has gotten away with something which has now not only ruined me in so many ways, but has affected my husband, and other loved ones. Pretty sick, huh? This doctor was greedy, and I now pay for this; when he should have sought other alternatives for me; especially, with he knowing I have RSDS. How dare him!!!
I even went to three other GYNs after the Hyst.; being I was feeling so awful after it. One GYN refused to do a Laproscopy on me because I have RSDS. Why didn't the doctor who I had the Hyst. done by, not treat me with utmost care and not do a Hyst. on me; i.e., to save me from complicating and hurt me more since I had this nerve disease, and save me from complications when there were alternatives for me? He did not mention once any...
I hope other women read this. I hope other women do not fall for what doctors do with pushing a female into having a Hyst.. This is a sick and greedy 'money making machine' for doctors. We need to stand up and fight against this. If anyone, who reads my comments, has a question; get back with me. I surely do wish the best for all women out there. Just remember - there are 'ALTERNATIVES'. Blessed we are to be able to read and listen to others. Just go to the HERS Foundation website, if anything. I 'kiss' the ground that Nora Coffey and Rick Schweikert walk on (and all the other fine staff at this place).
We need to stop this insanity. Trust me - generations to come will look back on this with doctors performing Hysts. on women, and getting away with this before and now, and when so unnecessary, do not explain/tell of the complications (the life long of these complications), and it will be a comparison similar to the 'Holocaust'. I never want to counter down to what the Jewish people had to suffer. I do not intend this at all. (I am a 'Schindler's List' person.) But, people will wonder how doctors got away with this inhumane treatment of women for so long; just as how Jewish people suffered, slavery was gotten away with, and all that man does to mankind, and how women have been so mistreated. Get your pens out, sharpen your typing skills, and get on the ball to write to whoever (congressmen, etc.) to stop this mutilation to women. Yes, mutilation. I will never be the same. I am afraid to say what I would do to a doctor, if he ever did this to my daughter. Key words here... "Needless" and "Greedy".
Best to all out there. I want everyone to know too - we must be grateful for our significant others who do continue to tolerate us after this hideous surgery. I kiss the ground my hubby walks on (don't tell him that), but he knows me, and knew there was only a 'change' in me, and me suffering after the Hyst., and how it must hurt him. How dare these doctors hurt so many lives...
P.S. I forgot to mention - can one imagine all the costs I have incurred after having his unnecessary Hyst.? I have gone, as I said, to three other GYN's to try to get help and answers to what is wrong with me after having the Hyst., and paid medical bills, paid for the expenses of traveling to see these other doctors, gas, motel rooms, food, airplane fares, etc., and all due to this Hysterectomy...
August 28, 2009 - 9:33pmThis Comment