oh my goodness! I just reviewed the video you are referring to, and I'M scared, too...and I am not in the position of having a hysterectomy.
I hope you use that information in a helpful way, even though it was presented in a poorly antiquated manner of using scare-tactics and omitting possible positive outcomes or helpful alternatives. This 12 minute video is talking to ALL women across the globe, some of whom have received medical advice to have a hysterectomy when one was not medically necessary. In those cases, the risks probably did not outweigh the benefits. Other women have had positive experiences with this surgery. I hope you talk to both sides.
1. Talk to as many women as you can about their experiences, side effects, adverse effects, positive effects and recovery.
2. Write down all the extremes you have heard about this surgery, both pros and cons (cons you obviously can get from this video!). Ask trusted health professionals about what is legitimate and what is not. What are the viable alternatives?
The take-home message from this HER Foundation is to not trust the medical community or government. I realize some people feel strongly about this, but what is the alternative? There are some amazing health care professionals that care deeply about their patients, about research and finding cures, and have devoted their lives to women's health. I strongly dislike "foundations" that suggest otherwise; there are extremes in all professions, but suggesting an entire profession is essentially evil is not going to have my support.
With that being said, you can tease out the nuggets of truth in what was presented in the video by talking with as many people as you can. I hope you hear from women who have experienced this surgery.
3. Use your own experience. How many women do you know who have had a hysterectomy? Probably many. I know of many, and they have had different experiences, both positive and negative. I have not seen any of them with a protruding belly and no waist (as the video mentioned). It sounds scary for the video to say that there is an "unnatural shift of organs" and "organs are displaced", but isn't that what happens with a pregnancy? Aren't our bodies made and prepared for organs to shift? What about other surgery where organs are removed...does this cause a displacement as well? I would put these scary statements in perspective, but also use them to ask questions from multiple sources.
4. Ask your doctor about your specific concerns, possibly regarding "severing nerves" and how this "impacts the nerves in your nipples" (from video), as well as "searing pain in your butt and knee" (also from video). I'm not sure how this is accurate?! I have not met any women with these experiences. Are there women you can talk to who have undergone the same procedure with your doctor?
5. Lastly, as much as the HER foundation is trying to protect women, it is not helping women in feeling empowered. I know I left the video wanting to crawl away and hide; not exactly health information that provides energy and motivation for action.
You can choose to be skeptical of all things "institutional" or "medical", you can choose to blindly believe everything "medical", or you can choose to be a wise consumer of health (as you are!) and find all the information you can while wading through the extremes...and the truth is probably somewhere in the middle.
It is wonderful to have organizations like HER fighting for our rights as women, sending out petitions and advocating for our health, but they may not the best source of health information, in my opinion, when you are faced with real-life medical choices.
That's my take. I realize this does not answer your real question about what the side effects of a hysterectomy are, and what real women have really experienced. I assume you have already done extensive research, and heard some additional information from this video that you are questioning. Are you concerned any specific adverse effect that you can share?
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oh my goodness! I just reviewed the video you are referring to, and I'M scared, too...and I am not in the position of having a hysterectomy.
I hope you use that information in a helpful way, even though it was presented in a poorly antiquated manner of using scare-tactics and omitting possible positive outcomes or helpful alternatives. This 12 minute video is talking to ALL women across the globe, some of whom have received medical advice to have a hysterectomy when one was not medically necessary. In those cases, the risks probably did not outweigh the benefits. Other women have had positive experiences with this surgery. I hope you talk to both sides.
1. Talk to as many women as you can about their experiences, side effects, adverse effects, positive effects and recovery.
2. Write down all the extremes you have heard about this surgery, both pros and cons (cons you obviously can get from this video!). Ask trusted health professionals about what is legitimate and what is not. What are the viable alternatives?
The take-home message from this HER Foundation is to not trust the medical community or government. I realize some people feel strongly about this, but what is the alternative? There are some amazing health care professionals that care deeply about their patients, about research and finding cures, and have devoted their lives to women's health. I strongly dislike "foundations" that suggest otherwise; there are extremes in all professions, but suggesting an entire profession is essentially evil is not going to have my support.
With that being said, you can tease out the nuggets of truth in what was presented in the video by talking with as many people as you can. I hope you hear from women who have experienced this surgery.
3. Use your own experience. How many women do you know who have had a hysterectomy? Probably many. I know of many, and they have had different experiences, both positive and negative. I have not seen any of them with a protruding belly and no waist (as the video mentioned). It sounds scary for the video to say that there is an "unnatural shift of organs" and "organs are displaced", but isn't that what happens with a pregnancy? Aren't our bodies made and prepared for organs to shift? What about other surgery where organs are removed...does this cause a displacement as well? I would put these scary statements in perspective, but also use them to ask questions from multiple sources.
4. Ask your doctor about your specific concerns, possibly regarding "severing nerves" and how this "impacts the nerves in your nipples" (from video), as well as "searing pain in your butt and knee" (also from video). I'm not sure how this is accurate?! I have not met any women with these experiences. Are there women you can talk to who have undergone the same procedure with your doctor?
5. Lastly, as much as the HER foundation is trying to protect women, it is not helping women in feeling empowered. I know I left the video wanting to crawl away and hide; not exactly health information that provides energy and motivation for action.
You can choose to be skeptical of all things "institutional" or "medical", you can choose to blindly believe everything "medical", or you can choose to be a wise consumer of health (as you are!) and find all the information you can while wading through the extremes...and the truth is probably somewhere in the middle.
It is wonderful to have organizations like HER fighting for our rights as women, sending out petitions and advocating for our health, but they may not the best source of health information, in my opinion, when you are faced with real-life medical choices.
That's my take. I realize this does not answer your real question about what the side effects of a hysterectomy are, and what real women have really experienced. I assume you have already done extensive research, and heard some additional information from this video that you are questioning. Are you concerned any specific adverse effect that you can share?
April 5, 2009 - 7:49pmThis Comment
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