Female Sterilisation/Hysterectomy - anyone had either? Looking for advice

blue_monkey_2

I know I do not want more kids, I've asked my husband if he will have the snip and he said no so I am looking at female sterilisation. I was wondering what the real recovery time was on this from someone who has had one. He only has 8 days left of work holiday and I know he will have to use this - how long did it take from being referred to having the op and how long will he need off? I have a 7yo with a disability so I am assuming that I cannot lift him. How long for?

On another note - I also have problems with my ovaries and have had this for the last 18 years. I've had enough, potentially it could be another 15 years of this. I am sitting here barely able to stand as I am getting shooting pains when I walk and I get these each month now. The docs send me off for a scan, and it'll usually be 'at the wrong time' so there is never any problem shown on the screen. So I put up with it as I am too embarrassed to keep on going back. My smears have all been fine so I know it is not that.

I've paid for scans privately so know I get cysts each month on my ovaries and they bust after after a couple of weeks (which is the pain I feel) but it is agony, the follicle carries on growing but I get a lot of cysts - never had an exact diagnosis of PCOS. I only have one ovary as one grew really big and did not burst. I do not get these problems when pregnant.

I am 40 now but really do not think I have the support to have a hysterectomy because of the recovery time. At least if I was sterilised I'd not have pregnancy to worry about but should I consider asking the doctor for the Hysterectomy and getting it over and done with? What s the real recovery time for that?

But I am wondering, can go to the doctors and ask for a hysterectomy because of these pains? I was offered one by my other doctor 10 years ago pre-kids and I said no. Would there be a record of this? And what happens? Do they refer you to someone else to decide? Do they just give them in cases like mine with pain where there has been no 'proper' evidence or do I have to have really bad periods so I have 'proof' of there being a problem? My periods are fine - it is what happens inbetween that is the issue. Does removing just the womb mean the ovaries still work and the egg still be released as this is where my problem lies - from time of ovulation until the day my period starts. I am assuming that if the ovary was sstill there then it would still work.

We are also due to go to Florida in April, would I be risking being able to get out and about on holiday for either op - assuming it would be done around January.

I wonder if anyone else has any experiences they can share with me. I need to make a doctors appointment to decide what I do but do not want to look foolish by just saying I've got pains - I've had pains for years and they never take me seriously and the only time they did was when I paid for scans through an entire month so I had evidence of what was going on. I cannot afford to do thatagain as it cost me about 2k. I've had all sorts of contraceptives and implants to stop these pains but they never last for long and the pains come back.

Supposed to be going out soon but I cannot face it right now, I struggled to get to school this morning and cannot walk the dog. Will try some painkillers but that is not the answer long term is it. Just wondered if anyone had been in my situation really.

skylight

Make an appointment with your Doctor. They can give you all the options of different sterilizations and recovery times; with the best and worst points of view. Any woman can be sterilized, just tell your docs that this is what you want and you have considered the consequences of it (make sure you have!)


http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Female-sterilisation/Pages/Introduction.aspx

peachyprice

Have you never had treatment for the burst cysts?

I had the same in my early twenties, it's the worst pain I have ever felt in my life, I didn't know whether I was going to throw up or soil myself and ended up passing out.

I went to A&E the first time, they dismissed it as painful intercourse (!!!!!!?) the second time I went to A&E at a different hospital, they took me in, did an emergency OP and cleaned my ovaries up, the cyst that burst took half my ovary with it, after that I never had the problem again.

blue_monkey_2

skylight wrote: »

Make an appointment with your Doctor. They can give you all the options of different sterilizations and recovery times; with the best and worst points of view. Any woman can be sterilized, just tell your docs that this is what you want and you have considered the consequences of it (make sure you have!)


http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Female-sterilisation/Pages/Introduction.aspx

Thanks, yes, I have enough with the children I have and certainly at my age there are plans for no more. I had read through that page but I wanted someone to give me an honest account of what the recovery time is for sterilisation. My son is too much work to jeopodise being off my feet for so long. x

blue_monkey_2

peachyprice wrote: »

Have you never had treatment for the burst cysts?

I had the same in my early twenties, it's the worst pain I have ever felt in my life, I didn't know whether I was going to throw up or soil myself and ended up passing out.

I went to A&E the first time, they dismissed it as painful intercourse (!!!!!!?) the second time I went to A&E at a different hospital, they took me in, did an emergency OP and cleaned my ovaries up, the cyst that burst took half my ovary with it, after that I never had the problem again.

Yes, I've had operations, injections, numberous versions of the pill, coils, implants, I've had one ovary removed - this is why I went private as the NHS kept on finding 'nothing' yet the private scans picked up loads of problems and I had them every other day through my cycle so we could keep an eye on what was going on. I saw a private consultant and he put my on his NHS list and I had an op to clean everything up. I then got pregnant but within a few months of giving birth it came back. I cannot afford to go private again and the last NHS scan found 'nothing' and I just get tired of going back so I've left it for the last 2 years but find I cannot put up with this for another 10 years or more.

When it first started when I was 25 my [male] doctor treated me for PID each and every month and told me not to have such rigorous sex (seriously, !!!!!!!!) for 8 months before I decided to change to a woman doctor and she found the first cyst the first time she examined me.

I lost my right ovary when one cyst grew really big and twisted but I had the same problem with the other side. They told me there was 1 in 400 chance of it returning.... it did.

Funny enough a (male) doctor in A&E told me that he could feel nothing - next day when I had a scan they found a 6cm cyst. Absolutely hopeless!! I cannot even wear trousers with an tight band when I had it as the pain is just unbearable.

I just feel embarrassed going back each time and being told there is nothing on the scan - I need them done at specific times but the NHS will not give me specific dates, it has to be when they say. I have asked this before. I get the cysts start to form around day 5 and they last for around 2 weeks as they gradually burst and then the pain eases off before my period is due, only to be replaced with period pain. Hurrah!!

Feeling a bit sorry for myself today, sorry. It hurts a lot today.

peachyprice

I really do feel for you, knowing what absolute agony it is I don't know how you have put up with it for so long. I don't think any doctor, male or femal, can understand the pain when the cysts burst unless they've actually experienced it. I would imagine that's what being shot feels like. Makes me shudder remembering what it's like.

TBH, if it were me I'd have the whole lot whipped out and be done with it.

pigpen

Ordinarily they do not remove ovaries when they do a hysterectomy so if what you say is happening actuay is it will not make any difference having such a massive operation. If they remove the ovaries it throws you straigh into the menopause so you have those symptoms which are equally unpleasant.. plus you are then at increased risk of problems like osteoporosis.. so they woudnt remove ovaries, unless they are badly diseased.

Sterilisation.. you should be up and about in a day or 2 and back to normal after a week or 2.. depending on methods and how you recover and various other factors.

blue_monkey_2

Thanks, nice that someone understands the pain really - I can usually feel when the last one has burst as after a few hours all the pain goes away.

I am not sure I can deal with the recovery time though - it's 6 weeks. That's a long time when you have kids to sort out day to day. I do not have anyone that can help me other than hubby but he does not get that much holiday time. That is the issue I am facing I guess. I'd certainly not be able to drive for that time and that would be difficult as we live in the sticks.

I need to make an appointment to see my doctor later this week.

Bonbon

I've had both operations so here's a brief history of mine which might give you a bit of information.
I had 3 children at the age of 22yrs and thought I was pregnant with a 4th.(luckily false alarm).I knew I didn't want any more and my husband wouldn't have the chop. I didn't think my doctor would agree to sterilisation as I was only 24yrs at the time and no medical history of problems..I had to go to a sort of counselling to show I had understood the consquences of it. eg. If I had a new partner or if my children all died in an accident did I realise that I wouldn't be able to have more etc.There are lots of different methods and I'm sure it is all much easier and quicker these days. Anyway I had the op and was in hospital for 5 days, then about 3 weeks recovery. This op leaves your ovaries (my tubes were cut and tied) so you still have periods, therfore I don't think it will make your problem any easier.
At 34yrs I had horrendous bleeding and became very anaemic with it.I was given numerous pills to try to stop my periods which didn't work and after 18 mths of this it was finally decided that I would have a hysterectomy. That was a hospital stay of 10 days( I had complications) although most ladies went home after 5 days.Then it was 6 weeks recovery but it was a good 2-3 mths before I felt back to normal. Hope that helps a bit.

peachyprice

pigpen wrote: »

Ordinarily they do not remove ovaries when they do a hysterectomy so if what you say is happening actuay is it will not make any difference having such a massive operation. If they remove the ovaries it throws you straigh into the menopause so you have those symptoms which are equally unpleasant..

Pigpen, symptoms of the menopause are unpleasant, and treatable/manageable the pain Blue Monkey is experiencing is like nothing on earth.

alanalea

Hi, I can only give you my experiences of sterilisation-
I had laporoscopic sterilisation (tubes tied, with a small 2cm incision above the pubic bone and one insode the belly button) done October last year. I'm 27 with 2 children, definately sure that I didn't want any more. I also couldn't deal with hormonal birth control. From asking my doctor for a referral to actually having my op was 7-8 weeks. I didn't have to have any counselling.
On the day of my op I went in at 6am, had the op at 9.30 and was home by 3.00pm. I can honestly say that apart from feeling a bit bruised, I was fine on co-codimal for 2-3 days. My surgeon did my stitches too tight, so they went a bit funny (I ended up taking them out myself after a week). My recovery was supposed to be a couple of weeks not lifting heavy items etc, but my husband went back to work after 4 days and I had to look after my 1yo daughter.

hth