My Personal Hysterectomy Story

Part 2: surgery prep | Part 3: post surgery | Part 4: recovery

I have been wanting to share my recent hysterectomy story. And by recent, I mean it was February 12, 2020. At the time of this post, I am 12 1/2 weeks post op. Surgery was unexpected, as I guess most are. It was not because of any pain or problems I was suffering physically. In fact, I had no idea what was going on inside my nether regions.

My story leading up to finding out I needed a hysterectomy

I have my regular annual exams and had my normal appointment scheduled early January. You know the drill if you are female: feet in the stirrups after donning that sweet pink gown “open in the front.” Now, keep in mind, I am truly not modest. Also, my gynecologist is seriously amazing. She is about my age and is truly someone I could hang with outside of the exam room. However, all that aside, it is just not a pleasant experience. God was master architect when he designed women, but dang, He had a sense of humor!

 

I went through the process of the exam and the pap smear (which seriously is another sick joke of a term); then the breast exam. It really isn’t a terrible experience. I mean a good doctor will make us feel as comfortable as possible and get in and out quickly, if you know what I mean.

Well, I’ll be dang, on January 20, (I remember because I was home on Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday,) my doctor’s nurse called and told me the super great news: My pap was inconclusive. I never can seem to remember much upon getting these types of phone calls. She used words for tests that I didn’t know, then wanted to schedule a biopsy that week. At that point, I was just trying to refocus and think of a good time and day to not interfere with any work obligations. Afterwards, I was dumbfounded and honestly had not clue what conversation just unfolded or why I needed to go back for a biopsy.

Well, it turns out the biopsy was scheduled the same day as my mammogram had been set previously. (Can’t make this stuff up)… Also, it was on a Friday, the same day as an event I had to attend that night. Super fun times, right?

Let’s just say the day was wacky. Also, painful! Again, medical terminology is not my jam, but basically she could not get a good sample of the tissue she needed because of what she believed might be scar tissue from the ablation she performed four years earlier.

My OB-GYN gave me options:

1.) she could do a procedure to basically take a plug out of my cervix to test. It would be outpatient and would require some healing but might or might not give her a good sample. Also, those results could have been good, but next year’s annual exam would probably produce the same results, which would start this process again.

2.) A hysterectomy.

That was it.

I asked if I could wait until May because of upcoming work obligations and what is virtually my busiest season of the year. (I work at a college and April and May are insane). I need to be on my A game dang it! Well, her answer was ‘no’. We could not wait. That scared the hell out of me and knocked the air out my body.

Obviously I chose door number 2 after taking the weekend to think about it and talk to Dr. Google, and my trusted friends and family. I called the office on Monday and asked to schedule it on February 12 which was the first available date. I needed to get this done so I could recover and get back to work for one of my busiest times of year. (Obviously, I had no idea we would face a global pandemic which would cancel said events!)

Why do we put work over our health? 

Gosh, as I write this I am flabbergasted at how crazy it is that I would put work in front of my health, but as a woman, I think it is a natural thing to do. Needless to say, surgery was set for February 12. I now had 2 1/2 weeks to prepare for a hysterectomy.

My Personal Hysterectomy Story

Part 2