# Looking for answers



## Tlyon (Feb 20, 2001)

3 years ago, I had to have my uterus removed. I was feeling great, until about 4 months ago. Went to the doctor and he told me that I had a very large cyst on my ovary. It is causing me a great deal of pain, from lower back all the way down to my knee. Anyway, I am sheduled to have both of my ovaries removed on the 16th of September. They are taking both, due to my age, and he doesn't want to have to go back and do more surgery if the other one starts behaving badly. He has me on estrogen now, he was hoping that it would discourage any more growth of the cyst. It didn't work. He kept me on the estrogen due to the fact that I will be thrown into menopause. They are going to do laparscopic surgery. Has anyone had this done? How long was the recovery? All of a sudden am I going to start acting like a crazy person due to menopause? I have asked him these questions, and although he is a wonderful doctor, he is not a woman. What should I expect? Any information would be deeply appreciated. As the date gets closer, I find that I am becoming more and more nervous. I want this pain to go away, but instead of being able to go through menopause at a natural pace, I get to just wake up and have it. HELP!!!!?????


----------



## Jleigh (Dec 8, 2000)

I have a friend who is 40 and just had a complete hysterectomy. She is doing okay. She has a lot of hot flashes. I haven't been through it so I can't say what will happen but just know that I'm thinking of you and will say a prayer for you.My sister had a hysterectomy a few months ago and they left one of her ovaries since it was still fine but just 6 short weeks later, she had 3 huge cysts on it. She is taking meds too but thankfully they have actually shrunk the cysts. Her back hurts a lot and even though the cysts have gotten smaller, her back is still hurting.Take Care,Jleigh


----------



## Wes and Tracy (Apr 14, 1999)

Hi, I know you're looking for answers but I'm afraid I probably have more questions then answers for you. First of all, Tracy has had 3 laperoscopies and will be having a fourth probably later this year. It's a relatively simple procedure, and pretty quick too, she was in and out last time in a half hour and we were home two hours later. They go in through the belly button so there is almost no scarring and no major muscles are cut so the healing time is much quicker. Tracy usualy fares worse from the anasthesia then from the surgery. What I don't understand is the rush to remove the organs. Why take both? That doesn't make sense to me. Here's my recommendation, talk to your doctor about removing just the cysts, if the ovary is damaged then remove the entire ovary but leave the good one, if both ovaries have a problem then take them both but only as a last resort. I have heard and read many stories of woman who have had their uterus removed and then have developed cysts. I believe it's because they have too much estrogen in their system and it's not being balanced by the progesterone hormone. There needs to be a balance ratio between the two in order to maintain health. Estrogen is produced in your ovaries, you still have two functioning ovaries, why on earth would you be supplementing additional estrogen at this point, I'd stop that right away. I'm sure that's the cause of your cysts. Did your doctor even test your hormones? Did he do a CA 125 test? I'd go for that before I made any surgical decisions.Here's my best advice to you, go to a local vitamin discount store and purchase a copy of Dr. John R. Lee's book, "what your doctor may not tell you about menopause", and spend a week and read it before you make more drastic decisions. Secondly go to www.hystersisters.com for some great information and advice from woman who have been there. And thirdly, keep us informed and let us know how things are going for you. Then we can all benefit from your experience. Thanks.Wes


----------



## Tlyon (Feb 20, 2001)

Jleigh and Wes, Thanks for the responses. First, that was my question, why take both? The doctor told me it was because of my age and that if I started having problems with the other ovary, they didn't want to do two surgeries in the event that I started having problems with the other one. I am so confused about the whole thing. You have to understand that I am so tired of being in pain, my back hurts, my hip hurts and my leg hurts all the way down to my knee. So I am trying to figure out the lesser of two evils. Wes, thank you for the info on the reading material. I will be sure to pick it up, and will do my best to make an informed choice. It is more than I have been given so far. I will keep you posted, and again my thanks for the information and for the prayers.T


----------



## Tlyon (Feb 20, 2001)

Oh Wes, one more thing to mention. I was not given estrogen until I had developed the cysts. So I have only taken it to try and get rid of the cysts in the first place. As a matter of fact, they had to lower the mil. because it was making me slightly crazy.


----------



## Jeanne D (Nov 14, 2001)

Tylon, Here are a couple of things you might want to discuss with your dr.First of all, synthetic hormones greatly increase the risk of breast cancer. This is documented in the journal of medicine, and something you should ask him about.Also things like wild yam cream, evening primrose oil, can help with hot flashes and the other symptoms associated with menopause, whether it is brought on by surgery, or naturally.Of course what you decide is up to you, but they might be worth investigating and discussing with your dr.I guess I can understand your drs. desire to remove both ovaries, due to your age etc.. to a point .The thing is, what are the chances you will have problems with your good ovary in the future ?I realize you're tired of suffering and I understand your desire to resolve this situation, but it would be best to keep an ovary if you can. How good is the "good" ovary ?I think I would investigate this further.I wish you all the best.I will be praying for you.Jeanne


----------



## Tlyon (Feb 20, 2001)

Well, the "good ovary" had about 4 small cysts, which resolved themselves (at last checkup). I suppose that was a concern of the doctors, as to wheather or not that one would start behaving badly too. I agree about HRT. That is really a BIG concern of mine. I am going to do some research on some natural sources. I have a friend who is taking New Phase (?), and she said it was helping. I really feel like I am walking through a maze!


----------



## Wes and Tracy (Apr 14, 1999)

Here's the thing about the wild yam extract. YES it works and the reason it works is because it's a good source of PROGESTERONE. Often times the damage is done by an incorrect ratio of Estrogen hormone to Progesterone hormone (by damage I mean cysts, cancers, endo, etc). The thing about the Yams is that it's cheap so many products use it, BUT BUT BUT BUT, it's a naturally occuring PLANT hormone, it will be beneficial but not as beneficial as a natural occuring ANIMAL progesterone. These are a little more expensive but have much greater results and are better for you. Wes


----------



## kazzy3 (Apr 11, 2003)

Tlyon,Thanks for answering my post. From what I have heard, I would definately ask about ALL side effects of the surgery. If your doctor does not satisfy your questions, go to another, and ask for alternatives. I don't know your particular reason for the surgery, but it seems that most hyst cases are not an emergency, therefore you have time to shop around. There seem to be long term effects for some people, be sure to get the facts Maybe read up on the subject as well. Take care.


----------



## Tlyon (Feb 20, 2001)

Wes,Yam extract as in sweet potatoes? What are some natural animal progesterones? Like I said earlier, I am a walking through the maze.


----------



## Wes and Tracy (Apr 14, 1999)

Wild Yam's but for sure it's a member of the sweet potatoe family, yes. examples of animal natural progesterone cream, well, there's one manufacturer named KEL that makes a very reasonably priced progesterone cream that's available in a 4 oz tube, and Life-Flo makes a product called Progesta-care that comes in a 3oz pump for about 20bucks plus shipping. It's more expensive than the KEL but it's a measured dosage (1pump = 20mg) so that's helpful.Don't get confused by the terms natural, animal, and plant. The progesterone hormone produced by the wild yam is a natural hormone and it's a plant hormone that is true. The progesterone hormone in the creams I listed above is created in a lab, but it's molecular composition is identical to the natural progesterone hormone created in humans (animals). So it is a natural hormone for our bodies because it's identical to the hormone created in our bodies whereas the plant version is not identical on a molecule level. I think i probably just made all that more confusing then it needed to be but .......Wes


----------



## Rose (Mar 25, 1999)

If I were you, I would go with your doctor's recommendation. I am 55 and post menapausal. Menapause is not as bad as a lot of people make out. Aside from the hot flashes, it didn't affect me at all, and I did not take any HRT due to breast cancer in my family. I do have some bone loss for which I am taking Actonel and I have no bad reactions or side affects at all.A wife of a co-worker of mine had surgery in her early 40's to remove one ovary. The doctor wanted to remove both, but being that the second one was healthy, she and her husband decided to keep it in tact. When she was 63, she developed ovarian cancer in the ovary that was left and died within a year. After she died he kept beating himself up, because he had talked her into keeping the ovary in order to prevent early menopause. As you can see there are a lot worse things than menopause. Good luck with whatever you decide.


----------



## Tlyon (Feb 20, 2001)

Thanks to everyone. Feel free to keep giving the advice. I do have a question though about the estrogen that I am now taking. If I were to take the natural road, do I just stop taking the estrogen, or do I wean myself off of it, either by myself, or under the doctors care? And Rose thank you for your imput. It is nice to hear that for some people menopause isn't too bad. Pray that mine will be fairly smooth.I don't know if I have already said this or not, I think I could handle the hot flashes, but I saw one of my aunts go through hell with mood swings, and that is what I worry about the most.


----------



## HipJan (Apr 9, 1999)

I had a full abdominal hyster with ovary removal last Dec. Pretty severe way to go, but it was an emergency. Because I had major surgery, it took much longer to recover than lap. surgery would have taken. I have also had lap. pelvic surgery in which 3/4 of one ovary was removed; my recovery wouldn't have been that bad for that one, actually, except that I got flu while at the hospital. When I was in the hospital in Dec and two doctors told me the ovaries should go too, at first I was a little annoyed. However, I quickly remembered the great trouble I had had with bleeding cysts (among the most painful and dangerous benign cysts) and, thus, gave in fairly easily. Also, of course, one's chances for ovarian cancer are lessened that way. Docs can be so eager to remove organs, including ovaries. The rule seems to be, if you are 47 or older, rip 'em out. It really should be an individual decision, though, based on your history. If the ovaries look healthy, and if cysts haven't been a big problem for you in the past, I say they should be left in. I NEVER wanted to go the HRT route, or not for long. However, because of the severity of my surgery, and because I still had a ways to go before Meno., I have found that I really need the estrogen replacement; I also happen to supplement mine on my own with natural progesterone cream. Right now I'm taking oral estrogen - and I take as little as I can get away with - but I am going to have to ask about other forms, because of some problems I believe the oral form is causing me.If you remove your ovaries and you are still a number of years away from "the change," you most likely will need some estrogen therapy, at least for a while, if you intend to feel decent.


----------



## Rose (Mar 25, 1999)

I know there are many women who go through menopause as your aunt did with the mood swings and all, but I really think menopause has a lot to do with your mind set. Some women get very down, because they believe menopause is the end of their youth, they become withdrawn and start feeling resentful and sorry for themselves. I decided early on when menopause started that it was just another cycle of life. For me, the hot flashes were a better trade-off than going through ovulation pains mid=way through my cycle and miserable menstral pains, not to mention the mood swings of PMS, and the "mess" of menstrating itself. As a matter of fact my "moods" during PMS were 100 times worse than any "moods" I might have gone through with menopause. All that was gone! Hooray! The important things to remember when going through menopause is not to curl up in a ball and feel sorry for yourself, but rather to keep active. Make sure you do some sort of physcial exercise everyday...walking, riding an exercise bicycle, swimming or whatever it takes to get your body moving, and lastly take a good calcium supplement with vitamin D. If you are prone to constipation, as I am, make sure you also add at least 400 milligrams of magnesium oxide or magnesium citrate. Good Luck


----------



## Jeanne D (Nov 14, 2001)

Here is something I am wondering about.I have heard that if you are overweight, you tend to have an abundance of estrogen because estrogen is stored in your fat.Now if that is the case, and a woman has a hysterectomy, and has extra weight on her, couldn't that estrogen suffice as opposed to HRT ?Just curious.Jeanne


----------



## HipJan (Apr 9, 1999)

Jeanne, I would just assume that those women might not need as much estrogen or for as long.


----------



## Wes and Tracy (Apr 14, 1999)

Jeanne, All the research I've done suggests the important thing is the balance between the Estrogen and the other hormones, I'm not a good resource for info on too much or too little, sorry. Good question though.Wes


----------



## HipJan (Apr 9, 1999)

supposedly, larger women might have more of an imbalance. but I am thin, and I believe I had quite an imbalance myself and, oddly, plenty of estrogen before my surgery despite the lack of stored fat.


----------

