At that appointment, the specialty doctor performed an ultrasound and an exam. She diagnosed fibroid tumors and an overly large uterus. She thought the best course of action was a hysterectomy. I thought, “Why not?” I was done making babies and just wanted the pelvic pain to go away. I made the decision, based on the information I had at the time, to keep my ovaries, as I did not want to hit the menopausal brick wall. She scheduled the hysterectomy for just after the new year.
I had a surgical procedure know as a Robotic-Assisted Laparoscopy. I liked the fact it was minimally invasive and for the patient mean less pain, shorter recovery time, and quicker return to normal daily activities. However, it is a more expensive route and requires longer time on the operating table. Because there were some complications, I was in surgery for 3 ½ hours. After my surgery and recovery, I was taken to a hospital room for overnight observation. My surgeon informed me she found stage four endometriosis. It covered my uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, and bladder. She removed my uterus and tubes and scraped off the endometriosis from my bladder; however, she left my ovaries intact. Now, I am experiencing second doubts on whether I should have kept them or not. According to what I have read on the internet, I will continue to experience pelvic pain until I reach menopause and as an estrogen-dependent process, it can carry on beyond menopause and persists in up to 40% of patients following hysterectomy. The question to me, which is leading to my self-doubts, is; if the diagnosis had been correct with the very first exam, would I have made a different decision?
Speaking of humor, while recovering from the surgery, a nurse came in to check my vitals. She chatted with me and my husband for a few minutes and then turned off some lights and switched on some others. I quirked an eyebrow and she told me, "These are the lights I like to use for interrogation." I hope I did not give away any secrets.