Teena -- PCOS and hysterectomy
From: cathy:- (anonymous@medispecialty.com)
Sun Jan 19 21:44:48 2003
Hi, Teena,
Before consenting to a hysterectomy I think that you need to get a very
clear story of how the doctor thinks that this will help things and the
risks that it will make things worse.
The way I understand PCOS is that this is a disease of the ovaries. And
the ovaries are controlled by hormones that are secreted by your
pituitary, which is part of your brain. So my first question would be
how the doc expects to make PCOS better by surgery on your uterus?
If the cysts on your ovaries are bursting, then that certainly would
explain your adhesions. Are you having symptoms from your adhesions?
Approximately 1/3 of the people in the US have adhesions, and for the
vast vast majority they have no symptoms at all. If the adhesions are
not causing you any problems then it is almost always the best thing to
leave them alone. Virtually anything that any surgeon can do will end
up making them worse in the end. Now for most people, for whom
adhesions cause no problems, having a few more isn't a big deal, but on
the other hand you are taking the risk that you will get symptoms like
pain or bowel obstruction from the new adhesions that you wouldn't have
gotten if you had just left everything alone.
So in order to take the risk of more surgery and more adhesions, you
need a very very clear story out of your doctor and the doctor that you
get a 2nd opinion from as to how the removal of your uterus will help
YOUR body given the disease that YOU have. Several people who post on
this board have had unnecessary hysterectomies just because their
doctors couldn't think of anything that would help them, and when you
are a gynecologist (a surgical specialty) if all else fails you do a
hysterectomy! Not because they think it will do any good but because it
is something they know how to do. (There is an old saying, "When the
only tool you own is a hammer, all problems look like nails to you.")
Also, always go to http://www.google.com and do searches and check out
the things that doctors tell you. If stuff does not add up, then either
you are not understanding the doctors' explanations correctly, or the
doctor doesn't know what she/he is talking about. Either way you need
to do some more close questioning of the doctor before you can even
begin to give informed consent for anything. There are several things
that doctors say that are just wrong and they really clue you in as far
as their level of knowledge on the subject. For example, if the doctor
doesn't seem to realize that the surgery that you have to diagnose
adhesions or to cut adhesions (called an adhesiolysis) will cause more
adhesions. Or a doctor who doesn't realize that when adhesions are cut
then they grow back together and also form new adhesions because the
only way you can cut adhesions is by doing surgery and surgery causes
adhesions. Also any surgeon who believes that adhesions don't cause
pain sure ain't gonna be allowed to operate on MY belly! The first step
for a doctor to take measures to minimize adhesion formation in surgery
is for the surgeon to think that it is important.
Good luck! I'm kind of hoping that somebody else here might have more
information about PCOS and adhesions.
At Thu, 16 Jan 2003, Teena wrote:
>
>Hello My name is Teena. I've been married for 7 years to my Dh. I am
>29 years old. I live in Michigan. I have 2 children Dd who is 9 and Ds
>who is 3 1/2.
>I was recently diagnosed with PCOS. My GYN just did a Laparoscopy on me
>Tuesday Jan. 14, 2003. He spoke with my Mom after the surgery and told
>her that he found adhesions and lesions, and that I would probably need
>a hysterectomy to take the uterus out.
>I posted on a site that I frequented about this, and one of the
>wonderful gals there gave me the link to this site. I am glad I have
>found it. I have lots of questions!! I am very scared and nervous about
>having the hysterectomy but if that is what will make everything better,
>than I am all for it.
>When I started reading on this site it scared me even more! The only
>other surgery I had was a tubal ligation the day after my son was born.
>Could anyone please direct me to the things I need to read?! I had no
>idea the adhesions were bad! I thought by taking the uterus out it would
>make everything okay.
>If anyone is interested in emailing me, my email is tena2u@yahoo.com.
--
cathy :-)
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