Are you considering having a hysterectomy? I’ve had one, and it was the worst experience of my life. My goal here is to help you understand what I went through before and after I had a total abdominal hysterectomy.

Please note that I am not a doctor or surgeon, but I am a hysterectomy victim, and this is my attempt to help you not become a victim as well.

A lots of- N/A many surgeons won’t tell you the real stuff, so here goes!

First, I will tell you what was happening with my case and how I got to be the person I am today, due to the adverse effects of hysterectomy.

I had been battling endometriosis and fibroids for years. My gynecologist said that a hysterectomy would solve all my problems. Instead, my entire life has changed for the worse in every conceivable way!

The thrill of not having heavy, painful periods was incredible! What you didn’t know was that endometriosis can still grow outside of your uterus, so please do your homework if you’re seriously considering having this life-ruining surgery. Read on for my personal experience. It’s been 15 years, and the nightmare STILL continues. These things are likely to happen to you.

one. Swollen from head to toe. My belly hurt a lot and it looked like I was 8 months pregnant. They give her something to wrap around her belly to help the swelling go down and tell her “everything will be back to normal in about 6 months.” Um, no, it didn’t happen.

two. It is almost impossible to walk upright for 2-3 months. I couldn’t pee without begging a painting on my wall to let the fountain flow, for what seemed like forever. (I don’t think the image answered, for which I’m really grateful.)

Now, if you LOVE having immediate, intense hot flashes, horrible insomnia, depression, and anxiety…then by all means, get the surgery! Do you love it when your hair falls out in extreme proportions even after the “Oh, it’s just the shock of the surgery” phase? So yes, go ahead. My hair is now at 1/4 of the amount it was before…and people have commented. Humiliating to say the least.

3. For so many women: no matter how well you eat or how much you exercise, the weight doesn’t go away. What they don’t tell you is that your uterus holds all of your other organs and bones (ribs) in place. When you no longer have a uterus, your organs drop until your ribs sit directly on your hips. No more waist! I don’t know many women who would like to gain 50 pounds.

4. You may end up using a catheter due to urinary retention. Imagine the fun of having urine sloshing around in a weird bag strapped to your leg. Be sure to wear baggy pants at work. Oh yeah, it’s a really fun time.

5. If you discover the correct bioidentical hormones, your insurance usually won’t pay for them. I tried the oral pills that were coated but they didn’t help. So, the next step was compound creams. Typically, a month’s worth is hundreds of dollars. The creams have helped me a bit with hot flashes and insomnia, but I will never get my body back. I’m still anxious most of the time… I wish I had someone to tell me all this! NOTHING replaces estrogen, progesterone and testosterone like your own body. Unfortunately, they left one ovary because “it would wake up and make the hormones like it never had a hysterectomy.” Mine never woke up, and for an even funnier experience, the ovary was riddled with endometriosis… it looked “weird” and needed a biopsy, which meant another invasive surgery. They had to take the whole ovary. I went to sleep thinking I had “possible bowel and ovarian cancer,” and woke up with,

“Good news! She doesn’t have cancer, but her organs were stuck to her pelvic wall and a few other organs. We found adhesions everywhere! So the surgery took a lot longer than we originally thought.”

Adhesions is a fancy medical word for scar tissue, which just so happened to be caused by a hysterectomy. The biggest problem is that the scar tissue had to be dissected to free my organs. This leads to more scar tissue…and so on.

Now, the hormonal problem is even worse. I recently paid a whopping $2,000. for a “bioidentical hormone specialist” who was supposed to cover “free office visits for a year.” He overdosed on progesterone, made the hilarious weight gain worse, and conveniently didn’t return my calls because he had my money.

6. Get ready for a decreased or non-existent sex drive and a painfully dry vagina; devastating to say the least. For select some (if the ovaries are not removed), this is not a problem. It’s worth a try? If you are a gambler of your life and your body… well, it doesn’t matter, just say NO!

Please, please, do not have a hysterectomy unless you have cancer and/or there is an absolute threat to your life and there are no alternatives left.

Hysterectomy and oophorectomy (ovary removal) will ruin your life! It’s not just me, there are numerous women I’ve talked to who regret having had a hysterectomy. There is no way to “return” it. Please don’t go through what so many women have, just because your doctor says so. Research everything you can. Get a second and a third, Y fourth opinion. women have committed suicide due to the consequences of having a hysterectomy!

If I had to do it again, seriously never, ever even think of it as an option. I would undergo other less invasive surgeries many times. Hysterectomy is a serious surgery. Please do your homework. Yes, I am begging. Don’t be disappointed: hysterectomy is FEMALE CASTRATION!