My Hysterectomy Story
Posted on October 29, 2026 by Ching under Health.
It’s story time, friends. Some of you who have been with me since the beginning of this blog know about my thyroidectomy about 14 years ago and know how what that journey was like. I was super reluctant to have surgery and so I continued to put it off until my thyroid had gotten so enlarged on one side that I really had no choice.
Fast forward to now, and I had a very similar journey with my hysterectomy. Problems started a few years ago, maybe around 2022-2023 time frame. Up until this point, I had very regular, predictable, normal periods. I never had any issues with cramps or anything like that. My period would come every month like clockwork. I would bleed for 3-4 days, maybe 5 at most, and then it would be over. And then a few years ago, my monthly cycle became highly irregular and I started suffering from really bad period cramps. They were so bad, I actually bought a heated pad to help soothe my abdominal cramps. There were months I wouldn’t have my period and those were great but then there were months I would bleed for two weeks straight and be completely miserable the entire time. I’d never taken so many pain killers my entire life. Even when I had my thyroidectomy, I took two Tylenol pills and that was about it. Now I’d started popping ibuprofen and NSAIDs like my life depended on it.
When I finally had enough, I talked to my doctor (at Center for Women’s Health at the time) about options. We talked about hysterectomy, which I wasn’t quite ready for; ablation, which also seemed invasive to me; and finally, birth control. I hadn’t taken birth control pills in years at this point. We just didn’t need any type of contraceptives. So here I am, taking birth control pills in my 40s–not for contraception, but to help with my issues.
It took a few months but it actually did work. My monthly cycle became more predictable. The cramps were few and manageable. While I had some other issues (mainly knee problems), for the first time in a really long time, my period cramps weren’t causing me problems. 2024 was mostly okay but then my blood pressure started running high. Center for Women’s Health had closed so I was with my new doctor at Associates in Women’s Health. I have always had unusually low blood pressure so it was strange that I suddenly had high blood pressure. (SIDE NOTE: September 2024 is when Brian got diagnosed with cancer, which shifted my routines so I’m sure it wasn’t all because of the birth control pills. I had become far less active during those months.)
We took me off the birth control pills, which didn’t really change anything; so shortly after, our GP prescribed me blood pressure medication. I started it this year and it’s actually help normalize my blood pressure a ton. In the meantime, almost as soon as I stopped the birth control, my period issues came back.
During our Alaska cruise last year, I went through three boxes of tampons because I was bleeding the entire time. I brought tampons for the trip but used them all up and had to buy two more boxes and used them all before we got home. This summer I got very anemic to the point that Brian had to pick me up from work and take me to the ER where they gave me a blood transfusion. For our solar eclipse cruise in August, I made sure to pack a ton of tampons so I wouldn’t have to buy expensive boxes during the trip. I went through all of those because I pretty much bled almost the entire time (again) and I had a couple of days of miserable cramps.
I’ve known for a while that a hysterectomy is the solution but my ambivalence was fueled by my fear of having surgery (despite having survived one already all those years ago) and also periods (pun intended) of normalcy. There were times when my periods were normal, and actually some months when I didn’t have one. During those times I felt like surgery wasn’t necessary. However, the miserable times make me wish that I had gotten my hysterectomy yesterday. Because I was wavering between these feelings and also I didn’t really want to be cut off from my normal routines (I wouldn’t be able to play pickleball or do Zumba) during recovery so I continued to put it off until my last gyno appointment. It was a follow up after my ER trip. It was then that we decided that I would finally have my hysterectomy this year. My doctor was out on maternity leave following the birth of her third child and we were traveling in August so we agreed to regroup at my well-woman exam on October 8. We also turned that visit into my pre-op appointment.
I didn’t have a surgery date yet but I tried to keep my schedule open. I didn’t sign up for any tournaments from October to the end of the year. However, I did RSVP for a couple of things that I was bummed about missing but you can only put your life on hold so much. I rolled the dice that I would be able to attend and lady luck wasn’t on my side.
October 8–doctor got my surgery date set for Tuesday, October 20. Things happened so quickly after my pre-op. Wesley Hospital asked me to come in for their on pre-op visit on Tuesday, October 13, exactly one week before surgery. But they called me before that. On Friday, October 9, someone from Wesley spoke to me on the phone to confirm my October 13 appointment but also asked me a bunch of questions about my medical history and medications.
I asked the lady on the phone with me exactly what I would be coming in for on the 13th since she seemed to be getting all the information already over the phone. She explained they have go over all the information with me in person, get some labs done, and they’re also giving me a “goody bag.” She sensed that I perked up at hearing “goody bag” and told me that she probably shouldn’t have called it that because it’s not that kind of “goody bag.” LOL.
October 13–Brian and I carpooled to work that day so he could take me to my 7:30 AM pre-op appointment at Wesley. Here’s a pic of us waiting at the hospital.
Here’s a picture of my “goody bag,” which contained pre-op instructions, informational pamphlets, a breathing exercise device, a bottle of Ensure pre-surgery drink, and a couple of antiseptic wipes.
October 20–surgery day. Brian helped me prepare our bed the night before. They instructed me to sleep on clean sheets. They also said no pets in the bed with us, but that wasn’t happening. LOL. We love Saki too much to push her away. We followed the instructions about the clean sheets, though.
They told me to shower but not apply any kind of lotions or products. Instead I was to wipe my entire body with the cloths that were provided. My body needed to be completely clean prior to surgery to reduce the risk of infection.
I also wasn’t allowed to eat anything at all that day except for the Ensure drink that they gave me, which I was supposed to drink before going to the hospital. Check in was at 11:00 AM and surgery was scheduled for 1:00 PM.
Here’s a picture of the “ready” room. I don’t think it’s actually called that but that’s what I’m calling it because this is where they got me ready for surgery.
Brian stayed and worked from the hospital that day. He did walk across the street to grab some lunch but came back and waited until I was ready to go home.
I was thinking I would be released by 4:00 PM but the schedule didn’t quite work out that way. First, the doctor was running late so we didn’t have my surgery at 1:00 PM as planned. Surgery started later than planned and, while the surgery itself only took a couple of hours or so, it took me almost an hour to wake up from the anesthesia. I woke up starving because I hadn’t eaten anything since 8:00 PM the night before. The nurse gave me Mott’s applesauce. I’ve never been a fan of applesauce but, that day, at that moment, it tasted delicious.
They wouldn’t release me until I was able to urinate. Once I finally did, I was free to go. I just wanted to go home and continue sleeping. I think it was 7:00 PM by the time we finally got home.
I haven’t spoken to my doctor since the surgery. Brian spoke to her and he said that the doctor told him it went really well. My four fibroids were bigger than expected but surgery went smoothly. I have to agree because I feel pretty good for only a week out. I am looking forward to my follow-up appointment next week to see if the doctor can release me to return to work. Hoping my recovery continues with no setbacks. Stay tuned!
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