Questions about Hysterectomy and Seizures

[stringbean]

I am scheduled for a hysterectomy on Feb. 7th.
I have to have it due to several different problems with my female parts.
My Gyn who also does the surgery, did get oks from my reg doc, and neuro.

DOES A MAJOR SURGERY CAUSE A HIGHER RISK FOR HAVING A SEIZURE< I went into status the day after having a C-section with my youngest and they said it was caused by blood and fluid loss that lowered my med level.
I didn't have any seizures right after my brain surgery.

I don't even know if after I come home if my husband should stay home with me for a certain amount of days.
Even though the surgery is still a little over a month away I am starting to get a little worried and scared about it.
Tammy

 

[RobinN]

I have never been around anyone that has had this procedure.
I would think that anything is possible, and suggest that it would be wise to have your husband around for a few days.
You have no history of this so why take chances.
Each body reacts to differently to situations, especially stressful ones.

 

[brain]

Been there - it was a Tug'o'War

After several miscarriages, ovarian cysts
and having surgery for a couple of them,
and nearly loosing my son, irregular cycles,
and so on ...

Neurologist wanted me to have Hysterectomy.
Gynecologists and Regular Doctor said NO!
I was in the midst of "Medical Advancing Stages"
so when the Neurologist consulted th Surgeons
for a boost; they were divided. Their recourse
was to "Wait a few more years and see what
Medical Science comes up with."

After a few years, nothing really changed, and
after a few more miscarriages, the Neurologist
took another approach at it and it was the HMO
who rejected it. I just have Titanium clips which
is far better and safer than Hysterectomy, for
it allows your body to be natural.

Today, many of them are not performing it
(Hysterectomy) like they did 10-20-30 and more
years ago, because it doesn't do anything for
the woman and there's no real proof that it will
decrease seizures in a woman, but they're
finding out that brain surgery in a specific
area resolves the problem.

If I were you - I'd get a 2nd opinion.

 

[Birdbomb]

Stringbean, I've had about 17 different surgeries. Half of those since I developed my seizure disorder, but none related. There is a risk factor with the anesthesia, but your anesthesiologist will discuss that with you. My seizures are agravated by pain. If my pain is not under control, then I'm putting on a show for the medical staff.

I have taken morphine, lortab, tramadol, to name a few and they have helped with the pain issues.

Never had any problems with seizures DURING surgery, it was always in recovery and the first few days after.

Because I had VNS implanted, when I awake the first time from anesthesia I have intense stomach pain, pain so intense it out does any surgical pain. WHEE!

 

[Meetz1064]

I was up for major back surgery.....in 2006 AND 2007. I wouldn't agree to it. Because my seizures, which are t/c's, occur in my sleep ONLY. I have had 4 surgeries in my life: my tonsils, appendix, root canal and wisdom teeth. ALL were done with locals. I have a REALLY HIGH pain tolerance.....I'm TERRIFIED of having surgery. PERIOD. My neuro has said that I can't go under anesthesia....so I would think that it WOULD increase the risk, but I might be wrong.....

 

[stringbean]

THank you for your replies.
This Gyn is the 3rd one I've seen, the main reason to begin with to have to see one instead of my reg doc, was because I am through menopause, and I was spotting some blood. It was possible that because of the bleeding I could have cancer. Well the first gyn I went to, it took over six months for my reg doc to get all the tests results back, (their are no gyn's here in Grafton, they do come from other counties once or 4 times a month, to see patients)
He did not want me to schedule another appt. with him, even though the problems the tests he did, showed, a bunch of cysts on my ovaries, a fibroid (not on the outside of my uterus) but in between my unterus and uterine wall, when they are like this something needs to be done about them. This is also what could be causing the bleeding.
Then what really shocked and angered me was, the test he did to check to make sure there was no cancer, he didn't get enough of what he needed to get a result and I found this out about 6 months after this test, my reg doc kept trying to get all the test results and wasn't having much luck for this amount of time. So I definetly decided that I sure as heck did not want to see him again.
Then a very close friend of mine recommended the gyn her and her mother and grandmother and sister and some friends see, I talked to a couple other woman and receive very high recomendations on him.
He is the greatest gyn I have ever seen in my life, He has been very direct and well I can't think of the right words to use, He found even more wrong, my bladder has dropped so low that it is right beside my uterus and I have damage to the inside and outerside of my vaginal wall. This explained even more the reason why I feel so much pressure like I have to go all the time and also how whenever I sneeze, cough, laugh, hiccup and more alot of the time I have to change clothes, and I didn't even feel like I had to go.
I thought I would go ahead and tell all the gyn found and why I decided that a hysterectomy as he recommended would be the best thing to do. Also I have a very high risk for ovarian cancer because I have a very high risk for breast cancer, it has went from mother to daughter for the last centry or more that I am aware of on my father's side.
I have decided that my hubby should stay home with me for at least a couple of weeks, another reason is that with it being in the dead of winter, the area we live in if there is school and our hill is to bad I would have to walk up and back down a very slick and steep hill to get my daughter on the bus, I don't think it would be to good for me to fall right after a major surgery.
Sharon, I am sorry to hear about all the losses you had to go through. I have had one, my only son was born still, in 1997.
The appt today which due to the weather I don't even know if my doc will make it to Grafton, and I will not have a way because a taxi wont' even come here in this weather, Anyway it was for him to go over with me exactly what he will be doing through the surgery. I still am not even sure if they are going to put me totally under or just numb me.
Well, I know this is getting pretty long. so again thanks for your replies and advice.
Tammy
Oh and I thought I better add I might have some of the female organs that need taken out and/or repaired mixed up, my bad memory can really confuse me sometimes. I think I got them all right.

 

[stringbean]

I made it to my appt. Thurs. as I stated in my thread on rashes, he wants me to have it checked by my neuro or dermatologist before surgery.
I did not know for sure until this appt. what exactly he was going to do, I was told that I would at my preop appt.
He said a Vaginal hysterectomy, sling Urethropexy,Cystoscopy, Anterior/Posterior Repair I am going to be put totally out in the chance that he may have to do abdomanal hyesteromy. . I thought he would be taking out my ovaries, however, I guest not unless they are in really bad shape.
The reasons it is being done, post menopausal bleeding, urinary stress incontinunce, and pelvic pain.
Now, as in my post about my rash, if it is due do to one of my seizure meds, I don't know for sure if my neuro will still approve the surgery, until I am off the med and on another one.
Know I am getting more afraid and paranoid about this surgery than I was before my brain surgery. It just has to keep being rescheduled. And it has not been becuase I keep wanting to put it off. Is there a reason from up above for this. That is what is really scaring me now,
am I not going to survice for some reason, the main thing that is scaring me that will happen is that I will end up going into status epilepits and they will not be able to bring me out.
I know one of my problems I just have such a hard time maintaining a positive attitude, and that is something that I really have to work on maintaining.

 

[Shelley]

re-open thread

My gyno wants to do a hysterectomy.

My problems are mere fibroids. I contacted a few firends asking them if I could borrow their gyno for another opinion or two.

If anyone wants the full story, PM me, please.

 

[Endless]

Stringbean,

You won't have a seizure during the surgery. You will be under anesthesia, and that's what they use to stop status. If you are worried about siezures after the surgery, talk to your neurologist about rescue meds, and be sure that your surgeon and your neurologist have a good back-up plan. They should talk about this in advance.

Something nobody told me when I last had surgery is that your SURGEON is in charge of your care when you are in the hospital - all of it. Including meds, calling in specialists if needed, etc. If I would have been thinking properly I would have asked him to talk to my neurologist ahead of time. Instead of me asking the surgeon for help when in the hospital and it never appearing or getting improper/unadvised help with my seizures.

In the end I called my neurologist in the middle of the night to get help (which is against the rules - he can't talk to me directly when I'm under the care of another doc when I'm inthe hospital). I didn't have a choice, though. I was throwing up all my seizure meds - couldn't keep any down. At that point I had missed 3 doses. My neuro wasn't much help either. The next day as I was getting ready to leave my mom said, "why didn't they just give you some by injection?" Duh!

A plan made out in advance, and agreed to between my surgeon and my neurologist, would have helped avoid all that. Looking back I wish my plan had included:
1) nausea and throwing up meds - when should a replacement dose be taken, and when should an injectable alternative be used?
2) severe seizures or status, what is the plan?
3) pain management and what will or won't make siezures worse or better
4) if seizures are not doing well, can neurologist make a hospital visit?

I'd also have a family member there with a copy of the plan and the phone numbers of my doctors (rules be da*&#$). Asking the surgeon first to call the other specialist is the right thing to do, but if there aren't results, then I say do what you need to do.

If I had those things, the surgery would have been a lot easier, and a lot safer.

No worries. It's going to be okay.