Surgical Menopause

Tash-
I am not an expert in here, but my wife was 21 when she was diagnosed with ovarian. She opted against the full hyst. because of the same reasons and she wanted to have children. It came back and unfortunately her fighting efforts were unable to conquer the disease. My advice is to be safe. Realize there are things they can give you to reduce the effects of early menopause. I only know because of the research I did for Marty. Whatever you do, be sure you put lots of thought into it. I know how hard these decisions are. Best of luck to you.
John

Hi Natasha, I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer stage IIIc in 2000 at the age of 29. The cancer in the right ovary was the size of a small watermelon, and it spread to my left ovary (peanut size there). Well, my doctor removed my right ovary, some lymph nodes and only 1/2 of my left ovary. He made this decision under the knife and decided that he did not want me going into instant menopause. I will be honest with you, at first I was upset that he did not remove everything, but now, I am glad that he chose to leave 1/2 of my left ovary. I can't tell you what to do, but I am happy that I did not go into instant menopause. Good Luck to you, and please email me if you want more info about the results of having only 1/2 an ovary and/or if you want to chat. Peace ~ Joanna Siefert

Natasha: My situation is very similar. I had a uterine fibroid which was quite large. My ob/gyn said it needed to be removed. But when he took a CA-125 blood test it was somewhat elevated (normal is 0-35, mine was 48). He said it 'could be' from my endometriosis, but felt better if I consulted an gynecologic oncologist. I'm so glad he suggested that. The oncologist did surgery, removed the fibroid, found a growth on the one ovary, had pathology take a look at it, it was cancer. He removed everything, including a lymph node and the omentum. Unfortunately, the tumor ruptured as it was being removed, so I was considered a Stage 1C. I had 6 rounds of carbo/taxol and today, 5 years later, I am cancer free! I do have a lymphocele that they are keeping an eye on, but I am so blessed that it was caught when it was. I had NO symptoms other than the fibroid, which in itself was not really a symptom of ovarian cancer.

I understand your fears, but I agree with the other replies - I'd rather be safe. You are correct to be concerned about the HRT. It is NO-NO, especially for those of us who had endometriosis. I cannot take estrogen in any form. After the surgery, my doctor had me on Megace which was intended to minimize the hot flashes and other hysterectomy related side affects. But he only had me on it for one year. It can also be dangerous. Then he prescribed a progesterone cream, due to the fact that the vaginal tissue starts to atrophy (shrink) and can become very dry and uncomfortable. However, he cut it down from 3 times a week to once a week, since my CA-125 was fluctuating too much. Now I use it once a week, sometimes not at all.

If you choose to have the surgery, don't fret too much about the side affects. Visit us again and I'm sure we all have some suggestions for you. Your doctor should also be able to guide you in this. I have a wonderful oncologist. I can honestly say that the surgery was not as bad as I thought. I was so thorough, especially with the pre-surgery prep. And he had me in the hospital for 5 days afterward, when most people would have been booted out in 2 or 3 days. They used staples instead of stitches, and I'm amazed at how well I healed.

Yes, you are quite young, all the more reason you want to nip this thing in the bud right now! Again, it is your decision. I know what you mean about the internet. It can be a blessing or a curse. Sometimes, too much information is overwhelming. So, now with the knowledge you have just make the best informed decision that you can. We are all here for you. Keep us updated. You are in my prayers.

Monika

jamilou said:

Hi Natasha
My body did change but then I started to walk 3 miles a day 5 days a week along with some weights. Now my body is in good shape and I just watch what I eat. I am not sure if it was the chemo or the change in hormones that caused the weight gain. Instead of losing weight on chemo, I gained each week.
Now for the sex question...I do take a hormone pill Premarin 0.9mg. ...but my sex life has never been better. It was hard to get it back though after the surgery and the chemo but once I started to feel good about myself and I got my hormone pill straightened out it all came back. You have to be patient and everyone is diffrent. I hope I have given you some hope. There are so many things on the market now that if your doctor is good I am sure he will work with you to find what will work for you.
The foggy brain that I had came from the chemo. I had a hard time remembering words at times or forgetting things. It is much better now. Now I forget because life is so busy! Good luck! Talk to you soon
Jami

Hi Everyone-
My name is Sue (age 36) and I will be undergoing a hysterectomy as a result of my cervical cancer (adenocarcinoma Stage 1B) in 2 weeks. The surgery will involve taking my cervix, tubes, uterus, ovaries and performing a biopsy of my aortic lymph nodes to make sure they are cancer free. I have already finished my chemo and radiation therapy. Did anyone of you have a similar type of operation where the scar is actually vertical and runs from below your belly button to above? I am trying to understand what to expect. Thanks. Your messages were so helpful to read through. I have already started to experience hot flashes thanks to the radiation killing my ovaries - not fun.

suemumf said:

Hi Everyone-
My name is Sue (age 36) and I will be undergoing a hysterectomy as a result of my cervical cancer (adenocarcinoma Stage 1B) in 2 weeks. The surgery will involve taking my cervix, tubes, uterus, ovaries and performing a biopsy of my aortic lymph nodes to make sure they are cancer free. I have already finished my chemo and radiation therapy. Did anyone of you have a similar type of operation where the scar is actually vertical and runs from below your belly button to above? I am trying to understand what to expect. Thanks. Your messages were so helpful to read through. I have already started to experience hot flashes thanks to the radiation killing my ovaries - not fun.

Hi Sue,

My surgery involved the removal of a large tumor and a total hysterectomy, so I have a scar from about 2" above my belly button to about 5" below it. It's not the prettiest thing in the world, but it is slowly starting to fade from red to pink, and is now more of a colored line in my flesh rather than a stiff ridge. My operation was in December, so I'm sure the scar will fade even more over time. I don't really feel it anymore, although I'm more comfortable wearing pants that are slightly looser in the waist now.

(Oh, and I hear you about those hot flashes -- sheesh, they're annoying. I have a checkup tomorrow and will ask my doctor if there's anything I can take to alleviate them, as I haven't had a decent night's sleep in a quite a while now.)

Hope that helped...

Padawan60 said:

Hi Sue,

My surgery involved the removal of a large tumor and a total hysterectomy, so I have a scar from about 2" above my belly button to about 5" below it. It's not the prettiest thing in the world, but it is slowly starting to fade from red to pink, and is now more of a colored line in my flesh rather than a stiff ridge. My operation was in December, so I'm sure the scar will fade even more over time. I don't really feel it anymore, although I'm more comfortable wearing pants that are slightly looser in the waist now.

(Oh, and I hear you about those hot flashes -- sheesh, they're annoying. I have a checkup tomorrow and will ask my doctor if there's anything I can take to alleviate them, as I haven't had a decent night's sleep in a quite a while now.)

Hope that helped...

(Sorry if my duplicate message is still showing up - I tried to delete it, but it didn't work.)

jochan said:

Almost 4 years ago when I was told I will be getting a hysterectomy, I started to research on hot flashes. I didn't even know I had cancer then. Only 2 things stands out in my research: soy and flax seeds. I didn't want to take premarin.

I had not heard of flax seeds then, so I took 2 servings of tofu daily. 2 years back I added flax seeds to my diet. I can honestly say it works because if I stop taking either of them for a period of time, say 3 weeks to a month, the hot flashes comes back.

I really dislike the hot flashes because for me it comes with a little something else, the closest I can put it is mild depression, just for that few seconds or 1 minute, but it always frightens me. When I started taking flax seeds again, it takes the hot flashes about 3 weeks to go away completely, although I usually feel I am suffering less from it after a week or so.

I take about 2 rounded tea-spoon of grounded flax seeds ( I ground them myself and then put it into the freezer) with peanut butter and lately I added in whole sesame seeds. Sometimes I spread it on wholemeal/ multi-grain bread and sometimes I just eat it as it is.

Hope this helps.
Jochan Ovarian cancer stage 3 diagnosed in May 2001

I used to use flax seed before I found out I had cancer (great source of fiber and Omega fatty acids). I love grains, nuts, seeds, so I really went to town with these. However, keep in mind that soy and flax seed support estrogen production. That's why the hot flashes go away. But while it's been encouraged for women because they claim it 'fights' cancer, it's also a no-no for women like me who's cancer is spurred on by estrogen. I don't have a better way to word this, so I hope I'm not confusing you. Just look into it a little more. Once I found this out I nixed the flax seed from my diet. Too bad, because it has many other healthful benefits - just not the best choice for me.

I will tell you what I have done to help the hot flashes - resistive training! I've worked out with weights in one form or another for years. However, I stepped up my program to increase testosterone production and lower estrogen. There are many testimonies to support this, and it is a proven fact. Don't worry, you won't get 'muscle bound' or 'overgrown'. But when I am diligent with my program hot flashes are non-existent. It helps many other areas also.

Hope this helps. I'm glad to see you are getting so many responses, hopefully it's not too overwhelming. But at least you have a lot of good, positive information. God bless!

Monika