Since Nikki brought up.....

kim21673

kim21673

New member
the beginning of menopause I thought I would ask this....

I know there are a few of you that had the ablation done. Care to share your story here or PM me?

I am going in on March 13th to have it done at the hospital. They are going to do a D&C first and then the ablation. I have never had anything done like this before and am pretty nervous!!!

My periods have been ridiculous since having Derek 15 months ago. They come about every 3 weeks and last for 10+ days. I spot inbetween my periods and always bleed really heavy. We decided to give this a go and see if it helps...if not then we'll discuss a partial hysterectomy.
 
No advice but will be watching this thread as my OB/GYN pushed pretty heavily for me to have this done. I am still hoping for another baby (I may be disillusioned, I am turning 38 next week after all) so I decided to wait but it is something I may consider in the future.
 
I cannot speak from experience, but a good friend of mine had this done a few years ago and has been very happy with the results :)
 
It didn't work for me so I finally had a partial hysterectomy and it was the best thing I have ever done. I do not miss my forever period at all. At the time I had surgery, I'd been having my period for 9 months straight. How I kept from killing some one I will never know.

My doctor did say I was atypical and that it is usually very successful and put the failure of it to work for me down to the complications caused by my thyroid cancer.
 
Lorie, I feel for you! I had a similar experience with a 'forever period'. I bled for almost that long. That is when my doctor was suggesting either a uterine ablation or a hysterectomy. Since we really want another baby I refused and he did a D&C instead to try and reset things for me. I had really heavy bleeding for 8 months. I finally sought treatment after 6 months (I think I was too scared to do anything about it before that) and we started trying different things until I ended up in the hospital having a blood transfusion because I was so anemic due to the excessive bleeding. In the end my problem was estrogen dominance. My body had too much estrogen and there was not enough progesterone to counter balance things. I did some research and put myself on natural progesterone cream which made a huge difference in my cycle. Then I lost 30 pounds and was able to go off the progesterone and my body has since regulated itself again, thankfully. I wasn't looking forward to a surgical option... still holding out hope for a baby (though I will be 38 in 6 days so who really knows at this point, its possible but not exactly probable).
 
I didn't really want to have surgery either, that is why we kept trying other things, but in the end I wish I had done it sooner, especially since another child was not an option for me. I do hope you are able to add another child to your family. Babies are such a blessing.
 
I am also going to be following this thread - I have Lupus and my Dr has recommended that I do this or a hysterectomy (leaving in the ovaries) ... I have been putting it off and he keeps bringing it up so I would love to hear which one is better - I still have not gotten a ligit answer - why an ablation over a hysterectomy? What is the advantage?
 
nonnie said:
I am also going to be following this thread - I have Lupus and my Dr has recommended that I do this or a hysterectomy (leaving in the ovaries) ... I have been putting it off and he keeps bringing it up so I would love to hear which one is better - I still have not gotten a ligit answer - why an ablation over a hysterectomy? What is the advantage?
Click to expand...

An ablation is a 10 min procedure which doesn't effect your reproductive system at all (other than not being able to have a child again - though you can still conceive, you just won't be able to carry ), as opposed to having a more major surgery that effects most of your reproductive system and issues with hormones, etc. It's a step closer without the big surgery.

Ablations are also not meant to stop your period (though it does happen for some), and is not always effective, or as effective as one would like.
 
I had one done in an outpatient hospital setting 2 years ago now. I had heavy periods and they found a polyp on my cervix they wanted to take a look at.

Keep in mind I"m a total chicken when it comes to surgery. I met with the anesthesiologist before hand and made sure to tell him my past history with anesthesia. Generally speaking it takes my body longer time then most people to react so I end up over medicated and have a hard time coming out. I also shared my anxiety.

Day of DH and I went to the hospital, we went back together. Once I was in the bed with a warm blanket they asked if I wanted something to calm me down and I said yes. Within 5 minutes I was a sleep - per hubby mid-sentence I passed out.

I remember being rolled to the ER and moving to the table and that's it! When it was done we went home and I sleep all day and took my meds like a good girl. DH stayed home with me just incase. I had some crampy pain, but nothing over the top.

Next day I stayed home from work and my friend came over. I felt fine, perfectly normal....but I over did it and ended up staying home another day because I was still crampy. So rest!!!!

Now I have a very little period - just that brown yucky gunk and it only lasts 3 days at most. I only need to use panty liners now. Before I"d go through a heavy pad in an hour. I never have to worry that I'm pregnant (DH got snipped, but I still worry it will grow back).

I thought it worked well, was relatively pain free and totally worth the few days off and my co-pay.

ETA - my OB/GYN now does this procedure in his office versus in the hospital. Being in the medical profession that says to me that this is a pretty safe procedure for doctors to be able to do it in office versus at the hospital. That also should make your co-pay cheaper in most cases.
 
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nonnie said:
I am also going to be following this thread - I have Lupus and my Dr has recommended that I do this or a hysterectomy (leaving in the ovaries) ... I have been putting it off and he keeps bringing it up so I would love to hear which one is better - I still have not gotten a ligit answer - why an ablation over a hysterectomy? What is the advantage?
Click to expand...

I went with the ablation first because I didn't want the surgery, but when it didn't work, I had to do something else. After nine months of bleeding on top of the cancer, I was a physical wreck. The thought of surgery scared me and I specifically requested the vaginal hysterectomy because I do not heal well. Because my uterus was packed with tumors they had to take it out in sections, but they were able to do it and I have felt so much better. Ask your doctor which he thinks is best for you based on your health and the condition of your uterus. The more tumors and cysts you have, the less likely it is that an ablation will be successful. In the end it is a personal decision, but if you are a good canidate for the the ablation, I would go for it.
 
Loriebug66 said:
I went with the ablation first because I didn't want the surgery, but when it didn't work, I had to do something else. After nine months of bleeding on top of the cancer, I was a physical wreck. The thought of surgery scared me and I specifically requested the vaginal hysterectomy because I do not heal well. Because my uterus was packed with tumors they had to take it out in sections, but they were able to do it and I have felt so much better. Ask your doctor which he thinks is best for you based on your health and the condition of your uterus. The more tumors and cysts you have, the less likely it is that an ablation will be successful. In the end it is a personal decision, but if you are a good canidate for the the ablation, I would go for it.
Click to expand...

The doctor said we will try this first...give it 6 months and see if we notice a difference. If not then we'll do a partial hysterectomy. I had an u/s last week and there are NO fibriod tumors, no cysts....everything looked good inspite of the very heavy and long periods so I am hoping this is successful. I would prefer to just have the surgery now but with my insurance we have to try other options first.
 
julifish said:
I had one done in an outpatient hospital setting 2 years ago now. I had heavy periods and they found a polyp on my cervix they wanted to take a look at.

Keep in mind I"m a total chicken when it comes to surgery. I met with the anesthesiologist before hand and made sure to tell him my past history with anesthesia. Generally speaking it takes my body longer time then most people to react so I end up over medicated and have a hard time coming out. I also shared my anxiety.

Day of DH and I went to the hospital, we went back together. Once I was in the bed with a warm blanket they asked if I wanted something to calm me down and I said yes. Within 5 minutes I was a sleep - per hubby mid-sentence I passed out.

I remember being rolled to the ER and moving to the table and that's it! When it was done we went home and I sleep all day and took my meds like a good girl. DH stayed home with me just incase. I had some crampy pain, but nothing over the top.

Next day I stayed home from work and my friend came over. I felt fine, perfectly normal....but I over did it and ended up staying home another day because I was still crampy. So rest!!!!

Now I have a very little period - just that brown yucky gunk and it only lasts 3 days at most. I only need to use panty liners now. Before I"d go through a heavy pad in an hour. I never have to worry that I'm pregnant (DH got snipped, but I still worry it will grow back).

I thought it worked well, was relatively pain free and totally worth the few days off and my co-pay.

ETA - my OB/GYN now does this procedure in his office versus in the hospital. Being in the medical profession that says to me that this is a pretty safe procedure for doctors to be able to do it in office versus at the hospital. That also should make your co-pay cheaper in most cases.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your reply!! I am glad that it went well for you. I hope for the same results!!!

My OB/GYN does it in office too but our insurance requires it to be done in the hospital which is fine with me!! If its done in the hospital we won't pay at all since it's outpatient...if it was done in the office we would have our co-pay for an office visit.
 
Sherri Tierney said:
No advice but will be watching this thread as my OB/GYN pushed pretty heavily for me to have this done. I am still hoping for another baby (I may be disillusioned, I am turning 38 next week after all) so I decided to wait but it is something I may consider in the future.
Click to expand...

I had my first at almost 19 but didn't have the rest until mid/late 30s!!! I was almost 38 when I had Derek. I will be 39 next week and if we had more room I would LOVE to have another one...even this close to 40!!
 
Loriebug66 said:
It didn't work for me so I finally had a partial hysterectomy and it was the best thing I have ever done. I do not miss my forever period at all. At the time I had surgery, I'd been having my period for 9 months straight. How I kept from killing some one I will never know.

My doctor did say I was atypical and that it is usually very successful and put the failure of it to work for me down to the complications caused by my thyroid cancer.
Click to expand...

Sorry that the ablation didn't work but I am glad it all turned out in the end!!!
 
kim21673 said:
Sorry that the ablation didn't work but I am glad it all turned out in the end!!!
Click to expand...

Me too. I've noticed how much happier I am since I had it done and how much heathier too. :)

Since you don't have tumors, it should work well for you, but again everyone is different. I will keep my fingers crossed for you and pray that it takes care of your problems. Good Luck!!
 
Mine was done in my doctor's office. And although it didn't stop my periods, it did decrease the amount of blood. Before, I was having to double up overnight maxi pads and they would be soaked within two hours. Now, I only have to use regular maxi pads on the first day.
 
I had one done two years ago this coming May. It worked beautifully and I'm SO happy I did it. I've not bleed once. I have a friend who had it done, she does still have a light period, but only for a few days and no cramps (her symptoms were much worse than mine to begin with).

The procedure itself was really fast. I won't lie, I was in quite a bit of pain but it only lasted about 8 hours. I had it done first thing in the morning and was able to go to my son's baseball game that night. It is a major thing though, so take it easy for the length of time the doctor suggests! I over did it and paid the price with a fever a few days later.

I have to say not having to worry about a period is life changing :wub:
 
I had an ablation done in my Dr. office last June. Previous to having it done, I had short but really heavy periods. I had also had a polyp removed the year before and a D&C. The Dr. described my lining as 'vascular'...(i.e. future polyp growth more likely). I wasn't a candidate for a hysterecomy yet, so she really recommended the ablation.

Since having the procedure I have not had a period at all. No bleeding...nothing. I do still get some PMS, but not having a typical 'cycle' it always catches me off guard!

I totally recommend having it done at a hospital.

The Dr. office appointment was INTENSE. They gave me some really heavy narcotics, several valliam and nitric oxide. I still felt a LOT. Thank God...the tech that worked with the novasure company was a gem...HE held my hand the entire time.

AND...make sure you STAY ON TOP of your pain and/or neasea.

That night I ended up in a pain crisis. Narcotics make me neaseus. And the car ride home was horrible. By the time I got home to my friends house (where I was spending the night) I was throwing up. Needless to say I couldn't keep the pain pill down. And the sublingual anti-neaseua pill was useless. I finally begged to go to the emergency room. At the ER they asked me what my pain level was. I just yelled..."must be a 10 because all I can think about is getting some drugs!!!" They plugged me into an IV pain medication and then all was well. I asked the ER doc to then perscribe an anti-neasua medication that I know works for me. It's the one that puts you to sleep, so it's not the first medication they choose. But for me it's a Godsend. Sleeping is way preferrable to throwing up!! After a night on that medication and taking pain pills, I was fine. The next day I just had some acheness and just puttered around all day. I think the first day is the most critical.

Wishing you the best of luck! Remind us when you go in, so we can keep you surrounded by positive thoughts!
 
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