Comments | darkrosetiger: Take my uterus, please!

darkrosetiger

Take my uterus, please!

Dec 13, 2006 18:08

I'm still sitting here trying to pick my jaw up off the floor after reading this article in the New York Times, by a doctor who was asked to perform a tubal ligation on a patient:
Earlier this year, a patient of mine in her early 20s who was expecting her third child asked to have her tubes tied. A mother of two, with a full-time job and part-time ( Read more... )

girl stuff, what the shit is this?, feminism

Comments 28

lauradi7 December 14 2006, 02:27:08 UTC

We don't know each other. I support your choice not to have children, but a hysterectomy is major surgery, with all the possible complications just from that. Additionally, some women report that their libido is lower after one.
It's not just women who get asked that nosy/condescending questions - I knew a man with four children who was sternly quizzed at the time he had a vasectomy (are you sure? really?) and the doctor insisted upon asking his wife if it was OK with her as well.

darkrosetiger December 14 2006, 02:42:55 UTC

but a hysterectomy is major surgery, with all the possible complications just from that. Additionally, some women report that their libido is lower after one.

I do realize that it's major surgery, and it's not my first option, certainly. As for my libido, I'm on SSRI's, so I'm used to it being low.

kaiz December 14 2006, 03:44:49 UTC

Have you thought about an endometrial ablation? Exceedingly effective procedure, way cheaper and *far* less recovery time than a hysterectomy.

nmalfoy December 14 2006, 04:41:02 UTC

My hysterectomy ROCKED. My sex drive went through the roof, and I was able to live my life and not have it revolve around my fucking periods, which were becoming incapacitating (I had fibroids, an ovarian cyst the size of a grapefruit, endometriosis and adenomyosis). I mean, sure, it's major surgery but I recovered very quickly. I never even took a nap during the day. The hardest part is the day before (bowel prep) and afterwards, when you can't drive for 2-3 weeks. Other than that, piece of cake.

perseph2hades December 14 2006, 02:34:01 UTC

In the end, I decided my patient’s request was reasonable. ... If years from now she decides she wants more children, I’ll tell her what I think her best options are and try to talk her out of any bad ideas.

Oh my GOD, give me a goddamned BREAK. Your job is to keep her informed of medical risks and implications to her health. If she wanted emotional counseling she would see a fucking QUALIFIED THERAPIST. What the FUCK.

Please excuse my yelling, but that just blows my mind.

cedarlibrarian December 14 2006, 02:35:48 UTC

I think a lot of it has to do with the doctor. My doctor didn't bat an eye when I told him at 28 that I wanted a tubal. (I've wanted one since I was 18 but never had the health insurance resources to have it done.) Our conversation went ( ... )

darkrosetiger December 14 2006, 02:39:19 UTC

Re, your appointment, would an endometrial ablation work for you? I'm no doctor, certainly, but a hysterectomy is major surgery and, well, who wants that, ever?

I'm not sure--it might. Certainly a hysterectomy isn't my first choice; my mom had one when she was in her early 40's, and there were a lot of unforseen issues that came up later. I just want to do something before I rip the fucker out with my fingernails.

I think with all doctors, you have to expect the worst and hope for the best. Can you shop around for an ob-gyn you like if you don't like this one?

Sadly, no--that's one of the downsides of Kaiser.

telesilla December 14 2006, 02:48:24 UTC

The upside of Kaiser is that while the asked my ex-husband if he understood the consequences of the surgery when he got snipped, they asked him roughly the same questions when he and the ENT lady decided that he needed surgery to correct a deviated septum.

I imagine that you'll get counseled on the various options and they'll steer you to the ablation on the idea that it's a lot less dangerous than a full hysterectomy. It's also a lot cheaper and Kaiser tends to like to go with those options first.

cedarlibrarian December 14 2006, 02:52:11 UTC

Ugh, I have heard almost nothing but frustration with Kaiser. Sorry to hear that. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.

Thread 9

lionflame December 14 2006, 02:52:00 UTC

Here's a suggestion that has really helped me - and it's cheap. I have horrible cramps and agonizing bladder spasms with my periods. I was so desperate one day, I took pyridium (aka uristat) and ohmygod, blissful relief. It's the muscle relaxant they give you with a UTI that makes your pee turn yellow-orange. It's over the counter. It helped not only the bladder sypmtoms but also the menstrual cramps. Might be worth a try. It does make me a little loopy, but it's totally worth it. If you want to give it a try, I should check the dosage, as I think the OTC dose was about half what the doctor prescribed for me back when it was a rx drug.

darkrosetiger December 14 2006, 02:56:40 UTC

Ooh, thank you! I'll give that a try next time around.

lionflame December 14 2006, 03:01:38 UTC

You're welcome -- I checked the dosage and you should take about 200 mg.

Be sure you're won't have to drive after taking it!

msilverstar December 14 2006, 05:45:03 UTC

I'm making a note for when friends have cramps -- one good thing about periomenopause is really light periods.

Thread 8

lilacsigil December 14 2006, 02:55:56 UTC

I had the same kinds of period (irregular, painful, over a week of heavy bleeding, migraines etc.) and was eventually diagnosed with PCOS. I'm sure you've been through all that diagnostic stuff yourself, but I ended up on the pill (which didn't help) and then had a D&C to clear out all the accumulated blood and tissue, and the periods immediately got much lighter, shorter, more regular and less painful. (I ended up staying on the pill so things didn't build up again, but the minor operation certainly helped.)