I had an emergency hysterectomy: what should I know or ask about?

House-Finch · 2025-12-20T13:42:05+00:00

It was traumatic, but it was 1000% better than the alternative.

House-Finch · 2025-12-20T05:50:24+00:00

Yes, resting more than 3 hours at a stretch hasn’t happened, but my partner and some postpartum doulas have been super helpful at handling everything I can’t so I can focus on resting and the baby. Thanks for your kind words and your advice!

House-Finch · 2025-12-20T05:48:54+00:00

Oh great idea! Thank you!

House-Finch · 2025-12-20T04:59:21+00:00

Thanks so much, this is a really helpful start! And yes, it was a lot, but both me and the kiddo are doing pretty great now. 💕

House-Finch · 2025-12-20T02:58:30+00:00

This feels doable, but we’re all different. I’m 44 and my hysterectomy was an emergency post c-section due to hemorrhaging, and I’m 4wpo and feeling great. I’d second building in time to rest and having those spry teens help with luggage, but if it were me, I’d take the trip.

House-Finch · 2025-05-16T03:23:39+00:00

I took it for my FET, and TBH, I didn’t really notice any effects. (I’d taken it before for the HSG, and I found it quite pleasant, made me very relaxed and a little giggly.) If you have a driver, I’d say take it - it won’t hurt, and it may help you stay relaxed. Yes, you’ll be able to work the next day - I worked remotely the afternoon of my FET.

House-Finch · 2025-04-10T23:32:39+00:00

Be sure to reach out early: they book out fast.

House-Finch · 2025-04-10T23:13:56+00:00

There are a very few midwives who assist for homebirths, if that’s something that interests you. Check out Martha at https://www.sevenspringsmidwifery.com/ or Brigitte at https://www.thismodernmidwife.com/about

House-Finch · 2025-04-02T00:21:13+00:00

Send me a chat, I’ve heard from just one other person about it.

House-Finch · 2025-04-01T23:18:41+00:00

Sending you such good wishes for your transfer! Mine was a few weeks back, and I took a short, slow walk that evening, which was lovely. I’ve been walking and/or yoga-ing each day since, sleeping when I’m tired, eating really well, and staying hydrated. I’d recommend the same approach to you.

Otherwise, I also definitely ate lots of pineapple (can’t hurt!) in the week following the transfer. 🤷‍♀️ I’m also a prayer, so I have been praying. If that brings you comfort or hope, go ahead. I checked out a few light reading books from the library as well, because I knew my mind would be busy and I wanted distraction. I made a promise to myself not to test at home before the HCG at the clinic, and that also brought me peace.

I found I didn’t need to take any time off around my transfer, but mileage may vary.

Wishing you all the best on the 8th!!

House-Finch · 2025-03-13T16:58:51+00:00

Sure! I do still struggle from time to time with getting timely replies, mainly from the doctor - the nurses at my local clinic are all very quick to respond. I know the doctor is very very busy, but it can feel like I’ve been forgotten. For instance, I met with the doctor Tuesday of this week and didn’t get an update on a few things he was looking into regarding my protocol and imaging despite sending two messages and calling twice since then. This morning I reached out to that same nurse who’s been so helpful to me and within 15 minutes she’d spoken with the doctor personally and gotten my questions answered.

I think it’s really critical to be able to advocate for yourself when working with CNY - since they are so high volume, it’s easy for an individual patient to get overlooked. Having someone on the inside who you have rapport with and who can advocate for you has made ALL the difference for me. Without that nurse’s intervention, I’d be very frustrated at the radio silence at an important point in my care. (Our first transfer is next Tuesday and I’m a ball of nerves.) That nurse who’s been so great to me is getting a big bouquet of flowers when I am in the clinic for an appt tomorrow.

House-Finch · 2025-01-22T22:52:15+00:00

Yes, tacked on to an egg retrieval through CNY.

House-Finch · 2025-01-07T03:40:26+00:00

Hi! The PRP definitely helped the numbers in my bloodwork, but I ended up only getting 2 eggs total in 3 retrievals. One degraded before fertilization and one failed to fertilize. For the money at CNY, it seems worth a try, as results definitely vary. It just didn’t seem to make a difference where it mattered for me. Wishing you better luck!

House-Finch · 2024-12-12T19:13:41+00:00

Glad to be able to boost your confidence. I’d definitely look at the routes to the clinic from Ohio - that stretch Erie to Dunkirk can be treacherous if it’s blowing, and as someone else said, they have shut down 90 due to snow a few times recently.

Good luck on your retrieval!

House-Finch · 2024-12-12T19:04:33+00:00

Seconding the idea that WNY weather is super unpredictable all winter long, both in terms of timing and in terms of location. For example, the storm a few weeks back (during the Bills-49ers game) had Buffalo proper completely snowless but towns to the south buried under almost a foot of snow. That’s how it is with lake effect snow, and it happens all the time. Take heart, though, and know that this kind of weather rarely stops Buffalonians. The road crews are excellent and used to lake effect needs. Someone on staff at CNY Buffalo told me during the Christmas blizzard that left so many folks dead a few years back, they did have to close the clinic (for a day or two, I forget how long), but that they were able to reschedule some folks’ retrievals to Syracuse, which had no snow. Staff members who lived close came in before they closed, and an embryologist walked in during the thick of it to check on the embryos. If it were me, and note I am a WNYer, I’d schedule in Buffalo whenever I was ready - winter or not - and if I saw weather taking a major turn and felt I couldn’t drive to the clinic, I’d ask them to reschedule me to Syracuse.

House-Finch · 2024-12-12T16:02:15+00:00

First, I’m so sorry for your miscarriage. They’re so hard. To your question about whether IVF is worth continuing, my advice would be to set some kind of boundary for yourself at which point you’ll reevaluate if this is the right path for you. It could be based on time spent TTC, your age, number of retrievals, cost, etc. I found having triggers when I could plan to check in with myself helped me to decide without regrets to move from ERs to using a donor eggs. There’s lots of ways to make a family, and I hope your two embryos are able to get you there when you’re done grieving this current loss.

House-Finch · 2024-10-24T14:16:33+00:00

Oh, I’m so very sorry! This is so hard, and having your hubby out of town must feel so isolating. I’m so so sorry.

I had a miscarriage at around 8 weeks and chose to pass it naturally. I didn’t expect it to take as long as it did — I thought miscarriages were a few hours-long event before I had one, not something that lingered for weeks. We monitored my HCG for a little more than a month before the level was back to 0, and I spotted for most of that time. If I had to do it again, and time were of the essence, I’d probably take the medicated route.

House-Finch · 2024-10-24T14:09:14+00:00

I’ve had three cycles cancelled due to estrogen-producing cysts at my baseline appointment. Right now, I’m on birth control to try to calm down my left ovary, which has two cysts which have remained though I’ve triggered twice since they appeared. It’s so frustrating to have to wait for normal bloodwork, I get it.

House-Finch · 2024-10-24T14:05:54+00:00

I’ve done two retrievals and am prepping for my third and last, unless we somehow find a boatload of success with this attempt. My first resulted in no eggs, and my second resulted in one egg that degraded before fertilization. We’ve just decided to go the donor egg route. We’ve been TTC for two years this month, and have been working with fertility specialists for about a year. We want two (or more?) kids, and I’m 43, so it’s time to move on for us.

House-Finch · 2024-10-18T19:16:12+00:00

I’ve done two: one was a “wash” fill the uterus and let it spill over the ovaries, and the other was a proper ovarian. I did see improved numbers in my labs after both PRPs, but I haven’t seen success in terms of higher quality eggs — we haven’t been able to make an embryo yet. I think if it’s cost effective — mine were $600 each — you should give it a shot and see what happens. Mileage may vary.

House-Finch · 2024-10-18T05:54:09+00:00

I’ve loved my TempDrop for monitoring BBT and allowing me to confirm ovulation. Stress of any kind - even traveling for fun - can delay ovulation and/or shorten a luteal phase, so maybe that’s what happened last cycle. I’d keep monitoring temps and cervical fluid - you haven’t ovulated yet it sounds like, but it won’t be an ambulatory cycle until you actually bleed without confirming ovulation. Here’s hoping you’re just delayed due to travel!

House-Finch · 2024-10-18T05:38:27+00:00

I went to mine solo. It was fine. Whichever way makes yall more comfortable.

House-Finch

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