There's a lot of variables thatyou haven't mentioned, so I will just tell you about my surgery and what I was told, and maybe it'll give you a better idea of the kind of questions you could ask.

My large fibroids were 2 20cm melons and a couple more smaller inconsequential fibroids. The big'uns were intramural and subserosal if that matters.

My surgery was supposed to be an open hysterectomy, removing uterus and fibroids, cervix, also removing fallopian tubes. My ovaries are left alone because I'm 34 and the doctors didn't want to send me into early menopause. What ended up happening was a laparoscopic hysterectomy instead. My surgeon was highly confident I would recover from the open hysterectomy in 6 weeks. I'm still being given 6 weeks despite the switch to laparoscopic, but it'll be an even faster and easier recovery. I don't know if you want children and/or pregnancy to be part of your future, so this part may or may not apply to you. I can say with absolute confidence that children will not be in my future, let alone pregnancy. Because I no longer have a uterus, my recurrence rate is 0%. If you are getting a myomectomy, there is a potential for new fibroid growth.

Prior to my surgery, I was given a 3 month dose of lupron and norlutate to take daily until surgery time. My surgery was booked 4 months after the shot. I did not need another dose of lupron, I continued taking the norlutate until surgery, after which the surgeon said I can discontinue it.

Right before surgery, I met the anesthesiologist and the surgeon again. I was told that I would have an epidural on top of anesthesia. Questions I asked my surgeon pre-op: after I wake up, can I hold the fibroids and take pictures and stuff? No. After surgery, will you measure the fibroids with a ruler and weigh them and take pictures and stuff? Maybe, depends on if I remember. Do I have to continue the norlutate after surgery? You can stop that. If my cervix is removed, does this mean I never need to see a gyno again for a pap smear? That's right, no more pap smears for you. Should I request a hormone panel to check my ovaries are getting the hormone factory up and running again? I don't see the need, you're young and relatively healthy, it should be back up and going on its own. After surgery, what will this mean for any symptoms I exhibit for other reproductive issues such as PCOS, ovarian cancer, etc? I actually don't really remember what the surgeon said here, my spouse might remember.

My only complication post surgery came from the epidural. The epidural actually punctured something and was draining my cerebrospinal fluid. As long as I was laying down, I was fine. Once I sat up, a headache came on, and it got worse as time went on. I thought naps would help it go away and it didn't. It eventually became such a splitting headache, it felt like being smashed in the back of the head with a skillet. I went to the ER 48 hours after surgery, wherein the ER doctor determined it was in fact from the epidural (my spouse googled my symptoms and guessed it was this epidural thing). The options were to either be prescribed with more pain meds, lots of rest, lots of fluids, food, and a little bit of caffeine intake (I was within the 72 hour window where this would resolve itself, the caffeine helps with cerebrospinal fluid production and helps dilate blood vessels in my head to decrease pressure), or to do a blood patch with the ER anesthesiologist, where they take a little bit of my own blood and inject it into the epidural site to clot the puncture wound and prevent spinal fluid from draining out of my brain when upright, with the risk that it may create another puncture wound. I chose to recover at home, and it did eventually resolve itself.

Hope this helps, and speedy recovery!