Hi Tina,

I agree that hystersisters.com is a good resource. It's a much larger forum, so sometimes harder to sift through all of the information. I also found that a lot of the posts there tend to be very "dramatic". I don't want to diminish the problems that some women face during their procedures, or minimize the fact that it is major surgery. But in most cases, it does not have to be turned into the huge production that is sometimes portrayed.

I asked a few questions there before my hysterectomy because like you said, it's nice to hear the stories from women who have "been there, done that". I had a teriffic doctor (actually two, since I went for a second opinion) who answered the billions of questions I asked. My doctor didn't sugar-coat anything for me, but at the same time left me feeling that I had a good shot at a non-eventful recovery and positive outcome. I think I geared my questions on hystersisters towards finding women who could confirm that there really are good experiences out there. My surgery and recovery were a breeze. Most of that was due to a lot of factors I had in my favor going into it (relatively young, good physical shape, small uterus, etc). I also had a great doctor. But I also credit part of it to having a positive attitude going into it. I honestly believe that I could have let my mind convince my body that things wouldn't go well.

Hystersisters is a good place to learn about the many different types of hysterectomies (ie, open abdominal, laparoscopic, robotic, etc). Some doctors may direct you towards a certain procedure because they are not trained in another, so it's helpful to be aware of all of your options. Gather knowledge ahead of time in order to be able to ask your doctors questions. Good luck to you. And even though this is an EA board, if you have any specific questions for me about my hysterectomy experience, I'm glad to try to answer.

Take care
-Anita
Essure and ThermaChoice balloon EA 07.13.2007
Laparoscopic Supracervical Hysterectomy 08.28.2008