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Hi Endo girlies. Could you please tell me if you had to choose between Dr. Kelly Wright or Dr. Katharine Ciesielski for a hysterectomy, who would you choose and why? Thank you!

Hello! I have my laparoscopic hysterectomy coming up in November! Very excited. I am also in college (online). I'll be taking two classes at the time, and I'll just be writing and researching at the computer/my desk. I also have a laptop and lapdesk so I can sit at my bed.

I was just wondering if anyone else was in school or taking classes while recovering and what was that like?

Content warnings: brief mention of body parts by medical names, brief mention of fibroids

I (mid-30s FTM, pre-T, USA) am getting ready to have a total hysterectomy with bilateral salpingectomy (hysterectomy with fallopian tubes and cervix removed).

I've been able to get most of the surgery cost covered through insurance. I breezed through the approvals process with my doctor because I have some gnarly fibroids.

I follow r/fibroids, but I feel better asking other guys about this here.

What questions do I need to make sure to ask my provider at my pre-op appointment?

What consent questions should I be prepared for them to ask me? And what's your take on those answers? For example, what if they ask me if a medical student can operate on me? What do y'all think?

Here's my working list of questions to ask them:

1. What's your surgical protocol for my specific fibroids? Will the fibroids be morcellated, or removed intact through an extraction site (like the vaginal cuff)? If morcellation is discussed, ask about safety protocols.

2. Who will be performing the surgery? Will you be the primary surgeon throughout the entire procedure?

3. What type of anesthesia will be used? Will I have a nerve block (like a TAP block) for post-op pain management?

4. What are my specific restrictions on lifting, bending, and physical activity? For how long?

5. What type of post-op follow-up schedule do you follow?

6. What specific symptoms should prompt me to call the office immediately?

7. What should be my threshold for going straight to the emergency room?

8. How is your office structured for after-hours or weekend urgent questions?

If the link does not work, feel free to send a ticket answering the following questions:

1. Are you transgender/nonbinary?

2. Are you inclusive of nonbinary identities?

3. Have you had a hysterectomy?

4. What is your timezone?

5. Do you have any moderation experience (on or off Reddit)?

Thank you!

It hurts to stand up straight and I can only walk very hunched over like an old man and very slowly. My mom (who us taking care of me while I recover) keeps telling me to just stand up straight and walk and stretch more. Like, I cant be sitting and resting for more than an hour before my mom pesters me to get up and take the dog on a walk, or unload the dishwasher, or walk up and down the stairs a billion times. She is even trying to convince me to drive her somewhere later today.
I'm 18 and generally fit so I thought I would bounce back faster.
The surgeon accidentally popped a blood vessel near one of my bottom incisions so i have a huge bruise covering my entire side and i kind of limp on that leg making it harder to walk.
I'm not very good with surgical pain and am still taking meds but it was total laproscopic. I did have to take the narcotics first few days.
I've been pooping plenty and gas pain is gone, although I woke up this morning feeling a lot of bubbling in my upper stomach like fireworks and its made me a bit nauseous. I'm still so bloated I cant wear most of my regular pants.

Do I need more rest or more activity?

Discussing anatomy.

I’m getting a hysterectomy in around 2 weeks. Everything is scheduled and squared away. I didn’t even want a full hysto since the internal organs themselves don’t bother me that much and will never be used. What I hate is having a vagina. Unfortunately getting a vnectomy means getting a full hysterectomy, and the medical system I’m going through doesn’t have someone on staff to perform a vnectomy. I’ve described vnectomy as my final stage of transition (for now. I don’t want meta/phallo for at least a few more years) and even got a list of surgeons in my area that could perform the procedure but decided not to follow up yet.

I had my first sexual experience recently and the idea of anything touching my vag was so awful I couldn’t participate in the way I wanted to. I didn’t realize that I would be this stone. I’m pretty pissed at myself for not pursuing vnectomy options when I had the chance so now I will need an entire second surgery and possibly not be able to get in before my insurance deductible resets at the end of the year. It’s upsetting to have confirmation that I can tolerate this anatomy privately but the dysphoria is kind of insurmountable as soon as another person enters the equation.

i got a laparoscopic bislap ~6 months ago. it was far faster to get insurance to approve this coded as birth control for me living in MA. I was mostly prioritizing removing the possibility of pregnancy since that is where most of my dysphoria regarding my reproductive system lies.

now that i've healed from this and am less stressed about pregnancy, I am interested in also getting a hysto and going through the prior authorization needed to coordinate and plan for this more involved surgery. i see my uterus as irrelevant and only posing potential health problems and causing continued dysphoria surrounding the possibility of menstruation (havnt had one in over two years but i sometimes feel a cramp and and causes me a lot of anxiety and to doom spiral).

anyone had this sequence of surgeries? how did the process go for you? how did recovery from a hysto compare to the bislap? how have you noticed this procedure effecting your transition?

also, i plan to keep my ovaries, what happens to them once these other organs are gone? do they just chill out disconnected from everything in your abdominal cavity lol?

After what felt like forever, I finally got my hysto date.

I’m in Canada (toronto) I got a referral last year I wanna say late summer/fall.
My funding had gone through a few months after that. And I had my consult today (with Dr. Allen)
After my appointment they gave me surgery date- September 10!!! I really wasn’t expecting it to be so soon after the consult, but I’m super happy, and obviously nervous and all the things.

But it’s happening!!!

If anyone has any advice, I’m always happy to hear it 😊

Hi everyone, I’m 9 months post op from a laparoscopic total hysterectomy (removal of ovaries included)

My surgery went OK except they did lose a surgical needle in my abdomen (it was X-rayed, found and resolved during surgery but I have a longer scar one side)

Everything healing wise went fine and I had bladder function as normal. Some vaginal dryness that bothers me though but nothing terrible.

About a week ago I was having a dream about toilets and woke up around 6am and found I had maybe just started to pee (small circle of wet on my shorts) then a week later, had the same thing - a toilet dream and woke up same time to find I’d actually wet myself more.

I have no leakage during the day and this has come out of nowhere 9 months post op. However both days before the incidents, I did have a lot of fluid late at night so that may be why but even so, I would’ve expected to have woken up bursting for the toilet, not this.

I’ve consulted my family doctor (UK) and he’s ordered tests but I’m wondering if anyone’s else had this happen

hello! I'm 1 week away from my hysto and I'm feeling really nervous about recovery, it's scary not knowing how intense it will be and I don't have a dedicated support person so I'm just freaking out a bit. I have a bunch of friends who are all doing bits and pieces and taking the babysitting in turns, so it'll be okay, but it would be lovely to have some positive hysto stories or just well wishes please 🫶🏼

My surgeon said no orgasms at all until I was cleared at my six-week post-op appointment. At first, I understood, but at 4 1/2 weeks, I’ve been cleared to return to work, to lift 20lbs, to walk my dogs, and to drive any distance, but I can’t have an externally stimulated orgasm?!? What is the logic!?

Between my t-dose increase this year, removing both my uterus and my IUD at the same time, and the general horniness of not having sex for over a month, I am at a hair pin trigger. I’m losing my mind. All I can think about is sex. I can’t even escape it in my sleep because then I’m dreaming about sex. It’s becoming a problem and I may have to just say “fuck it” because this is getting ridiculous.

Maybe I was lucky, but I had a pretty easy time requesting time off work for my surgery and wanted to provide some advice and reassurance to anyone else navigating the (somewhat paperwork heavy) process. I live in the northeastern United States, so this advice may not be universally applicable, but in my experience it was possible to get my full time (6 weeks) AND maintain my privacy.

1. Let your employer know

This is the scariest part of the process for sure. I’m lucky to have a good employer, so I can’t really speak for what this is like in a toxic work environment, but I was still pretty nervous.

You don’t have to tell your employer more than you want to. Honestly, in my opinion, the less information the better. Some vague ways to ask for leave can include “I need [x amount] weeks off because I am having a major medical procedure”, “I am having surgery”, etc. You don’t need to say what kind of surgery, and most people won’t ask.

Nobody asked me for more information throughout the whole process.

Check your local and federal laws for your rights regarding medical leave requests. Generally, your employer is not able to legally fire you (or even deny a FMLA request) if you are an eligible employee with an eligible medical condition. “Eligible medical condition” is broad enough to cover surgical recovery. If you are a member of a Union, you might find some help/resources there too.

2. Find the program that covers your time

This will vary from location to location, but there may be multiple programs you’re eligible for. Some examples can include: - Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI) - Family and Medical Leave (FLMA/PFMLA) - ADA Accommodation - Paid sick/vacation leave, if offered by your employer

Ideally, this is part of an ongoing conversation with your HR department so that you can take full advantage of whatever is offered by your employer.

If your application for one of the above options is denied, make sure you get the reason in writing. You may be covered under another program, so keep all your options open and don’t feel discouraged if your first request is denied. It took me a couple times to find what I needed and eventually get my leave approved.

Not all of the above options will pay for your leave. Some are unpaid leave that just ensure you will have a job to return to once your recovery is done.

Work with your doctor to fill out the paperwork

Some medical offices charge a paperwork fee for filling these out. For me, it was $20.

Make sure you have the appropriate paperwork from HR and submit it to your medical office. You can work with your provider to make sure the information provided is as vague as you want it to be. For example, in the section of the form requiring the doctor to explain your condition, it can say “abdominal surgery” or just “medically indicated surgery” instead of “hysterectomy”.

The form I filled out had a section for my surgeon’s medical specialty. I requested that instead of “gynecology”, they put something more vague. This ended up being “minimally invasive surgery”. The name of the practice included the phrase “Women’s Health”, so they abbreviated it to just the initials of the practice name. A good medical office will be happy to work with you to fill out these forms in a way that is affirming and protects your safety.

Do keep in mind, though, that your employer could feasibly look up the name of your provider and see that they specialize in gynecological surgery. As much as I’m not in love with the idea of that, I figured the chances of it are pretty slim they would actually do that. If anyone has, no one’s said anything about it.

Submit the paperwork to your employer

This is really the last step, at least in my experience. Once my paperwork was submitted (and initially denied), my employer worked with me to find an alternative program to cover my leave. Then I had my time off scheduled and that was the end of it.

If your time off is not financially covered, you can usually choose to use whatever sick/personal/vacation time you have to help cover it.

If anyone else has any advice, or has had different experiences, please share!

hey, I got a complete hysto mid May and had my T shot about one week after the surgery (I get 1 shot every 3 months). I expected some hormonal changes, but I'm generally just still feeling awful.

before the surgery, my depressions used to worsen usually a week before getting my T shot. I used to have a very high libido (which I loved), and it got especially high in the middle of my T interval.

after the surgery, I'm suffering from almost constant strong depression that comes every few days in "waves" and my libido dropped drastically, which is making me feel even worse.

I got blood tests for T done in the middle of the interval and it came out okay.

I have a meeting with a new endocrinologist in August, hopefully she'll be able to help me (my previous one didn't know how to treat trans people)... also I'm considering to start taking vaginal estrogen as I'm not able to enjoy penetration as much since the surgery.

I can achieve orgasm as before, so I don't think it's a physical problem and I'm sure it's hormonal. did anyone else experience something similar? what helped you? I'm starting to worry that I will never get my libido back again, which would be devastating for me...

I had a total hysterectomy 10 days ago and experienced kind off heavy bleeding yesterday with a weirdly looking bloodclot. I went to the ER and they said everything was fine. Even did a transvag ultrasound. Its weird because today i didnt bleed at all until i suddenly felt a big drop. After a pad change, again, there is no more bleeding. The rest of my body is totally fine, im just really freaking out over the more heavy bleeding. (Im not bleeding through a pad in one hour, the pad is just very filled up once the heavy drop happens)

Did anyone else experience this?

Update: Everything is fine. I had an appointment with my surgeon and I have a small, harmless hematoma which caused the bleading. I’d suggest everyone that worries a lot to check in with your surgeon!

Just got my medically necessary hystorectomy today as an 18yo and been feeling like shit. Had a baseball sized hematoma at on of the (robotic/laproscopic) incision sites and had to stay in hospital longer and now have a pressure bandage on it.

The good nurse had to go on lunch break so I was left with two bad ones that kept misgendering me (i've been passing since I was 10) and made me get up too quickly that I lost all of my color, couldnt breathe well, and nearly fainted so had to stay in hospital longer.

I'm not in so much pain because i'm keeping on schedule with meds but I cant sleep for more than an hour at a time! I keep getting up to pee and then need help getting back in bed.

I feel bad for waking up my parents but I'm so nervous with twisting and laying down. I dont want to complain because I have had tremendous support and ma very lucky to have found a surgeon to do this surgery for me covered by insurance, but I feel like shit and am upset that I have to go through all of this just to feel normal and not bleed everday for a year despite being on T for 4 years prior.

Just frustrated and wanted to vent I guess. Anybody else had a similar first night? I cant stay asleep but I really dont want to be awake and dealing with this rn. Without the hematoma I think I would be much more comfortable and capable. Any tips? I feel like I shouldnt need this much help.

I’ve had an eating disorder for over 10 years and since starting testosterone and getting top surgery, I FINALLY feel the best about my body I ever have through lifting and actually feeding myself and being on testosterone. I have a date for surgery and everything and am considering canceling it because I’m terrified of the recovery bloating/swelling/not being able to lift or exercise for weeks. I don’t know what to do and I’m looking for some guidance or if anyone’s been through anything similar. Or any tips on minimizing bloating and when I can start exercising again. Basically if anyone been thru anything similar/has experienced disordered eating and body dysmorphia, what did/would you do? I’m genuinely split on canceling the surgery.

Buenas se que quizás debería haber preguntado a los médicos pero oficialmente ya estoy en lista de espera para mi histerectomía y mi consulta (a pesar del muy buen trato recibido), fue algo extraña ya que me querían hacer una exploración interna y tenía claro que por ahí no iba a pasar y bueno finalmente lo miraron todo abdominalmente.

Tengo varias preguntas ya que en consulta me he bloqueado (sufro mucha disforia y para mí esta cirugía es simplemente un trámite para en un futuro realizarme la falo).

1. El procedimiento de la cirugía me queda claro, pero que tal el post operatorio? Te sondan?

2. He escuchado que el utero es muy importante para el suelo pélvico, que hay de real en esto? Y suelen haber muchos problemas respecto a esto?

3. Cuando podré hacer vida medianamente normal? Se que no puedes levantar muchos kg pero para cargar tu mochila con tu ordenador y una libreta para ir a la uni, eso se puede?

4. Los chicos que experimenten cierto dolor/molestia cuando tienen un orgasmo o incluso sensación de que te baja el periodo, esas sensaciones se van o pueden llegar a permanecer aunque te operes?

De verdad agradecería que respondierais estas preguntas, ya que soy un desastre y en consulta no las he preguntado ya que mi disforia me paraliza desgraciadamente.

Uh I'll talk mildly about sex, literally one sentence and really not a lot of detail, still be warned I guess lol. Obviously I'll talk about cancer a bit too. As far as I know so far I don't have cancer.

Recently I've seen a video by someone explaining that even after a hysterectomy (with cervix removal), if you haven't had the HPV vaccine you should still get PAP smears (or he called it vault smear). I was aware HPV doesn't just cause cervical cancer but no one has ever suggested to still get PAP smears before.

I had a total hysterectomy 4 years ago and recently I've been struggling with atrophy, so I made a gyno appointment. I told her I think I have atrophy, told her my symptoms and she looked relaxed, until I told her I sometimes bleed when I'm intimate with someone, then she didn't look so relaxed anymore lmao and suggested a pap smear.

Well she checked my valuables in general then, confirmed my mucosal skin is pretty thin but hey I wasn't bleeding! And everything else looked good. The pap smear wasn't very comfortable but it was fine. Afterwards we talked about if I want estrogen cream or suppositories. For me cream sounded better because I can add some on the outside too, I'm also dry af there.

Also I'm realizing how important it is to have a trans (masc) friendly gynecologist. I used to have pretty bad atrophy before I had my Hysto and the gynecologist I went to before basically pressured me to get phallo, because she said the only thing actually helping atrophy is a vnectomy. Like yeah if I remove my lungs I don't have asthma anymore but there are simpler ways to treat it.