Hi Renee,
I'm so pleased I was able to help you out! Talking things out with people is always a great way to help you get some clarity. I can't speak at all about your sister's statement, but I would verify it with a medical expert before allowing it to influence your decision.
Personally, I would much rather undergo the treatment for obesity (diet & exercise) than I would for the treatment for cancer (chemotherapy, radiation, etc), so I think the possibility of becoming overweight is the preferred risk to take. And, as a Cathlete, you were probably already planning on exercising and eating healthy well into your senior years, so you're already well on your way to the cure! In my years of doing personal training, my main clients were 50+ menopausal women who had suddenly gained some weight around the middle. The fact is, none of them had been consistently exercising or eating healthy up to that point in their lives. I have to presume that the menopausal women who
had been doing so were not suddenly experiencing this weight gain and flocking to a personal trainer for the first time in their lives.
Your point about being able to be more active without the female problems to hold you back is a great way to look at it. My anemia and heavy bleeding impacted my fitness abilities dramatically. While I really, really did not want to have a hysterectomy, I had to finally conclude that my quality of life had become too compromised to stick with my principles. Plus, anemia has the effect of starving your organs of oxygen, and long-term damage was going to happen to my heart if I didn't get it resolved. So, I am focusing on the same hope that you are: this decision will allow me to come back stronger than before, regain my previous fitness levels, and improve my quality of life.
The recovery has been quite good so far. I woke up from the operation in the most pain I've ever been in, and they would not give me morphine because I was breathing too slowly! The nurse asked, "Do you normally breathe slowly?", which of course I do - I have strong lungs from the years of being a Cathlete! After I took a few big breaths to convince her I was alright, she gave me the morphine, and life has been good ever since
. I was home three days after the surgery, and am restricted on lifting anything heavier than 10lbs for 6 weeks. That's been okay - my family is happy to help me out. Since the day I came home, I've been moving as much as possible, but gently. I started off walking around the block three times a day (10 minutes each). I was slow, but I got it done! After a week of that, I went to 1 x 10min walk and 1 x 20min walk. That changed to one 30min walk, which then got up to an hour, eventually. It snowed here a week ago, so instead of risking a slip and fall outside, I've started doing Cathe's beginner workouts, modifying them as needed. I've been using my 3lb, 5lb, and 8lb dumbbells only, staying seated for most of the upper body stuff, and not doing any ab work at all. I do "wall push ups" instead of going down on the floor. If the workout starts to feel intense in any way, I back off and modify it. My goal is simply to circulate the blood and get oxygen throughout the body, because that feels good
The pain is minimal anymore. They had to use the abdominal incision route with me, so I have a lot of internal healing to do. After the first week I was able to move much easier and most of the abdominal bloat had gone (be prepared for a dough-belly for a while - relax, though, it's not fat gain!), after two weeks I was able to cough, sneeze, and laugh without too much pain (although I still need to brace myself), and after three weeks I'm only living with a very dull, mild ache in my pelvis that gets worse when my bladder is full. I haven't used any pain medications for quite some time. So, I'm optimistic that by time my 6 weeks is up, I'll be feeling better than ever! And I no longer have the constant stress of dealing with unpredictable, random, hemorhage-like bleeding! It's like I had a Stressoctomy!
So, that's my story. Many women shared their experiences with me before the surgery and what I learned is that the recovery experience is different for everyone, and you'll only know how it will be for you once you're there. Don't put any expectations on yourself, just take it as it comes. My best tip: if you're staying overnight in the hospital, bring a sleep mask and ear plugs!!
Good luck!
