Customer Reviews

Hysterectomy? The Best or Worst Thing That Ever Happened to Me?: A Collection of Women's Personal Experiences

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Two years ago, I did not read hysterectomy stories. Friends told me not to read "that stuff", since I was so strong, and mine would be a breeze. Much of medical literature even suggests that women who have problems post surgery are just "problem women."
Unfortunately, my surgery was not a breeze. Turns out a hysterectomy was actually counterindicated for my problems, the surgeon did not have the proper skills, and I am now faced with years of diminished quality of life and possible delicate restorative surgery which may or may not work.
I don't think information or stories in this book are meant to "scare", but to help women ask the right questions, demand proper care and assessment and make an informed decision. Good doctors welcome informed and inquisitive patients. I highly recommend this book to anyone contemplating hysterectomy.

Useful information and a balance of opinions. This book contains more than women's emotional reactions to hysterectomy. Useful information about various methods of hysterectomy, including little-publicized side effects and risks, is contained in the stories. To get the full picture, you need to read all the stories. This book helped me come up with a list of questions for the doctor, and helped me decide on which type of hysterectomy. This book had little or no information about the newer all-laproscopic option for hysterectomy surgery.

I really liked this book. It was very interesting to read the different experiences of women who have had hysterectomies. It was great to see both sides of the coin and all those inbetween. I would urge anyone considering a hystectomy to read this book so you can see what some of the consequences might be and you can make an informed decision.

Actually haven't had the courage to read it. Bought it when I thought I might be facing a hysterectomy and then never happened.

In her first book, Your Guide to Hysterectomy, Ovary Removal & Hormone Replacement, Elizabeth Plourde dared to express what is sadly often inadmissable in our culture - the outrage, pain and loss she experienced when waking from surgery to find that necessary and vital feminine organs were removed without her consent. She, like untold numbers of women, was launched into an challenged existance of physical disability, when unnaturally deprived of her critical hormone-producing ovaries, in particular.During her recovery, she began an unprecendented process of research into the effects of complete hysterectomy, that spanned 16 years, coming up with valuable information on the potential long term effects of ovary removal, which are rarely available to women who are seeking to understand all dimensions of this surgical process.
At the conclusion of this first book, Elizabeth invited women to share their stories with her, and thus compiled Hysterectomy? The Best or Worst Thing that Ever Happened to Me?
In creating this book, she has also given a forum to many other women ,to describe, and often process, their experiences after having surgery involving reproductive organ removal. A spectrum of stories result - some describing apparently beneficial results from hysterectomy, yet more describing very sobering consequences. These stories do not connote exaggeration and fear-mongering - they are narrations of personal life experience which all searching readers would do well to access.
Sustaining a hysterectomy, or deciding to have a hysterectomy, is monumental - although the numbers of this procedure done in this country defies that fact. Elizabeth Plourde is valiant in challenging the normalizing perception of this surgery, and in doing so, may spare countless numbers of women untold suffering, help to shift the paradigm amongst medical practitioners and validate women's rights to own and name their truths, despite social disapproval.
Thank you, Elizabeth Plourde, for your courage, dedication and perseverence! This is a book that has desperately needed to be written, and gives a critical voice, and a precious value, to many.

I found this book to be biased toward the worst experiences. I couldn't finish reading it because some of the letters were so depressing. I did read about 80%. My feeling is the author received more "worst experience" letters because she received a greater response from those is support groups. I personally believe that one belongs to a support group because they are in distress and need others in their situation to offer support.

It didn't change my mind about surgery BUT it did help me to come up with questions for my doctor.

In doing all of my reasearch for hysterectomy, this has to be the absolute worst book I've read. It is full of whining, complaining women. The title definitely needs to be changed. I think of all the stories in there I only read one truly positive one. Most of these women talk about the pain that they are in before the surgery then blame their doctors for trying to help them. My suggestion to all women about to undergo this procedure is to get a second opinion and to stay away from this book.