Hi,
I'm Alex. I'm 35 years old and I'm 2 years on T. Finally I'm going to have surgery, but I have lot of doubts and would like to ask your opinion. (sorry if I don't explain very well, English is not my native language)

I want top surgery, but my Doctor has recommended me to get done mastectomy and hysterectomy both at the same time. I wonder if here there are more people who have done the two surgeries at once, I'd like to know advantages and disadvantages.
I'm afraid of complications, more risk of infections in the post-op and so on. (it would be bilateral mastectomy and laparoscopic hysterectomy)

On the other hand, I'm not sure If I want to get done hysterectomy right now. In your opinion, is this surgery urgent? Is there a significant risk of cancer because of hormonal treatment? I want to know also advantages and disadvantages of delaying hysterectomy.

Please, if you can say something to me I'd be very grateful.
Thank you

Quote from: billy99 on September 06, 2014, 06:31:34 PM
Hi,
I'm Alex. I'm 35 years old and I'm 2 years on T. Finally I'm going to have surgery, but I have lot of doubts and would like to ask your opinion. (sorry if I don't explain very well, English is not my native language)

I want top surgery, but my Doctor has recommended me to get done mastectomy and hysterectomy both at the same time. I wonder if here there are more people who have done the two surgeries at once, I'd like to know advantages and disadvantages.
I'm afraid of complications, more risk of infections in the post-op and so on. (it would be bilateral mastectomy and laparoscopic hysterectomy)

On the other hand, I'm not sure If I want to get done hysterectomy right now. In your opinion, is this surgery urgent? Is there a significant risk of cancer because of hormonal treatment? I want to know also advantages and disadvantages of delaying hysterectomy.

Please, if you can say something to me I'd be very grateful.
Thank you

My understanding is that the most recent studies have not shown that there is a increased risk of cancer if one is on T and does not get a hysterectomy. 

if you have no current medical condition that requires a hysto and you do not think you need it for transition purposes, then no one can tell you to do it.
Both my top surgery and hysto went very well and the recoveries were extremely easy, but I'm not sure if I would feel the same if they were done together

I wouldn't do it together at all. People have suggested building stomach muscles prior to top surgery as they've all you've really got to help you sit up from a laying position, you don't really want that area chopped around as well at the same time.

Here in the UK it's recommended to have a hysto after 2 years on T. Maybe they're just being cautious, there aren't that many studies on it.

My doctor mentioned that this was an option as well; I've never heard of them being done together before and I'm also kind of wondering about benefits vs. drawbacks. Seems like it would be nice to just get both out of the way at the same time, but having surgery in two places at once seems like it would make recovery more difficult...

There are no studies, but some people have developed problems. I think it is done with "an abundance of caution".

Anyway it sounds rather unpleasant. You have limited arm movement with top surgery. I used ab muscles a lot to get around, out of chairs, that sort of thing. With a hysto, that's what is effected. I believe you'd be quite limited in movement and would need a lot of help. You also will be uncomfortable in two areas. Lots of people have surgery later. If you are in some special risk category, you should probably do the hysto first, but I didn't really read that in the question.

--Jay

There isn't really any muscle issues from a laproscopic hysto. I have no visible scars and they did not go in through my abdomen at all. I had to walk a bit easy but you will be doing that anyway for a couple weeks.

Personally I'd be asking the surgeon about the cons and pros of doing both at the same time.

I myself sure wouldn't want both done at the same time because while they didn't slice my muscles much for my robotic hysterectomy it was hard to get up and move around for weeks. Top surgery effects the muscles I used to get up and such. And the hysterectomy affected the muscles I used to get up and around with top surgery hah. 

Thanks for your answers guys.

Right now I don't know what to do. I'll keep looking for info for the moment 

I think I'm not in any risk group, I mean, I don't have PCOS and cytologic evaluation is ok. Although I've never get a genetic test done to evaluate cancer risk, I so I can't be sure.

Doctor said a single operating session (for hysterectomy and mastectomy) is better because you go through anesthesia and post-op complications just one time. And he said recovery time is the same, because mastectomy is what determines it.
But... I'm a bit afraid of two majors surgeries at same time.

I'll tell you what I choose and my experience 

Perhaps I misworded that there are muscles involved in hysto. Of course there are not. But it is surgery in the center, core of your body. You rely on your core a lot more after top surgery than you do otherwise. Whether you want to deal with two surgeries like that on two such different parts of your body. One reason was cost, but another was discomfort with having the lipo done of your stomach, etc when getting top surgery. Dr G does this, and I would not want have wanted this.

I've heard it done, but not probably many doctors who do it, but there are some.



--Jay

Quote from: LordKAT on September 07, 2014, 12:57:38 PM
There isn't really any muscle issues from a laproscopic hysto. I have no visible scars and they did not go in through my abdomen at all. I had to walk a bit easy but you will be doing that anyway for a couple weeks.