Hi, Allicat, I had a hysterectomy in 1991, about 9 years after I was diagnosed with Crohns. I was 35 when I had the hysterectomy, and I had it because of severe endrometriosis and recurring ovarian cysts. I had resisted getting one for years; two years earlier, I had had a myectomy, just to remove the cysts which had grown so large they were a cancer risk, but they came right back and my gynecologist said I could continue to have major abdominal surgery every two years to remove the cysts, but she didn't recommend it.
Still I got a second and third opinion. The main reason I was resisting was that my gynecologist had seen when she did the myectomy that I had endometrial tissue growing on and all around my colon. The endometrial growth was so bad that there was a chance that they would accidentally cut into the colon and have to do an emergency colostomy.
Luckily, I had a great gynecologist and a great gastroenterologist, and I was able to set up a consultation appointment with the two of them at the same time, so they could discuss it and I could ask questions. We decided that it would be best to go ahead with the surgery, and that they would also have a surgeon who specialized in colostomies present at the time, as well as my own gastroenterologist. I went under anesthesia not knowing what parts of my body would be missing when I woke up. That was the scariest part.
In the end, they didn't have to do a colostomy, they just removed my uterus and my ovaries. They also removed my appendix, so they could rule out appendicitis as the cause of any future abdominal pain. Recovery period was 8 weeks, and I went without hormone replacement therapy for six months to give the endometrial tissue time to dry up. (That turned out to be a great time to get things done -- Ms Crankypants even got the cable guy to come at a designated time!)
After I healed from the surgery, I found I felt better than I had in years, and I wished I had had it done when it was first recommended. The endometrial tissue growing around my colon had really exacerbated my Crohn's symptoms -- or what I thought were my Crohn's symptoms. I'll never know how much of the diarrhea and abdominal pain in those nine years was caused by endometriosis. All I know is that I felt much, much better after having it done, and now when I have abdominal cramps, it's likely to be from Crohn's.
Hope that helps -- I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have.
