Helen’s Questionnaire (version 11) (For more Questionnaires please click here)

*this questionaire is constantly evolving and so some people may not have been asked or had chance to update their informaion to the new version, that is why some questions will have not asked next to them

This questionaire also needs refining as we are not used to planned hsyterectomies yet ...

Background

Date of birth….. 4 June 1937

Age at hysterectomy? ….. 57
Questionnaire completed ..... June 2004
How arrived with us ..... Friend
Address .... North West England
Children ….. female normal (vb forcepts 1961), female normal (vb 1970)
Religion ..... Church of England
Marital status before ….. married
Relationship changed? ….. no
Ethnic group ….. White English
What academic level did you hold prior to hysterectomy ..... none
Did you / do you smoke ….. no
Mother survived ….. n/a
Baby survived ….. n/a
Job or career before / after ….. machineist (seamstress)

Before Pregnancy (not applicable planned hysterectomy)

Pregnancy (not applicable planned hysterectomy)

Hospital ……
Doctor/s …..

Labour and birth (not applicable planned hysterectomy)

Before operation

If planned c/s how long was the consultation? (should be no less than an hour) .…. 20 minutes
Were any risks including hysterectomy given to you? ….. no
Was sterilisation talked about / planned / agreed to? ….. n/a
Were you asked if you would consent to a blood transfusion? ….. no
If after arrival of baby were you given any transfusion? ….. n/a
What were the circumstances for you to be taken (back) in? ….. n/a
If taken (back) in were you told it was for a hysterectomy or warned it may result in hysterectomy? …..
Were you asked if you suffered from depression? ….. no
Were you asked if you had ever been abused? ….. no
If you were abused in the past has this come to mind more than before the operation ..... n/a

During operation

Hysterectomy date ….. 6 September 1993
Were you conscious or under general anaesthetic? ..... general anaesthetic
What did they try before undertaking the hysterectomy ….. n/a
How much blood transfused before / during hysterectomy ….. none
Consent specifically given for hysterectomy? ….. yes
How many minutes from death, if applicable ….. n/a
Did you go into cardiac arrest ….. no
Was your partner/husband told they were going to do it before they did it? ….. n/a

After hysterectomy

How did you learn of your hysterectomy ….. n/a
Reason for hysterectomy ….. prolapse of the uterus
How much blood were you transfused after hysterectomy? ….. none
Type of hysterectomy, sub/total? If total were you told straight away that it had been done and were you given a reason for this? ….. Sub total vaginal suction method
Do you still have both ovaries? If not were you told straight away that it had been done and were you given a reason for this? ….. yes
Was your vagina pleated? If so were you told straight away that it had been done and were you given a reason for this? ….. no
What incision scars have you? ..... none
If more than one do you know what was for caesarian and what was for hysterectomy? ..... n/a
Intensive care/ how long? ….. no
On recovery/ward care? ….. recovery for about 1/2 an hour, in hospital for about a week
Infections post hysterectomy, either in hospital or shortly after ….. no
How was pain managed eg good bad with what? ….. a lot of pain, morphine about 3 days and then tablet painkillers for a couple of weeks
When expected to fend for self and baby? ….. couple of days
How were you treated by the staff? ….. very well
Did they care for you well? ….. yes
Did they care for your child/ren well? ….. n/a
If you were crying were you given compassion? ….. no crying
Were you told that you should be grateful you had a partner/husband (many women in here do not)? ….. n/a
If you had your ovaries were you told you could still have children with surrogacy? ….. n/a
Were you told to adopt ? ….. n/a
If you were very unhappy were you told to change your attitude or you may well loose your partner / husband? ….. n/a
Did a counsellor see you? ….. no
Did the physiotherapist see you/ Were you given exercises to make your uterus contract? ….. saw a physio given exercies for the hysterectomy
How long was your hospital stay? ….. about a week
Were you encouraged to stay as long as you needed or not? ….. they said you should be ok to go home now ... I said 'oh good'
Were you told how often this happened? ….. n/a
Were you given any information about how long your ovaries would 'last'? ….. no

(After) Leaving hospital

Were you given information on family planning? ….. n/a
How much help did you at home and for how long? ….. 2 weeks, daughter helped with housework, husband did the shopping
How were you treated by your GP? ….. did not see
How were you treated by your midwife? ….. n/a
How were you treated by your Health Visitor? ….. n/a
If you wanted to go though a process of more children were you helped? ….. n/a
Did you breast feed for as long as you wished. If so for how long? ….. n/a

Consequences

Your well being ...

Did you bond with your baby or do you feel the operation caused problems? ..... n/a
Do you feel like a survivor or victim?….. n/a
Do you feel as though you have been raped? ..... no
Do you still feel like a woman? ….. yes
Do you feel there is anyone to blame or fate? …..n/a
Are you grateful to be alive? ….. n/a
If only caesarian (s) do you feel robbed of giving birth? ...n/a
Do you tell others what has happened? If not do you have a reason? ….. yes
Any legal action taken? Sucessful? ..... n/a
If applicable were the police contacted? Successful? ….. n/a
Have you suffered post traumatic stress disorder? ..... no
Have you suffered a change in depression? ..... YES!!!
Do you now suffer from anxiety? ..... YES!!
Do you suffer from sleeplessness? ..... YES!!
Do you have nightmares or have you had, that you feel are associated with this? ..... yes

Physical ...

Has / did your menopause start early? ….. I was post menopausal
Do you now have or a change in IBS? ….. I now suffer with bowel problems
Do you now have incontinence, if so when did it start? ….. yes, April 1994 after the first tidy up operation
Do you have movement in your abdomen like a baby moving? (a couple of us guess it is just the bowel doing its job)? ….. yes
Do you now suffer from a shortness of breath? ….. yes
Can you still stretch properly? ….. yes
Has you libido changed (as it altered your sex life)? …. yes
- if yes is this positive or negative? ..... negative
- is penetration possible, if so is it painful? ..... yes and yes
- if applicable are you still able to achieve orgasm, is it the same quality? ..... no
- are your erogenous zones still as sensitive? ..... no
Do you now have problems (pain / incontinence) coughing and sneezing? ….. no
Do you have regular abdominal pain, either internal or scar related? ..... no
Do you now have a problem with weight gain? ….. yes
Do you now have a different figure? ….. yes
Do you suffer more headaches? ….. no
Do you now suffer from rashes? ..... no
Do you now suffermore from pains like trapped nurves or something twisted inside if you turn the wrong way? ..... yes
If you suffer from cold sores do they now scar? ..... no
Have you had any tidy up operation/s? comments? …. yes. At the check up at 6 weeks I felt fine. I was examined and told that I would have to come back in. I asked why and was told that too much scar tissue had built up. I asked what would happen if I did not have this opertiona and was told that I would be in a lot of pain in later life. I under went this operation and it has has a very big negative effect.

Hospitals reaction ...

Do you know, have you met the doctor that did the operation? Was the doctor a consultant? .....
Was an internal review undertaken to see hat happened and if mistakes coul be learnt from? (Anna was told this was standard practice with such an outcome) .....
Did you think about having your organ (s) returned to you? Any results? …..
Have you obtained your notes? Were there any problems? .....
Do you beleive they are an accutate portrayal of what happened? .....
Has the doctor gone over your notes with you? .....
Did you have all your questions answered? If so was this straight away or did you have to go though some form of complaints procedure? Sucessful? .....
If you wish to meet or speak to the pepole involved in your 'care' are you able to? .....
Have you gone back to the hospital if so was this helpful for you? .....

Miscellaneous

When did it HIT you? .....
Did you plan to be an organ donor before the hysterectomy? Are you still? Or vice versa. …..
Has it effected family life, if so how? ..... Only to the extent that I now become stressed alot more easily and suffer with depression
How has your husband / partner dealth with this? ..... not really applicable
How has this changed the quality of your life? ..... reduced the quality
What are your overall views? ..... Wish I had not had it done
With hindsight would you have done anything differently? ..... Yes I would have insisted on the repair operation
Advice for others ….. Do research and make a truly informed decision.
Any other thoughts or comments? ….. My daughter now has the same problem, due to what she has seen me go though, she REFUSES to have the operation.

* Helens account

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