Elisabeth, it may or may not have been the same procedure. I had a fibroid they were hoping to remove hysteroscopically and that is how they initially went in; but discovering extensive endometriosis as well they had to do laparoscopic surgery. I only had two small incisions. They told me in advance it might be a bikini scar but on me, those incisions were very tiny and they faded away over a couple of years. Not that I was wearing a bikini anyway.
I have several friends who have had hysterectomies at a young age due to complications with fibroids or other issues. Both of them felt SO afraid ahead of time, and SO relieved afterwards. They did not have the problems that your mother has experienced.
I think in the old days the surgery was much more invasive and the tendency was to take everything (whether it needed to go or not) and this was a much greater shock to the system. While it's true that you can never predict how your hormones will react, maintaining good health will go a long way to ensuring that you recover as well as possible and don't face that very scary kind of fallout from the procedure.
Hang in there! It will soon be in the past and you will be moving forward.
