Having a hysterectomy, what can I expect?

[Disney Dreaming]

I will be having a hysterectomy on Wednesday. I have put this off for a few years and now I am pretty much left with no other option. I had a cyst rupture a few years ago, and then 2 weeks ago I went to the doctor thinking I had another cyst. Unfortunately, when he did the ultrasound he found endometriosis. I am terrified of having this hysterectomy. I do not do well with anesthesia, I am anemic, and I am totally a baby when dealing with pain.:tongue_smilie:

Anyway, what can I expect when I wake up from the surgery? What about when I come home 3 days later? It will be a total abdominal hysterectomy. When will I feel like starting back with school with my 3rd grade dd?

 

Any prayers/good thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Edited August 6, 2012 by ugamom11

[Susan C.]

I know moms that have homeschooled from their beds when ill. Looking at your curriculum, I would put the math and spelling workbooks, along with the readers and Story of the Orchestra by your bed. As soon as you feel up to it, snuggle and work through those on a reduced schedule. Or, just delay starting school a little.

 

Hope it goes well, one friend of mine felt better immediately, the surgery pain was less than what she was dealing with before.

[Dobela]

I had a hysterectomy in 2005 and feel better than ever. I was in so much pain before the surgery that when my epidural fell out after surgery, and I was in pain, it was less than what I ever experienced before surgery. I didn't even know the line had fallen out.

 

Hystersisters is a great site with lots of information.

 

Week 3 and 4 were the hardest for me pain wise interestingly. I remember tiring very easily until week 6 or so. Driving was more exhausting than I anticipated when I was told I could drive again. I did develop unnecessary scar tissue though and some bleeding complications from not following the order of DO NOT LIFT ANYTHING. A friend of mine developed a hernia and then needed more surgery because she decided to vacuum before the doctor gave permission.

 

I would stock upon easy freezer foods or anything easy to make, but remember that lasagna if large can weigh more than you are allowed to lift. If friends and family want to provide food, welcome it. And then let dd or dh load the dishwasher for you. And do some laundry, and clean the house... Make sure you give your body lots of time to heal properly.

[Bang!Zoom!]

Yep, living with scar tissue issues to this day here also; it's actually very painful.

 

That business about do not lift anything?

 

That's for real.

[justLisa]

I took care of my mother after hers. When she woke up she was in a manageable pain. She could not walk up the stairs for several days but felt like she could before they gave her the clear. I think she was just very tired for a while, but in good spirits. 6-8 weeks she was given the clear to get back to her schedule sans heavy lifting and that kind of thing for another few weeks.

 

ETA: this was done vaginally. I guess the big difference would be the outer healing and scar tissue. I had a c-sec and regularly massaged the scar. I wish someone had told me to do that before I discovered it could help on my own.

Edited August 6, 2012 by 425lisamarie

[Pippen]

Lots of help here:

http://www.hystersisters.com/

[Disney Dreaming]

Thanks to all of you! I will keep in mind the no lifting! Also, thanks for the heads up on the hystersisters website!

[Spryte]

Wishing you well!

 

My hyst was in '99, and things have probably changed since then... But it wasn't as bad as I feared.

 

I used the Hemi-Sync surgical support CDs, and even my surgeon (who has known me through many, many surgeries) thinks they are fabulous, and now recommends them. He saw clear differences in my stats when we used them. I wish I could send you mine but it sounds like there's not time! If you want me to try, just pm me. I have loaned them out many times over the years. My father uses classical music during surgery. I find waking up and coming out of anesthesia easier that way... My father and I both do not recover well from anesthesia, so anything that helps is good.

 

No lifting, as others have noted. Take that seriously. Eat healthy foods as you recover.

 

Plan for a few days of help, if you can. At least a few days, more if you can swing it. Tell DH to plan on pampering you. :) Plan to rest and sleep. Read a distracting book when you can. When I had surgery, I wanted my Mom, I must admit, but I was young to be having a hyst, and it would be different now. DH and I were newly married at the time, and he might not have known how to take care of things the way I wanted... Funny, how we want our Moms sometimes! Now, I'm all about DH after surgeries, so it just depends on you... But if there is anyone who can help out with kid care, that would sure help!

 

Hystersisters is a wonderful resource.

 

As for school... If you don't have to start immediately after surgery, give yourself an extra week. Or go slowly.

 

ETA: invest in a great heating pad before you go to the hospital. And when you are sitting up from lying down, use a pillow pressed to your abdomen. Also, I needed a stool to help get into our very tall bed at first.

 

Hope your surgery goes well!

[Pamela H in Texas]

I wish you well.

 

May I ask why not a laporascopic? I know that some 70% of hysterectomies are still open, but....medically, it is better for the patient to not do it open (though it is faster for the doctor to do it open). It might be worth asking about it.

 

Anyway, hopefully your surgery goes well and your recovery is quick.

 

My mother had hers a few years ago. For the first week, she couldn't do anything. THe second week, she was mostly in bed but felt better most of the time. The third week, she could be there without another adult. The fourth week, she pushed it a little. The sixth week was a bit soon to go back to work. Most people say that an open hysterectomy takes 6-12 months to fully recover. Hopefully you'll be at the early end of that (maybe earlier!).

[Disney Dreaming]

Wishing you well!

 

My hyst was in '99, and things have probably changed since then... But it wasn't as bad as I feared.

 

I used the Hemi-Sync surgical support CDs, and even my surgeon (who has known me through many, many surgeries) thinks they are fabulous, and now recommends them. He saw clear differences in my stats when we used them. I wish I could send you mine but it sounds like there's not time! If you want me to try, just pm me. I have loaned them out many times over the years. My father uses classical music during surgery. I find waking up and coming out of anesthesia easier that way... My father and I both do not recover well from anesthesia, so anything that helps is good.

 

No lifting, as others have noted. Take that seriously. Eat healthy foods as you recover.

 

Plan for a few days of help, if you can. At least a few days, more if you can swing it. Tell DH to plan on pampering you. :) Plan to rest and sleep. Read a distracting book when you can. When I had surgery, I wanted my Mom, I must admit, but I was young to be having a hyst, and it would be different now. DH and I were newly married at the time, and he might not have known how to take care of things the way I wanted... Funny, how we want our Moms sometimes! Now, I'm all about DH after surgeries, so it just depends on you... But if there is anyone who can help out with kid care, that would sure help!

 

Hystersisters is a wonderful resource.

 

As for school... If you don't have to start immediately after surgery, give yourself an extra week. Or go slowly.

 

ETA: invest in a great heating pad before you go to the hospital. And when you are sitting up from lying down, use a pillow pressed to your abdomen. Also, I needed a stool to help get into our very tall bed at first.

 

Hope your surgery goes well!

 

I am going to look at those CD's on Amazon. The biggest thing I am worried about is would the hospital allow them. They were stressing not bringing anything in because of worries of staph and such. I wonder about before the surgery and in recovery though. I may call the dr and ask! I could always overnight the cd's from Amazon.

 

Dh is taking off a total of 9 days, so I am in good hands! I remember needing the pillow after I had a C section with my first dd(many, many years ago).

 

We started school at the beginning of July. Since we already have 20 days under our belt I will just wait at least 2 weeks before starting back. Hopefully by then I can at least sit on the sofa while she works!

 

Thanks so much for the info!

[Pamela H in Texas]

Angel, do you have someone who can come midday or so and check on you, get y'all's lunch, play a game with dd or something, etc after hubby goes back to work? A week would be really nice.

[TranquilMind]

I took care of my mother after hers. When she woke up she was in a manageable pain. She could not walk up the stairs for several days but felt like she could before they gave her the clear. I think she was just very tired for a while, but in good spirits. 6-8 weeks she was given the clear to get back to her schedule sans heavy lifting and that kind of thing for another few weeks.

 

ETA: this was done vaginally. I guess the big difference would be the outer healing and scar tissue. I had a c-sec and regularly massaged the scar. I wish someone had told me to do that before I discovered it could help on my own.

My Mom said she got her life back after a hysterectomy. Praying yours goes well.

[Disney Dreaming]

I wish you well.

 

May I ask why not a laporascopic? I know that some 70% of hysterectomies are still open, but....medically, it is better for the patient to not do it open (though it is faster for the doctor to do it open). It might be worth asking about it.

 

Anyway, hopefully your surgery goes well and your recovery is quick.

 

My mother had hers a few years ago. For the first week, she couldn't do anything. THe second week, she was mostly in bed but felt better most of the time. The third week, she could be there without another adult. The fourth week, she pushed it a little. The sixth week was a bit soon to go back to work. Most people say that an open hysterectomy takes 6-12 months to fully recover. Hopefully you'll be at the early end of that (maybe earlier!).

 

 

I am not sure why he is doing the total abdominal. He has been my doctor for over 20 years, delivered all 3 of my dc and I just honestly didn't think to question him. He is removing the ovaries and I have endometriosis....maybe that is why? I don't know. I also had a c-section with my first child. I am worried that recovery is going to be like your mothers. I remember my c-section was a very slow recovery and that was over 20 years ago!

[Disney Dreaming]

Angel, do you have someone who can come midday or so and check on you, get y'all's lunch, play a game with dd or something, etc after hubby goes back to work? A week would be really nice.

 

Yes, dh works about 5 minutes away and usually comes home for lunch. I also have a ds who is 19 that will be in and out! Thanks for the suggestion!

[sandalwood]

6 months from now you will feel like a "new" woman.

 

Right after, it's pretty tough. I remember I could not walk upstairs for 3 weeks (my washer & dryer was upstairs, lucky me :) -- They are serious about the no lifting.........take that to heart or you can actually damage yourself. Don't do anything heavy, like push a vacuum when you start to heal. Let your kids/dh do the housework, etc. Have a good supply of pads at first, you'll need them. Let everyone help you that can. Rest up and do exactly what the dr. says. I remember sleeping/resting a lot the first few days. My parents flew out and stayed with me. I don't know how I would have survived otherwise when my dh was at work (son was young). Accept help. Accept meals, any help anyone wants to give. I don't want to sound doom and gloom but it is a big deal and trumps any surgery I ever had. I have bounced back from a lot of things but my hysterectomy was hard on my body. Maybe age has something to do with it--- I don't know. I was young 40's.

 

You probably won't even want to think about school till after Labor Day. Seriously, just recover and deal with school later. You can always shorten up breaks around Christmas, Spring Break, Easter, etc.

 

It really did (surgery) change my life for the better. The hard part is just at the beginning. And, yes hystersisters is great!

[Spryte]

Oh! I was just coming back to say, "Don't vacuum!" but I see someone beat me to it. :) Give vacuuming a big, wide berth. It really does use muscles we don't expect.

 

FWIW, DH and I moved cross country 2 weeks after my hyst. Not that I would recommend it, but ... It can be done. However, mine was laparoscopic, unlike yours. Obviously I didn't do any lifting, but there was certainly extra stress. Whew. I just remember driving through AR, feeling every bump on the highway. Ouch!

 

If you have trouble finding the CDs, let me know, and I will try to overnight mine to you. I have used mine as recently as 2005, when I had GB surgery, and each time it's a matter or clearing it with the doc, then with the anesthesiologist, then mainly making sure the nurse knows when to put the "recovery" CD in. We put tape over the volume control so it doesn't get changed during surgery. My neighbor's mom used them last year, and I think it went well.

 

Mine was for endo, too. You will feel better. Hang in there! Wishing you an easy surgery and a stress free recovery. Reach out via pm if you want more info on anything... I was on the volunteer support call list for the endo assoc for years... It's tough. It will get better though, you'll get through it. ((Hugs))