Hysterectomy- what should I expect

[can'tgetenufofwdw]

Having a laparoscopic hysterectomy on Wednesday. What should I expect? Any words of wisdom to share?

 

[minniebeth]

Have you looked at the HysterSisters community forum/boards? It’s just like the disboards for hysterectomy support. It’s got tons and tons of great information. I think what’s most important to remember is that everyone’s experience is different. You’ll get a huge range of what to expect. My absolute one piece of advice that I tell everyone and the best that I got is: you have ONE chance to heal right- make it count. Good luck, sending well wishes!

 

[J'aime Paris]

I canceled my hysterectomy after visiting the HysterSisters board. @minniebeth said is perfectly...you'll get a huge range of experiences. The failed outcomes freaked me out too much. I opted for endo surgery, which helped. May need to repeat, since it's come back again..Ugh!
Good luck to you!

 

[kuhltiffany]

Hmmm, it's been a while since mine but there's a few things I remember. Take stool softeners after to counteract the constipation from pain meds. You really want to make things as easy as possible! Also, one thing they don't tell you about it the overall pain after. Since they inflate your belly with gas to make it easier to see, that stretching aches afterwards. For me it was the best decision, I had huge fibroids and felt better immediately after surgery, I didn't have the ongoing heaviness to carry around. Other than that, take care of yourself and give your body time to heal!

 

[McKelly]

Three things I like to share with people from my experience:

Get a large beach towel, and when you are trying to stand up from a chair/get up from bed, slip it under your armpits and have someone pull you up. It will help to alleviate the pressure on your stomach.

When I had my robotic hysterectomy, they didn't sew my incisions. They just left them open and said they would grow back together. I returned to work four weeks later, still bleeding from the incisions. Well, five of the six herniated and I went back in for surgery three months later and that surgery was WAY worse. But I have always been a really slow healer, which I told them, so maybe that was the reason, or it was because I didn't use the towel!!

Lastly, start taking GasX right when you get home because the gas pains are WAY worse than the surgery itself. Yowza!

But all in all, despite my problems, I don't regret the surgery. I don't miss that time of the month and everything that went along with it!

 

[lovemygoofy]

I think this will be one of your mileage may vary situations. Everyone is having this surgery for different reasons.

I had my hysterectomy in DEC 2016 at 38. It took weeks and I mean several weeks before I was really feeling good. I wore a wrap around my abdomen under my clothes for probably 2 or more months because I hurt from the surgery and I guess my body trying to adjust to everything that was taken out. (I had really bad endometriosis and PCOS). I slept sitting up in a chair for good 3 weeks before I even thought about trying to half recline. I had pillows wedged in around me in the chair and under my seatbelt in the car. My electric heating pad made a huge difference in the pain for me. I would stag pain pills and use a lot more ibuprofen and the heating pad.

Walk! A few times a day just some steps. I would walk with pillow held to my abdomen and my husband holding my hand and I would just do lap from my family room to kitchen and back starting day 3. Before that I was doing good to get to bathroom and to the couch.

Let yourself heal. If your house is crazy, ask for help. Having to undo what happens from not healing it almost worse than the original surgery. Be good to your body.

 

[Jennasis]

I had mine in 2017. My surgeon went in laparoscopically and took everything but the ovaries nad even found another cyst that wasn't on the original ultrasound.

I WOULD DO IT ALL AGAIN IN A HEART BEAT.

When I went in for the surgery they asked me if I would consent to being a part of a clinical trial for a new pain medication for post surgical pain. I agreed. When I woke up from surgery, as I was coming out of anesthesia they asked me how my pain was and I was in zero pain...just nauseous, so they pushed anti nausea drugs.

They continued to come in every hour asking about my pain level to see when they could begin the meds for the trail. I never needed them. I wound up not taking anything for any kind of post surgical pain in the hospital. Just didn't need it. I stayed overnight and went home the next morning.

That's when the gas pain started LOL. Thank God for Gas-X! That was some intense (albeit short lived pain). I wound up making my husband run to Burger King to get me onion rings....I haven't eaten them in YEARS because they make me fart, but in this case I needed to start passing gas pronto! It worked.

The following days I kept a small throw pillow handy to hold against my belly when getting up from sitting down or when I coughed, sneezed, laughed etc. My husband put some comedy show on the day after surgery and I almost killed him...the laughing was killer!

I was surprised at how little pain overall and how super quick I recovered.

 

[kimblebee]

I had an open surgery, so my results will be different, but my advice is pretty much the same.

Give yourself as much time as you need to heal. That was the hardest part for me, not getting up when all I wanted was a glass of water, or to just tidy up a little bit. I sat on my butt for a good 6-7 weeks before I felt fully well enough to start doing housework again.

Walk. It will be hard. It will hurt. But, it will help.

I, too, slept in a recliner for 6 weeks before I could consider my bed. I don’t regret that decision for one second.

good luck

 

[karen4546]

YMMV as we are all different. I had mine in 2008. They could not save my ovaries. Mine was a complete hysterectomy (cervix included). I don't tolerate pain meds well and so I did not use them. I agree on the Gas x. you body absorbing all that back is painful. I am also not on any sort of hormone therapy.

I was sad a little because I mean my womanhood was stripped out of me (me mentality at the time) but I got over it in a few weeks.. I am 52 now. Relations with my husband are the same and I don't have to worry about the leaking because my periods were so heavy.

good luck.

 

[MrsPete]

Before I had a different surgery, someone told me that a breathing tube meant I'd wake up with a sore throat -- very true, and it lasted 4-5 days, feeling a little better each day. That person told me to have lollipops on hand (not something I typically keep around). Lollipops keep your throat moist, and they're safer than hard candies if you happen to fall asleep with them in your mouth.

I'm sure the doctor will give you pain medication of some type. You know how easy it is to become "hooked" on such things, so be sure you have plenty of Tylenol, etc. in the house so you won't have to choose between strong prescriptions and nothing -- not that it'll matter to you in the first few days, but at some point you'll probably be able to "make do" with something not so dangerous.

This one falls under the heading of "common sense", but prep your house for your recovery. Clean sheets, fresh flowers, a full refrigerators -- and when friends ask, "What do you need?" ask them to deliver a casserole.

 

[ReneeA]

I had an open hysterectomy in Jan due to huge fibroids. They were concerned about doing a robotic or vaginal due to their estimated size.

I did fine - immediately post op I asked for IV narcotics, but that was the only time I needed them. Otherwise, Motrin and/or Toradol worked best for pain. I totally agree with the stool softener! You will not want to strain at all. I went home with 800mg of Motrin, but only needed them twice a day for a couple of weeks.

I was supposed to stay 3 nights, but felt great after 2 and was discharged. My doctor thought it would be fine for me to go back to work after 6 weeks, but I had an inch or so of my surgical incision that would not stop scabbing and opening a bit, so I spent 2 more weeks on the couch for a total of 8 weeks. The surgeon wanted me to be up and walking as far as I could as soon as I felt ok to do so. I could go 2 miles at a slower pace than normal for me within 3 weeks postop (with a belly binder on).

The lingering issue I have is exhaustion. I'm ready to collapse at 8 every night, but that seems to finally be letting up after 6+ months. I also had no sense of taste or smell for 2 weeks postop, but that can be a rare side effect of general anesthesia.

I do feel 100% better after it was done. No more almost bleeding to death, being extremely anemic and exhausted, and no more bloating and heaviness (my fibroids were the size of a 4-5 month pregnancy).

 

[can'tgetenufofwdw]

I had an open hysterectomy in Jan due to huge fibroids. They were concerned about doing a robotic or vaginal due to their estimated size.

I did fine - immediately post op I asked for IV narcotics, but that was the only time I needed them. Otherwise, Motrin and/or Toradol worked best for pain. I totally agree with the stool softener! You will not want to strain at all. I went home with 800mg of Motrin, but only needed them twice a day for a couple of weeks.

I was supposed to stay 3 nights, but felt great after 2 and was discharged. My doctor thought it would be fine for me to go back to work after 6 weeks, but I had an inch or so of my surgical incision that would not stop scabbing and opening a bit, so I spent 2 more weeks on the couch for a total of 8 weeks. The surgeon wanted me to be up and walking as far as I could as soon as I felt ok to do so. I could go 2 miles at a slower pace than normal for me within 3 weeks postop (with a belly binder on).

The lingering issue I have is exhaustion. I'm ready to collapse at 8 every night, but that seems to finally be letting up after 6+ months. I also had no sense of taste or smell for 2 weeks postop, but that can be a rare side effect of general anesthesia.

I do feel 100% better after it was done. No more almost bleeding to death, being extremely anemic and exhausted, and no more bloating and heaviness (my fibroids were the size of a 4-5 month pregnancy).

She told me that my fibroids were like being 3-4 months pregnant. That didn't sound too big to me but what do I know. I hoping for a speedy recovery but of course I will do whatever my doctor tells me.

 

[rwdavis2]

I had mine in 2017. My surgeon went in laparoscopically and took everything but the ovaries nad even found another cyst that wasn't on the original ultrasound.

I WOULD DO IT ALL AGAIN IN A HEART BEAT.

When I went in for the surgery they asked me if I would consent to being a part of a clinical trial for a new pain medication for post surgical pain. I agreed. When I woke up from surgery, as I was coming out of anesthesia they asked me how my pain was and I was in zero pain...just nauseous, so they pushed anti nausea drugs.

They continued to come in every hour asking about my pain level to see when they could begin the meds for the trail. I never needed them. I wound up not taking anything for any kind of post surgical pain in the hospital. Just didn't need it. I stayed overnight and went home the next morning.

That's when the gas pain started LOL. Thank God for Gas-X! That was some intense (albeit short lived pain). I wound up making my husband run to Burger King to get me onion rings....I haven't eaten them in YEARS because they make me fart, but in this case I needed to start passing gas pronto! It worked.

The following days I kept a small throw pillow handy to hold against my belly when getting up from sitting down or when I coughed, sneezed, laughed etc. My husband put some comedy show on the day after surgery and I almost killed him...the laughing was killer!

I was surprised at how little pain overall and how super quick I recovered.

Was the pain med protocol called ERAS? My wife used to do anesthesia and she introduced it where she worked. I was the guinea pig for knee replacements and ERAS.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I agree that it is a YMMV situation - going in, and coming out.

Mine was in 2014 and also laparoscopic, but going into it I was very run down from several months of severe pain and bleeding. (Turns out I had adenomyosis but didn't know it.) I had had a couple of trips to the ER for horrible bleeding and I was on the cusp of needing blood transfusions, so my reserves were super low going into it. (And from what I've read, this is not too uncommon.) I mean, there were times I couldn't even walk the pain was so bad. And I had to take pain medicine just to be able to function. Tried to avoid surgery but nothing worked that we tried.

The thing that helped me the most were the post-op videos on Hystersisters, which was the only thing I used there. They were a life saver for me, otherwise I would've thought I was going nuts. I took my dog for a walk one day to the end of my street and couldn't get home. I had to stop like an old lady at every house and rest first. That really scared me. My heart rate was really high because my blood levels were low but they didn't want to transfuse me. The first time I walked a mile without difficulty I cried, because I'd been so worried something was really wrong.

But this is where the videos came in. They reassured me that recovery could be slow, and that if you overexerted one day, you could expect to be super tired the next. That went on for several weeks for me. And that it's important to let your body heal without doing things like housework and lifting things because you can develop adhesions that turn into scar tissue and can become painful in their own right. So it really forces you to just slow down and allow healing. I think going into it you have to realize that. But then you hear of women who were up and running marathons the next day after theirs and it's easy to fall into the trap of thinking something must be wrong with me. There isn't.

I also think that "hysterectomy" can be a catch-all term, so comparisons can be deceiving. For instance, besides my uterus, I also had my tubes, ovaries and cervix out (recommended when there are pain issues according to my GYN), as well as a cystoscopy to check my bladder for bleeding internally after the procedure. And honestly the bladder issues were the worst part of my recovery, which I think stemmed from the "bladder challenge" they gave me post-op when I couldn't "go". (Pyridium helped.) It was also supposed to be a day surgery but I stayed - not officially "admitted", mind you - in a holding ward (with seven other people; one screaming and swearing all night, who I'd been listening to since pre-op) with a Foley catheter in with a plan for discharge in the morning. Having had enough, around 5am I got up, went into the bathroom, took out the catheter myself, made sure I could "go" afterward, then called DD to come get me, lol. And was she ever a welcome sight rounding the corner with two large Dunkin Donuts coffees in her hands! ("Let's GO!!!!)

The longer-term problem for me was that I was thrown into a surgical menopause with my ovaries suddenly gone. (Natural menopause comes on more slowly.) My GYN and oncologist hashed that out - GYN said they were functional and wanted to keep them in (as did I); oncologist wanted them out because I'd had breast cancer and there is a link between breast and ovarian, so she felt that while we were in there we should take them out. I asked about leaving one in and GYN said we would never find it again. Who knows. But I did have them out. To me it's six of one and half dozen of the other - risk of ovarian cancer is down but now my risks for other health issues is up from lack of estrogen, not to mention the symptoms of menopause have been tough. I cannot take hormone replacement because of my cancer history. I've been over this with my doctors and it is what it is. Not sure if I had it to do over again what I would choose. GYN told me that most ovarian cancers start in the Fallopian tubes so maybe just taking those out would've sufficed. But if faced with this decision, a lot of thought and research should go into it.

Hope this helps someone. I did not have any feelings of loss like some people do with hysterectomy. At the point I was at, I was ready for it to go. And I've mostly felt great afterward. Oh and my GYN gave extra time off for women with active jobs on their feet (nurses, teachers, police officers, etc.), so I think it was 8 weeks. Good luck with your surgery.

 

[Jennasis]

Was the pain med protocol called ERAS? My wife used to do anesthesia and she introduced it where she worked. I was the guinea pig for knee replacements and ERAS.

I don't think so...it was for a particular drug whose name escapes me. I was very jazzed about participating but I just never had pain. The nurse would always seem so disappointed when she would come in to ask if I was ready for pain meds LOL!

 

[WDWJDS]

In reference to the gas part, chewing gum soon after waking up from anesthesia, and about every eight hours after that, gets things moving

 

[kyton]

Again to echo everyone above, everyone will have a different experience. I had a hysterectomy taking everything except my right ovary (my left heard about the upcoming operation and decided to commit hari kari some 12wks before by twisting on itself and dying - that pain was so so much worse then the hysterectomy) back in 2017 just before turning 47.

Mine was done internally - so no external stitches at all. Misheard my gynaecologist and thought she said I would only have to stay overnight LOL so was cranky when she told me that no, I had to stay 2 nights. Was up and walking around within 12hrs, didn’t take any pain meds after 24hrs.

Mine was surprisingly easy - my husband wouldn’t allow me to drive for 5wks which did my head in but other then that I wish I’d done it earlier. My kids were aged 11, 9 and 7 so that made it easier. I’d been training for a 10klm run in Vegas so had to stop that for 8wks but got back in without any issues.

My older sister had a complete hysterectomy at age 42 with outside cutting - her‘s was a much more intensive recovery then mine was.

Best wishes for the op and recovery.

 

[kyton]

Oh I just remembered a weird after effect! Every night I would wake up around 3-4am with a strange heavy fluttering feeling down low inside my stomach. Spoke to my gyno who explained that there are so many nerves and blood vessels plus your other organs moving which explained it but it did freak me out for a week or two. It slowly went away after week 3 thank goodness.

 

[can'tgetenufofwdw]

I appreciate all of you sharing your experiences.

 

[OnceUponATime15]

My youngest dd had a laparoscopic total hysterectomy a year ago at age 33. She checked into the surgical unit at 7am, was operated on at 8am, in recovery by 9am, and into a hospital room by 10:15am. She was surprisingly alert and seemingly comfortable when my SIL and I saw her at 11am. Her pain meds were by IV at that point. She had lunch at noon & dozed on and off until they came for bloodwork at 2pm ish.. Once they had her bloodwork results she was discharged to go home at about 4pm.

Her hubby stopped to pick up her prescription meds (pain & antibiotics) at the pharmacy while I drove her home. Once home she wanted to sleep, She had a light dinner around 8 pm & she didn’t start her pain meds until later that night just before bed.

She had a concern at her follow up to do with the area where her cervix had been, an in office procedure was done by her ObGyn and that corrected whatever the issue had been. Her healing went very smoothly, well within what her Dr had prepared her for before the decision was made to opt for the hysterectomy route.
She was off work with a few restrictions for about six weeks. A year down the road, she would be the first to tell you that for her, the hysterectomy gave her back a quality of life that she’d not had for at least a half dozen years.