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Kinda personal: what's recovery like after a hysterectomy?
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<blockquote data-quote="susiestar" data-source="post: 360320" data-attributes="member: 1233"><p>I was 33 when I had a total hysterectomy. BEST thing I had ever done for myself. I had the fibroids, my ovaries looked more like raspberries from all the cysts, every period felt like an ovary was twisting, I had heavy bleeding for two weeks every month, and more. The whole works was also starting to fall out. The night before my surgery my cervix was less than 1 inch from the opening. (Talk about a doctor freaking out - my amazing doctor could NOT believe I had been walking around with it like that and that it wasn't causing major pain. THAT part of it wasn't painful at all. )</p><p></p><p>They did mine vaginally because with the prolapse it would have been harder to do it the other way. </p><p></p><p>You will need to rest and sleep as much as you can, esp the first week to 10 days. Following the instructions to the letter will mean a shorter recovery. </p><p></p><p>It hurt a lot. Mostly a deep ache inside, with some sharp pains if I moved wrong. They pump you full of air so be prepared for that to be pretty painful and you will have lots of interesting belches. (My niece was almost a year old and she was incredibly entertained by trying to belch with me. The only problem was that she was so cute and it was so funny I kept laughing - and laughing hurt!)</p><p></p><p>Be prepared for other parts of your gut to be upset. For some reason my bladder started to spasm after the surgery. My body NEVER behaves in a predictable way. It literally feels like it is being pinched. It doesn't make me have to use the bathroom, it just hurts. Like being pinched with fingernails. My doctor said this was NOT typical but probably happened because everything gets jostled during the surgery and then things have to find new places because there is empty space where the uterus and ovaries used to be.</p><p></p><p>My doctor did recommend that when I used the toilet I have a squirt bottle filled with warm water to rinse with. It keeps the area down there a bit cleaner. The nurse at the hospital recommended adding a little betadine to that, just a bit. As I have a lousy immune system I did. It not only kept things a bit cleaner, it was VERY soothing.</p><p></p><p>Between now and then concentrate on getting some fiber into your system. That first bowel movement will NOT be fun. They will problem give you a stool softener in the hospital to help, but if you can get some extra fiber between now and then it should also help. </p><p></p><p>From talking to a friend who had the vag hysterectomy after having 2 c-section babies, the c-section is harder physically.</p><p></p><p>Some women have a hard time emotionally. My friend did. She kept thinking that she wasn't a "real" woman anymore. I didn't have those problems. I felt much more human after the surgery because I wasn't so miserable and I wasn't on that hormone roller coaster that was SO bad for me. I had really extreme PMDD. My doctor called it PMS on steroids and crack. You may want to see a therapist if you find you are thinking that you are less of a woman. Cause no body part's presence or absence makes you more or less of a woman. Well, of the parts women are born with.</p><p></p><p>I will keep you in my prayers that things go well. </p><p></p><p>Oh, almost forgot. My doctor told me that for women who are keeping their ovaries it is not uncommon for their ovaries to stop working for a few months. You need to pay attention to your body and if you are seeming very dry down there and in your other mucus membranes, or you have hot flashes or other symptoms of menopause, call the doctor and ask for short term hormone therapy to help your body adjust.</p><p></p><p>{{{{{{{{{{hugs}}}}}}}}}}</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="susiestar, post: 360320, member: 1233"] I was 33 when I had a total hysterectomy. BEST thing I had ever done for myself. I had the fibroids, my ovaries looked more like raspberries from all the cysts, every period felt like an ovary was twisting, I had heavy bleeding for two weeks every month, and more. The whole works was also starting to fall out. The night before my surgery my cervix was less than 1 inch from the opening. (Talk about a doctor freaking out - my amazing doctor could NOT believe I had been walking around with it like that and that it wasn't causing major pain. THAT part of it wasn't painful at all. ) They did mine vaginally because with the prolapse it would have been harder to do it the other way. You will need to rest and sleep as much as you can, esp the first week to 10 days. Following the instructions to the letter will mean a shorter recovery. It hurt a lot. Mostly a deep ache inside, with some sharp pains if I moved wrong. They pump you full of air so be prepared for that to be pretty painful and you will have lots of interesting belches. (My niece was almost a year old and she was incredibly entertained by trying to belch with me. The only problem was that she was so cute and it was so funny I kept laughing - and laughing hurt!) Be prepared for other parts of your gut to be upset. For some reason my bladder started to spasm after the surgery. My body NEVER behaves in a predictable way. It literally feels like it is being pinched. It doesn't make me have to use the bathroom, it just hurts. Like being pinched with fingernails. My doctor said this was NOT typical but probably happened because everything gets jostled during the surgery and then things have to find new places because there is empty space where the uterus and ovaries used to be. My doctor did recommend that when I used the toilet I have a squirt bottle filled with warm water to rinse with. It keeps the area down there a bit cleaner. The nurse at the hospital recommended adding a little betadine to that, just a bit. As I have a lousy immune system I did. It not only kept things a bit cleaner, it was VERY soothing. Between now and then concentrate on getting some fiber into your system. That first bowel movement will NOT be fun. They will problem give you a stool softener in the hospital to help, but if you can get some extra fiber between now and then it should also help. From talking to a friend who had the vag hysterectomy after having 2 c-section babies, the c-section is harder physically. Some women have a hard time emotionally. My friend did. She kept thinking that she wasn't a "real" woman anymore. I didn't have those problems. I felt much more human after the surgery because I wasn't so miserable and I wasn't on that hormone roller coaster that was SO bad for me. I had really extreme PMDD. My doctor called it PMS on steroids and crack. You may want to see a therapist if you find you are thinking that you are less of a woman. Cause no body part's presence or absence makes you more or less of a woman. Well, of the parts women are born with. I will keep you in my prayers that things go well. Oh, almost forgot. My doctor told me that for women who are keeping their ovaries it is not uncommon for their ovaries to stop working for a few months. You need to pay attention to your body and if you are seeming very dry down there and in your other mucus membranes, or you have hot flashes or other symptoms of menopause, call the doctor and ask for short term hormone therapy to help your body adjust. {{{{{{{{{{hugs}}}}}}}}}} [/QUOTE]
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Kinda personal: what's recovery like after a hysterectomy?
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