Hysterectomy Tips

I had the same thing on Dec. 9th, a Tuesday and went back to work the following Monday!!! It was amazing. I felt totally fine the whole time. It did not affect my eating habits at all. The roughest part was getting comfortable, going to sleep and staying asleep. The pain pills helped a lot with that. Just don't lift ANYTHING and don't over-do it.
Email me if you have any other questions.... I'd be happy to answer them!!

K.

I was 50 when I had it done, not so bad. I did not feel to much discomfort. I have a high pain tolerance though. It is recommened not to walk up and down stairs and dont carry over 5 lbs for a few weeks, I also had a pillow on my belly if I needed to cough or sneeze in the beginnings. I went to work within two weeks.

I had a laproscopic hysterectomy last year. It really wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I was REALLY tired for the first couple of weeks-I usually go about 100 mph, so it was hard to sit and rest, but after about 2-3 weeks, I was almost back to myself. My mom helped out with my kids, and my husband helped a bit around the house (the rest just went undone for a few weeks). As for losing weight, I did for the first week-I had no appetite, but after that, I seemed to make up for lost time and actually gained more back than I lost. I cooked quite a few meals ahead of time, so I could just pop them in the oven at dinner time. Get a good stack of magazines and find someone to help out with your little one. You will be exhausted and cranky that first week! Plan to not get much done over the first couple of weeks-you'll sleep a lot. Although I was never in much pain (only used tylenol for a couple of days), the bloating and gas was horrible for the first few days--lots of Gas-x is helpful.
My hysterectomy was the best thing I ever did-easier recovery than any of my c-sections. I have felt so much better ever since. There is a great website-I think it's hystersisters.com? or something like that. It is an awesome resource.

Try www.hystersisters.com. Very good website with great information! Best of luck to you!!

My aunt had a hysterectomy and she said afterward she was very depressed. She was about 50 and didnt want more kids either. For some reason I think getting your female parts taken out does something to your brain, like something is missing, probably the hormone side of it. But if I ever have to do it I will be asking my doctor about the effects afterwards and how do deal with them and have that covered beforehand. She is really the only person I have talked to about it so Im not sure if that happens to everyone, but something to consider. From how she described it, she was very depressed. She also said it made her gain weight. So sorry Im being such a downer but thought it might be nice to maybe be prepared for some of those effects. =) Good luck!

Hi,
I had Laparoscopically Assisted Vaginal Hysterectomy in June of 08. It was the best thing that I have ever done. I didnt have the same problems as you but did have endometrosis and was always in pain. I think you will feel better than you have in years. Seriously. I am so glad that I did it.
There is a website that helped me prepare for my hyst. Its called http://www.hystersisters.com/ The ladies on there are awesome. I ordered their free booklet and it was full of info that will get you through surgery and beyond.
The things that I did when I was recovering was rented a lot of movies from Netflix and read a bunch of books. I didnt do a whole lot until I was told that it was ok. I felt well enough to go out for a very short grocery shopping trip two weeks after surgery. I wasnt allowed to pick up anything heavy so I had help out to the car. Just do what you can and rest. I did lose a little weight but everyone kept bringing me goodies so it was kind of a lost cause. :)
I am a busy Mom of triplets that had just turned two at the time. I had full time help until a month post surgery.

Good luck!!
C.

Dear K.,
I was almost 20 years younger when I had mine. And well,
did not really lose much weight. But the one piece of advice I could pass along is don't do any lifting of heavy
or even not so heavy objects. They told me that it would
cause less scar tissue and build up inside. I assume you
will have enough help. I had a challenge because my three
boys were all young. I think the youngest was 3 and the oldest was around 7. So it was difficult especially without
much help and could not afford daycare. However, a nearby church had them come for about 2 or 3 weeks to help me out after about a week. This was a Godsend. Just hang in there and relax. Hopefully your 4 year old is able to play by himself. Well, my best to you and may you heal quickly and nicely. Mine was a vertical scar and still have it.

Beginning when I was 38 i had bleeding every day. It lasted for a year and the insuracne company made us try everything else before a hysterectomy. the last thing was a DNC and a week later we did the hysterectomy.

I did lose weight afterward, I think because I had very little appetite. It took almost 2 weeks before I felt like eating normal again, although some of the weight stayed off, most of it came back.

The part I did not expect was how tired I was. It took 4 months before I felt like I could say I had recovered. I dont know if it was because of the full year I had been through and enough was enough or if it was the back to back surgeries. Anyway once I got my strength back, I was elated. I felt great to be able to wear white shorts again.

I had a complete Abdominal Hysterectomy in 89 and have never been sorry. I had Endometriosis real bad. I was in hospital a week. I couldn't drive for two weeks, couldn't work for 6 weeks. I didn't want to do the Hormone Replacement but after being home about a week, I changed my mind. I was miserable till then. I was hot, I was cold, couldn't sleep etc. I started getting depressed. I felt so much better after I started the Hormone replacement. There are different options now, so check those out. I stayed on those pills till about 5 years ago and I am 61 now.

I couldn't walk up stairs (can't get in/out of my house without stairs) So once home had to stay put for awhile. Don't run sweeper and didn't cook much. My husband did everything for a time. Friends brought food in and my children all grown and out of the house helped out.

I hope all goes well with your surgery. Things have changed a lot since I had mine, friends have had it a lot easier.

My mom had a simple vag hysterectomy 10 years ago and I remember her wanting to leave the same day (she really felt that good)...but just to appease her Dr. she stayed overnight. If I recall correctly, there was no driving for about a week, no heavy lifting/exercise/bending, etc. Basically, nothing strenous... I'd let the kids know they will be your special helpers for a week or so...if you have to cook up some casseroles beforehand and freeze it may not be a bad idea unless others are going to bring you stuff...

Rent some movies, borrow some books and enjoy a slow and relaxing week. As for the loss of weight and appetite...didn't really see that at all with my mom, but I will warn you that because of hormonal changes you may go through some depression so make sure you monitor that if you need to temporarily get on some anti-depressants. Hope everything goes smoothly for you!

I hate to disappoint you, but I think you are going to feel GREAT lots sooner than you expect. Some women jump at the chance to tell their horror story. I'm sure you experienced that with your pregnancies. Well, here's my story, and there is no horror to it! I also had a laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy. Within 48 hours (no kidding, 48 hours), I felt better than I had in the last few years. My doctor had medication flowing through my IV in the recovery room (I believe it was like Evista), and I never went through any "change." No night sweats, no weight gain, no mood swings or drop in libido. This was better than I could have ever imagined! By the way, I had this done nearly 8 years ago, when I was 46. Good luck to you; you'll do great.

Unless there is a medical reason to take them out, it will be much easier to recover if you keep your ovaries. I know a lot of doctors suggest taking them out as preventative measure against cancer. But unless you are at a high risk of ovarian cancer you might want to weigh that benefit against putting yourself into an early menopause.

Only you can decide what is right for you. Good luck with your recovery.

I was not terribly uncomfortable for more than a couple of days, tops. You do want to pay strict attention to the lifting limits your doctor will give you, though, and ask your doctor to go ahead and "tie up" your bladder while he/she is in there to avoid another surgery down the road.
I didn't gain or lose weight either way, but I did find that in about a year's time my shape changed. I went from being a bit curvy in the waist and hip area to being pretty straight up and down. This is pretty common, but does not happen to everyone.
I didn't find that my appetite was affected at all, except when I was taking pain meds. They always make me lose my appetite. After a couple of days I was able to control pain with just Tylenol, though. It really wasn't bad at all.
I wish you all the best.
Oh .... one more thing .... since you are losing your ovaries too, you will probably be on replacement hormone therapy. That's a good thing. You want that when you are so young. However, please take a baby aspirin, or half of a regular aspirin every day to counter the possibility of blood clots due to the hormone therapy. I know first hand what can happen if that is not addressed.
All that having been said ...... I have NEVER regretted mine. I love my new pain free, hassle free life. I didn't know how really bad I felt, until I had this done and found out how feeling "good" actually feels.

I had that done about a year and a half ago. I was not terribly uncomfortable and it was nice to be able to take it easy for a while. The only two things I would suggest are 1) if you have pain at the beginning-don't let it get ahead of you - take your pain medication on a regular schedule. 2) Pay attention to what your doctor says about limiting the amount you can lift - 4-year old is off limits. You don't want to have problems with our bladder, etc. because you didn't pay attention and felt like the weight restriction wasn't important because you were feeling better. Good luck - rent lots of movies, get some books and TAKE NAPS!

Good Morning K., I had hysti is 87 with bikini cut. Long story but anyway 3 other women on the floor had the vag. hysti and walked out the next day in there same cloths they came with. Was funny cause all 4 of us had hubby's that worked at the same co. and 2 of them knew each other.
They did great. I on the other had had to stay *back then* for a week, had to do more and removed more then just my uterus & ovaries.

With the laparo. you should be even better. Will be some discomfort I would imagine but not a lot. No lifting or vac for a while, and possibly no driving. It's all changed in the years since I had it done. But I hope you have a wonderful as outcome as I have. I felt So good after recovery was over.

Still do and I will be 58 this summer. If your considering hormone replacement check out Oprah's site. Yesterday Robin MaGraw was talking about Bio-Natural replacement instead of synthetic . Pills made me sick, I tried patches until my skin couldn't handle the irritations. Then I went for once monthly injections for 2 yrs. In late 89 we moved to TX and my nurse showed me how to inject myself. I did that monthly until about 5 yrs ago. Have been on Nothing since.
Wish I had known about the bio natural back then, maybe my skin and body would be in better shape. Even though I feel great and I am always very active it never hurts to have a little boost.

God Bless and I wish you the very best with speedy recovery.

K. Nana of 5
PS Julie is right about the gas, stay away from peas, beans, nuts,cauliflower anything gaseous. It's miserable, I drank alot of hot tea, used heat pad. Had to do the Pillow rolling rock..lol Not a purrrrrrrrrr-tee sight...lol until the gas moved.

I had a total hysterectomy 2 years ago February. I did not lose but a couple of pounds. I'm with some of the others, DO NOT lift anything for the period of time the doctor tells you. Take naps. Do not drive until you are released to do so by your doctor. I did everything he told me and still had some complications that kept me down for an additional 3 weeks. So, I cannot stress enough to let others help you, rest, sleep, and just take care of you afterwards. Hope all goes well.

I had my hysterectomy 1 1/2 years ago at 26. And I'm with Kim, I had NO problems! While I definatly didn't loose weight durring recovery. I ALWAYS have an appetite.(I have a wonderful church who fixes lots of food:)) But I don't have any menopausal symptoms except the occasional hot flash and even that is no biggie. I just get a little warm for a bit. I've seen some women have to get up and find something cold! Anyway, you're going to LOVE it! Also, I am not on any hormones either. I had melanoma at 24 and wasn't going to risk it. And listen to everyone! NO LIFTING! I did that, I had a small child. And it does put you down longer. That is no lie. Other than that enjoy no more bleeding!!!!! It is AWESOME!!

Can I just say --there are other, less radical treatments for fibroids, and not wanting to have children doesn't justify a major surgery! Even a tubal ligation would be much less invasive and safer.

That said, you might prepare yourself for the changes you will go through by reading What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause, by Lee and Hopkins.
http://www.amazon.com/What-Your-Doctor-About-Menopause/dp...

Good luck!