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| Will I Need Help After My Hysterectomy? |
Date : 04-10-2003 - 04:31 PM - Readers : 38506 |
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My doctor says that I won't need help at home when I get released from the hospital after my TAH. What is the consensus here?
Although sisters report varying experiences, you will undoubtedly need some sort of help after your surgery. This may range from having someone stop in each day for a little while to needing someone to stay overnight with you for a time.
Some of the things you will most likely need help with:
Showering/bathing. At least the first couple of times you shower or bathe, you will want to have someone close by. You may be less steady on your feet than you realize.
Changing dressings (if applicable). You may not be able to see your incision area, and you will need someone to help you with this most important task. They will need to check to see that your incision is healing properly and check for signs of infection.
Cooking. You will not be "back to your old self" for at least several weeks. At first, food may not even be appealing to you, and even making coffee or tea will require supreme effort. If your family wants home-cooked meals, they'll need to fend for themselves for a while.
Cleaning. You will be advised not to bend or stretch or lift anything more than, say, 10-20 pounds for several weeks. This means that, except for a very, very few tasks, you will not be able to do any housecleaning or laundry. No sweeping or vacuuming, no loading or unloading the dishwasher, no picking up stuff off the floor. We know this sounds restrictive, but all of the actions required for these tasks put strain on your healing tummy and surrounding areas and so they need to be avoided. Always remember -- just because an activity doesn't cause physical pain doesn't mean it is OK to perform it.
Caring for pets. Although you can let the dog or cat lie close to you, you probably will not be up to long walks or Frisbee games with the dog for several weeks. If your family can't handle these tasks, consider asking a neighbor or friend to help you out in this regard until you're feeling up to it.
Grocery shopping. If you absolutely must grocery shop, use one of the store's motorized carts and have someone else fill your cart for you. Pushing a cart full of groceries is very hard on your healing tummy! And make sure that same person loads up the car, carries all bags into the house, and puts all the groceries away for you.
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