TAH/BSO - A success story - Hystersisters Hysterectomy Article

		HysterSisters > Abdominal Hysterectomy Stories Articles
TAH/BSO - A success story

TAH/BSO - A success story

From the Abdominal Hysterectomy Stories Articles List

HysterSisters Articles

Options to Hysterectomy
Pre-Op Hysterectomy
Post-Op Hysterectomy
Hormone and Menopause
Intimacy after Hysterectomy
Fitness after Hysterectomy
GYN Cancer
Hysterectomy Stories
Ask A Doctor

Hi to all. I am 11 weeks post op and feel like I am a success story so I wanted to put my story in here.
I am 46, happily married to the most wonderful guy in the world. I have a 24 year old step-daughter, who is married and made me a Grandma a little over a year ago. I have a 19 year old daughter who is just wonderful. She is an honor student and just made the Dean's List in college. My husband and I were done having kids, (he had a vasectomy many years ago, so that wasn't even an issue for my hysterectomy), but my periods were starting to run my life and I was really getting tired of it.
I had heavy bleeding and 1 to 2 weeks of spotting with every period. I had been having this problem for a couple of years. My regular Dr is an internal medicine specialist, but does regular patient care at a Women's Center near me. We tried every hormone dosage available. Nothing seemed to help. If anything, I think I got worse with everything we tried. She finally did an endometrial biopsy, and sent me for an ultra-sound. The biopsy came back normal. The ultra-sound showed fibroids. I was down to my last option if I wanted to take that jump. I told her I was ready.
She sent me to another Dr to do the surgery. Once there I met him for the first time and liked him and felt comfortable right away. We went over my options. I still had two according to him. Hyst, or we could try the less evasive approach and do a D&C first. He said it might do the trick and it might not, but that it was up to me. Well, to make a longer story short, we tried the D&C with no luck, so I'm back to set up my hyst.
I had to wait about 1 month from the time I actually said let's do it, until I got to the castle. That was the longest month I can remember. I was happy, sad, emotional, worn out, and just plain sick and tired of being sick and tired all the time.
I had to go to pre-op the week before. I got all my instructions, (bowel preps, etc. ) then I had to wait.
I had to eat only clear liquids the entire day before surgery. Yum! Then do a fleets enema that night. Get a good nights sleep, (yea, right) then be at the hospital at 7:00 a.m.
I got up at 4:00 a.m. I wanted to walk before we went to the hospital. I had walked everyday for 2400 days and didn't want surgery to mess that up if I could help it. I got cleaned up and we left. We arrived a little early. It was March 6th, but it was snowy out. I was taken in to be prepped for surgery. My DH was asked to wait in the waiting room and someone would get him once I was settled. I received my grand gown, non-slip socks, a warm blanket, and then I waited. My DH was brought in to wait with me. The nurse started my I.V. (she had some difficulty with it, but she had used a novacaine first so it didn't bother me at all.). I was given something to relax me. I was given a lovely shave, (I had dreaded this and it wasn't too bad really) and waited again. Talked to anethesioligist, then told I would be going soon. Finally my turn. I am wheeled out of the staging area, kiss my DH bye, he goes one way, I go the other. One of the doctor's assisting my Dr walks with me all the way to the operating room. Asks if I have any questions. Tells me my Dr is there and will talk to me before I go to sleep. We go through about 6 or 7 doors. It gets about 10 degrees colder with each door. We get to the operating room. I am immediately covered with a very warm blanket. Ahhhh! My Dr talks to me for a minute, tells me he will take good care of me. I will be having a TAH/BSO. Someone is messing with my left arm, then I don't remember anything until recovery.
I wake up in recovery in much more pain the I thought I would have. There is an oxygen mask on me. I think it's there because I'm breathing hard because I'm hurting. I was in recovery about 2 hours, don't really remember much about it. They take me to my room. I am still having pain. I have a pain pump, but so far it isn't helping and I feel like a baby, but I really do hurt. The nurse asks me if I can slide from my gurney to my bed. I remember thinking H*** no. I just had surgery and I hurt. But I did it somehow. Curious what you can do when you just do it.
My husband is in my room. He looks worried, but it's because I am still hurting so much. I find out now that I had endo really bad and they had to spend a lot of time cleaning it out. So that might be the reason for the extreme pain. I think I would rate it a 10 on the hospital scale. I had a great nurse who kept at it for about 2 hours and finally we got a handle on the pain. The medication had just not caught up with the pain level yet. Suddenly I am feeling much better. But I am not about to put the pain pump down. It was really an uneventful day after that. I rested but was not really sleepy much. I watch TV. Talked to DH. Rested. Felt nauseas once. Called the nurse, she came right in with a shot that worked great. Ate ice chips. Life was good. I also had the leg massagers on. They felt good.
My Dr's assistant, (the one who walked me to the operating room) stopped by to check on the incision. This is the first time I've seen it also. It doesn't look nearly as bad as I had imagined it might look. I have 14 staples in an eight in bikini cut. He says it looks good and leaves.
I get a lovely liquid dinner. I drank the juice and ginger ale, but that's all. Not really in the eating mood yet.
Around 8:00 that evening the second shift nurse came in and asked if I wanted to try to stand up and maybe take a couple of steps. My brain was screaming NO, but I knew it would help with my recovery and I wanted to be able to walk the next day so I said yes. She unhooked my leg things, and got the I.V. pole ready. She moves my catheter bag to the pole. This is the first time that I realize that I even have the catheter in. Ladies, that's how bothersome those are. She helps me to sit by the side of the bed, then I stand up. Not too bad. I walk a little in the room, then we even venture out into the hall for a ways, then back. I know I'm on my way to recovering now.
My DH went home for the night. He had to take care of the dog and we both rested better I think since he went home. I napped, but didn't really sleep too much. Nurses from each shift have to come in and check on you so there seems to be constant activity in your room.
The next morning, very early, a nurse comes in to draw blood. Another comes in and removes the catheter. My DH comes back and my Dr comes to see me. He says I look great. I have a liquid breakfast, lunch and dinner again. I go to the bathroom by myself. I walk quite a few times that day. I have no gas pains, but I have no gas either. Hmmmm.
The next morning I am up and wandering around my room when my Dr comes in and says "Didn't I just operate on you?" I am really feeling good and want to go home, so he says I can as soon as I either have a bowel movement or pass significant gas. I get a real breakfast. No gas, the nurse tries a suppository. Nothing. We walk. We try another fleets. Nothing but the fleets. We walk. She calls Dr. She comes back in and says that the Dr says I'm vapor locked (I thought cars got vapor locked, not people) and that I should lay on my stomach. Hello, I have staples here. I asked her how I should do that and she says that the doctor says anyway I can. So I wander over to the bad and believe it or not ladies, you can lay on your stomach. It's a little difficult getting there and getting back up, but it was really quite comfortable and I did pass gas in just a little while. Yea! I get to go home.
Check out seems to take forever. I just want to go home. Finally we are done. I take the ow-ow-ow ride home. All bumps hurt even with a pillow. Get home and suddenly my very busy morning of trying to pass gas catches up with me. I am so worn out I am shaking. I sit in my recliner, cover up with a warm blanket and take a long nap. I feel much better when I wake up.
Each day of my recovery seemed better than the one before. I didn't lift. I walked everyday with my doctor's blessings. I went in to see him at one week. He removed the staples and said I was going to be his poster child for hysts, that I had done so well. I don't want to be a poster child, but I am glad to be doing so well. He even told me I could drive, but to take it easy. I didn't do that right away.
The next day (day 8 post-op) in our anniversary. We go out to eat for lunch. I even wear my jeans and a nice sweatshirt. Except that I move slowly, no one can even tell. Yea!
At 12 days post-op I rode along to take my daughter back to college. It was a 4 hour car trip total. It didn't bother me. My DH had to go out of town on business when I was 17 days post op for an entire weekend. So I tried driving at 15 days to make sure I could and I did fine. He made sure I have plenty of food in the house before he left. I did fine that weekend too.
At 3 1/2 weeks I had to drive the 4 hour round trip to pick up my daughter at college. I did fine here too.
I am now at 11 weeks. I can mow grass, clean the pool, do laundry, cook, do the dishes. The only thing I can't do yet is the sweeper. I think I'll try it next March

I also haven't tried to scrub the bathtub. That's what my dear family is for, right.
I know that I've made the right decision. I wanted to post my story for all the ladies in waiting out there to let then know that many of us are truely success stories and I am one of them. If any one wants to you can e-mail me and I will be happy to answer anything I can based on my experience. I can't give you medical advise only what I know happened to me.
Good luck ladies and God bless you!

Printer Friendly Version

TAH/BSO - a scary time in my life...

TAH/BSO - A Success Story

Find A Doctor Near You

Robert Castle, M.D. 3650 Joseph Siewick Dr. #203 Fairfax VA 22033 703-391-1500	Jonathan Y Song, M.D. 2455 Dean St. Suite A St. Charles IL 60175 (630) 513-9160	Christina Ellis, M.D. 600 E. Marshall St. Ste. 205 West Chester PA 19380 610-903-6200
Linda Green, M.D. 3001 Coral Hills Dr., Suite 300 Coral Springs FL 33065 954-341-2916	Leonard Rosen, M.D. 3650 Joseph Siewick Dr. #203 Fairfax VA 22033 703-391-1500	Mark Richey, M.D. 1200 Airport Heights Ste 205 Anchorage AK 99508 9072724443
Sherry L Neyman, M.D. Renaissance Women's Group 12201 Renfert Way Ste 200 Austin TX 78758 512-425-3875	Casey Sprague, M.D. 3960 Coon Rapids Blvd. #101 Allina Women's Health Coon Rapids MN 55433 763-236-9236	Molly Senokozlieff, M.D. 9279 A Medical Plaza Dr. North Charleston SC 29406 843-569-2900

Receive support and resources for your hysterectomy related needs: