I’m single and live by myself and I’m concerned about recovering from my abdominal hysterectomy after I get home from the hospital. How can I manage when I live alone?
No matter what type of procedure you have, a hysterectomy is major surgery. This is not the time to “put on a brave face” and decline assistance upon returning home from the hospital. If you can get help, by all means take it. Whether professional or amateur, any help is better than none.
Upon your discharge from the hospital, your doctor or nurse should inquire about your home environment. If you aren’t asked, speak up! Inform them that you live alone and will be entirely on your own at home. Depending on your type of hysterectomy surgery, your general health and other factors, visiting-nurse services or other medical assistance may be available during your early recovery period. Take advantage of any support offered.
Generally, surgery recovery guidelines are identical for all hysterectomy patients, whether they return from the hospital to a full household or to a solitary setting. Hystersisters.com’s “Gold Standard” guidelines for a healthy recovery can be found here:
Every patient should carefully and thoroughly prepare their recovery area, stock up on easy-to-prepare and nutritious foods and beverages, be sure their home is freshly-cleaned, and have all of the laundry done and other household tasks completed. However, there may be additional concerns if you live alone. The following are some of the many suggestions and tips that have been shared through the years by members of Hystersisters.com:
“The best thing that I did was to make a list of available friends and I asked them ahead of time if anyone would check in on me when I got home. They were very happy to chip in and help! I made copies of my house key so they could come in without me needing to get up to let them in. They also volunteered to help with chores like watering the yard, feeding the dog, getting my mail for me, etc. I asked them to phone first before coming over so I knew to expect them.”
“Consider everything you do as you do it each day, and figure out how to accomplish it if you can't lift over ten pounds, bend easily, or walk far. Start a list of ideas and possible ways to adapt, and add to it whenever a new thought crosses your mind.”
“If you have a grocery delivery service in your area check them out. Also, look up and write down the phone numbers of pizza parlors and other meal-delivery businesses, and have the information handy at your bedside/recovery area, next to a wireless phone or cell phone."
“Put three-month toilet bowl cleaners in your toilet tanks. Be sure your bathroom toiletries like toothpaste, toothbrush, soap, deodorant, and extra toilet paper are on the counter, not under the sink.”
“If you have a staircase, place a chair on the landing. Also put a chair in your shower.”
”As soon as you arrive home, start a 'Medication Diary' and write down the exact time of day whenever you take any pain pills or other medication, and the dosage you took. You can’t rely on your memory only, because you will be groggy or sleepy most of the time.”
Many patients who recover at home without assistance report that various surgery aids were particularly vital, like the Swelly Belly Band (abdominal binder). Tools such as a “grabber” to retrieve dropped items from the floor also come highly recommended by many hysterectomy patients.
The presence of loving pets can certainly be a comfort during a patient’s convalescence, but well-meaning nudges or jumps onto your lap by furry companions can be very painful and even damaging to a healing abdomen. Especially if you don’t have someone available to come to your home to provide daily feeding-and-watering of your pet(s), consider using the services of a pet-sitter or boarding kennel for the first several days or longer if needed.
Hundreds of other recovery suggestions can be found in the Hints for Your Hysterectomy forum. Take some time to browse there, and be sure to have a notebook handy to jot down ideas that you think might be helpful to you.
With forethought and a bit of extra planning, you can experience an “uneventful” hysterectomy recovery, too.
This content was written by staff of HysterSisters.com by non-medical professionals based on discussions, resources and input from other patients for the purpose of patient-to-patient support.
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