I am 2 days post-op for daVinci hysterectomy and kept my ovaries and cervex. Before I had surgery, I read all of these posts hoping to get an idea of what I was in for. I hope my post helps ease other people fears/concerns.
Please forgive typo's as my vision is still bad from the scopalamine patch for nausea. It works great, but I can't really focus on anything close up!
The day before surgery was the pits...I had a bowel-prep, had never done that before, and lost 2 pounds in one day. Not fun, but tolerable.
The surgery went very well, but took a long time, over 3 1/2 hours according to my DH. My uterus was very large and the surgeon said that it was full of fibroids and also scar tissue like endometiosis. This organ has bever been nice to me, so I was happy to see it go!
If you have had myomectomy before (removal of fibroids from uterus) I would say that this is a very similar surgery. I had had several myomectomies before, both "open" surgery as well as laporoscopically. The daVinci felt much like lap. surgery, but perhaps the pain was a bit more, as you end up with 5 incisions, where I think I just had 2 or 3 before?
One tip for fellow sisters out there....take your pain meds! While I was still in the hospital, I was determined to get through it without pain shots or pills and that was a huge mistake. I think the anesthesia was still in my system, maskig the pain, but when it all wore off, OUCH!
So now I am taking my oxycontin and ibuprophen like a champ and generally feel very good now. I seem itchy for some reason...I am not sure why, but I have taken a benadryl and that seems to calm down the itching.
I also have been religiously taking anti-gas meds and stool softeners and I think that has helped with the gas pain.
I always get very nauseated with anesthesia, so they ordered a patch for me to put behind my ear and that really helped too! I only felt just a tiny bit quesy the first time they got me up to walk in the hospital. But it was only 2 hours after I left the recovery room, so I was still pretty out of it and so I only walked a few feet, then back in bed again.
I feel very fortunate that I could go the daVinci route. I had to drive 2 hours to get there, but it was worth it. The hospital I was at was so great, everyone was so friendly and nice, and that made things so much easier.
One last bit of advice, when they bring you that first meal while your still in the hospital...I would advise to skip it or eat very little. You might be a little hungry, but stick to the clear broth and liquids. That gas pain that night was as bad as the pain from my incisions!
All in all, it was a good experience. I am thankful that it's over and now I can focus on getting my strength back to normal. Thanks for the prayers, I belive in the power of prayer, and resulted in many "angels" who helped me at the hospital.
Best wishes to all who have this surgery scheduled. daVinci a wonderful option, I would recommend it.
-- Checking In - Feel Great - Lose Weight The HysterSisters January 'Checking In' eMagazine has been published and should be in your email inbox if you are a regi [More]...
Store »
Hysterectomy Checkpoints
Hysterectomy News [Read More]
What 100,000 Women Know About Hysterectomy
