 LSH on January 14: 6 weeks post-surgery today! |
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I am 46 years old and have had increasing pain from fibroids and adenomyosis for the last 3 years. It finally reached the point that taking upwards of 2400 mg of Advil every day was not touching the pain. I couldn't sleep, couldn't concentrate during the day on work, just basically was ruined for 3 days a month. I put it off for so long because compared to other women's problems(severe bleeding, pain most days of the month), mine didn't seem so bad. I finally decided that because I travel with my job, the uncertainty of not knowing when I would have pain was too much. (ever sat in the middle seat of a plane with pain level 8 cramps? I have, more times than I can count!)
What follows is just a kind of summary of my surgery and recovery, and advice that I would give to anyone who asked me about this particular surgery(I had the daVinci robotic method). I never posted before here on hystersisters, but was so grateful for all the posts that I read that gave me great advice. So I want to post my story so it might help someone else who is wondering what their experience might be like.
--before you go to the hospital, make sure that you have brought in a supply of Gas Ex anti-gas meds; Colace stool softeners; and I ended up using Preparation H suppositories(helped with the first few BMs the week after surgery when your bowels are not moving as well as they normally do and you can get a little sore down there!) I also got an abdominal binder from the pharmacy(the 30-45 inch size will work for anyone normally under a size 10 in slacks). The binder really helps support your abdomen after surgery; wear it over your clothes. It allows you to stand up straighter and breathe more deeply, which in turn helps with the gas pains. As for nightgown vs. PJ's, I found that PJ's were fine as long as the bottoms had a drawstring and not a tight waistband. I tucked the PJ Top in the bottoms, or else just wore a long Turtleneck tucked into the PJ's so I had nice softness next to my incisions. As for clothes other than PJ's? Who cares? You're recovering, wear those PJ's with pride all day! (the first few days, anyway!)
--do not, DO NOT, under any circumstances go ahead with the surgery if you have any inkling that you are going to get a cold. You know your own body, and when you are getting those early symptoms of a cold. Even if you think you can fool the doctor (no fever, no runny nose, no outward symptoms), YOU DO NOT want to have a cold with a cough in the first week after your surgery. The only bad pain I felt post-surgery was when I swallowed something the wrong way and had to cough....it felt like a knife in my belly! Pain was a 10! Keep a small, firm pillow with you at all times at home and if you do have to cough, hold the pillow against your tummy and it will make the pain of the cough more bearable.
--my "bowel purge" the day before the surgery was uneventful. I have had a colonoscopy before so I knew what to expect. Don't worry about drinking anything that is red or purple; most of the bowel cleanse instructions are written for colonoscopy when you would not want the red dye to interfere with the view of your colon. For laparoscopic surgery, that's not an issue. They are cleaning you out so you won't have any bowel gas or distention to worry about(you'll have enough gas to deal with from them blowing your abdomen up with the CO2 gas for the visualization.) My gas pains were not that bad, but they were there, and that is what the Gas Ex is for. Some women say the gas pains were as bad as labor pains. The gas can travel around your body and hit the weirdest spots; your shoulder, just under your breastbone....take the GasEx... you'll be glad you did. One gas symptom I had the first couple of days was a tingling and numbness in the fingers of one of my hands(it would come and go), because I must have had a gas bubble in my shoulder that was pressing on a nerve.
--make sure that you have a plastic bucket in the car for the ride home in case you get nauseous. I have had 3 surgeries that require general anesthesia, but this was the only one where I had nausea. Evidently, they have to put you DEEP UNDER for this, and even though they gave me anti-nausea meds in the hospital, the motion in the car was enough to send me over the edge. (thank God for the all-weather floor mats, ewwww!)
--my hospital did not have provisions for secure storage of your clothing, not even your eyeglasses, let alone your purse. Make sure that you find out from your hospital how they will handle your things. Does your DH need to hold your stuff? (My DH put all of my stuff in the car(except my glasses, which he kept with him and brought to me in the recovery room.)
--my surgery was at 7:30 am and I was able to go home that night(about 9 pm). They will want you to pee in the hospital before they let you go, and that was very difficult for me. Think about it; your uterus sits behind your bladder; your bladder is catheterized during the surgery; your bladder just lost its neighbor (the uterus) who had previously provided a measure of support. Your bladder is traumatized! The trick that finally helped me relax and be able to pee in the hospital was to wet a paper towel with warm water and brush it lightly around my pubic area. The warmth and wetness helped relax my muscles so I could finally pee.
--as for pain meds....other than 1 percocet when I got home the night of the surgery, I never took another narcotic. The next day, I felt uncomfortable and sore, but it was one tenth the pain I felt every month with my cramps. I took some Advil for a few days to help with the soreness, but that was it. The Gas Ex was more important!
--hang onto your pads, because you will have some bleeding or spotting afterwards. You can have a throw-out-your-tampons party later! In fact, because I chose to keep my cervix, and I still have my ovaries, during that time of the month(I've had two cycles so far), I actually spot for a couple of days, which my doctor says is normal because there is enough tissue in the cervix to respond somewhat like a period. I actually kind of like that....I know my ovaries are still working! But all the horrible monthly pain is gone!
--do you have a recliner chair? I recommend sleeping in it the first week....it's REALLY HARD to get out of bed in the morning because your abdomen is so sore, and after 3-4 hours of sleeping on your back, it gets uncomfortable, too. (It hurt too much to sleep on my side....felt like my insides were moving around, hard to describe, just very weird and uncomfortable). And, keep a towel under you(with the length of it perpendicular to your legs); when you go to sit up, you can grab the edges of the towel to assist you in sitting up(your arms can contract and help pull you up instead of your sore tummy muscles).
--my bladder did not go back to normal for about 2 weeks. In fact the first week I was convinced I had a bladder infection because of the pressure, urgency, frequency and bloated feeling, all the symptoms of a raging bladder infection EXCEPT no burning upon urination. It's fine now.
--I didn't have a BM until 4 days after my surgery. I was eating right, lots of liquids and fruit and such, but I think your body is so thoroughly cleaned out from the bowel cleanse, plus you really don't have much of an appetite and aren't eating as much(I lhad lost 5 pounds off my 140 pound body at my 2 week checkup.) First couple of BMs a little weird, kind of sluggish, like my bowels were just waking up. I found the Preparation H suppositories and the stool softeners really helped ease things for that first 1-2 weeks!
--4-5 days post surgery I developed a fever that ran 99-100(my normal body temp runs low, usually 97). Doctor wasn't worried, said that surgery recovery can bring on slight fever. Fever resolved within a few days.
--I usually do Yoga to help with my back(I have a back/hip problems) and obviously couldn't do this during first couple of weeks. What really helped, especially when I was achy in the morning, was to roll a soft ball against the wall with my back. Roll it along my back, hips, butt....you could use a tennis ball or any smallish ball.
--walk, walk walk!! I literally set a kitchen timer for 15 minutes and walked a path around my kitchen, dining room, and living room. I did this every 1-2 hours, all day. It helps prevent blood clots, helps dissipate the gas, helps you start to stand taller, breather better....everything! The first day and first week you will feel like a 90 year old woman, you will walk so slowly, but watch how your steps get stronger and faster day by day. This is where the abdominal binder was a huge help, helping you to stand taller and walk better.
--as for "milestones" of what I was able to do....everyone is different, but here was mine. My first venture out of the house was to the movies, 6 days after surgery. For that outing, I had lunch out with my DH, saw the movie, walked around the mall a little bit, and went home to happily collapse in my Lazy Girl(my name for my Lazy Boy recliner). Because I work in sales, I am either on the road traveling and visiting customers, or else I am working out of my home office(a spare bedroom), on the phone and the computer. I was able to drive 7 days post surgery. I was able to start working from home 11 days after my surgery(honestly, I could have started that sooner but wanted to baby myself and take at least those 7 days off). I did take a 30 minute nap a couple of times during that first week of working at home. By day 18, I was able to venture out for local sales calls. 26 days post surgery, I drove to Boston for an overnight business trip. 4 weeks; I took my first plane business trip to Chicago. (I live near New York City) For both of these overnight trips, I needed help with my luggage(like, couldn't even take it out of the trunk of my car). The most amazing thing is how each day, each week, you notice your strength and your endurance getting better and better. 4 weeks and a day after surgery, I took the bus into NYC, then the subway all the way downtown, to attend a work related event. I was doing great, but by the time I took the subway back uptown, and had to walk the long tunnel to the Port Authority....I was tired. Some 70 plus year old New Yorker, who admittedly was a fast walker by birth, passed me by like I was standing still. As I write this, I am exactly 6 weeks post surgery and I would say that I am 90% there. My tummy is still a little sore if I try to do too much, but I'm back to my usual 4 mph on my treadmill walks and gradually stepping up my yoga routine.
Hope this helps! To all the hystersistes out there: you'll be so glad you are having this done....for me, the joy of waking up the morning after the surgery and realizing that my surgical pain was NOTHING compared to my monthly pain....that was such a relief, like YEAH! I made the right decision....why did I wait so long?
All the best to everyone!
Related Titles
7 weeks post op today!
TVH 5 weeks ago today
today is 2 weeks since davinci hyst.
TVH - 4 weeks post op today
TAH/BSO - 2 weeks post op today
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