TAH/BSO - It's done, done, done! - Hystersisters Hysterectomy Article

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TAH/BSO - It's done, done, done!

TAH/BSO - It's done, done, done!

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Hi sisters,

Well, it's really over - and it was an experience that turned out to be not as bad as I expected. I'll recap my experience and hopefully it will help you out as well. I had a TAH/BSO on November 27th. It was optional surgery - kind of. They discovered a fairly large fibroid and also my uterus was enlarged. They had to go through the abdomen because of that. I'm 47 and stopped having my period totally about 18 months ago - plus I had had my tubes tied when I was in my 20's.. They said a hysterectomy was due but I could do it now or later. Knowing I couldn't deal with that hanging over my head I went ahead and scheduled the surgery.

The operation was scheduled for 7:30AM so we were at the hospital about 5:45AM. Some blood draws, form signing, talking with nurses, surgeons and chaplains, and off to the OR I go. I remember lying on the table talking to a nurse and the surgeon, then the next thing was waking up in recovery. That was the worst part. I was extremely groggy, I knew what was going on, my mouth was SO dry I could hardly talk and I could feel pain. I remember the nurse telling me they would give me something, then I vaguely remember getting onto another bed, then waking up in my room. The first day and a half are sort of clear - I was hooked up to a PCA pump so whenever I felt pain I hit the button and got relief - I could do this every 12 minutes. I had a catheter as well and ice water to sip. They had also strapped compression stockings on me….they reminded me of the protection hockey players wear - except these were from the knees on down. They plugged into an outlet and would expand with air, hold for a few seconds then release. This was to keep the blood going through my veins as I wasn't walking yet.
I wolud say I wasn't in so much pain as I was uncomfortable….difficult to switch positions, my stomach was swollen, had the stockings on my legs, was drugged up…..not a real alert time for me. The nurses were super…..always apologizing when they had to wake me up to get my vitals - which they did about every 4 hours. The surgeon stopped by and told me they had also found I had endometriosis and he was surprised I hadn't been complaining of pain….he referenced it was quite a mess in there. So all in all it seems this was the right thing to do!

Day 2 brought more alertness and more aggressive nursing as well. One problem was my catheter fell out - I sure didn't know it - I was numb and swollen, but I was feeling pressure. By then I had the oxygen feed out of my nose and was a little more mobile - but still hooked up the the IV, PCA pump and those stockings. They had me sit on the side of the bed the first night, and then on this day it was time to walk. I shuffled big time but did pretty good. Thank goodness for the IV stand to hold onto!! Then they had me take a shower …..that was bizarre. I sat on a shower chair, they put a glove over my hand that had the IV and taped it so no water would come in….and of course told me to not spray water directly on the incision. As luck would have it - the IV was hooked into my left hand and that was the side of the shower the sprayer was on - probably one of the more awkward showers I've ever taken. But it felt good just to wash my hair if nothing else.

At this point I'm not eating yet - just ice water and IV fluids. But the catheter is out - the downside is everytime I have to pee I needed to call a nurse to help me shuffle to the bathroom.
Day 3 - and I'm supposed to be released this day. I sure didn't feel ready. For breakfast they brought me hot tea, 7-up, juice, and chicken broth. The broth was way too salty so I stuck with the juice and some 7-up. I did get nauseous a number of times but eventually my system calmed down. The surgeon told me I was staying there one more day (thank you !!!) until he started seeing my system respond (You know what that means ladies - the gas pass :>)

They did take me off the IV - I walked the hallway a few times each day (usually going down and looking for babies in the nursery) and sat up more. The compression stockings were off too. The surgeon gave me percocets for pain and that was the first REAL sleep I had while I was in the hospital. At the end of Day 3 they tried me on real food (at least that's what they called it). Now my hubby had been raving about the food in the cafeteria so I was ready - I had an appetite and wanted to chew something. They brought me spaghetti with meatballs, peas and rice pudding. The spaghetti was like they had taken a can of stewed tomatoes and mixed it with pasta - really no flavor at all which was probably good for me in the long run. I don't care for rice pudding - so munched on a piece of bread and the peas! And I had the ever popular - much anticipated gas pass. It did help with some of the pressure. Now you also have to realize that every afternoon this little old lady would come into every room with a Volunteer Dessert Tray - she would give you anything off that tray you liked - we are talking cookies, carrot cake, cheesecake, hot chocolate etc. And I could have none of it. That was cruel!!!

Day 4 - and it's time for me to go home. I had a bowl of cereal for breakfast and left about 10:30. We went straight to the drugstore to get a tray table for over my lap and my prescription drugs. That day I lied around, took a nap etc. The next day I walked outside for the first time with the help of my hubby for about 10 minutes - did that twice that day. I'm still a little nauseous though so am not eating a lot - just enough to get me by. I'm also lying around a lot. On Sunday I had SO much energy I was pacing the house. Who knows where that came from.
Looking back on my 2 weeks home it hasn't been bad at all. I walked every day and am now walking 35-40 minutes once a day, just as I did before the surgery - just not as fast. I have taken NONE of the pain pills they prescribed. I hate that feeling they give me - I just took an Alleve every 8 hours to help with the swelling. The staples came out 8 days after surgery and that helped with the feeling of discomfort as well. I had a nervous stomach for about a week too but that also went away. My appetite returned in full force exactly one week later - while riding around with hubby - we stopped in McDonalds and it was delicious! There was swelling naturally and I'm very grateful for sweatpants. I was 10 pounds heavier when I came home because of swelling but I got on the scale this morning and have lost 11 pounds so we're back to normal. There was never really any pain - just discomfort. I found it hard to change positions for the first 10-14 days…and that gets a little better each day. Sitting for a long period of time gets to me too and I have to stand up and stretch out that area a little. My system returned to normal in about 2-3 days. The nurses told me to take a stool softener to help the "process" start up again….well I took a couple too many and ended up in the bathroom a lot (oops) but we're back to normal.

I'm still trying not to life anything too heavy - but I'm doing the stairs just fine. And I can drive. I wore jeans the other day but by the end of the day I was very ready to get back into sweats! And everyone was right - the waiting IS the worst part. Once the surgery is over you're totally focused on your recovery! I feel super,

am quite mobile (no jogging yet) and am getting off of furniture with a little more mobility......(for the first 10 days or so it was stomach first and that was awkward!)

If I had any suggestions they would be these:
1) If you have the luxury of a fair amount of time before the surgery, start walking. Get yourself up to a good pace and for a good amount of time. I swear that has helped me SO much in my recovery.
2) Keep visitors to a minimum - especially the first 2 days. I had conversations I don't remember and really didn't have the energy to carry on with
3) Get sweatpants and large undies (really). The last thing you want when you come home is any restrictions around your stomach.
4) Go with what your body is telling you. There are days I feel super - and I've had days where I've never gotten out of my robe.
5) Ask questions of anything you don't understand - be it from the surgeon or nurses.
6) Take care of yourself……every day - drink lots of fluids…..and do what the doctor says.

And as part of this ramble I want to thank everyone on this site who answered my questions and supported me before the surgery. Folks could not have been nicer and this site has been the BEST thing for me. So many questions and issues were addressed……and I didn't know anyone to ask all these questions I had so....thanks and cyber hugs to all of you!!!

Bobbie
TAH/BSO 11/27/01

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