Article: Fibromyalgia & Hysterectomy Surgery

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Article: Fibromyalgia & Hysterectomy Surgery
Has anyone with fibromyalgia had hysterectomy? What helped you recover? I'm already exhausted all the time. My surgery is scheduled and I want to make sure I talk to my doctor about any precautions to take or anything that might be helpful.

The following techniques have been used with success for preventing and easing what FMS patients recognize as a “fibro-flare.” Surgery, trauma, stress, and lack of sleep are all factors that can trigger a flare. A hysterectomy and its effects on the body can cause an already pain-sensitive patients to go into overload. The following list of suggestions was designed to help FMS surgical patients make their operation and recovery time easier.

If you are to be intubated, request that you wear a soft neck collar and that neck hyperextension be minimized.
Ask to be administered a pre-op opioid pain medication, about 1-1/2 hours before surgery. Opioids are morphine or morphine-related drugs. The reason for pre-op use is to minimize central sensitization as this inevitably worsens the widespread pain that you are already experiencing.
As a fibromyalgia patient you will need more, and usually a longer-acting, post-op pain medication. In most cases this medication should be given on a timely schedule or self-administered with a PCA (patient controlled analgesia) pump.
Ask to have a long-acting local anesthetic infiltrated into your incision. Even though you are under sedation, this can minimize pain impulses reaching the spinal cord and brain.
Request that your arm with the IV line be kept close to your body, not away and not over your head.
Most fibromyalgia patients require a longer duration of post-op convalescence, which may include physical therapy in many cases.

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.