Greetings from Ontario - 8 days Post Op

Had my LAVH on Monday, May 14th. Uterus, cervix and tubes taken out (to protect my ovaries). Ovaries looked healthy so they let me keep them.

Everything happened fast despite suspecting and fighting for referrals and tests to see if I had endometriosis. Years of brutal heavy periods, pain and anemia and there was little sympathy for me. But once I started having problems with my bowels, I became an urgent case to have the hysterectomy I had been seeking.

In the end, they didn't stop to do any testing beforehand but will be testing everything they took out.

Only thing confirmed was my uterus was retroverted (backwards) and putting pressure on my bowels.

A decision was made ahead of time to take my tubes to protect my ovaries due to a family history of ovarian cancer.

I had surgery at noon, was awake by 1 pm in recovery and home by 7 pm. I felt so fantastic and so relieved the first couple of days, I did WAY too much. I had no pain and just felt like I was having a period - not even the worst period I ever had. Didn't take any pain meds. I mostly felt pressure and a swelly belly. I must have been high from the general anesthetic cause after too many days of doing too much, I crashed. It started with the blues of not being able to do everything I wanted too (gardening) and having to rely on others. I felt great - why shouldn't I do what I want?! My surgery coincided with when I was supposed to get my period anyway so I'm sure there were some hormones involved too.

Then I spent 24 hours in agony with constipation because I ate whatever I wanted without thinking it would have to come out and that might be an issue after surgery. I wish I had only consumed soft foods or liquids until I had gotten past the first couple of scary bowel movements to reassure me all was good in that department.

I did start the stool softeners as directed following the surgery and was drinking lots of water. I continued taking metamucil twice a day as I had been prior to my surgery due to my stubborn bowels which had made the surgery more urgent in the first place.

Nothing worked.

I knew I had been active enough.

I took a laxative. That made it worse. I began cramping like crazy but nothing was moving.

I went to HysterSister website and saw some suggestions about suppository laxatives. My Hubby went and got some for me and they worked almost instantly. It was at that point I became a HysterSister believer!

Have been back since to read the article about "Doing too much too soon" amongst other searches.

My latest weird symptom has been the prickly, itchy hands and feet.

Otherwise, I'm happy to report I've come to my senses and instead of going back to work one week after surgery as originally planned (It's time to take that Superwoman Cape off and send it for dry cleaning ...), I've taken a second week off to REST and HEAL. Hopefully, I haven`t already done so much damage, everything will be okay. I am tired and just trying to go with those feelings. I wish I could sleep cause that`s supposed to help healing but I find I wake up tired and have never been a napper.

Thanks to this website and thanks to everyone who posts and participates. I don't feel alone any more.

Welcome to HysterSisters!

You can meet up with others who have recently had surgery on the Post-Op Hysterectomy Message Board.

Find resources, articles, latest post-op discussions and more on our Post-Op Page.

For more information about managing your journey around the site, visit New Here. General answers to basic questions about the site can be found in our FAQ.

If you need resources for managing menopausal symptoms with or without hormone therapy, visit our Hormone Jungle page for helpful information.

We are glad you registered!

Again, welcome to HysterSisters!

P.S. This is our "Introduce Yourself" forum and its purpose is to point you in the proper direction for the best support for your needs. Only staff can reply here for the purpose of helping you find your way around the HysterSisters.com website. Support by our members is offered in our support forums (links in this reply above) where you can ask your specific questions and receive replies from our members. We look forward to seeing you on the support boards of this site!

It's nice to meet you and to welcome you as a new Sister.

You'll meet members in all stages of recovery when you visit the Post-Op message board. Settle in there and start new threads to ask for support and to ask questions that come up as you heal. Tips and information in the Post-Op Page will help guide you through recovery and of course it's important to call your doctor if you have questions or concerns.

I'm sending best wishes!