TAH Pain at 4 weeks post hysterectomy

I had a TAH 4 weeks ago today with a relatively uneventful recovery so far.

The first week after surgery I experienced almost no pain, just mild discomfort, stiffness and anxiousness.

In the last week I havexstsrted having some pains at the ends of my incision and at assorted points on my belly.

My swelly belly is in full force and I feel discomfort when it really swells up from the pressure.

I suspect the pain is from being more active, but I feel like I'm taking it rather easy. Today I did no housework, took a shower, wandered around a plant nursery for 45 minutes and ate lunch at a sit down restaurant before coming home to ride the couch and nap.

I suspect my doc will just say it is from my increased activity but I'm nervous because I had no pain to start and now have occasional pain that causes me to wince or hold my breath.

Another possibility I've considered is my internal stitches are beginning to dissolve, so the tissue has less support. I sneezed a minute ago and it really stung for around 30 seconds, which is new with a sneeze.

I stopped taking my narcotic pain meds and have been managing with only Advil and wine since about 5 days post op. Is it crazy to go back to the narcotic?

The pain just sets me on edge because I'm afraid im hurting myself. I'm also terrified of needing to have another procedure.

Thanks for listening, and I appreciate any words of wisdom. I'm scheduled to see my doc again on June 1.

It could be your internal stitches dissolving.
You are still healing, it takes a good 6-8 weeks to do your initial healing so be patient.
Its good to listen to your body and rest when you need to.
Advil is definitely good. I would not be drinking wine but of course i am against alcohol in any form.
And as always if you are concerned check with your doctor to be sure you are healing correctly. Ask your doctor about muscle relaxants before going back on narcotics. I found they helped ease off the extra pain with the dissolving stitches, robaxecet is good (combo of tylenol and methocarbamol (the muscle relaxant) and theres one with ibuprofen and methocarbamol out there too so that might be good to help both inflammation and to relax the muscles in one pill and also theres prescription flexeril that could help)
But if you start to fill a pad an hour with discharge, or it smells foul or you have a fever be sure to get to your doctor asap.
Hope this helped a bit and hope the pain eases.
Take care

Hello Tralisa,

I have had a similar experience to what you are describing.

My pain level & the amount of swelling I have is directly related to my activity level. In the first few weeks post op, I would fatigue very quickly & had very little energy... therefore, by default, I was resting a lot & taking lots of naps & I found that I was fairly comfortable.

As my energy level started increasing in my 3rd week post op & increasing even more as I approached my 4th week post op, I started pushing myself to do more, & I have been a lot more active because my stamina was increasing. This regularly results in evenings or days like tonight, where I have taken advil & am laying in bed with a big gel ice pack across my tummy.

I too love a good glass of wine 🍷 & have had a glass here & there, so it really made me smile when I read you've "been managing on advil & wine" lol! Due to to multiple unrelated major surgeries I've had in the past few years, I've had only limited windows of time when I felt comfortable drinking wine, so it's been a real treat to have a little wine lately!

Regarding you resuming narcotic pain control or muscle relaxers at this point in your recovery, I think you should definitely put a call in to your Dr & explain that you are experiencing transient pain or discomfort, & ask them if they feel it's appropriate to prescribe you something. Sometimes, it's actually easier on your system to be prescribed an effective prescription pain med, rather than take large amounts of Advil, since Advil has side effects too.

Hang in there... I know it's hard to continue taking it easy. I find it very frustrating, & I find it is very easy to overdue it before I realize I've overdone it. I've noticed that at this point in my recovery (4 weeks out) I have learned to pay close attention to any discomfort or pain I am feeling which has me hyper focusing on any twinges, pains, etc.

My urogynocologist made it very clear to me that at 4 through 6 weeks post op I may experience spotting or increased discomfort if I was too active, due to the stitches dissolving & the stage of healing I would be at. He also said to always call if I note a new or increased pain... kind of contradictory, but I feel like I have a fairly good grasp on the pain I create by being active vs. Pain that is a complication. If I find myself in doubt about why I'm in pain or if I'm wondering if it's normal, I just call in to my surgeon.

Soon enough we'll be further along in our recoveries & we'll be offering words of wisdom to others!!

Thank you both for the input. Thinking over my activity for the last couple of days, I have been on my feet (even if not extremely active) way more in the last two days than I had previously been. I'm terribly bored and I'm not so lethargic.

You are quite welcome. Interestingly, for me, I have found that sitting upright is harder on my body (creates more pain) than quietly standing or laying. I have become keenly aware of how frequently my position or activity engages my abs!

I must say it is a comfort to read all of your posts here. I am at about 4 1/2 weeks. Yesterday I felt so good I walked more than usual and even did a bit of chores. I started aching hours later, not right after the activity. Today was no walking, more Advil and ice packs too. Discouraging because I had been off all the Advil for a few days. The Advil isn't really cutting it either.
My pains are right up the middle of the lower belly, where uterus was and bladder is now I guess. It even feels like pain sensations shoot down the urethra sometimes.
It is SO hard to wait for all the stitches to dissolve and tissues to heal up strong. You girls make me wish I liked wine.
And I know what you mean about sitting, even on the recliner it feels like everything is sort of being shoved into the sore zone.
Thanks for posting. Praying we all heal thoroughly!!!