Is Belly swelling in third week normal?

Hi. I had a total hysterectomy on Feb 17. There was a humongous benign ovarian adenoma in there (bigger than a person's head) plus 4 fibromas, one the size of a soft ball. I had no clue that these were there. There was considerable bruising trying to get all of these out. I am a DES daughter riding point (I was born in 1949) and the docs aren't sure what is going to happen to the DES daughters once they hit menopause. So, the ovarian cyst may have been due to that. Anyway, I felt pretty good by the second week and moved home (I live alone and stayed with a friend for 12 days). Of course, moving home one has to do more. I also run a box turtle and rabbit rescue. At the moment, most of the rabbits and all turtles are still with friends, however, I have one elderly rabbit with me who requires quite a bit of bending, which I try to be careful with. I have noticed that my belly has swelled up again and am wondering if this is normal. It appears from what I have read here that it might be normal, especialy since I have had to be more active taking care of this rabbit. I am asking because one of my friends has said that swelling might indicate an infection. How can I get an infection when the incision is all healed on the outside? So, my question is, is this normal or should I be concerned? There is some pain but not much. I take ibuprofen off and on to see if it will reduce the swelling.

Thanks

Boxiebunny

It's normal to have swelling up to a year. You really should not be bending, especially for a rabbit. And I assume you bend over and pick it up which is a really damaging thing to do. Crouching is worse though, it puts strain on everything and you absolutely must not do it. You do realise you are full of internal stitches?

I echo Mountainwoman2. Your belly will swell whenever you are on your feet too much or do too much. You'll find your belly not too bad in the morning, but by afternoon its starting to swell. Your body is talking to you. remember to rest and take it easy. You went thru a lot! Best wishes!

Hope boxiebunny got the message - no bending.

It was also timely for me too - everyone is away from thehouse today and I'm trying to tidy up because my sister is coming to see my house for the first time. I was also going to do a load of washing because the sun is shining and I am three weeks out from op but after reading the responses to boxiebunny I've decided my sister can see the mess house and the washing will have to get done when kids are home tonight.

to boxiebunny - my sympathies over the rabbit. our cat is ignoring me now because I have not been the one feedign or picking her up. i'm sure she will get over it. can you think of a creative solution- get the rabbit up higher in a box or something so you don't hae to bend???? put your thinking cap on. good luck.

If it is normal swelly belly it will be better in the morning when you wake and get worse as they day goes on, anything other than that would need mentioning to your Dr.

And it took 4 months before it wasn't noticeable to some extent each day. For the next couple of months it appeared whenever I had a really active day, now at 6 months it puts in the occasional appearance.

And no lifting the bunny! Get someone to help you - friends, family, neighbours. Local kids generally love to help with animals :-)

Thanks! Got it. I am working out a better solution. BTW, the bun in question is not even 4 pounds. I give her her meds at chest level while she is standing on a box. I think that the swelly belly came from standing too long the day before. I was organizing my old costume jewelry to give away. Another question: if I go straight down in a vertical position, using my legs and holding onto something with my arms, is it safe to be on hands and knees for a minute or two or to sit on the floor? I don't feel any tuggling on my stitches when I do that and I use my arms and legs to pull myself back up. I understand the restriction on crouching and bending. I can feel the stitches when I crouch or bend.

Boxiebun

I would try to avoid sitting in the floor, what if you got down there & just hadn't the strength to get back up?

Do you have a low stool you can sit on? If you placed it near a sturdy piece or furniture or kitchen cabinet you could use your arms to help you get back up.

Glad it's only a little bunny!

I had a TAH on Feb 23 and i also still notice my belly swelling up by the end of the day.. but i am in full swing around here except for lifting heavy items. anyway, on my 1 wk post op, my Dr asked why i was still so swollen? I'm thinking DUH?? swelly belly, but he said i needed to take some Milk of Magnesia (sp) because i needed to have Bms.. even though i was going reg. Long story short i took some and like magic my stomach went way down.. maybe this will help someone take care everyone

I am sure this is a stupid Q but what is a DES Daughter?

Jade, DES is a drug that was given to women many years ago to avoid miscarriage. It was discovered later that it caused many ill effects to the children whose mother took it. My mother took it for 3 of her four pregnancies, including with me (I was born in 1962). Its use started to fade out fairly soon after. Some of the effects on the children, include increased risk of some kinds of cancer, sterility in men. I've been lucky and so have my siblings. None of us have shown any ill effects. My current OBGYN doesn't even know about my exposure, I'd kind of forgotten about it.


TAH 2/19/09
Kept one ovary, did not keep cervix