1 Week Post-Op TRAVH

Hi Everyone!!

I am one week post-op and need some support/advice. I had a Total Robotic-Assisted Vaginal Hysterectomy; both ovaries and cervix removed. I do not seem to be having any obvious menopausal symptoms to speak of yet, except for maybe a few hot flashes and night sweats. I am having a hard time adjusting to not carrying on my normal routine and allowing others to assume caring for my kids. 6 weeks seems like forever away!

I developed a bladder/kidney infection 3 days after surgery, but stopped taking the prescribed antibiotics after 3 days d/t serious side effects. I have not been experiencing UTI symptoms since stopping. Other than that, I seem to be doing okay.

I do, however, have a few questions/concerns:

1. Is it normal to have steady, even slightly increased vaginal drainage following this procedure? Where the heck is it coming from if I am sutured closed? The drainage started as a creamy-peach and has progressed to a pastel-brown with flesh-like particles occasionally. There is a musty smell to it.

2. Should I be concerned of compromising the cuff created with having numerous loose bowel movements? I originally was terribly constipated and had to use a supp after day 7 with no BM (horrible experience!), but now have the other extreme that began shortly after beginning the antibiotics.

3. What are your feelings/experiences regarding HRT vs No replacement? I opted out for now, as my hormones never treated me kindly, but may change my mind if the symptoms creep up and take over. The more I research, the more difficult the decision seems to be. There doesn't seem to be a definite answer. However, I am a very underweight, 34-year-old, Caucasian female, who smoked for many years, with no thyroid... My concern is osteoporosis. Thoughts?

Phew! I hope I didn't overwhelm you all! It just feels so nice to have a place to go for help from people who truly understand. What a journey this is!

[quote=Undaunted;4736278]Hi Everyone!!

I am one week post-op and need some support/advice. I had a Total Robotic-Assisted Vaginal Hysterectomy; both ovaries and cervix removed. I do not seem to be having any obvious menopausal symptoms to speak of yet, except for maybe a few hot flashes and night sweats. Icaring for my kids. 6 weeks seems like forever away

I do, however, have a few questions/concerns

3. What are your feelings/experiences regarding HRT vs No replacement? I opted out for now, as my hormones never treated me kindly, but may change my mind if the symptoms creep up and take over. The more I research, the more difficult the decision seems to be. There doesn't seem to be a definite answer. However, I am a very underweight, 34-year-old, Caucasian female, who smoked for many years, with no thyroid... My concern is osteoporosis. Thoughts?


Hello there. I too had everything removed as you did last week and so far I've only dealt with the hot flashes and night sweats. However last night I didn't sleep well and had crazy dreams.

I've talked to several friends and relatives that were young when they had there hysterectomy and many of them took an estrogen supplement either as a pill or patch.

As for me being a 52 yr old I'm personally trying not to take anything until my body tells me I have too.

Keep me posted. Tawnya

	Quote:
Originally Posted by Undaunted 1. Is it normal to have steady, even slightly increased vaginal drainage following this procedure? Where the heck is it coming from if I am sutured closed? The drainage started as a creamy-peach and has progressed to a pastel-brown with flesh-like particles occasionally. There is a musty smell to it.

To me it sounds as if you might have an infection. Call your doc on this one.

	Quote:
2. Should I be concerned of compromising the cuff created with having numerous loose bowel movements? I originally was terribly constipated and had to use a supp after day 7 with no BM (horrible experience!), but now have the other extreme that began shortly after beginning the antibiotics.

The antibiotics killed off the "good" bacteria in your guts. You need to restock. Eat plain yogurt with active cultures. If you don't like yogurt, take probiotic capsules.

	Quote:
3. What are your feelings/experiences regarding HRT vs No replacement? I opted out for now, as my hormones never treated me kindly, but may change my mind if the symptoms creep up and take over. The more I research, the more difficult the decision seems to be. There doesn't seem to be a definite answer. However, I am a very underweight, 34-year-old, Caucasian female, who smoked for many years, with no thyroid... My concern is osteoporosis. Thoughts? Phew! I hope I didn't overwhelm you all! It just feels so nice to have a place to go for help from people who truly understand. What a journey this is!

I'm skinny and of European descent myself, so I get your osteoporosis fears. And having finished menopause in '09, had my ovaries removed in '13 and had pelvic radiation in '14, I'm now dealing with osteopenia (porosis' kid sister) in my hips.

Whether or not you decide to take HRT, be sure to:
- Get plenty of weight-bearing exercise; and
- Get plenty of dietary calcium.
- Get sufficient vitamin D.

There's a lot to unpack in that.

I developed a bladder/kidney infection 3 days after surgery, but stopped taking the prescribed antibiotics after 3 days d/t serious side effects. I have not been experiencing UTI symptoms since stopping. Other than that, I seem to be doing okay.


Have you told your Dr you stopped taking the antibiotics? I understand the side effects making you stop, but not completing the series leaves the toughest bacteria alive to potentially regrow stronger than before. Your Dr may want you to take a different antibiotic to make sure those buggers are dead.

1. Is it normal to have steady, even slightly increased vaginal drainage following this procedure? Where the heck is it coming from if I am sutured closed? The drainage started as a creamy-peach and has progressed to a pastel-brown with flesh-like particles occasionally. There is a musty smell to it.

This sounds pretty normal. There can be seepage from the wound, and potentially leaking through the stitches until the incision is fully healed. You want to get worried if you are seeing dark yellow or green puss, or bright red bleeding that soaks a pad in less than an hour.

I wouldn't think loose stool would be a problem to the cuff as they wouldn't come in contact, but haven't read anything on it to confirm. I was able to keep my ovaries and they appear to be functioning normally so I got nothing there either.. Someone else needs to chime in!

Stopping antibiotics early is a bad, bad idea. First, you likely won't get rid of the infection that you had. Second, as someone else mentioned, the weakest bacteria gets killed off fairly easily but if you don't take your antibiotics long enough, the strongest ones are still alive. And they will reproduce, so before long you could have a worse infection than you started with.

The musty smell also signals a possible infection. I would call the dr. He/she might want you to switch to a different antibiotic.

Update:

I went for an appt today and the doc has decided to take the "wait and see" approach. The discharge has continued to progress in amount, and yes, has a musty smell, but not offensive to indicate an infection. The doc believes that because I have not been taking NDAIDs (d/t GI issues) like most people do post-op, my vaginal cuff is in full-blown inflammatory response. Because of this, fluid was able to become trapped within the cuff tissue layers, hence encouraging the inflammatory response, increasing mucus production, and facilitating leakage out the vaginal canal. So, I think I may start on Omega-3 to decrease inflammation and boost my healing ability.

As for stopping my antibiotic prematurely, I did so because of the serious adverse effects it ailed me. It was necessary, where the risk well outweighed the benefit. The particular antibiotic I was taking is usually only prescribed for a total of 3-5 days. So, taking for 3 was sufficient to serve its purpose. This was a decision that was made between my doctor and myself, not an uneducated decision I made on my own. I am aware of the consequences of not completing a prescribed dose, as I am a nurse, and deal closely with medications on a daily basis. However, orders are also revised based on adverse event occurance, individual tolerance, and each unique circumstance. Protocols and pharmaceutical companies provide guidelines, not a script set in stone for treating conditions.

Nevertheless, I hope this bump is behind me and I continue to do well in my recovery!

Thank you all for your insight!
Hope your own journeys are going well!