Question for princesses who had their hyst laparoscopically

I will be having my hysterectomy sometime in June -- still waiting for the exact date. My doctor hopes to do it laparoscopically, leaving my cervix and one remaining ovary. (There's a chance he'll get in there and have to open me up because of endo, though.)

For those of you who had the lap surgery, how was your recovery? I'm curious about whether or not you had a catheter, how long it stayed in, how soon you were able to walk and pee, whether or not you had the same gas/constipation problems I'm reading about, and how long your recovery at home took.

My doctor has told me to plan on being out of work four to six weeks, which is fine. I'm just wondering what I'll be able to do during my home recovery, how soon I'll be able to walk, how long I'll be really tired, etc.

I assume if the surgery is lap, the recovery is somewhat easier. Is that correct?

Many thanks for any insight you can offer!

I had an LAVH/BSO on 12/5. Like you, I was told there is always the chance that the doctor may end having to do an TAH. Every day I'm thankful that my doctor was comfortable and experienced enough to do the LAVH and that my circumstances were right for this type of surgery.

I have my surger as an outpatient and did great. I was in the OR at 7am and home by 5pm. My doctor told me that the recovery would be a lot like the recovery from my previous laps for endo and for the most part he was right. He was expecting I would be out of work for 2 weeks but, my job approved Short Term Disability for 4 weeks so I took it.

When I first came out of surgery I had a cath. The nurse took it out about 5 hours after the surgery. At about 8 hours I was able to go to the bathroom for that all-important first pee.

After about 2 weeks I felt pretty good. It's like I told my doctor "It's been 2 weeks and I could probably go back to work, but I'd just be dragging by the end of the day and they've given me 4 weeks so I'm going to take it." I'm glad I did. Even returning to work after 4 weeks had me dragging by the end of the day (I'm a secretary).

At 2 weeks I was released to drive. Even though I could get out and about, I got tired easy so I didn't venture too far from home.

Good luck with your surgery.

Some women have an "easy" recovery from LAVH and some have a recovery similar to what TAH women do. I think it all depends on the things that are done during your surgery and what your own physical condition is prior to surgery.

My experience was not terrific and I felt there was only a marginal difference between laparoscopic surgery and a traditional laparotomy, (bikini cut surgery, I had one 16 years ago for extensive adhesions) For me, there was no real difference in pain level, just the pain's location. The main difference is the freedom of movement, in my experience I could walk around and reach and bend much quicker and easier after the LAVH than the abdominal surgery.
I was in the OR for 2 and a half hours. I was in the hospital for 32 hours. I honestly cannot say when the cath came out. I was so drugged out. I think it came out 24 hrs after surgery. I'm sure I had it all night the day of surgery. I was on my feet and walking mid-day the next day.

So, IMHO, LAVH can be an "easier" surgery on the patient, but not always. It has possibilities. I have read some TAH experiences that were better and easier recoveries than mine.
Six one way, half dozen the other.
Your experience will be challenging but you will get through it, no matter what.
The waiting, wondering and pre-op fears are awful, I truly feel for you.

Does it make a difference that I am NOT having a vaginal hysterectomy? They are leaving my cervix, so from what I understand, they will go in laparoscopically, cut the uterus and bring it out through a small incision in my abdomen.

Just wondering if the vaginal compenent makes it easier or more difficult to recover.

Thanks!

Susan

This is purely speculative on my part, but I would say it seems logical that you would have an easier time of it with no large abdominal incision and no trauma to the vagina.
That would be the best of all possible worlds. And honestly, if I had known that could be done prior to my surgery, I certainly would have asked that my surgeon try it.

Good luck to you.

I had a LSH and am 10 days post-op. My recovery has been unbelievably easy. I have been walking 3 miles per day with doctor's consent. I am a fitness instructor and was in pretty decent shape before.

I had my surgery at 3 p.m. It took 2 hours as they had to clean up some endo. When I woke up, pain was about a 4-5...nothing like some of the monthly pain I had experienced as it was very tolerable. I had 1/2 dose of Demerol as I'm allergic to Morphine and was fine and slept comfortably after making phone calls. I did have a catheter which came out the next morning. I was anxious to get up and walk. They finally got someone to unhook me at about 10:30 a.m. and off I took...well, not quite, I looked like a 90 year old grandma.

Anyway, I went home that afternoon (my doctor was in surgery so I couldn't get released before). The only discomfort was some gas pains as in gastro-intestinal gas. I never had shoulder or back pain from the gas used during the LSH. My stomach looked 6 mo. pregnant when I got home, but gradually diminished over the first week.

Anyway, I am doing GREAT! I am thrilled that I had this procedure as the recovery has been so easy!

Let me know if I can answer any further questions.

Good luck to you!

Glenda

Thanks for your response, Glenda! I'm so glad to hear your recovery has been relatively easy. I've had three laps, the last of which involved having my right ovary removed, so I know what that recovery is like. I know there will be significantly more internal pain with the hyst, but I'm hoping the overall recovery will be a bit easier than with a TAH.

Thanks again and best wishes as you continue to recover!

I had a LAVH 2 years ago ( had my uterus and cervix removed and kept both ovaries). The actual surgery lasted about 2 hours. My catheter was remove within a few hours after surgery and I was able to urinate right away. I spent one night in the hospital.

I was told the initial recovery period is 6-8 weeks. Although the external incisions may be smaller there is still plenty of internal work done. The stitches typically begin to dissolve at 2-4 weeks post-op. The recovery is not necessarily easier but it is different - bodies heal differently.

Is your surgery being done all lap or lap/vaginal? A LAVH is a bit different than a LSH. Recovery can depend on how extensive the surgey is and whether other procedures are done with the hysterectomy.

After I got home I got lots of rest and drank plenty of water. Short walks around the house are important to help prevent blood clots that can sometimes occur after surgery. To avoid constipation I drank lots of water and hot tea, ate oatmeal, bran cereal, raisins and "P" foods (peaches. pears, plums). For the first week I avoided carbonated beverages and spicy foods which can sometimes increase gas. I also avoided cheese and bananas because they can occasionally contribute to constipation.

There are many articles that may be helpful to you when you get to the post-op stage:

https://www.hystersisters.com/vb2/hsl...s=&forumid=171

I would recommend taking at least 6 weks off of work and allowing your body adequate time to heal.

Come and visit us in the Post-op Forum after your surgery to let us know how you are doing.

s

Hi SMG0918 - I had my LSH just over 4 weeks ago and like Glenda I'm doing great. There seems to be some confusion here with the ladies thinking LAVH and LSH are the same - they are not, although the LSH is still major surgery the recovery time is much faster. Congratulations on having this, my recovery compared to the other ladies has been much faster, although I still have to remind myself to be careful.

I had masses of fibroids, all shapes so I too was warned before hand that my surgeon might have to do a SAH, but it went well. I was in surgery 2 hours, woke up and had Demerol, didn't need anything else, Zofran in case of nausea (I had none at all - make sure you get this, it's "the" anti-nausea drug to take). I refused morphine as I really didn't need it and by the evening was only on Motrin. I woke up with a catheter which was no problem and they removed that early the next morning and thankfully everything worked fine.

For the first couple of days I was only walking very short distances. After two weeks though I was great. Now at 4 weeks I'm doing the shopping, driving, cooking all the usual stuff except vacuuming as my DH won't let me! who am I to complain!! I have another check up with the Doc in 2 weeks.

So good luck, any other questions let me know. Try not to worry too much, I was absolutely terrified beforehand and the pain etc was nowhere near as bad as my period. So I hope you have a similar experience to me and Glenda - the key is to make sure that your Surgeon is very experienced at doing LSH as it is apparently technically more challenging - I made sure my Surgeon was and it paid off, I would make sure you check on that - how many he has performed, how many patients had complications aferwards etc - I had a page and a half of questions for my Surgeon and he was lovely and answered all of them. All the very best, love, hugs and prayers.

Cariads

LSH for more than 25 (yes that's right) fibroids!!

Thanks Lynn and Cariad for your responses.

Cariad, my surgeon has NOT done alot of LSH's, but he is bringing in a pelvic pain specialist who has quite a bit of experience with them. The pelvic pain specialist did my lap/RSO two years ago, so I'm familiar with both surgeons and really trust them both.

I am hopeful they'll be successful at getting it out via lap, although I'm prepared for a larger bikini-line incision if necessary. I've already had a c-section, so I'm told they'll go through that scar and hopefully only do a 3-4 cm incision if they do, in fact, have to open me up.

Thanks again for the information. I'm sure I'll have more questions as the date draws near!