LAVH: Nervous about weight gain & recovery

Hello Ladies!

I love this forum! One of my good friends had a hysterectomy a few months ago. She was very nervous prior to the surgery. I referred her to this forum and she said it helped her a great deal!

And...I am scheduled for an LAVH next Wednesday. After 9 years of desperately wanting to end the pain and suffering, I finally am going to do it.

I had a laproscopy and hysteroscopy about 14 years ago, which revealed two fibroids, widespread endometriosis, and a polyp. Funny thing is, the fibroids are not visible on ultrasound. Have any of you heard of that before? The doctor who found them said that one was the size of a golf ball...hmmm!

I keep hearing different things about weight loss/gain after LAVH. My uterus is tilted, and I've always had a round lower abdominal area, despite working out and dieting and being fairly lean otherwise. I am wondering if the roundness is because of the fibroids and tilted uterus? Any idea? The rounded area feels hard, not fatty.

And one more question - the doctor said I'll probably feel pretty good within two weeks. I was approved for 6 weeks of leave and can get more if needed, but how long do people really feel "out of commission"?

Thanks!

the rounded area could be uterus related i had a round lil tummy befor surgery , the weight gain dont worry to much about, just take care of you , after sugery your body is gonna need food to recover good. being nervous is normal , just think soon it will be all over and you will be on your way to a new you. glad you were aproved for 6 weeks off , good to have incase you need it. i would of needed the whole 6 weeks off lol. good luck take care
hugs
lisa

Thanks Lisa!

I look 5 months pregnant right now, but it is odd...it is just in the lower abdominal region and doesn't look like a normal pregnant belly.

I can't wait to have this done...been waiting for soooo long.

I have the same lower belly bulge right now too. It's only developed over the last few months and I know it's the fibroids and ovarian cyst that's causing it. I'll be glad when it's gone.

I've worried about post-op weight gain too but I'm pretty neurotic about eating healthy and once I'm healed, I'll be back in the gym. It's the one thing in all of this that I feel I can control.

Mine has been there for awhile, but has gotten significantly larger over the last two months or so. Funny, over the last two months I've been much more tired and just felt bad overall.

I know what you mean...and I can't wait to be able to workout like I used to.

Hi, If you are like most of us you will have a very small appetite after your surgery. At my 2 week check up I had lost 9 pounds! I know some of it was the uterus, but the rest was from eating really small portions of healthy food. I have my appetite back now and am eating normally. In the morning when I wake up, I have an almost flat stomach, but within a few hours the "swelly belly" is back. I am hoping that within 2-3 months post-op I will look much thinner with no more belly buldge!

I had the LAVH and weight gain has not been an issue for me. I do have the little round tummy though and have had it for many years even though I am thin and it did not go away following my hysterectomy. Maybe if I would do it would be completely flat!

How long you need off from work will depend on your recovery. Mine didn't go well so I was out of commission for a few months. Other ladies do very well and find that they can start back to work sooner rather than later. Starting back part time can be helpful.

Ultrasounds can be a bit unreliable at times and not all types of tissue show up on them. Many ladies here on the site have been found to have fibroids that never showed up on any ultrasounds.

I wish you all the very best for your surgery and hope it is successful for you! If you have not had a second opinion, you might consider scheduling one before your surgery if you can! Remember, a hysterectomy is not a cure for endometriosis.