Anyone who had TAH BSO - pls share experience

In just a few days, I'm having TAH BSO. May also lose my lymph nodes if doctors find something they don't like. Finally, also will have vertical incision. When do those of you who have been in my place think that I'll be able to resume some level of normalcy?

I'm having the same surgery diffrent incision a week after you! I'm mostly concerned and scared about recovery being difficult. I'm active and have a hard time sitting still all day long.
Mary Jo

I am 10 days post -op and mentally feel like i want to conquer the world.im doing a little more each day.I think mentally you will be great,physically however its going to take time.at 10 days i can walk up and down the stairs,pick up a little around the house ,dishes,etc,etc.normalcy does return but at a slow pace.best of luck to you..get plenty of rest and dont overdo it..

I share your concern. I was totally unaware of what to expect from a total hysterectomy surgery. I have to agree with many of the sisters here, that the waiting is actually the hardest part, essentially cause that is the longest part to wait for. The most difficult part of the sugery was the first night after the surgery. I had a significant amount of lower back pain. It was very difficult to find a comfortable position to sleep in, even with the pain medication. (re: ,Morphine iv pump). It was so much better after the first day after the surgery. When I was taken off the iv and catheter and able to move around more easily, I felt so much better just to get the blood circulating. After a nice shower and a few walks down the hall it was much better. It was difficult sleeping the first night, so I asked for something to help me sleep. It worked like a charm. It helps so much to get the much needed rest. You will do fine. Just think positive and try to to dwell on that. You will be fine. It is so much better not having pain and heavy bleeding every month. I am so thankful to have made the choice to having a hysterctomy. I was prescribed 30 vicoden for pain after my surgery and only used 5 after my surgery. 600 mg of ibuprofen was enough to control the post surgical pain.
Best wishes to you on a speedy recovery.

I too am soo glad I had this surgery(best thing I've ever done for myself). I was sent home with 20 oxycodene and a fill of 800mg ibuprophen. I used about 6or7 oxy. and the ibup. was enough the rest of the time. The waiting was the worst part, recovery goes pretty quickly. Don't worry you'll be just fine and glad you did it.
(HUGS)

The first night in the hospital is the hardest - the nurses were in checking something or another every hour...then they'd come to do temps & blood pressure, but forget the thermometer and have to go get it, and wake me back up a half hour later...that got old quick!
Second night they left me alone more - I must have been more stable!

My doc said to do NOTHING (cook,clean,vacuum,drive,SHOP!!!) for 4 (FOUR) weeks. (He did say shop online!) It was hard, and I felt guilty that DH was doing everything, but it really pays to listen. All those internal stitches need to heal-not to mention the external. Do lots of walking and drinking water.

I could tell immediately after surgery that I did not have the pain I had dealt with for years...surgery pain was different...and all the pressure was gone. What a relief! Wish I had done it years before when doc first mentioned it!
Everyone heals at a different rate...will pray for a fast recovery for you all !!!

TAH/BSO

Hi, LadyBama!

My :

The waiting was honestly the worst thing.

I did have pain when I woke up in the recovery room but a nurse was right there and asked me if I needed pain meds until they could hook up the pain med pump. Slept pretty much all day the day of surgery. My surgery was at 9 a.m.; I was in recovery at 11 a.m. Couldn't find me a bed (geez--even had a reservation! LOL) so I didn't get into a room until 6:30 p.m. Still sleepy but was able to talk to my family. Had an IV and catheter. Nurses stood me by the side of the bed the night of surgery.

Sleeping wasn't really a problem but the nurses kept waking me for vitals, pills, etc. I really did not have much surgical pain--my pain was from gas. Only used the pain pump 2 or 3 times.

Day after surgery, the IV and catheter were removed and I began taking walks around the hall. Took a shower on Day 3 and began eating solid foods. Once I passed some gas, I was discharged on Day 3 (Saturday; surgery was Thursday).

Have been able to sleep in my own bed since returning home. Spend my days in a recliner in the living room. Able to walk, eat, drink, etc. with no problem. I've been careful not to do any major bending. I do find that I need naps here and there. (Love the idea that you can nap and not feel guilty about it!)

My major pain upon leaving the Castle was from gas. Finally had a cup of Smooth Move tea which helped get things going.

I'm now feeling "twinges" here and there in the abdominal area which I'm sure are to be expected. The only pain meds I'm taking are at bedtime. I find it helps me get a good night's sleep.

I've been making small meals. No cleaning. And we had snow here on Friday night--needless to say, no snow shoveling!!!!

Remember to rest and don't lift anything too heavy.

I'm determined to be a good girl so I heal well.

s and best wishes for an easy surgery and recovery.

I am 3 months post surgery and doing well. Unlike you I did not know they were going to remove my ovaries. That was quite a shock to wake up and find out about that. But, once that shock wore off, I am doing well.

The best thing you can do is not let the pain in the hospital get too bad. I waited too long once to hit the pain pump and really felt the pain. But, once I was sent home (stayed Mon-Thurs. a.m.) I never needed any pain medication. I was uncomfortable, but not in pain.

It seems to vary on when you get HRT if at all. My doctor had me wait till my 4 wk. checkup and prescribed Premarin. Up to that point I was experiencing hot flashes, night sweats, sleeplessness, and vag. dryness. All that is gone now, and life is back to normal...still seems to tire easily, but that is it.

Take it easy and let everyone pamper you!

Hi LadyBama,
I am 6 months post-op and feeling great!
Like other previous posts.....I would agree that the waiting really is the hardest part. I imagined that it was going to be much worse than it really was.

I feel like I was very lucky and had a "textbook" recovery. When I woke up from surgery I had NO PAIN! I was so suprised. (I had a nerve block in the incision site, along with general anesthesia.)
I barely remember the first day and night. The nurses could have come in 50 times that night and I wouldn't have known it. I have a low tolerance to medicine, so I was pretty drugged up and slept very well.

The day after surgery I did have LOTS of pain from gas trapped in my shoulders, chest, and behind my diaphragm. I did alot of walking and by mid-day that was gone.

I only took pain pills for 2 days once I got home. (Surgery on Thursday morning and home by noon on Saturday) After the gas pain, I never really had much other pain; just soreness and discomfort. And it was hard to find a way to sleep comfortably for a while.

I will say, the recovery for me was very boring. I am an active person and I didn't realize how hard it would be being cooped up in the house for so long. I should have been more prepared for that. I bought several new books, but I didn't have the concentration level to read for awhile and daytime TV gets old very quick.

I didn't start HRT until 3 1/2 months (due to Endo) and I started having night sweats around week 2. That was a little miserable until my DR put me on progesterone until I could start HRT. Other than that the menopausal symptoms weren't that bad for me. And the HRT that I am on seems to be perfect for me so far. I do feel very lucky. Sometimes it takes a while to find the right balance for your body.

By my 4th week post-op I was released to *ease* back into my normal activities. I was feeling really good by week 6.
I feel great now, but even at 6 months post-op I still have an occasional twinge that reminds me that I had surgery, but it doesn't happen very often anymore.

I wish you the best of luck with your upcoming surgery. The best advice I could give would be to follow your DR's orders to the letter. Even though I was very bored during my recovery, I never did anything I wasn't supposed to.

Good luck to you. I hope you have a smooth recovery.
Cheryl

Best of luck, you'll do fine!

I had my TAH/BSO 3 weeks ago and feel really well.