Uterine-type Cramps 5 mos Post-OP Normal?

Hi everyone,

This forum is really terrific for all the real-life, real-time experiences - I've learned a lot and am grateful for the sharing going on here.

I have a question that I hope someone(s) here can answer.

I had fibroid tumors and a an abdominal hysterectomy in mid-may 2006. They took my uterous and left ovary. I still have my right ovary. Overall, I can say that my experience in recovery has been similar to many here (6 weeks rest, back to work, swelly belly, and still twinges of pain), HOWEVER, this past week I've had CRAMPS that were like my MENSTRUAL CRAMPS pre-surgery! I had radiating pain in my upper thighs that went with it. The pain was enough for me to dig out some of the muscle relaxers I got pre-op to help me through the daily pain I was having before surgery.

My question is....Is it NORMAL to have uterine type cramps during the monthly cycle even though there is NO UTEROUS?

I have a call in to my doctor's office on this and am waiting for the callback. In the meantime, I thought I'd check here to see if anyone else has experienced this and could offer an explanation.

Also, last week I did 40 situps after swimming 25 lengths. The swimming usually helps any discomfort I'm having. I did the sit-ups on Wed of last week. It is now Monday. Could the sit-ups have caused that much havoc to keep me in pain for 5+ days??

Sorry to go on so long...

Hi Dinadoll
I have had cramps when I would have had my period but have put it down to IBS which I would always get at that time of the month. Have had pain in back passage and achy legs then as well. Also get pain in left ovary at times I am having a scan to check that out. With regard to situps you are braver than me as gardening and stretching and overdoing housework makes my tummy sore I have left sit ups alone!! Check it with your Doctor to put your mind at rest but maybe it is just because you overdid things. I am ten months post op this week and still get really tired and achy at times. Hope you feel better soon
Herne x

Hi Herne, thanks for your reply! Can you please tell me what IBS is? I'm kinda new to the board. At the moment, I've been looking at the anatomy of a hysterectomy while waiting to talk to the triage nurse. Check out this link - its kinda kewl to see what's going on in there.

http://www.doereport.com/enlargeexhibit.php?ID=10176

Also, in reading some of the other threads and poking around in general, I'm in "contained freakout mode" wondering if the one ovary I have has developed endometriosis or something! I mean, is it possible that there is tissue that is still there that responds to the monthly cycle, blood flow? Call me dumb, but if they leave one ovary, what the heck is it attached to? If they leave an ovary, then don't they have to leave the uterine tube? or what did they attach it to? (i know I'm probably sounding hysterical at this point....ah the irony!!)

thanks again for replying. I'm hoping someone with some medical info in their brains could illuminate the one ovary situation for me...

T.I.A.!

Hi again
IBS = Irritible Bowel Syndrome , just means abdominal cramps (colon) and constipation or diarreah(cant spell sorry)I have had it for years and it always happens when I get my period or when I would have had my period (since op). I think it is possible to have endo on an ovary or it could be mid-cycle pain which I sometimes get, I am waiting to get a scan to get my ovary checked out. If we still have an ovary or both ovaries we still get all the same symptoms of the period without the bleeding. I get all sorts of weird pains once a month still. My doctor told me that things still swell up around there at that time and that can put pressure on the vaginal cuff stitches. I think it just takes a long time to heal from this op and we probably expect too much of ourselves. If you are still getting a lot of pain it is probably best to see a Doctor to be sure . Hope you get it sorted soon
Herne x

I have had a scary week with pelvic pain, back pain etc. Not too bad-just worrying. I've been going to the gym, and trying hard to get fitter, but wasn't sure if the pains could come from that. Today, I was doing leg abductor??? exercises, and noticed the diagram showed what muscles were working. They were front of legs, up to groin, and into pubic area. Hopefully I've found the reason for my cramps.

hi cm, thanks for replying to this thread. I'm at wits end with the level of pain i'm having. I'm talking about this on several threads in case some people are in other parts of the forum who could respond. I'm taking 800 mg of ibuprofen 2x daily + 1/2 tab of muscle relaxant. I hope to G-d this is just normal balancing of hormones and not some new/undiagnosed pathology as a result of surgery! I hope that by my 1 year anniversary, this will be history and that what I'm experiencing is just part of the normal healing process!

Last night I RULED OUT exercise as the cause because I have the other regular associative PMS pains - b. tenderness and swelling, mood swings, irritability, cravings for salty foods (and Hostess anything-lol), and strong aversion to bad smells (for me its cigarette smoke, dog and cat pee, stuffy rooms). Even when I work out to failure, the pain only lasts 3 days. Today I'm wearing my wide waisted shorts today! All the clothes I've bought in the last 5 months are one size larger than I normally wear. I'm wearing loose tops and bottoms to try to conceal the swelling/bloat belly, even though I lost 5lbs as a result of surgery. I'm not small, but not huge either.

It was a relief to know that I'm not losing my mind or having some other problems when I read that others out there are also having cramps at the time they would have their period. I had a vaginal hysterectomy (kept both ovaries) due to very large fibriods on Oct. 4, 2005 and still have pain after lifting heavy things or sitting for prolonged periods - in addition to the cyclical cramping. I wonder how long this goes on. I too began to wonder if I had ovarian cancer or some other problem. I wonder if I did the right thing by having the surgery since I have more pain now than I did from the fibroids. I have also gained weight - all in my stomach - since having my hysterectomy - not to mention my sleeping through the night has never returned to normal. Maybe one day I will be glad I had it but so far I haven't seen any benefit.

hello gals....i don't have good news...but maybe it will be helpful to you all....

yesterday when I went to see the doctor (not the one who did the surgery) I asked her all the questions that I had in this thread. Basically, she said the level of pain I am having is NOT normal and that I should be feeling much better by now. Today, the bloating has gone and the radiating pain is gone, b. size back to normal non-pms size.

so here's the deal. I had ADENOMYOSIS. I was not checked or diagnosed with ENDOMETRIOSIS. The doctor and I think I may have ENDOMETRIAL tissue attached to something (pick one: bladder, pelvic muscles, other organs, ligaments or tissue). Endometrial tissue responds to estrogen and hormonal fluctuations - especially those at period time. In order to confirm that I have endo tissue I'm scheduled for an ultrasound on 11/14. Then I see my regular doctor and surgeon on 11/20. IF I have endometrial tissue, I may then need a Laparoscopy (outpatient procedure, one week recovery time), then go on LupronDepot which would put me in medical menopause (we kept my one ovary so I would go through a NATURAL menopause and avoid immediate onset - with LupronDepot I would now go into menopause with the associated dreaded side effects!!). Since I have one ovary still, I'm not sure if they will require it to be taken out (espcially since the LuproDepot basically kills/shrinks/cutsoff estrogen - I'm not a doctor so I can't explain the pathophysiology of the drug - but info is online). My hope is that the ultrasound shows endo tissue and then I go immediately to Lupron, skipping the Laparascopy.

In any event, all of the above is just speculative until I have the ultrasound. I could be all wrong, though, and just presuming its a foregone conclusion that I have endo tissue.

I did a lot of reading in various sources last night and read that sometimes the endo tissue is very minimal, but causes great pain, while some women have a lot of that tissue with little pain.

So, while I was devastated by the result of the office visit - i.e., more surgery + medication treatment (everything else checked out perfectly!), I can still say that I do not regret the hysterectomy and I do not blame my doctor. I had had pain for decades and on the first visit she was the one who detected that I might have fibroids, etc, where none of the gazillion doctors and nurse practitioners I had been seeing once a year for 20 years ever detected. (Though I can't blame them either - being on birth control pills and not having a period for years and years MASKED that I had any problem at all. My first tip off that I had any problems was when the CHLOASMA began to show on my face. When I went off the pill a few years ago is when I started feeling the pain I had had since my very first period at 13).

I have gone on a long time, but I have done so in order to help other gals find answers to their own pain.

This sux, but I know that what I'm going through is *nothing* compared to what some women on this forum are going through - G-d bless you all!!