dVH/RALH: pre-op hysterectomy questions and worries

hi. i have neurological testing in the hospital for 3 days scheduled shortly before the pre surgery lab work. not really sure i want to do a 3 day hospital stay that close to surgery. so sept 17 is pre-op lab work. sept 24 the pre surgery visit with the dr and most likely a mountain of paperwork. I've had surgeries before although not obgyn. pre-op appointment would most likely also have a brief physical to it. will i qualify. most likely but still theres a chance i won't. although considering the surgery i had in 2012 as well as the institute for women's health knowing my other medicines and conditions. i don't think it truly will make a difference. i worry too much. a habit my mom taught me well. i just want it all over with. get rid of the pain. i currently have pain every day that 800mg ibuprofen 3 times a day don't take away completely. i have endometriosis and years of cervical dysplasia. the worry about when will it be full blown cancer or will it ever go away won't be there either. I'm scared and relieved every time i think of the surgery. my family has a history of obgyn related cancers. relieved from both the emotional worry and the physical pain. its as if i have cramps every day. it sucks. another worry is how screwed up will my hormones be afterwards. although it wasn't much of a worry until i started reading several posts on this site. i never really thought of that much. theres already a plan of HRT so i shouldn't consider worrying about that too much. but i guess i most likely will have some changes in mood due to a significant change in biochemistry. what other changes would take place. I'm curious enough to look at medical school textbooks. and the binder that i have thats for the full torso for back support, would that be sufficient for after a hysterectomy? i haven't worn that in a few years. of course the surgery itself provides worries since theres always a risk of complications. i even watched a video of a live surgery to get some questions gone. i try to think of the positive as much as possible and focus on things like my cat. speaking of cat. she likes to lay on me a lot. i guess id have to keep her off my lap for a while most likely. hopefully i remember to ask that to the dr even though it seems like an obvious answer.

You are having a DiVh so I would not worry too much about thecat sitting on you. If it hurts, you can cuddle her by you side. My stomach never really hurt, nothing like if it had been an abdominal. My vagina from the stretching has been my problem area. Just remember the majority that post online are women who had problems and are looking for answers and support.

Sounds like you are getting information overload - might be time to take a break.

Don't know if this helps, but I am now 13 days post op (both ovaries removed) and haven't really noticed a change in mood. I have some night sweats, but just enough to make me throw the covers off and appreciate the air conditioning. I haven't used a binder as my physician hadn't mentioned it. Could be a catch 22 as on the one hand it would help support the rest of your muscles trying to accommodate your awkward movement, but I wonder if it also hinders some of the swelling your body may need to produce in order to heal properly - don't know just thoughts...

I aways want to be as informed as possible and certainly have the "what if" worries down to a fine art. The closer my surgery date got, the higher my anxiety level went. My focus then had to become just getting through what I needed to get done and not allow myself to read more and definitely not allow myself to think anything negative. That was incredibly difficult, but I just knew I couldn't handle any more anxiety and I needed to do whatever I could to not think about the unknown. You've done your homework, the decision are made, now is the time to trust yourself and allow others to help when needed. Hobbies are helpful just to distract you, as was just making sure I had the things done that I knew would make me comfortable in the days following surgery.

Your kitty will be a welcome comfort. She probably won't mind a soft pillow between you and her if she does want to sit on you, if not a blanket may suffice as well. She'll make a nice little heating pad and have a built in motor which I'm sure will be soothing. She'll be soooo happy she can finally get you to sit still and nap with her!

Best of luck to you! Hang in there - soon you'll be wondering what you had yourself all worried about!

thank y'all for your input. i appreciate it. i did watch another video that ended up answering quite a number of questions. i ended up getting 2 i never would've had but most everything else was answered. those 2 new questions are optional things done in surgery so just curious on details not significantly important. I'm sure the pre-op appointment would be the place to ask. i still haven't watched the video the doctor gave me. I'm expected to watch that before the pre-op appointment. i can't find it anywhere. thats why i was looking on youtube. neither family member i talked to that had hysterectomy had any complications. and its good to know the cat won't be nothing to worry about there either. i sure love her. i agree with the information overload. theres nothing else needed to know until pre-op appointment. i also can have the "what if" worries to an art form. haha. but realistically having surgery can't make things worse than they are now. they can only get better. mom told me that and i agree.