Next Friday (5/9) is my hysterectomy, so nervous

Is the big day....
Getting so nervous...
Want to get onto the recovery side but now starting to think of the three or four days in hospital and getting nerved up...
I am a homebody so i haven't been away from the confort of my home for more then a few hours.
Just so nervous....
Never had open surgery.....had a couple laps and other scopes and the worst was the angiogram.....
But never open surgery.....
So so nervous.
Have a pre-admission appointment on wednesday then friday EEK....
Any words of wisdom or anything will help......

I'm still waiting for my surgery, but it's perfectly natural to be nervous. What helped me before my last surgery was keeping busy and doing what I could to prepare. I also read comforting Bible passages, so if that's part of your life, that might help you, too.

The waiting and build up is actually the worst part of the whole process. At least it was for me. Try to stay positive and focus on getting your place of comfort ready for when you do get home. This was also my first major surgery. I was lucky and had a TVH, so no external incisions, just internal. And I was only in the hosp. for 21 hours after surgery. I had people checking up on me everyday seeing I live by myself (well, my niece just lives upstairs from me.) I had meals and snacks ready to go, and lots of things to drink and do. I had saved up some episodes of my favorite shows to watch and made sure to get outside for a while every day also. Recovery went well and life is good! You will do fine, keep us posted and take care!

Hi Steff33 -

I am an open abdominal surgery sister, but mine was a TAH BSO!

Your fears, nerves, emotions, and freakouts are all very normal. This is one tough surgery to face and process.

I know open abdominal surgery can be very scary. The doctors and nurses will take very good care of you, and they will see you through it. Honestly, you will probably not feel like going home for a few days. I know I sure did not. The nurses that attended to me in my room were great, and my doc visited me once day, as well as his assistants.

You won't need much in the hospital, but bring your cell phone and charger. All the reading material I brought went unread, because I could not concentrate. Bring loose fitting clothes (I wore what I came to the hospital in). But you won't need much beyond that - unless you want a robe to walk around the hospital in (yes, they get you up ASAP and have you walk).


Just know that you are not alone in this. We are here to help and support you.

Try to keep busy. It is not going to do you any good to be so upset. Do things with friends, spend time preparing your recovery area, get outside and walk, write in a journal. You are going to be okay.
Sometimes it is even extra scary as you read this website, as many woman come here for support who are having problems. Remember, there are also many, many women who do very well with the surgery.
I had a TAH and my surgery went just as expected. You will have pain, but you will be on pain meds.
So sorry you are so nervous. It is normal to feel this way.

Thank you
I will make sure i get a robe. I won't worry about bringing a book then. I was wondering about that.
I am in the process of getting things cleaned and such.
Well cleaned the kitchen floor today, just need to do the bathroom. The rest just needs a bit of a dusting.
So thats something.
Been walking as much as i can because i know that will help recovery.
Any tips on dealing with the staples, catching on things as such?
And i am a side sleeper so any tips for that?

I am a side sleeper too..... had no problems whatsoever with that. I did drape a pillow over my abdomen to protect from cat visits. I have three and they love to visit at night and walk on me.

I had a vertical incision (6 inches) that went from just below my belly button to inside the top part of my pubic hair. It did not have staples, but had surgical glue. I was told to leave it alone and not put anything on it. I did just that and it healed fine.

You are also going to want to get meals in the freezer that you can just pop in the microwave. You will want to have help with cooking, cleaning, dishes, laundry, shopping, driving, etc. for a few weeks. Also, prepare a recovery corner with pillows and blankets and favorite DVDs. Get a small pillow to hold against your tummy for coughs and sneezes (those can hurt after surgery).

You will need time off work - how long depends on your job and how fast you recover. Think weeks, not days.

It will take time to recover from this, so have patience with yourself. Listen to your body carefully, and follow all of your doctors instructions. As you start to feel better, you can SLOWLY move back into your life.

Everyone is different, but I did not feel 100% where I did not think about surgery until about 15 months post op.

I know this is so overwhelming. We are here for you!

Thank you so much
Yeah i have two kitties and one loves my lap and the other one sometimes does run by kisses unfortunately thats my big ragamuffin at 16 pounds of pure muscle, i might want to make sure that doesn't happen in recovery,
I will make sure i have a pillow for that.
Thank you so so much for your support.
For whatever reason i have been a bit emotional lately.
And for people who have pain with ovulation, did you get help with hormones after? Kinda worried about ovulation pain afterwards.
I only have one ovary so maybe it will go into shock anyway but just wondering if anyone had help with hormones to stop the ovulation.
I have been thinking on just doing that anyway at least for the first bit to let things heal up.
Anyway thank you so much for your help and support. Its good to know i am not alone.

Of course you are emotional! This is a very difficult time. It is hard to loose your uterus, something that has made its presence known to you, for better or worse, for decades. And now that is being taken away from you by force. Allow yourself the emotions - it is okay. I several times before my surgery and many more times after surgery. Physical, emotional, and mental healing can take a long time post-op.

Regarding ovaries: For me everything is gone - uterus, cervix, tubes, and ovaries. I did not have a choice. The loss of the ovaries plunged me into surgical menopause, which was MISERABLE. So, I am on HRT and that gave me my life back. I do not know if they will put you on HRT for ovary pain, but you should ask your doctor.

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Originally Posted by Steff33 Is the big day.... Getting so nervous... Want to get onto the recovery side but now starting to think of the three or four days in hospital and getting nerved up... I am a homebody so i haven't been away from the confort of my home for more then a few hours. Just so nervous.... Never had open surgery.....had a couple laps and other scopes and the worst was the angiogram..... But never open surgery..... So so nervous. Have a pre-admission appointment on wednesday then friday EEK.... Any words of wisdom or anything will help......

My hysterectomy was my very first surgery EVER! Try not to stress out (we all know that's extremely hard) but I just took it one day at a time and just focused on work or getting things I needed post op. And I had to stay three nights but honestly they took such good care of me (not to mention the nice drugs lol) that it really wasn't that bad for me. You'll be fine and posting on the post op boards in no time!