Please please help me!

I had my abdominal hysterectomy (kept ovaries) on 2/26/2013 very very recent. Im so new to what is happening to me. I dont know what is normal and what isnt.

I had a massive bowel movement at the hospital. However, after they gave me every laxative and gas breakdown chewable under the sun. My bowel movement was enough for every sister on this site. But I didnt pass gas (meaning:farted)

they were all happy and I was sent home.

So now Im home. My lower abdomen area is so swollen, tight, and in pain its making me so miserable. My first night home I was so eshasuted that while I was asleep I had an accident and had a minor BM in my sleep. I woke up and had to shower and clean the soiled area.

I have not had another BM since, please keep in mind- I have NOT "farted/passed gas" yet.
When I urinate it hurts to all hell. Im not bleeding nor is there any blood in my urine.
My tummy looks like Im 5 months pregnant, my back is killing me.

I was placed on a clear diet at the hospital during my stay and have remained so by choice because Im so afraid to eat anything. I have been taking Gas-X for the past 2 days and it hs been giving me the sensation to want to pass gas but it NEVER comes out. I have been burping a little however, but not enough to relieve me of any pain.

From time to time I get nausia but no vomiting. I come in and out of fevers constantly. I do move around, walk-maybe a few blocks since I live in the city. By the time I get back home Im so tired and in pain. I find my self extremely emotional and just thinking of certain things I start crying, then my crying causes slight pain.

Yes, there you have it my new sisters. I am a complete mess and I dont know what to do. Im so afraid, I am constantly worrying about how Im recovering, how to be rid of this d*mn gas, how to have a regular BM, though my fevers keep coming but dont last long should I call the ambulance to take me back to the hospital.

Please know, its not like I walk around my home or outside with the p*ssed off face, Im always smiling and saying hello and trying to do very minor things around the house to keep me busy. regardless of the massive pain Im in, Im trying so hard to stay in good spirits, but sisters I am losing myself everyday and its so hard because I dont have an actual person to share thoughts, feelings, pain, blah blah blah with that knows exactly what Im going thru....Im so sorry for blabbering like this, I dont know where to turn to, you have no idea I good it felt to find this site.


so afraid

It is very normal to have to take laxitives again to have another Bowel movement. I took them for quite awhile.

It is normal to have gas pain! Walk sister!

I am concerned about your fever though. Give your doctor a call about that.

Hello sister

I do walk, I swear I walk all over the place. I try to keep as active as possible. I went to the market to pick up a few minor non-heavy things and I had my shopping cart with me. The market is exactly 4 blocks away, it took me a while to get there and back because I walk very slow, sometimes I even have to stop for a few minutes. I was thinking of taking a laxative tonight with a stool softner.

I swear I make jokes about it so bad that I tell my friend that I think they sewed my but* hole closed (lol) ughhhh. As for my fevers, Im gonna check my fever in a few minutes and see what it is.

Thank you so much for your response sister.

Hugs! I'm glad your walking and taking the GasX.

In that case, I would definitely give your doctor a call. You should be having some relief from the walking and GasX. Since your not, you need your doc to provide another alternative for you.

Hugs. Give him a call now.

I agree with Kym66. I also am concerned that you have kept yourself on the clear liquid diet. I would probably call doc and ask if you should be eating more solid food. That may get your large intestine working again. Sending you big hugs!

Ok, take a deep breath. All that you describe is ... normal. Having a swollen and tight abdomen happens to most of us, especially those who have a TAH. It will likely hang around for a few weeks, maybe even a couple months. I had mine almost non-stop for three weeks, and then it just started to swell in the evenings. All of that swelly belly is not gas. It is swollen tissue to protect to injury you sustained when your uterus was removed. Going to the bathroom on yourself is also normal. I know 2 women that happened to. Their doctors said it was all the laxative and how the colon was irritated during surgery. Constipation is something almost all of us battled. My doctor told me to take stool softeners twice a day, and if I didn't go to take Miralax or MoM. Check your discharge papers to see what your doctor suggests. In the meantime eat dried or stewed prunes and eat lots of fiber. I know it seems counterintuitive to eat when you feel so swollen, but you have to get things moving. It also helped when I drank warm tea. Make sure you drink plenty of water too. You do want to walk around, but you may be overdoing it a bit by walking several blocks. For the first few days, I just walked back and forth through the rooms in my house. If you do too much, that belly will just swell more and your energy will really go quick. Back pain is also normal. What helped mine a lot was a heating pad, and the pain meds and ibuprofen. As for not passing gas, don't fret. You will, but you have to eat for the bacteria in your gut to make gas. It might also have to do with all the gas-x you are taking. It stops gas from forming, it does not help you pass it. It is normal to hurt when you urinate. Anytime you have a catheter, it causes irritation, and most of us had burning urination in the beginning. Nausea and slight fevers are also normal at the beginning. Nausea can be cause by the anesthesia, and sometimes it takes several days to work its way out of your system. Low grade fevers are usually in response to trauma of surgery. Several sisters including myself have had them for the first few days. And finally, feeling very emotional is normal too. This surgery is in itself emotional for some women and more than that your hormones are likely off kilter even though you kept your ovaries. Sometimes they temporarily shut down or go to sleep for a couple weeks. During that time you may have menopause symptoms including being moody and weepy.

I recommend you do three things. 1) go to the hysterectomy checkpoints on this site and find weeks one and two and watch carefully 2)Give your doc a call in the morning and explain your symptoms so your doc will know how you are feeling and you can get some peace of mind. 3) No bending, lifting, or exerting yourself at all. Just some short walks and rest, rest, rest. and Feel better soon!

Yeah I'm 4 weeks in and what your going through is normal cause I had it all. The first 2-3 weeks will be like that but it does get better.

It does get better. We all have been where you are. Hug!

I agree about the fever- that's cause for concern from what I was told. You should call your doctor about that.

I had my LSH on Tuesday and from what I understood, they pump you full of co2 gas to do the surgery. I had really severe gas pains for a few days even though I was passing somewhat. I was told to try a heating pad on the upper back to help it dissipate, along with walking. Sounds like you are doing the walking part fine. The heating pad worked wonders for me - it took the sharp excruciating pain away. I put it under my should blades for 15-20 mins then took it off.

Please call your doctor about the fever and difficulty/pain urinating. That is definitely something to get checked out right away.

I have just read every single one of your responses:

Kym66
Skaye
Elsie
Yumyum
Kimdi74

You are all like angels to me right now, dont mean to sound mushy..lol. I will call my Doctor in the Morning ASAP. I actually feel a bit happy right now knowing that what Im going thru and feeling you all went thru if not still going thru. Not that I am happy that anyone should go through this craziness. My fever went down its at 98.6 so Im going to try and have some dinner:

warm prune juice(which has been helping me alot)
veggie soup broth
a lot of water (room temp)
probably add 1 slice of toasted wheat bread to have with my broth

Thank you so much sisters, your advice and concernes mean so much to me. I need all the support I can get. This massive change in my life has my head spinning. SUPER HUGE HUGS to all of you.


Fox