16 more days til' surgery!

I have a few questions:

~A friend suggested wearing Maternity Pants instead of trying to buy "bigger" clothes for after the surgery. Is this a good idea? I'm thinking yes, because it'll make the belly pretty comfy. I'm a size 8 with a flat tummy...so should I expect a lot of swelling?

~I've got my heating pad, anything else I'll need for comfort? I think I'll go buy a heart shaped pillow too.

~Does anyone know of a website or anything I can print for information for my husband? I've already printed the husband/family information off this site for him, but I cannot find a website spacifically made for men.

~I'm having LAVH..keeping ovaries and tubes. How long should I expect to be in bed?

Thanks!
Candy

Hi Candy,

Since you're having a LAVH, I don't know how much swelling you will have. We are all so different, no matter what type hysterectomy we have. I'm sure other LAVH sisters will reply with their experience though!

I had a TVH and so I didn't have a whole lot of swelly belly, but I did wear pajama pants and sweats during recovery because I was just relaxing and recovering and they were the most comfortable. I didn't buy any bigger ones, the one's I had were fine for me. You might be different however.

A great place for your husband to visit is Mister Hyster Sisters. You can also find it in the lavendar column at the left of the screen. There's a lot of great information there for him!

As far as being in bed, it varies by patient and doctor but I was encouraged to get up and take short walks the starting the evening of my surgery. Walking helped me so much! I just felt better. My doctor told me that it was important to walk for a number of reasons to include preventing blood clots and helping to get the bowels moving.

While you're getting prepared, be sure to do some reading around here. A couple of great places to help you prepare are Pre-Op Articles and Checkpoints. There is a lot of information there to help you with everything from preparing your recovery room, questions for your pre-op appointment, to recovery!

Best wishes to you!

s, Deb

Hi Candy, I had a TAH on 1/25/06 and I wore the pants home from the hospital that I wore to the hospital. Now at home I've been in sweats and pjs just because they are more comfortable to lay around in.
I had fibroids on the outside and inside of my uterus and the uterine tissue was growing into the uterine muscle. I didn't know how much pain and bloating I was in till I had the surgery. You will be so glad you did this.
Good luck and take care of yourself after!
Lisa(Scratch)