LAVH: I wish someone would have told me.

I hate hospital/recovery surprises. I want to be fully prepared. Please share your "I wish someone would have told me", so the rest of us will know. We are all in the same boat. Don't worry about TMI, that's the stuff I want to know about.

Two things come to mind: I got in big trouble in hospital for taking a gas pill that I read about needing on here. Asked someone who I thought was a nurse who I thought said yes, but apparently not. Doc not happy, mostly because she considered me taking it without asking, even though I did. Nurse denied it. I know I felt much better after having shoulder and chest pains from it.
Second and most serious for me, absolutely stay on strong pain med schedule of every 4 hours after leaving hospital first day until hospital IV narcotics wear off enough to know where you're at. I woke up first morning home in level 9 pain, couldn't even sit up to try to get to the hospital but I knew it wasn't a complication just needed fast relief. They told me to take 2 Norco, went back to sleep, and was okay when I woke up and then on keeping to the schedule for the first few days. Hope that helps.

I wish i'd known that it would be such a Long recovery. I've had 2 C-sections and an emerg abdominal surgery and I swear I recovered faster then with this one. I'm almost 4 weeks Post-op and still sore and Exhausted. I haven't had to take pain meds in weeks just tylenol but the endless soreness is a pain! Literally! Lol! I also wish i'd known that urinating wouldn't be normal after cath was removed. I had the bladder sling and urthera sling repair and urinating for Me was start-stop dribble for days!

To bring hard candies to suck on after surgery. My mouth was like the Sahara desert and I couldn't even get down a cracker without drinking tons of water.

Good question! (wish I had thought to ask it pre-op):

1. wish I would have known to start taking stool softener and gas-x right away, and that the first bowel movement is a big deal and can take days -and gas can really hurt

2. eat lots of anti-constipating food (see #1) right from the get-go: prunes, apples, veggies, bran (and no binding or gassy stuff to start with: I made myself rice pudding and lentil soup the day before surgery - never ended up touching it, though). walking and water also help move things along.

3. even if you keep your ovaries you can have temporary menopause symptoms because your ovaries may be in shock and shut down temporarily (I'm experiencing hot flashes now)

4. I didn't know that if I kept my cervix (which I did) that I could still get mini-periods and maybe even develop fibroids on my cervix. Probably wouldn't change my decision to leave it, but I wish I'd had all the info ahead of time.

Good luck and here's to hoping there are no surprises!

Great question!
For me, I wish I would have asked my husband or mother to record what the doctor said following surgery.... I was on morphine and totally disconnected from the present. I had complications so I believe they were overloaded with concern and information. I had to ask my doctor to "brief" me at my 2 week post-op appointment.
Also, if family/friends offer to help (bring food, sit with you, make grocery runs, etc) accept their help! We are not Super women.... let others help you while its offered.
Lastly, if you don't have one yet, invest in a comfy body pillow. This will help you significantly during the healing process. I use mine to prop behind me while on the couch and in bed. And also use it to tuck under whichever side I'm laying on because it supports my tummy.
Prayers for a smooth surgery and recovery!

I wish i had known how much better i would feel so soon after having the OP... I wish i had not put it off for so long and been miserable for 5 years.

On the other hand, even though i only had 4 days to prepare or surgery, this site and the hints and tips from others really helped me prepare .. And of course there are always the unexpecteds .. But nothing major.

I wish I WASN'T told that recovery would only take 2 weeks!

With a 14lb. fibroid and 6 hour surgery, I'm still taking it easy although I feel much better then before. Just not recovered fully, mentally of physically. One day at a time sisters! Live in the present!

When they say that you "may feel some soreness in your shoulders" following surgery, I wish they'd let me in on the fact that what they really meant was "Well, we're gonna be blowing you up like a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon and some of the Co2 we use will be in your bloodstream, so you're going to really understand what divers are talking about when they say they got the bends".
Seriously- mileage may vary, it's not quite that bad for everyone but for me, and about 3/4 of the women I've talked to, that pain as the gas works its way out of your system was far more intense than any of the other issues. I'd have liked to have been better prepared for that.

Also, that tube they put in your throat? When you wake up, your throat will be dry and sore and your uvula (that little dangly bit at the back) may be swollen badly enough to feel scary, like something's caught in your throat. I was too out of it to think to ask for some warm salt water to gargle with... your jaw may also be sore because your mouth will have been open, at an odd angle and immobile for several hours.

Nobody told me that I'd spend the first week at home belching and farting... besides gas-x and a sense of humour, not much I could do about but still, warning would have been cool... it did gradually subside, though even now, at 6 weeks, I'm a bit windier than I was pre-op.


And, I just made this discovery a few days ago- turns out that even if you are recovered enough to make your bed, *changing the sheets* is a far more athletic enterprise than you may realize- get somebody else to do it!

the horrible gas pains, make sure you have gas x and a stoll softener waiting for you when you get to go home.

That your skin may be extremely itchy either from the pains meds or anthesia. Dont be afraid to ask for benedryl or something for the itching.

Have a pillow for your stomach for when you need to cough or sneeze.

Dont be afraid to ask questions or call you doctor if you have any questions. Thats what they are there for. Even if you think its a stupid question and dont want to bother your doctor, when you have an answer, you will be less stressed about whatever is bothering you