Recovery Progress Reports for Hysterectomy dates Mar 05-Mar 11,2012

If your hysterectomy was between Mar 05-Mar 11,2012 this is the place to post your progress during your hysterectomy recovery.

If you have a question about your recovery, please start a new thread to receive answers and support for your concerns instead of including the question in your update! There is information on how to start a new thread in this link: New Here? or you can use this link: Post a New Topic in the Post-Op forum.

Post how you are doing here when you are home and well enough to sit a few minutes at your computer.

We hope you are recovering well with plenty of rest and water and a bit of walking. Don't forget to pamper the princess!

How to use the Recovery Progress Reports thread:

• 1. This thread is for the purpose of sharing updates on your recovery as you heal from your hysterectomy.
  
  
• 2. Generally, ONE or TWO posts on this thread per member/per day is adequate to share your daily progress and to share encouragement with your surgery week Sisters.
  
  
• 3. Remember to start a new thread on the Post-Op message board to ask your questions.
  
  
• 4. The Progress Report threads will be moved at approximately 8 weeks post-op to the Date Club forum inside the HysterSisters clubhouse.
  
  
• 5. Remember all the love and support you got here as a pre-op member? Now it's YOUR turn to give back to the women in the Pre-Op Hysterectomy Support forum. Extend your hand and your hugs in replies to our pre-op ladies in waiting. This will complete our circle of women helping women!
  
  
• 6. You can also share support and experiences with post-op members in all phases of recovery in the Post-Op Hysterectomy Support forum by replying on the new threads they create.

to the Post-op forum! I’m so glad you found your way to this thread.

The purpose of this thread is to give you a place to update us on how you’re doing as you recover and begin to heal from your surgery. Two Sunshine Sisters, Susan C and Fashionteacher, and I will be hanging out with you in this thread, to keep you company while you get through your initial recovery period. We have a lot of resources on this website, and one of the things we will do is help you find the best places to post your questions and concerns.

Be sure to start a new thread in our Post-op forum (just click on the New Topic button) when you have any questions that could benefit from the experience of women who have already "been there, done that."

You will find that occasionally I get on my soap box about taking it easy. I find that many ladies try to do too much too soon and end up paying for it with complications and/or increased pain. You can also cause mini-leaks in your stitches and you risk having increased adhesions/scar tissue on the inside. No one is going to give you a gold star for being the first to do something. You only have one chance to heal right and you and your body deserve that chance. I see I got on my soap box already! Okay, stepping down now.

I had my hysterectomy a year and a bit ago. I found HysterSisters before my surgery and it helped me have an idea of what to expect. When I came home from the hospital after my hysterectomy, I had many questions about what was normal in my recovery and what wasn't. It was wonderful to come to HysterSisters and find out that other women were experiencing the same things.

I would like to share with you one tip that helped hugely in the first few weeks of my recovery. My doctor's resident who assisted with the surgery told me this tip. Before you make a movement such as trying to get out of bed or standing, take a deep breath and as you breathe out, make the movement. She told me that you can't tighten up your stomach muscles while breathing out and the pain is much less than it would be otherwise.

The other tip that I have picked up on this forum is one that helps you deal with gas. Wet a towel and heat in the microwave until hot, then wrap in a dry towel. Put that on your tummy or wherever you have gas pains. The damp heat will help draw out the gas. I hope that these tips help.

We look forward to getting to know you as you continue on your journey toward post-hysterectomy health and happiness!

Had TAH yesterday 3-5. Last night wasn't so bad. The medicine pump was great. Ate a little today used the bathroom too. So far so good.

LAVH yesterday 3-5. Came home today. Night in the hospital was ok i was just so tired. Meds have pain under control. I had a grapefruit sized fibroid so surgery was a bit more extensive. Trying to take those short walks and they are short. Looking forward to a showere and crawling into bed. They said to remove the bandages in the shower, can leave them open or bandage back. We'll see.

da Vinci hysterectomy yesterday. Went great no nausea, great pain control ate both lunch and dinner in hospital and breakfast today. My Iced White Mocha was the best treat of all. They were all worried about my heart rate, being 40 years old with heart rate of 48bpm had all the nurses really monitoring me. I was up and walking by 7pm last night. Gas is cause of majority of pain. Abdominal Binder is a gift from God. Havnt slept since woke in recovery yesterday at noon. Only rested eyes, still a little high or something from all the good pain meds. Will take a melatonin tonight for sure. been walking in backyard every other hour to release gas. Mylecon helps alot. Thanks HysterSisters!!

I had a LSH, uterus only keeping ovaries and cervix, on 3/5/12. All of the freting and worrying I did in advance I found was not necessary. I found the hospital and nurses to be very calming and I believed that I was in good hands. So when I woke up in recovery, I felt at ease. I was in a little pain, which they gave me something for through my IV. I was transferred to my room and the I had Norco prescribed as well as Naproxen. My high blood pressure had prevented my surgery from occurring on three previou separate occasions. I was put on BP meds so it finally got down to a number that was acceptable to the docs (130/79). After surgery, my blood pressure has been low, first at 96/59 then gradually increasing to 101/69. That's really something!

I got to my hospital room at 2pm and the catheter was removed at 8pm. It was not painful to remove as I thought and I didn't really notice it was there at all when it was in.

I stared on a limited liquid diet and I ordered Jello. Then I had some Chicken Broth and crackers. I drank plenty of water so I ended up peeing on my own at around 9:30pm. I was passing a little gas by then as well. I kept drinking fluids so I was peeing every 2 hours. So I decided at 2am I wanted to go for a walk. My friend and I walked the hall very slowly with IV in tow for about 15 mins. It really tired me out and my pain worsened so I asked for my pain meds which were given to me. I didn't sleep all that well so I just played on the Internet and dozed off in between.

My nurse was great. And in that small hospital unit there was only me and one other patient with two nurses so I got plenty of attention. I was very thankful for this. My nurse was such a sweetheart and she encouraged me to do my breathing exercises and drink fluids and cough every step of the way.

By 6:45, the surgeon came by and told me that my right ovary was adhered to my bowels and he had to really work to cut it free. He also said he found "old endometrosis" and he had always thought I had ademmyosis, which would only be confirmed by the pathology reports when ready. He told me that I had meet all the requirements for being discharged: peeing, passing gas, stomach noises, walking on my own, eating and my incisions looked good so I was free to go. I left the hospital at 9:30am.

Now comes the hard part. I had a four hour car-ride to my friends home whom I'm staying with to recover. I did just fine for the first hour. We planned to stop every hour. Then I started feeling gassy and I heard lots of stomach rumbling. We stopped at a bathroom and I tried to pee or pass gas and nothing would come out. I was beginning to feel some discomfort and I got sweaty and dizzy. As I waited for my friend I felt like I just seized up and I couldnt make it back to the car. She had to pull the car up for me. I sat in the back seat this time and we still had three hours of driving left. The next bathroom stop I totally had a BM blowout. It was a lot of BM! I was weak and in some serious pain by this time. I was also nauseated. Got back into the car and we headed back on our journey. I felt the gas building up inside of me, putting pressure on my incisions and causing me all types of discomfort. I was moaning and groaning in agony! By the time we made it to her house I was almost in tears and I ran into the bathroom were as soon as I got myself on the toilet I had diareaha-like a lot of it-and I was passing huge amounts of gas. I was so weak all I could do was crawl into bed and put a heating pad over my tummy.

I took my meds and slept for several hours and had some applesauce, crackers and water. I knew that the gas would be painful but not like that. I also wasn't expecting a BM so soon. I think our car ride shook me up to the point I got an expedited and intensifiyed version of what probably should have occured over several days, not several hours. Needless to say, I wouldn't recommend driving that long after surgery if you can help it. My only other choice was catch a cab from the hospital and go home alone so I thank God that my friend offered to be my support during this time. So I had an interesting day today. But I'm feeling much better now.

Thank you for this site. It has given me the knowledge I needed to make an informed decision about my surgery, choices and my comminications with the providers. Knowledge is power and I believe that is the the reason I was able to be so prepared for this surgery. Hang in there ladies! We can make it!!!

Ok, time to pamper the Princess!

Been almost 48 hours since DvH, didnt wake from uncomfortable sleep to take pain meds middle of night so woke with more pain. Got it under control now. heart rate under control again average 72bpm. Still really gassy, no BM yet. Taking stool softner and drank some coffee hoping for a gentle bm soon. Aunt taking good care of me but air freshner constantly being sprayed by her lol. using recliner with heat in it and ice pack on swelly belly down 2 lbs since post surgery bloating.

Hello ladies.....I am one of the Sunshine Sisters here to help when needed!
I am 8 weeks post op from total Davinci hysterectomy.
I am glad to see you ladies up and moving around.
When you are sleeping, set your alarm so you can wake up to take your pain medicine. Keeping the pain under control is a very important part of your recovery!
If you ladies have any questions, we are here to help! Make sure you get plenty of rest, drink lots of water, walk often, and follow your doctor's orders!
Happy Healing ladies!!!

I have just been using ibuprofin today. Really no pain just minor discomfort. Still eaating small amounts of food, drinking liquids. Ready for another shower! That felt great yesterday. I do crawl back under the covers to stretch out and sleep

Had LAVH 3-6. Was scheduled for 3:45 pm, but delay delay delay I didn't have surgery until around 6 pm. I don't remember much about recovery, had a pain pump, home in less than 24 hours and so far Motrin is working. Some light pink spotting and a little discomfort when I first lie down. Waiting (and bowel prep UGH) definitely the worst part. First tinkle took a little time, passing gas fine (oh am I ever lol). No BM yet. Thank you soooo much for this site!! xoxo