Questions re upcoming abdominal hysterectomy on 10/26

I have a TAH scheduled for Oct. 26th and am very nervous. I'm just wondering if there are any suggestions on things to do (walking) or eat (specific diet) that may help with the recovery period. I spoke with someone yesterday who said there is a lot of pain when you first wake up and it may take awhile for the pain meds to kick in. I'm curious what others have experienced when first waking up in recovery after the TAH. Due to the large size of my fibroid and uterus (the size of being 24 wks pregnant) I was told I need to have the vertical cut.

I had a TAH with a 7" vertical incision. Everyone's different, but I had a great experience. Minimal pain, no complications and a long but relaxing recovery. :-)

My surgery started about noon. I have no idea how long it took, because I didn't wake up until 7:30 PM. By then I was already tucked into my hospital bed with an epidural catheter hooked up to a nice big bag of dilaudid. I was quite literally "feeling no pain." Mostly I felt relieved that the surgery was over. I chatted with a friend of mine who'd been waiting for me. She left at 8 PM when visiting hours ended. I curled up on my side, went back to sleep and slept soundly despite the nurses going in and out.

You asked about things to do that may help with recovery. I wasn't sure if you meant things to start doing *now* or things to do in recovery? Certainly if you're not already in the habit of doing a lot of walking, starting now would help. Exercise to strengthen your core muscles and upper body will also help.

After surgery, you want to start walking and sitting upright as soon as possible. The nurses had me up to do a lap around the ward and then sit in an armchair awhile the first morning after surgery. We did it again that afternoon. I was still kind of woozy that day and not too enthusiastic.

By the second day, however, I was taking myself out to walk multiple laps around the ward and spending the rest of my time in the armchair reading. I was released on day 3 and went for my first walk outdoors on day 4. I walked around the block, went home and rested, and then went back out and walked around *two* blocks. That felt good too!

When I wasn't walking, I was sitting upright reading and sewing - usually outside - or at my desktop computer. I noticed that after I'd been sitting upright for a while, my abs would start to burn as if I'd done a lot of crunches. When that happened, I gave them a break by curling up on my side to read or nap.

For food after surgery, my advice would be not to rush the reintroduction of solid food. I was only allowed water the first day after surgery. The second day I got "progressive liquids" (liquids and mushy solids), and then the third day I got regular food for breakfast and lunch. I didn't have any of the painful problems with gas and constipation that some sisters report.

Once home, I discovered that my appetite had gone somewhat wonky. This is normal. Frequent healthy snacks worked better than regular meals, and certain foods were more appealing for others. I spent about a week eating fresh fruit, yogurt, peanut butter on whole grain toast and canned lentil soup because that's what my body wanted.

Definitely you want to get lots of fluids during recovery. They can be of any type, although if you're on narcotics then stay away from alcohol. (My bag of dilaudid and I parted company first thing in the morning the third day after surgery. After that I did fine on OTC ibuprofen.)

Start walking daily to help increase circulation, you will probably be advised to after surgery as well. I chose to increase fiber (if you can tolerate it) and increase my water intake, to help avoid the constipation issues, I had read so many have problems with. (Thankfully, I didn't, and some of us agree the pain meds may actually contribute to the problem. BUT you need to rest to heal) Everyone's surgery has different circumstances so one bit of advice is don't compare yourself too much to others. Some of us were luck and had lesser surgeries and required less meds, others had much more to deal with. Precooking meals for the freezer and begin making your nest for your healing days. Good Luck

I was not in pain when I awoke, and had toradol and Tylenol in my iv instead of narcotics, so was pretty alert. My dr encouraged me to get up and walking the evening of my surgery, so I did, and it wasn't bad. I walked a lot from the very beginning and was lucky to have a very easy speedy recovery. I was active, but followed my Drs instructions to the t, when I wasn't sure if I should do something I called and asked. I felt great and wanted to do whatever I could but didn't want to jeopardize my recovery. One piece of advice is to increase your activity levels a little each day throughout your recovery so that when you go back to work you will be ready to do it.

Thanks so much for the feedback and I am praying my surgery goes smoothly and as pain free as possible. The nurse told me that they use to give patients an epidural to help relieve the pain, but most doctors don't do that anymore. Unfortunately, my dr and the hospital where I am having the surgery doesn't. I guess the epidural helps the pain from kicking in right away and by the time it wears off the "spasms" that cause the most pain are over. I'm so glad to have HysterSisters to talk to about all my anxiety. I can barely sleep and have been googling like crazy searching about hysterectomys and what to expect.

Dear TLRob,

The sisters here have given you great advice. It's so hard not to be nervous when facing the unknown. I too had a very enlarged uterus and huge twisted fibroids - plus a "mystery pelvic mass". I very also very anxious about the pain. For my anxiety, I discussed it in advance with my surgeon and I was allowed to take a Xanax at midnight before my operation at 7 am. While I know many do not wish to take anxiety Meds, I am Just sharing the successful results of my own experience. Regardless of whether you would like Meds or not, please express your fears to both your surgeon as well as you anesthesiologist.

Here is a link to an article you might find interesting:
Discussing Anxiety With Your Anethisiologist

I too had a TAH - with my ovaries and abnormal cells removed, as well as, surprise repair bladder work. I remember speaking to my doctors and nurses and than waking up in recovery. My pain was not horrible. I was more groggy and tired than in pain. The key in the hospital is to speak up to the nursing staff if you are in pain, nauseous, whatever. They are there to help you and can adjust your Meds to find what works most effectively for you.

Make certain you understand your Discharge papers. In my humble opinion, the key to managing pain once you are at home is to take your prescribed Meds exactly as prescribed - take the recommended dosage at the recommended time intervals. Do not stress out the times and try to be brave. Your body needs to concentrate on healing and not fighting pain so rest and follow doctors orders.

Plan on small healthy snacks, and drinking lots of walk. Walking even just a bit in the beginning few days will really help your whole system.

Hugs and take care - we are here to support you.

Please also check out this great section:

Hints from Members

There are wonderful tips on the whole process to help you prepare mentally and physically.

Thank you so much everyone - it is so comforting to have such a wonderful site and get such support from all of my hystersisters. It is a very anxious time and I look forward to having the surgery all over with and being able to comfort and encourage those getting ready to have the surgery. Hugs to all!

	Quote:
Originally Posted by TLRob ...The nurse told me that they use to give patients an epidural to help relieve the pain, but most doctors don't do that anymore. Unfortunately, my dr and the hospital where I am having the surgery doesn't. I guess the epidural helps the pain from kicking in right away and by the time it wears off the "spasms" that cause the most pain are over...

My anesthesiologist decided to do an epidural catheter plus twilight sedation for surgery instead of general anesthesia. He said it would be "better for pain management," and it was great! The epidural catheter was left in after surgery and used to administer dilaudid. It was removed first thing in the morning the third day after surgery.

The logic behind using a epidual cath to deliver pain meds is that it's a more direct form of delivery. You can get the same amount of pain-killing effect with a lower dose of narcotic. This makes complete sense to me, since narcotics have side effects.

A complete of details that may have affected my anesthesiologist's decision:

1) I was booked for a 3-4 day hospital stay, so once inserted, the catheter could be used to manage pain for the next few days.

2) I'm tall and skinny. I have more space between my vertebrae, and they're easy to find.

According to the nurses in my hospital, the toradol/Tylenol combo has proven to be very effective in controlling post op pain. I really had no pain unless I coughed or something like that. I had my surgery in the morning, I had the iv in until about 2am, and was fine with nothing after that. Not sure if it was the drugs, my Drs surgical skills or I have no feelings, haha. Sadly I heard that the combo is no longer protocol because of the cost. I think that not taking narcotics helped me avoid some of the gastro issues that others have had.