what kimd of pain to expect

Hello
I am having TVH for prolasped uterus and a large fibroid. I am having this done on Sept. 6,2001..I am very nervous about it.But thank God I have a caring, wonderful doctor that I trust and feel at ease with....I am concerned about how much pain I will feel after the surgery, and for how long? How long do you usually stay in the hospital? I was told about 4 days....Another thing that makes me nervous is that I am going to a huge hospital out of town for this operation which I never been there before because it is where this doctor operates from.....I live in a small town...Thank you all for your replies......God bless you all....I am thankful for this site to come to......Sincerely, Dianna (glorystar)

Dear Glorystar,
Good luck at your pre-op. Write down all your questions about the anesthetic, family members, etc. They can all be answered there!!
As far as the pain, I had a TVH on 7/16. I went in Mon for surgery at 730am and I was home Tues. at 730pm. I could have stayed, yet chose to go home and see my kids. When I woke up in recovery, I rated my pain a 4.5, and that was exaggerating a bit. I felt tender and a little sore, like a menstrual cramp, but maybe a smidge more intense. I had a demerol pain pump, which i pushed faithfully every 10 minutes, because I was afraid of what it might feel like. When I went home, I took 800mg ibuprofin for 1 day and then went to otc advil. At that point, and since I haven't felt any pain, but take an OTC advil for inflammation, just in case.
Just one more thing, since you have about a month, why don't you take a drive to that hospital. Maybe you could ask to tour it. Or just get a feel for it!!

Hi Dianna, welcome to hyster sisters. I had a LAVH and the pain was easily controlled by the pain killers that I was given. Very much like a bad period pain. It is so important to rest after the hyster and not to do anything much at all, for quite awhile.
6 weeks at least.
You are lucky that you have a Dr that you feel comfortable with ,that is half the battle over. It should put your mind at ease quite abit. Being nervous is so perfectly normal, it is like an emotional seesaw sometimes. But...you have certainly come to the right place. There is someone here to listen , constantly. You take good care and ask as many questions as you need. x x

Hello and welcome Dianna. My pain was managed by morhpine pump in hospital...and I was discharged with prescription for percoset (1 refill) and ibuprofen 800 mg (2 refills). Pain was there...but on a scale of 1 - 10 (which they'll ask you a lot) was never over 5. I had surgery on a Wed. and discharged on Sun.

Make sure you discuss in hospital AND take home pain management with your gyn. before surgery.

Nervousness is VERY normal pre-op..I seemed to spend my time reading and worrying about all the "what ifs"..and let me tell you with my imagination I came up with everything - HOWEVER, I never once thought "what if" everything goes good and I'd feel wonderful, which is exactly what happened.

We'll be here with you.

Hi Dianna,

I totally agree with the other posts here. Had my TVH on 7/25, was home 7/26. Have managed very comfortably with Advil. Feeling great one week later, just resting a lot, drinking lots of water, and trying not to get cabin fever. Pain was never over a 5 in hospital, never more than a 2 or 3 here at home.

Truly, my monster cramps and periods were way worse than this surgery. Try to relax - the waiting is truly the worst.

God bless,
Becky B.

The post-op pain isn't that bad, at least for me. I had a bad reaction to the morphine in the recovery room and after that was so scared that I refused all pain meds except Tylenol. I didn't even need anything stronger.

It feels sore and tender afterward, and if you move too suddenly it feels like a pulling or burning. Most women who have hysts have been in such pain for so long that post-op pain feels like a picnic. So don't worry too much. It's not too bad, and if it is, there are drugs!

I am one week and one day post-TVH/BSO (surgery at 1:30 pm 7/25), and I am pleasantly surprised at how little pain I have and had most of the week. Right after surgery, after the spinal wore off and I was fully awake, I developed back spasms which were horrific. I have back problems anyway, and I guess the positions you get put into are pretty rigorous for the back. I was treated with morphine by PCA, which made me extremely ill, so I finally said (the morning after surgery when I was still throwing up) to cut all pain meds and let me quick being sick. One the back spasms eased off I had very little pain. I was given some Tylenol and Ibuprofen (500mg) once the day I went home (10:00 am 7/27), but it wasn't terribly necessary and gave me diarrhea. I have had nothing since for pain, except the Celebrex I take for joint pain, and I have done fine. I pay a small price when I overdo, which is easy to do since I feel so good, but going to bed and resting with a pillow under my tummy takes care of that.

I don't know if everyone is as lucky as I, but it has been pretty easy for me so far. No complicatioins, and I am being FORCED (by my family) to take it easy, but so far smooth sailing. I hope you have it so easy. Best wishes to you, and remember you have lots of support. This Website home has been a god-send for me.

I had my surgery 7/24. TVH... I went home the next day. I have had very little pain. More tiredness. The morning of my surgery, I broke down and cried because I was so afraid of the pain I might have afterwards. (Like I experienced after a C-Section) My Dr told me that she may have to make an incision once she got in there.But that was not the case. I was elated when I woke up and found that I had not been cut. I did fine. Take your pain meds and do take the Ibuprophen, it really helps. Rest, rest, rest! Make sure you have help at home. And let them wait on you. You will do great!
My thoughts and prayers are with you. This site will see you through. I found it two weeks before my surgery and have visited everday. Good luck!
Becky