Open vs lap - surgeon undecided

You are very welcome! xx

I also had a really big fibroid (13cm, up to my navel, and with a second fibroid on the front that made the whole thing 17cm back to front along one axis), and during my pre-op consult, my surgeon had said that he HAD gotten very large ones out before but wasn't sure he could do it with this one given its size. I was not interested in having him "try" things and just wanted to go the 100% certain route so I would know EXACTLY what I would wake up to. When I told him that, he immediately smiled and nodded in a way that let me know that he was hoping that's what I'd say.

So I had an abdominal. It wasn't really that bad considering, or else maybe I have no point of reference and just figured, "Hey, it's surgery, of course it's going to hurt." For two days I felt utterly miserable, then things started to improve once I could walk. Over the next two weeks, they continued to improve when I was able to poop reliably. Then, I got off the pain meds and that was WONDERFUL (easier pooping, plus no more setting alarms to take pills in the middle of the night). So it got a bit better every day. By my 6th week, I was able to go back to work and actually forget that I'd just had major surgery. Currently, I feel fantastic.

Now, not everyone will have that general pathway for their surgery. Aside from the huge fibroid, I had NO other complications -- adhesions, endo/adeno, prolapses, nothing like that. My ONLY problem was the gigantic uterus, which simplified my recovery enormously, as did the fact that I'm a desk pilot. I also had no husband or kids to take care of or worry about, which also made things much easier, and the family members I stayed with during surgery included one of my surgeons. That was an enormous help!

Nevertheless, if you need an abdominal incision, it's really not the worst thing, and you WILL eventually get to the point where you won't even be conscious of the fact that you had the surgery.

	Quote:
Originally Posted by Gadzookery ...I get off a couple of tube stops earlier and walk across the park to work - so would plan to do that - it's a 'level' walk, so no hills involved. probably about 2 miles in total I do each day I would imagine. From all I've read, it's good to walk!

Most definitely! The first morning after surgery, a nurse hauled me out of bed and took me for a walk around the ward. Then she had me sit upright in an armchair for awhile - I lasted maybe half an hour and then went back to bed!

We repeated everything in the afternoon, but by the *second* morning, I was going for multiple laps around the ward by myself and sitting upright in an armchair to read.

After I got home on the afternoon of the third day, I continued to walk and sit upright as much as my body was comfortable with. I think this really helped my recovery.

It also helped me to have reasonable "training goals." My first training goal was being able to walk to a local clinic on Day 13 to get my staples removed. The clinic's 0.9 miles away on relatively flat ground, so the first couple of weeks I thought of myself as "training up" to walk that distance.

After the clinic, my next appointment was with my doctor on Day 27. He's in another city, so I needed to be able to walk to the bus station, 2 miles away including a steep hill. So that was my next "training goal." I still wasn't allowed to lift more than 10 lbs at that point, but I enjoyed being able to get outdoors and walk a few miles.

thanks BornACrone - I'm fairly fatalistic so either way will be ok with me.

SurprisedinNB - I think it's a good idea to set training goals. I will do that myself. I know they're very keen in the hospital to get you up and walking