Am I the exception?

I'm 36 and was in great shape prior to my surgery so I expected a great recovery like yours saphron.
Unfortunately I was/still am rudely awakened that it hasn't turned out that way.

I'll just live my recovery vicariously through yours.
Thanks for posting and keep it up!

Hi Julie and other girls -- I feel good too -- had a TVH (kept ovaries) on Sept 17th -- do get dragging pains if I walk too far, and feel tired, but overall am fine. Like you, I've been following doctors orders and resting, not doing housework. Mum came like yours too ... How long r u taking off work? I guess it's a different matter sitting around at home from doing a 10 hour shift with an hour's commute each way, as I have to do! Pixelchick x

I also have been surprised how well I have felt and like you am just hoping it continues, I stopped all pain meds apart from the occassional Tylenol by day 4. Only real problems so far have been pain in the bathroom and bruising. Hoping to go back to work on Thursday, I think thats is when the truth will happen as 10 hrs at work is a very diff story to pottereing round the house

I work as a construction safety coordinator and project coordinator for an electrical company. Truth be told, I just haven't gone to the office, but have been working from home for about a week now. I have no kids, so i am able to just lounge on the couch if I get tired. My partner is great also. She does all the house work, basically, I have the perfect life for a situation like this. Minus the surgery itself. Tee hee. What is strange is being a lesbian....the sex thing is not something I want to tackle either. I don't feel like being very close. I don't want her done around that area at all. We have been together for 10 years and she is very understanding...but, I feel strange about that. -- Julie

I felt the same way, saphron, after my surgery. I was waiting for the bomb to hit ... and so far it hasn't. Except for getting out of bed for the first week or so, I really didn't have any problems or severe pain. I took 1 of my pain pills since I've been home. (And that was from that first car ride home, and it was only about 10 minutes, darned pot holes!!!) I guess it wasn't meant for us to experience what many of the other girls have. My thought about it is that I couldn't have handled it so it wasn't given to me!!!!!!!!!

SO happy for you and all others feeling good. I had some odd complications with uterus removal through abdominal incision but still forced myself off the pain meds by day 4 and manage now with regular extra strength tylenol preventatively. Will be 40 this year, an almost 3 year sober recovering alcoholic so had myself pretty worked up about all this and afterwards thought....what the heck is wrong with me because I DON'T feel as bad as I expected to. It's no picnic but it's not so bad. I am day 11 post op now and am terrified of meds plus found them turning my stool to concrete so forced myself off. I had to be coderized shut, long story and had some extra bed rest orders and still can't sit up long but all and all, I'm very mobile and able to do lots of things. Not the bad things but the basics and I'm thrilled about that. I expected to be laid up for weeks and weeks and weeks. I'm VERY pleased and very thankful.

I too am following ALL the rules of do not do's and forcing myself to nap regularly and will also take the full 6 weeks (for me) off. I just posted in another thread some pretty graphic stuff about inside work they do (will have to come back an add that thread name in a second, I seem to be struggling at times with attention span and memory lol but not due to surgery). "I'm bored and think I over did it" is the thread where I posted about the 700 internal stiches I have instead of the usual thousand!!! Just FYI because not many of us think to ask about that part.

I'm not in tip top shape, have major stomach issues due to drinking but have in the last three years focused totally on loosing 50 lbs, getting into yoga to stretch internal and external body (and mind) change all my bad eating habits and am also very glad I took the time to get my body and life together. I think it helps to be a little more in shape than out of shape to heal from this. Me neither, not at all saying this to rub it in. But, we ALL have the choice to get ourselves healthier pre surgery or post. My personal journey was not easy, I don't wish it on anyone truthfully, but I am responsible for how I feel, I being who I am have to accept that and I'm glad I do. It's not easy but my whole life I blamed everyone else, used ever excuse in the book to not look after myself and thankfully finally saw life for what it actually is. In MY control. Hate me if it makes you feel better. I don't mind. I know how hard it's been for me but one thing I sue do not apologize for in life any more is for feeling GOOD. It makes me feel like a freak and that I feel compelled to feel sorry about feeling better than a complete stranger some days.....(because we are women and that's what most of us do) but deep down...nope....not going to feel guilty for feeling good and I hope you don't either.

Thank you for sharing this. I was SO happy to find a post like this !!!!


So here's to being fit, healthy, pain free and recouperating wonderfully. We earned it. Don't feel bad for feeling good !! We can make ourselves feel bad enough for lots of other things (cuz we're women) but don't do it to yourself now. Congratulate yourself !!!


as i now will go hide from a bolt of lightning or a bad infection to hit and set me back. lol I'm not cocky, honest. I respect my body and my life now and each and every day wake up and give thanks for a whole new day. It ain't easy but it beats the alternative.


YAY to feeling ok !!!

I had a full hysterectomy with incision. I was home by the second day and other than feeling a little sore and tired, I felt fine. Be careful you don't overdo it though! I went shopping with a friend a few days after getting home and was so exhausted I did not think I would be able to drive home. I was very sore that evening also! Good luck!

I'm scared to do too much. The boredom is brutal but I will tell you what my surgeon told me because I'm reading here and worried about some of you.....

I was told I have 700 internal stiches because they have to sew back up layers upon layers of tissue. I was told that they have to put out part of your intestines and bowel and move the bladder aside (if done abdominally). I was told I was lucky because I wasn't a bleeder during surgery or I would have had the usual thousand stiches inside.

Now...part of me thinks it was a scare tactic and there's no way I have that many stiches inside or the surgery would surely have lasted longer than the two hours that it did. But if it was a scare tactic...it worked !! Even if it's only one hundred or fifty or or or or....stiches inside...there are many many stiches inside of us that we have to respect. Tear all that apart inside by doing too much and there goes your chances of a good recovery and also your chances of being able to work your abdomen into a nice flatter tummy down the road.

I am not a fraidy cat in the big picture of life. I'm a warrior. But when it comes to this...oh yah...I'm scared and will not over do it if it kills me.

I feel like I could return to work tomorrow but will take the full time off so that months down the road I feel good and not bad. Just me though. I respect those of you that feel super ok and I honestly wish you continued wonderful recovery. There's exceptions to every rule and maybe you can bounce back quickly after a couple weeks. That's great. I really mean that. But I worry about you because so much says the opposite. I don't plan to milk this thing because that's simply not my style but I don't plan to rush it either.

Continued respect and good health to each of us !! We women are amazing beings that's for sure !!!!

I also had a very nice recovery. I was sent home from the castle with just Motrin 600mg and did not have very much post op pain. I have a vertical incision and also had my ovaries and cervix removed. The first week was a little tough getting up and down, but after that I seemed to get a little better every day. I forced myself to get up daily and do a little walking even if it was just around the house a couple of times. And now I'm almost a year post op and feel great! I had a little set back with my bladder at about 6 mos, but that has since been resolved.