Questions on Recovery - Not a Straight Line, Right?

Hi - had LSH June 1 and the surgery went well. Was doing great the first 4 days and have had some pain since Monday. Drove to the Dr. Monday and stopped @ the store to get a couple of things. Started very light bleeding - knew that meant I did too much.

How do you know how much is too much before some bleeding? Spent yesterday crampy and took some Tylenol 3, which irritated my liver but did get rid of crampiness and allowed me to sleep for 3 hours.

The pain seems to be a combo of some constipation/gas (which is moving fine - just uncomfortable beforehand) and maybe I am doing too much? Doing some laundry and picking up - is bending over a bad thing? Just feel like a pain line where the uterus used to be and get achy, tired, etc. at times. Should I only be focusing on things that don't require bending and try to walk to the mailbox every day (end of the driveway) then increase? Just a little confused.

I would think that healing is not in a straight line, but want to take good care but progress. Husband isn't getting it - how healing works - and that doesn't help. Any thoughts?

D

Hi D,

I had a LSH a little over a year ago. Yes, typically when we start over doing things, we spot post op.

Since you are still in your first week, I would limit the bending over, and doing the laundry. I wasn't allowed to lift more then 10 pounds my first 2 weeks. I didn't start driving until then, just because if you have to slam on brakes or do anything too fast, that would really hurt, and could cause problems down the line.

We all heal differently. I did discover, that when I started doing more stuff, it looked like I was healed. But even with a standard 2-4 week recovery, you still had major surgery, and all that has to heal. If things don't heal correctly you can get adhesions, and that opens another can of worms.

Just take it easy, laundry will still be there. In my house, it's there right after I did it. Only you know what's best for you and your family. Try to take it easy and relax a few days.

Thanks, Heather! Nice to hear from one who has been on the battlefield before me! Sometimes we know these things but it is good to get confirmation. My husband and I talked about it, and he didn't know I was doing as much as I was. We discussed the internal healing that must be going on - between the stitches and the burned tissue. Ouch! Quite a miracle to be doing this well!

I hope you continue in good health, and I will definitely take it easy. Have a good one!

Dawn

Healing is definitely not a linear process. But, while there are ups and downs, the general trend should be getting better. In other words, you may feel worse than yesterday, but you should still feel better than you did last week. Hang in there!