TAH Swelly Belly vs. bloating of your belly after hysterectomy

Hi ladies,

I'm 6 weeks post-op and just wondering if you can tell me the difference between normal swelly belly and bloating that needs medical attention. I was reading my recovery sheet and it said to call the doctor if I experience bloating of the belly. In either case, I see surgeon on Monday so can ask then but thought I would try here too.

My best guess would be bloating is a distension that is somewhat hard as opposed to swelly belly which is just uncomfortable. Any thoughts? Comments? TIA!

I am not sure what your doctor means. It is a bit confusing. Swelly belly, as you know, is fairly common and can last a while. We do have a couple articles that may help. Here is an article on Swelly Belly and here is an article on Excessive Swelling. Excessive swelling seems to encompass redness, pain, and fever. Swelly Belly is a HysterSisters term, and is probably something your doctor had not heard of. It can feel like bloating. When I think of bloating, I think of how I felt before periods before my hysterectomy or how I feel if my IBS is misbehaving. To me swelly belly felt like bloating, but just a bit different as it went away every night only to reappear the next afternoon. I'll be interested to hear what you doctor says.