what is it like

to have a TAH RSO poss BSO? i had my appendix out 12 years ago, i know that this is going to be different right? i've also had my gallbladder out with the help of the lap scope. again different right? had all of my dd's natural. so i kinda have a lot of stuff running through my head right now. my surgery is planned for the 30th of aug. in a way i can't wait but tham again its still surgery. i just want it over with. thanks girls. hugs for all. debbie

I still have a little over a month to go so I can't tell you exactly what it's like. But I know it's major surgery and that I won't be rollerblading for a while (anyone who has ever seen me would laugh at that statement -- let's say I don't have the rollerblading physique).

I'm just now starting to concentrate on getting as much ready for my recovery BEFORE I go in so I have a week or so to try to relax and clear my head because I've heard that the more relaxed you can be going into surgery, the easier of a time you'll have.

Just keep reading this site -- it's amazing how much insight the Sisters have in every aspect of hyster-land.

Good luck to you!

I can tell you what it's been like so far and it's not really that bad.

I had a SAH - bikini incision (about eight inches long).

When I woke up in recovery I was in more discomfort than pain, I could feel the incision site but it was more of a burning sort of ache than a sharp pain.

The pain meds took care of that pretty quick and I could carry on a conversation pretty readily after that even with some dilaudid.

Since then the actual incision site has been more of a burning itch - kind of like a razor burn feel with a few pinches of pain every once in while. My whole ab area feels like I did a huge ab workout or something and it doesn't seem to subside. But it's all rather bearable. (I'm pretty good about pain though.)

I've been passing a small amount of blood vaginally - just a little pink on a panty liner or when I wipe. The incision site is clean and I'm a little bruised on my adbomen. The only other annoyance is that they shave your crotch and now that it's growing back it really itches!

I wasn't terribly nervous going in and felt quite a bit of relief at the end when I was told in recovery that I got to keep my ovaries.

I know the feeling of wanting it over with. I had to wait nearly eight weeks for my date.

Concentrate on things you can control now, getting your recovery space in order, dates with friends and family, visualizing how you'll feel and what you'll do when you're better. Get into shape now if you can, a little light workout on your arms could really help, I use them to move myself around a lot on the bed and I'm glad I have the strength!

I can't say how it is compared to any other surgery (I had my tonsils out, that's it), but it's all manageable. Talk to your doctor if you have questions, I started keeping a list and any time I talked to her or met with her I just ticked them off. Of course the ladies on this site were incredibly helpful as well!

Keep healthy!

Hi Debbie. Everyone seems to come through the surgery differently. I've been dealing with pain for so long that the surgery and recovery are actually a breeze. I had a rare case of stage 4 endo, so my surgery (just 8 days ago), included repair work done on many of my organs, removal of cysts and tumors, a surprise appendectomy, and a radical hysterectomy. And I spent the day having lunch in my gazebo with some friends.

The afternoon/evening of the surgery was bad for me because I had so much gas and it was making me really queasy. Too queasy even to take any pain meds so I went without. Once I got rid of some of the gas, I actually felt pretty good. The day after surgery I was out of bed and walking around and wanted to go home.

I had 3 laporoscopies before with both abdominal and vaginal incisions. I had a harder time getting around after those than I am now with a radical hysterectomy (vaginal). The truth is, my back ached more than anything else.

I'll be putting a list together for all of the ladies in waiting with things that will help them feel better during their stay in the castle.

Don't worry, you'll be fine. I think recovery is much easier on those of us who have had previous surgeries.

Good luck!
Tee Lee

Debbie,
I have had laparoscopic gallbladder surgery so I can give you a little bit of an idea of the differences. The main one being recovery time. If you were anything like me, once you had the gallbladder surgery, you started progressively getting better day by day...or close to it, right? Within a couple weeks you were feeling fairly back to normal? Within a month, you probably couldn't even tell you had surgery?
The recovery time with a TAH is a lot longer. Sometimes it seems you go for days without seeing an improvement. Then BOOM maybe a big change that seems to happen overnight. Sometimes it is 3 steps forward, 2 steps back. It does take quite a bit of patience. No, you are not going to be debilitated. In fact, I went to McDonalds for a Big Mac on the way home from the castle! When you wake up in recovery, you should not be in any more pain than you were with your lap. Narcotics are great!! Nor was I in any more pain coming home. You will, however, feel a lot more zapped for a longer period of time. You may tire very easily for a few weeks. Mostly, at first, you will just feel discomfort, like sore muscle pain in your abdomen...as if you did way too many crunches. You will still have narcotics and they still work great! Your insides will be a little tender. It may hurt to pee, but again, just a discomfort. Take your stool softeners religiously so your first bowel movement will be uneventful.
I felt like being out cooking on my grill the first week. I don't recommend this, however, for one reason. Although you may feel like doing all kinds of things, you should be laying down as much as possible...RESTING!! That is the thing about a hysterectomy. There will be days when you feel fine and want to do do do. The problem is...if you do do do - you will be SORE SORE SORE the next day! It can be frustrating. Most of us learn the hard way. If you want to KEEP feeling good...do as little as possible. It doesn't take much to make you have a set-back.
Tee-Lee is right. I think it is less scary if you have already had a surgery before, at least you have an idea of what to expect.
Lotsa Luck...I think you'll do just fine

TAH, BSO 5 weeks ago, was my first major surgery. I made list of things suggested to pack and dropped them in a canvas bag as I found them. That saved me dwelling on packing.

My sugesstion would be to ask your doc about wearing a patch to ward of nausea. I was given a drug before surgery but the morphine still turned my stomach for ten hours postop. I figure a patch can't introduce any harmful meds and next time I will plan on using one if OK with doc.
That was my biggest complaint, so how great is that......

Learning new ways to exit the bed and chair the first few days is vital. Husband giving me his hand for leverage was perfect, also if you can sit sideways on the car seat and then
Have dh lift your legs and place them under the dash and reverse that process the first couple of trips in car will be a great help. After two weeks the muscles will be able to do that work unassisted.

I did discover that entering a bed on my knees and then lieing down didn't use the stomach muscles as much, but you will need to discover what is best for you.

One other thing I used before and since is a clay heating pad I found at Walmart. Well worth the price $15.00 and you will find many uses for it.

Good luck.

Thank you Thank you Thank you all so much for the info. it has been very helpful. s to all. debbie