How long does the post hysterectomy soreness last?

Hi fellow Hystersisters,

I'm new here and am so pleased to have found such a supportive group. I'm in the UK and had a total hysterectomy (TAH BSO) for stage 1a endometrial cancer on 9 June so am five weeks post-op tomorrow.

My health insurance doesn't cover anything menopause related so initial test were done by the NHS and by the time I found out it was cancer I wouldn't have gained anything time wise by switching to private care. The only downside is that don't see the consultant again until 21 July and am trying to work out whether the abdominal soreness I'm feeling is normal.

The soreness is in my abdomen rather than around the scar and seems to get better only to get worse again. I've read that recovery can be three steps forwards and two steps back and that it's easy to over do things. There have been some days when that may have been the cause but not all. For example, I wake up some mornings and my abdomen is so tender I have to be careful getting dressed and not to catch it on anything even though I haven't done anything to cause it the day before. I suspect this is normal and I just need to be patient but have any of you experienced this?

Thanks,

Mary

	Quote:
Originally Posted by Marica The soreness is in my abdomen rather than around the scar and seems to get better only to get worse again. I've read that recovery can be three steps forwards and two steps back and that it's easy to over do things. There have been some days when that may have been the cause but not all. For example, I wake up some mornings and my abdomen is so tender I have to be careful getting dressed and not to catch it on anything even though I haven't done anything to cause it the day before. I suspect this is normal and I just need to be patient but have any of you experienced this?

Mary! It sounds pretty normal to me. At 8 weeks, I still get swelly belly from overdoing it, though over the weekend one morning I just woke up with it. Think of it like any injury (broken arm, sprained ankle, burn). Fluids gather around the inflammation as a part of the healing process. Swelling goes down, you do more, swelling gets worse. Here's an article from right here at HS: Tummy Care - Swelly Belly. My favorite line is So, you ask, "How do I get rid of it?" You don't. It has to go away on it's own. You can't rush it away via exercise, eating, etc.

Incidentally, when I'm carrying a bunch of stuff, I don't like anything pressing against my stomach, especially around my main incision. It doesn't hurt as such, but it sure doesn't feel right!