daVinci hysterectomy soon

Thanks for all the info. Ladies!! (12/8/10) lady in waiting

I was wondering if those of you that have already been there can tell me how the bladder and bowels feel after surgery and a few days after surgery?

and do you have an appetite after surgery? and also should I avoid any types of food or drink? Not sure what to stock up on.

and one more are sweats comfortable enough to wear home? some women posted that wearing pants are very uncomfortable? Or should I buy some nightgowns?

Thanks ladies

I am curious about the bladder bowels too.

How the bladder and bowels feel: well, honestly, they weren't painful, but they did feel kind of weird, after months of having the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria crushing them. I almost feel like they were a little bruised, if that makes sense. I'd been so long with things feeling abnormal that there was some adjustment time to where things seemed to reach a kind of equilibrium -- not long really, I'm only 15 days post-op, and I'd say that things have really settled down in the past week. I didn't have problems urinating or with bowel movements, it's just that things felt a little odd.

Did I have an appetite? Yeah, I did -- I wasn't ragingly hungry after surgery, but I had no nausea. I believe it's typical to start you off on clear liquids in the hospital after surgery -- then, if you seem to be doing well, they move you to "any liquids" (which is how I ended up having the world's most wonderful chocolate milkshake in my hospital room about six hours after surgery), and then to solid food -- so they had me fill out a breakfast menu. Again, I wasn't ragingly hungry, but I signed up for oatmeal and yogurt and cranberry juice (get that fiber!). By the time I got sprung at noon I wanted to eat, and I did -- hot roast beef sandwich on the way home, yum!

What kinds of food to have at home: whatever you like to eat and that is healthy. Don't stock up on junk food just because you like to eat it, but also, don't try to make a radical change to improve your diet at this time -- not if the food isn't appetizing to you. Also, while it's good to prepare and freeze servings of main dishes, be aware that if you're really exhausted, even putting that in the microwave can be a daunting task! Make sure that you have tasty and nutritious snacks on hand as well -- I got dried cherries and blister peanuts from Trader Joe's, two snacks that I love, that have good nutrition and that have lots of fiber. If you're too tired to get up and heat a "meal", snacks like that will get you the nutrition you need. And don't forget beverages! If you like to drink water, great for you -- drink lots! If you're not such a great fan of drinking water, get your hydration another way, but make sure you get it -- it'll help you avoid constipation. Just don't consume too much caffeine, which is a diuretic.

Sweats: well, it depends on the sweats, but probably yes. The two side incisions are low, about in line with my hip bones, and the middle one is of course in the navel. The waist of a pair of jeans can cut into the navel incision when you sit, especially if you have a large belt or a big buckle, but sweats are more forgiving.