recovery time - new job - ovaries out or not?

Hi all,

I am new to this site and have lots of questions, but one thing at time. I am 48 years old and have a TAH/BSO scheduled for July 16th. I am very fit and in very good health except for the large fibroid around my uterus. I'm told it is as big as if I were 5 months pregnant. I even look pregnant. It is not too painful, more like a constant ache that is very annoying. It is also affecting a nerve down my right leg and pressing on my bladder. The doctor wants to take all out. I also have a 2cm cyst on one ovary. I won't allow the cervix to be taken out and now I am questioning about my ovaries - but I am 48 years old, so I am confused about this. What to do ?

Also, I will be starting a new job in mid August (operation July16)It won't be very physical at first but I will have to fly to Italy. Will this be too soon to travel? I am very fit, petite and generally have alot of energy and am very active. I was thinking that my recovery time may be shorter than most women because of these factors. Anyone out there fit this profile and been through recovery already?

sailorgal

Lazy typist so please forgive the abreviations. I wanted to respond... although there are so many women in this forum that can better address your concerns. Ask your Doctor about the recouperation time. I guess we're all differrent but these women have stressed countlessly that you only have one chance to heal properly, and in the long run you have to take it easy.... this is without a doubt very major surgery and you don't want to mess that up by jumping in and forcing strain on your body too soon, no matter your size, shape and pre-op energy level. If your new job isn't too taxing it might be just fine.....I'm not sure about travel but it seems that would be okay too. Talk this over with your doc and make sure he/she isnt playing it down. *Basic skeptic of docs after my experiences so far* It's YOUR body, protect it best you can.

Best of luck, and I'm sure somebody better equipt to answer your concerns will come along.... I'm up Way too late but the old back is keeping me from sleep.

Mindy

I think it will also depend on the type of procedure, vaginal vs. abdominal, but it sounds like you are have abdominal incision since you are keeping your cervix...If you mentioned these details, I'm sorry I missed them...

Travel and exertion at 4 weeks? I wouldn't have felt like it. Doctors tend to say you can do more sooner than we say so, although my physician (a woman) didn't agree w/the majority of doctors represented by their patient's here.

If your ovaries aren't a problem for you, why get rid of them? Unless you have ovarian cancer in your family, I'd keep them. I kept mine. Even if they don't wake up after surgery, you are not really any worse off...

Good luck.

Dear Sailorgal, Welcome to hystersisters a wonderful site with lots of support. We all try to give opinions from our experiences from having a hysterectomy. It is wonderful that you are in good shape and I am sure that will help with the recovery process in the long run. The 6 to 8 week recovery is pretty standard for most women. In my humble opinion 4 weeks is pushing it to travel and start a new job. When they do a tah/bso you are contending with a 7 to 9 inch external incision with an internal stitches ranging from 150/200 on the inside. Lots of ligaments and muscles to reattached and to heal. By 4 weeks most stiches are starting to disolve and muscles and ligaments are taking back over their work. For me week 4 thru 8 were difficult. I went back at 6 weeks. I still had lingering pain and was very tired from working and insomnia. Having a hysterectomy is a journey where everyone's recouperation time and healing happen at different rates. Depending on hormone therapy if it is given right away there are adjustments sometimes that need to be made with that. Sometimes after the surgery we are so impatient with getting back our lives that the frustration we feel those first 3 months are very high. For many of us once we pass the 8 -10 week mark we are getting our lives back to normal but our body lets us know when we have done to much. The ovary question you asked depends on family medical history. Most women say if you can keep them there are benefits. I had planned to keep mine but once I was in surgery they were not healthy enough to save. Something I knew was a possiblity but was kinda shocked when I woke up. This is something you will have to consider also. Doctor can't consult you while you are sleeping Your best bet is to talk to your doctor and see what thier game plan is for your recovery for time and travel. Also if they plan to put you on hormone therapy right away. Some doctors make women wait on hormone therapies and surgical menopause can be unpleasant at times. Best wishes on your upcoming surgery. Diane

Hi, I replied on the hormone jungle as well, but I see here that you addressed physical fitness & size before surgery, so I'll reply to that here.

I am 33, 5'8" and weighed 151 lb the morning of my TAH/BSO 7 weeks ago. I am fit, and reasonably slender. My doc told me before surgery that I would "bounce right back", and he was right. I have no major health problems and am very active. The first 4 weeks were taken up with lots & lots of lying around (had my laptop bedside so I wasn't too bored) but since then I've been on a steady incline up the recovery ramp. Zippin' right along. I still don't overdo things, and I still get tired easily, but I'm not hurting or bleeding, and I feel great.

As to the ovaries I'll tell you my experience. I had a cyst rupture 8 years ago and they removed half the right ovary. Then 8 months later another cyst ruptured on the same ovary so they removed it. I asked at the time for a total hysterectomy and they wouldn't do it. Now 7 years later here I am with a total hysterectomy and no ovaries because I had another, bigger cyst threatening to rupture on the other ovary. In a way I kinda wish they would have just taken it all 7 years ago so I could have avoided this surgery, but on the other hand I got the benefit of my own hormones these last 7 years, and delayed surgical menopause by 7 years, so overall I'm glad I was able to keep my ovary until now. But now? I'm glad to have it all gone.

PS I'm down to 141 now! Yaaay!!!

doc wanted to take my ovaries, i said ok, hes the dr. i found this site, some one said if its only 4 ayr or so keep u ovaries if possible. and i did. i am so glad after reading what ladies go thru after there out. u should check out all your options it is your body. also doc took my cervix to. there is no change in anything. i have been told if u keep your ovaries and cervix u can still bleed. atleast u have enuff time to get all the good and bads. and collect enuff information so u can do whats best for u. i consider myself active and healthy and not over weight. it still took me atleast 7 weeks to feel good again. be careful and study all your options. and maybe go in the hormon jungle and see what they think about your ovaries coming out. good luck. tina

sailorgal

Assuming you sail? Me too. I actually live on my sailboat, which has made for an interesting recovery. I've had to be way more active than most of the folks on these boards would recommend, e.g just getting onto the boat requires 3 stairs up, 5 down, which I've done at least 4 times a day since I came home from the hospital. I'm 6 weeks post today, and feeling really good. Still get sore, tired, but nothing I can't handle. I'm 37.

I had my hyst for a large fibroid, and kept my cervix and ovaries, so sounds like you're in pretty much the same boat I was. My recovery has been uneventful. I spend a great deal of time either propped up on the setee working on my laptop, or out in the cockpit reading in the sun. (No one's going to believe I was "really" out on disability when I go back to work, I have such a great tan....) You may actually be in better shape than I was when I finally had this done -- my Dr. told me I was basically slowly bleeding to death -- each month I lost a bit more blood than I could make up in the following 2 weeks.

Gotta say. though, no way would I be flying to Italy, even now, much less at what sounds like it would be ~4 weeks for you. Maybe if you can get them to send you first/business class? I just know I couldn't stand sitting in one of those little seats for that long of a trip. We're going to NY in Sept, and even at that point, I wouldn't be going if I didn't know we could upgrade. Your lower abdomen will just start to burn from sitting in one place for a while. If you absolutely have to go, you probably could, but I'd try to put it off for at least another month. YMMV, but I don't think you'll find a lot of folks here telling you otherwise -- this is pretty major surgery, and it takes time and rest to recover.