Walking one day post hysterectomy

Yesterday was my surgery and the nurses have actually seemed surprised at how soon I wanted to get up and walk around ... Isn't walking what we're supposed to be doing?

Walking does help and I wanted to do it early too. The first time was stiff and my legs seemed like pegs and my desire decreased after a moment or too. But I was ready an hour later to do a small walk up the hallway.

I think nurses often see such an array of progress that us overachievers surprise them

Oh YES my legs were VERY stiff but I knew I wanted to move. And this morning I've already been up and walked the hall twice! It feels good 😊

My nurses encouraged me to get out of bed the same day as my op as I was feeling ok and wasn't on a morphine drip. I also went for a short walk to the bathroom to have a wash and get out of the theatre gown.

The day after i went for a shower and the morning after that I went home. The nurses were really helpful once they knew I felt up to getting out of bed.

Yes, that's right! My nurses also did not push me to get up, but my dr said that if I wanted go home after only one night in hospital I had to get up and around. I had to bug the nurses to help me get up the first time, after that I just did it on my own whenever I wanted.

I am now 13 days post-op. I was up and walking the halls of the hospital the morning after my TAH; as soon as the nurses took out that catheter I bee-lined (well, as much as someone who was hunched over with a walker!) for the bathroom! After that initial bout, which I will admit, caused some serious dizziness and a bit of nausea, I was patrolling the halls every couple of hours, just to get the legs moving and the blood flowing. The nurses told me after Day 1 that I didn't need them to get up and move around, since I seemed to be doing pretty well on my own and wasn't out to win any races. Just take it slow and steady, rely on the walker if it's given to you, and remember that it's not a race. Walking also helped ease the gas pressure and the gas bubbles that I had post-operatively. But it sure does fatigue you quickly, so be prepared for that.

Since coming home, I have my DH take me for a walk up and down the block once or twice a day, just to get me out of the recliner and moving. Every day, it gets a little easier. Hang in there!

I didn't wake up from surgery until 7:30 in the evening. I chatted briefly with a friend and then went back to sleep. The next morning, however, a nurse turned up at my bedside and asked if I'd "like to" go for a walk. It was clear from her tone of voice that there was no "like to" about it. I was amenable, however, so we did a lap around the ward. The she asked me if I'd "like to" sit awhile in the armchair in my room. I stuck it out in the armchair for a bit and then went back to bed. The entire process repeated in the afternoon.

By the second day, I was taking myself for multiple laps around the ward and sitting in the armchair reading the rest of the time. When I got home, I continued to follow the example the nurses had given me, walking and sitting upright as much as I felt comfortable with.