Swollen post op 3 days

Hello all. I had a radical hysterectomy 3 days ago and am now so swollen I look eight months pregnant! I have not had a bowel movement since before my surgery and have a lot of gas! So painful I was 130 pounds before my surgery and now 138!! Is this normal?

Hi Colleen,

Swelling seems to be a common complaint after a hysterectomy. I was told it can be caused by the trauma to the tissues during the surgery itself and by the anesthesia meds. Drinking lots and lots of water can help a lot. The swelling could very well be causing the weight gain.

Narcotic pain meds cause me to be constipated, and I have heard others complain of the same side effect. Drinking a lot of water can also help here, along with an increase in fiber intake and walking. Walking this early should be slow, short walks , but any movement aids in the movement of bowels. Try to switch to non-narcotic meds as soon as you can tolerate to see if that helps. It sure did help me, and I found that I only needed the narcotics for a few days. An Acetaminophen/Ibuprofen combination worked very well for me after that.

I wish you the best in your recovery. Be patient with yourself, and read how others are recovering. Seeing that others were experiencing the same issues and had the same concerns helped me tremendously.


Kay

Thank you so much Kay for your support. I will use all of your advice. I have read horror stories about gals who are still very swollen many weeks after surgery where their clothes don't fit. I'm very concerned. I'm also recently married and finding relating to my husband regarding this whole issue (constipation and gas etc) very difficult

Thank you again!!

Colleen

Never hesitate to discuss your concerns with your if they continue or get worse.

Also, I had been married for about 28 years when I had my hysterectomy and there is no way that my dear husband could relate to all I was going through even though he wanted to be supportive. That is one of the many reasons why HysterSisters is so wonderful! It is support from other women who have been or are currently where you are.

Take care!!!


Kay

Had my hyster in September and in last week just noticed reduction in swelling. It's a long hail, physically and emotionally. Don't underestimate it

COLLEEN!!! Milk of magnesia has been a total life saver for me!!! Basically it makes you poop water BUT I have lost ALL of the weight gain from the surgery and the pressure from the gas is GONE!! Trust me sister, go get some and make yourself a very happy woman. I'm 8 days post op and am smaller now than I was before surgery. I still take milk of mag every other day just so I don't end up straining and messing my innards up. The swelling goes away in a day or two. No worries. This has been the best decision I've made. No more bleeding to death every month, no more uterus 'falling out', I couldn't be happier. I'm pretty much back to normal except for holding my children...well, that and sex. It's driving my hubby crazy, poor guy. Anyways, I hope you go out and get some of this miracle liquid and everything goes smoothly and you can get back to normal. (Might be good to send hubby out for a few hours if you aren't too keen on sharing that part of you with him. It cab get kinda intense...)

Thanks Jkoth 24! The milk of magnesia has really helped alleviate some of the gas but I still have not had a bowel movement my doctor prescribed T3's and anti inflammatory drugs but I think they are constipating. Do you (or anyone else) know if I can replace them with over the counter, less constipating remedies such as Tylenol and Advil?

Tylenol 3 contains codeine, which is a narcotic and may indeed cause constipation. If by "anti-inflammatory drugs" you mean NSAIDS such as ibuprofen or naproxen, those shouldn't cause constipation. In fact, Advil is just a brand name for ibuprofen. :-)

You can certainly try using regular Tylenol and Advil for your pain to see if that works for you. Myself, I was released from the hospital three days after surgery without a narcotics prescription and instructions to use OTC ibuprofen and acetaminophen (Tylenol) for minor pain, call back if experiencing major pain. I never had to call back.

When I arrived home, I weighed myself and discovered that I was carrying 15 lbs of water weight. (I'd thought it looked more like 40, so 15 was a relief!) That ****** itself out over the next few days. Short, frequent walks help.

There's a different sort of swelling that I started experiencing about the third week as I became more active. It was less generally distributed, more concentrated in my abdominal muscles themselves. It felt hard rather than soft. So when you read about other sisters' experiences with swelling, keep in mind that they may be talking about different types.