Shortness of breath since hysterectomy 1 week ago

Hi. I had a hysterectomy one week ago today and since I left the hospital I have had shortness of breath. Today it has been pretty bad and it is really frustrating me. Is this normal? Has anybody else experienced this?
Thank you!

	Quote:
Originally Posted by Twentyfourand1 Hi. I had a hysterectomy one week ago today and since I left the hospital I have had shortness of breath. Today it has been pretty bad and it is really frustrating me. Is this normal? Has anybody else experienced this? Thank you!

Hi,
I just joined the forum today too. And my surgery was on the 19th. I also experience shortness of breath. I become winded quickly and cannot talk for long periods. Maybe someone who is post longer than we are can shed some insight.......

	Quote:
Originally Posted by Twentyfourand1 Hi. I had a hysterectomy one week ago today and since I left the hospital I have had shortness of breath. Today it has been pretty bad and it is really frustrating me. Is this normal? Has anybody else experienced this? Thank you!

My surgery was on the 18.
I have asthma and had shortness of breath after surgery, which got better with using my inhalers.
I did notice today that when I walk I sometimes have to stop or walk more slowly.

I was told to call my doctor if I experienced shortness of breath, as that "can" be a symptom of a pulmonary embolism. It may be nothing to worry about, but please let your doctor know.

I agree that calling the dr would be a good idea. You want to rule out pulmonary embolism, and if you have respiratory issues already, anesthesia can definitely cause them to act up and you may need increased meds

As others have said, *first* you need to call your doc and rule out pulmonary embolism.

If you don't have PE, then you may be having problems because your diaphragm (big muscle underneath your lungs that helps you exhale completely) isn't getting as much support from your abs as it's used to. I did breathing exercises in which I inhaled, then focussed on using my abs to *push* the air out of my lungs. I did these when I got stitches in my side while walking, and they really helped. I also did them while sitting on the toilet waiting for stools to pass, since I had nothing else to do. The exercises seemed to help with that process too.

Thank you all. I did go to the Dr. And they did a ct scan to make sure I didn't have a blood clot in my lung. Thankfully everything came back ok but I am still having trouble breathing I hope this is temporary