some fears

Am scheduled for vaginal hysterectomy on 12/16. Have done much research, but am not really finding what I want - specifics on what I will feel like when I wake, how long before I will really feel like being up and around, sexual effects (if any) etc.
Any experiences you could share would be greatly appreciated.

I am just a bit over 2 weeks post op from a TVH.

My personal experience so far has been pretty good.

I woke up in a little bit of discomfort but the general was stronger than the pain... I couldnt stay awake long enough to do much complaining.

Later that evening I was hooked up to a Morphine pump.
I think I only pushed the button about 4 times in the 12 hours I had it hooked up. After they took me off the Morphine pump I was on Vicodin. The gas was the worst of my pain really.

I felt discomfort but was amazed that my outter Vagina had no visible affects. No swelling or bruising. I expected it to be at least swollen.

The discomfort that I have felt has mostly been rushes of what feels like adreneline going through my pelvic area. Sometimes I feel as though Im having very mild period cramps.

I "feel" back to normal with the occassional twinge of sensation ... cramp or whatever.

The only thing in the castle that REALLY got on my nerves was the cathetar. I begged for them to take it out. The nurse says "If we take it out that means you will have to be able to get up to use the toilet" ... AND??? LOL.. I WANTED to get up and use the toilet. I knew that the cathetar was draining my bladder for me, but I had this non stop feeling that I needed to sit on the toilet.

It was a huge relief to get that taken care of.

The newest thing I have felt since my TVH was today, and that was being tired. I was tired for MONTHS before my TVH and I was really feeling GOOD!! Being able to stay awake all day long without the thought of a nap was wonderful. It was a bit disheartning to feel tired like I did today. I took a very short nap (would have been longer had it been my sole choice) ... Kids make it difficult to sleep during the day.

Even being tired like I am now feels better to me than how I did before my TVH.. I honestly didnt realize it was my blood loss that was draining the energy out of me. I thought I was suffering depression. Apparently that wasnt the problem!

Im sure you will get posts from people that have had rougher times with their TVH, and some easier.. maybe comparable... but overall, I think you will find most of us did great. The relief of it finally being over is wonderful. I felt that relief when I realized I was in the recovery room while waking up.

Take care

Hello! I am almost 4 weeks post-op for a tvh. I had my tvh due to cancer concerns and am happy to say that everything was contained. I was very nervous before my procedure. I wanted to find all information that I could regarding tvh's. Here is a summary of my weeks so far.

Week One-Loved pain meds. percocet and then vicodin

Week Two-Tapered pain meds. and began in-town driving trips. Over-did it and got swelly belly. Also very emotional.

Week Three-Tired. Lots of new twinges. Not pain, just uncomfortable. Thank goodness I had some left-over pain meds. I would take one every other day.

Week Four-Strange sleeping schedule. Feel like a 2-week old. Happy and helped out at work for 2 hours to turn in end-of-month reports. Made sure they all knew how tired I was and walked really slow to my car

I was unsure how much time to take off. I am a workaholic and had emails from office transferred to home computer and have the ability to dial-in our network. I also brought home a laptop and memorized the voicemail system so I could get my messages while I was out. I have responded to very little work situations while at home. Mostly I have forwarded everything to the admin. asst. and she is doing awesome. Somehow i had this concept that everything would fall apart. It hasn't and hopefully everyone will should more at work because of this. My dir. said that he didn't realize how much I was responsible for until he had to help out.

I am taking 8 weeks off. I made a deal with the dr. and will be bringing her and her staff iced sugar cookies. I think it was well worth it. I could have gone back at 3-4 weeks. I would have been extremely tired by the end of the night and not much fun for my family.

Family has been awesome. dh has done a lot of chores. Not always as I would have done, but he does get it done. We have also been getting our 3 kids to help out. I never thought that I would sink this low but, I bribe them. Not always. I wanted the house cleaned, they wanted to go to the movies. They wanted to decorate for xmas, I wanted the house cleaned.

Friends have been awesome. I had lots of females friends stop by after the first week and bring me goodies. The best present was a food calendar with meals for our family for my first 3 weeks. It was awesome! Not having to worry about what was for dinner and not having to shop was great. Husband went grocery shopping this week while I rested in bed. He called 13 times.

Honestly, I feel great this week. But, I still like my naps and I am enjoying my "vacation" from mommy chores. Take care of yourself. You will receive all different posts and different experiences.

Hi

Welcome to HysterSisters! There is tons of information, advice, support, and s when you need them.

Be sure to check out the PreOp Hints and Articles (click here) for information and answers to help you get ready for surgery.

Read and research as much as possible to help you, in conjunction with your DR, make the best decisions for you.

It is important to remember that whatever the procedure, a Hyst is major surgery. An organ is being removed. There are uterine ligaments that have to be reattached to the top of the vagina. That healing just can't be rushed. Since it's internal you can't see how it's coming.

Best wishes!