When do you start feeling 100%

I know the recovery time is 6 weeks. I get that. I dont plan on doing anything Im not suppose to, but I would like to know when is it that you actual get back to normal? Like when can you wear jeans again? When does a day go by that you dont think about your hysterectomy? When does the swelly belly go away, and that bulge on top of the incision? I guess my question really is, when does life get back to normal? I am a little over a week out and medically my recovery is going great, no complications, however I am having a hard time dealing with the laying around I want my life back. I was hardly ever sitting around before, and this feels kind of like a jail sentence. My DR said it could take months, but I would just like to hear from someone who has actually been through it/

I am 4 mths post op from TVH and still recovering. They say it takes up to a year to recover and I believe that is right! I was able to get back into jeans about a month ago, finally! I am dealing with memory problems and depression right now. They say that memory improves after 6 mths because of the anethesia. ENJOY the time you have off from everything because later you will miss having so much time for yourself. TAKE care of yourself and let your body heal. It will take a year to be back to NORMAL.

I felt like you do--I'm a very active person and can't stand to sit around doing nothing. The ridiculous thing about it was that I finally starting enjoying my time off work about a week before it was over. Now I wish I had realized what a gift it was much earlier. Try to enjoy this time and do all the things that you always say you'd like to but don't have enough time for. I organized photos, took out my beloved-but-little-used watercolor paints, caught up on phone calls and letters. Have a schedule for your day just like you normally do. The schedule may seem silly: watch one hour of a movie, then write thank-you notes for the next hour, follow with a 5-minute walk , spend 30 minutes on-line on Hystersisters site, follow with end of movie, then 30-minute nap (length of nap needs to be completely flexible, of course), take second 5-minute walk, etc. I did this and the days just flew by. Before I knew it, it was bed time. I'm at 7 weeks now and feeling almost, but not quite, back to normal. Best wishes and hugs!

I have also heard that it takes up to a year to feel normal again and from my own experience that is probably pretty accurate. I am 8 months post opp and I am pretty close to normal feeling. I can wear jeans without a problem but I will say that wearing certain types of pants (elastic for example) are sometimes a little uncomfortable. I was cut from above my belly button down which I think has a lot to do with your recovery. I am still tender above my belly button that I am not sure will ever fully go away. For the most part though I feel like a brand new person and do not regret having the surgery. I hurt so bad in the past and never really realized it. You will feel normal. Just give it a little more time.
Amanda

I'm almost 7 weeks post op (TAH) and I feel pretty good! I was able to put jeans on last week. I cried when I tried to put them on at 3 weeks and I was so swollen there was NO way! I just wasn't expecting that.

I am able to be pretty active each day although I've not yet gone back to work. I go back in a week and a half. I'm hoping I'll do OK. I think I will ... I'm just going to think positive!

I think everyone is a little different but at 8 weeks I'm back to work and doing most things I always did. Still get tired quicker than before. Not completely my old self but bleeding constantly and cramping and in pain was my old self, so these changes are in the right direction, feeling better and stronger everyday.
Please relax enjoy the time and understand that you will not wake up one day and have it all over. Each day is a surprise some are good some are not but know that the good will out number the bad at some point.

I also am about 7 1/2 mo. and although I can do most things, my core strength for lifting is not up to par yet. I am able to get out and do things, like biking and gardening. I am not able to get in my jeans yet (at least for long periods of time) ...I also had a vertical cut so maybe that makes a difference.

Wow, its so hard to digest that it will be months before things are back to normal. I guess it is better then my old self, always in pain and grumpy because of it. I am a really inpatient person, can you tell? LOL! I just want to forget this happenned to me, do you know what I mean. This whole thing has been so traumautizing, I just want to forget it. It took me a few days to just be able to talk about it. I was so confident before surgery, and then afterwards, it was like a shock. I had a hard time just returning emails from my hystersisters, because I didnt want to acknowledge what had happenned to me. I am not one of those women, who "misses" her parts. I am glad they are gone, I just wish I knew how intense the restricitons to your body really are. Yesterday I went to church in the morning, but I had to stay in bed the rest of the day because of my energy levels. I guess I will be glad when its all over!

I relate to everything you have said Kelly. I feel as if I was not prepared at all!!! I wish I would have found this site before my surgery.

I'd like to get thru the day without the thoughts of surgery/recovery being first thing on my mind in the am and last thing before bed. Yeah I'm ready to feel 100% even though I know it's a ways off.