Questions for Dr. at 5 weeks post op

I am 5 weeks post op today. I go back to work in a week. My dr. told me that when I am ready to go back to work, I will not have any restrictions placed upon me, assuming that I'm healing well.
Due to a mix up at the clinic where I am seen, my post-op appointment got re-scheduled until 18 Mar, which is nearly 2 months post op. That's another story in of itself, but I called and complained about not getting the standard post op care and I am being seen tomorrow.
I am not going to be seeing my dr. until my appointment on the 18th, because he's in Mexico. My appointment is with a partner who I have never met before. I am being "squeezed in" and don't want to be rushed. I have prepared a list of things to ask about:
-- pathology report
-- do I have a cervix - I know that sounds incredibly ignorant, but I don't know
-- when can I bathe and swim
-- when can I shave or wax the area where my incision is
-- when can resume running, lifting and other strenuous activities
-- questions about vaginal cuff (if I have one. I've been having some twinges up there that feel like growing pains. Very hard to describe and intermittent, but kind of annoying)
I also plan to ask him some questions about future sexual activity, but I'm single with no partner at the moment, so it's not an immediate concern. Hopefully one of these days, ha ha, so I have questions about that.

I feel like I'm missing something & would like to get feedback on what questions everyone else addressed at their post op. I feel kind of weird with a dr. who didn't do my surgery, but I need to get some idea of what I can and can't do before I go back to work. I am in the military, and past next Thursday, I'm not supposed to have any restrictions at all. I just want to make sure I am healing as well as I think I am and want to make good use of the time I get to see the dr. before my "vacation" is over.
Any feedback would be appreciated.
Thank you!
Jill

jillclair66

You're very wise to prepare a list of questions in advance of your appointment ~ I wish I had!

I don't know if you've read through any of the "checkpoints", but there's a comprehensive list of questions to ask in the <link> Checkpoint Weeks 5-6, which I hope will help.

By the way ~ if you had a TAH (total abdominal hysterectomy) then your cervix was removed and you do, indeed, have a vaginal cuff.

Wishing you all the best!

I had a TAH on 2/19 and due to severe adhesions could not remove my cervix. so i had uterus and both ovaries removed and still have cervix. Not a dumb question, i assumed it was gone too until i asked the doctor.

I'm only 3 weeks post-op, so i'm not close to my post-op appt. yet, which will be at 6 weeks post-op for me.

I have been writing down questions as they come to my mind that I want to ask at my post-op. it might be some of those questions might get answered by 6 weeks, but i just write down every question that has come to my mind during this recovery that I want to ask my doctor.

I love all the questions in the checkpoints questions list that "Poodle" pointed you to. That is a very thorough list, I think.

For me, here are some other things I'm planning to ask when my appointment comes up:

- If I am still having any pain when I go for my post-op, I'll ask him at what point in time from here should I expect this pain to be gone, and if it's not gone, do I come to see you again? (I've been in pain since day 1, so right now, it seems like it'll NEVER end! haha).

- If I am NOT in any pain at my 6-week post-op, I will ask, "If I start to have any pain or other strange/new sensations in my abdomen between now and when I see you a year from now, should I come in to see you?" (and I'd assume that'd prompt a short discussion on what type of pain to be concerned about, etc.)

- Also, this is just for my own curiousity, but I'm going to ask him specific questions about my surgery. I am curious about a few things. Along the same lines, I'm going to ask him questions about the pain I've had (even if it's gone... again, I'm curious why my right side hurts and my left side doesn't... and why my right hip hurts and my left hip doesn't.... stuff like that). Even though it'd probably be in the past, I want to know... and maybe it'd be intersting to him, too.

- If my belly is still swollen, I'll ask him at what point I should expect it to be normal looking, and if the swelling does not go down, should I come in to see him?

- I'm also going to ask a lot of specific questions about exercise since I do a lot of that... like I'm going to ask if there any ab exercises that are off limits right now, and if so, how long? Also, I'm going to ask about strength training, and how often can I strength train right now (if at all), and how much weight can I strength train with, etc.

- I'll also ask about running... can I start running NOW, or should I still wait a few weeks?

-I'm also going to ask about waxing... at what point can I start waxing the bikini area again?

This is my list (in addition to a lot of the questions on the checkpoints list). I'm sure my list will grow as the weeks go on!! (Hopefully my doctor scheduled a long appointment with me. haha!!)

Good luck!!

	Quote:
Originally Posted by josephine36 I had a TAH on 2/19 and due to severe adhesions could not remove my cervix. so i had uterus and both ovaries removed and still have cervix. Not a dumb question, i assumed it was gone too until i asked the doctor.

A total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH) is removal of the uterus and cervix. However, if the cervix is left, the procedure is a supracervical abdominal hysterectomy (SAH) ~ removal of the uterus only.

I was booked for a TAH but ended up with a SAH (keeping cervix) due to complications.

Thanks for all of the info ladies. I did not feel like such a dork for asking the doctor if I had my cervix - turns out I do not. The new doctor I saw was great. I think I like him better than my regular dr...
He took as much time as I needed to answer all of my questions and gave me a copy of my pathology report - even took time to explain the big words.
He said my swelling may take "a few months"...just what I wanted to hear - not. I'm really not that bad, but it's still not "me". He gave me the green light for swimming and all types of exercise. He warned me to start back slow. He said I will not harm my insides by overdoing it, but he warned me I probably wouldn't like how I felt if I did.
He gave me the go-ahead for shaving or waxing, whichever I chose. The one thing he advised me not to do was have sex yet because he said I might find that uncomfortable. Not really an issue for me, but I'm happy things seem to be healing up well.
Thanks for not laughing at my "do I have a cervix question"!!
Jill

The list of questions is a definite must. 8 days post op I had my staples removed and had a list of my own. I was very glad to have had it. the first question on my list was WHY AM I CRYING ALL THE TIME. I was absolutely fine until the doctor walked into the room and then I burst into tears. I just thrust the list at him and he chuckled.

Writing down everything is very important. Good luck!