2.5 weeks post hysterectomy - any horse and chicken ladies out there?

I was just looking for some answers on barn chores. LAVH on Nov 19th. My husbands getting frustrated having to do it all. I was trying to help last night but even water buckets are heavy. He wants my to turn them out but we have a 17 hand energetic thoroughbred and a young peppy Quarter Horse. They are a bit crazy right now as our oldest horse just passed away 3 days ago. Any horse and chicken ladies out there. I just would like to know how you eased into it all again. I'm two weeks and 2 days post op.

I'm sorry, but tell your husband to suck it up.

We have 2 horses, 2 dogs, 8 sheep and two goats. Hubby has been doing all the chores for about 8 weeks now. I had a DaVinci assisted hysterectomy 19 days ago, but couldn't lift anything for about a month before that (led to heavy bleeding and large clots....all very painful).

If you are lifting a 5 gallon water bucket you are lifting about 40 pounds.

I won't go near the horses right now. What would happen if for some reason they spooked and you got run over or you had to move quickly to get out of the way or you got socked in the stomach by a swinging head?

Are your horses outside 24/7? If not, could they be? You can make things easier by leaving them out and filling a 50 gallon water tank a couple times a week. Get slow feeder hay bags and fill them with hay once a day. We have four hay bags that hold four flakes each. Those bags hold a whole bail of hay and that keeps the horses taken care of for 24 hours.

In a couple weeks I will start filling the hay bags, but I won't be lifting them to hang them. I will fill the water tank, but that only involves dragging the hose out to the tank. I will start feeding the sheep and goats, but that will involve taking a few flakes of hay at a time to the feeder. I don't plan on taking full chores until I'm 8 weeks out.

Take it slow, make things as easy as possible. See if you can get a friend to give your husband a break. You have to ask yourself what's more important, is it that you heal properly or is it your husband being inconvenienced?

Sorry for sounding a bit strong, but this sort of thing just angers me up.

Good luck to you....

I strongly agree with Pasha on this one. From personal experience with a much smaller abdominal surgery, you need to rest.

I had my tubes tied back in 1976. Back then I was 26 years old and thought I was superwoman. I won't get in to all the reasons for the surgery, but it was needed. I had a 12" long incision, and in hospital for 3 days. Just a little over a week later, I was out in the barn, cleaning stalls, exercising horses, and even breeding an outside mare! Listen, even though it hurt at the time, I kept pushing through the pain because I didn't have anyone to help with the chores. But my surgeon had a MUCH harder time with my hysterectomy because of all the adhesions that caused.

And adhesions are only things that make a future surgery more difficult. They can really mess up what is left, interfering with your bowels, bladder, and causing pain for years. I'm hoping that since the old adhesions are trimmed back now, and I'm being super super good in recover that adhesions will be minimal for me. I would love to be rid of the pain when I stretch too much.

And water buckets are incredibly heavy - 8 pounds per gallon my sister! I know your husband is frustrated since you probably look like you are all healed up, but really, until your doctor says you are clear for heavy chores, steer clear of them! Hire a stable hand if you have to. Maybe a young friend can help out. But you must take care of yourself.

As I have read here and make it my mantra - you only have one chance to heal right.

Pasha and Denim
Thank you for the insight. Horse ladies are pretty good at telling it like it is and I love that. I too did way to much after my two Csections 20 years ago and had a lot of scarring.
Pasha I would leave mine out but it's in the twenties here at night now. The barn is their shelter.
It is amazing how vulnerable I feel around the horses. Normally I'm all over them. I hope this feeling goes away with healing time!! Thanks again for boost !!

I agree with everyone. I have 3 big thoroughbreds and no way am I the one to turn them out. They would rip my insides to shreds in short order.

Tell your hubby about denim's complications and how you really only get one chance to heal the right way.

In a few weeks, I'll help my husband with grain and hay, but I'm not going near the ponies until 6 weeks.

My hubby is kind of grouchy about the horse chores too, but he knows I can't do them. He just needs to vent. It's hard not being able to help, but this will pass quickly and soon it won't be an issue when you're all healed up.