Totally confused and scared

My date has been moved back a month so now having op on 19th October. They cannot do laprascopic as has to be abdominal and they are removing both tubes and ovaries but leaving the cervix. They also doing some repair work to my bowel n bladder from surgery 2 years ago where they damaged it ( only just told me). I'm scared now about the surgery as its not what I had spent time getting my head around I'm worried that they will cause more damage n not tell me and I'm going to be in pain still for another month :-(

I had abdominal surgery and it wasn't bad at all. I had an easy recovery with minimal pain and no complications. I had a three-day hospital stay and was off narcotics by the time I left the hospital. After that I just used OTC ibuprofen. At home, I had no problems caring for myself and my two cats.

I returned to work at a part-time desk job at four weeks. All my restrictions were lifted at six weeks, and by eight weeks my life was pretty much back to normal.

My experience was similar to surprised's, pain free smooth recovery. I spent one night in the hospital and didn't need any more pain meds once they took the iv out. Best wishes to you!

Hi Goofysgal -

I know you are concerned, but having abdominal surgery is okay. The doctor is recommending that because he/she thinks it is the best method to deal with your situation.

I also had open abdominal surgery, but I lost everything, including my cervix. My recover was not as easy as Surprised or coughy, but I was not still in pain after one month. I was on narcotics and Motrin for the first four days, and after that I was only on Motrin. I took that for another three weeks.

I needed help at home with cooking (dinner), cleaning, dishes, laundry, shopping and driving. DH took care of those items when he got home from work. But, I was able to care for myself at home during the day, and do minor items. I dealt with breakfasts, lunches, etc. I did everything in batch mode, slowly and carefully.

I went back to work at a moderate stress desk job after three weeks, but only could handle part time. I did that for another four weeks, and then went back full time. I slowly returned to my life. My biggest issue was my lack of stamina which took time to rebuild to my pre-op levels.

I had a total abdominal hysterectomy (everything removed except the ovaries) 3 weeks ago. I will say WAITING for the surgery is the hardest part. My recovery thus far has been pretty smooth. I spent two nights in the hospital, and I've only had gas pain. (Gas-X and walking helps with that). I was anxious prior to the surgery because I never had major surgery before but I can honestly say the Percocet has not been used as it has not been needed. I am so surprised that I have not had any pain besides the gas pain. Get plenty of rest during your recovery but don't forget to walk. Wishing you a speedy recovery!!

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Originally Posted by marestail ...I needed help at home with cooking (dinner), cleaning, dishes, laundry, shopping and driving. DH took care of those items when he got home from work...

I live alone and to be honest, I dealt with a lot of this simply by ignoring it. Before surgery, I scrubbed the apartment, did lots of laundry and stocked up on groceries, toiletries and household items. After surgery, I prepared simple food for my myself and my cats, washed a few dishes standing at the sink and kept the litter box scooped. That was about it. My motto was, "Those aren't dust bunnies, those are cat toys!"

I'm not much of a cook in any case, plus my appetite was pretty wonky for the first couple of weeks after surgery. With the wonky appetite, frequent "healthy snacks" worked better than regular-sized meals. The second week I got a bit fancier and made veggie omelets. That's about as involved as my cooking ever gets in any case.

I ran out of yogurt the third week, but by then was able to walk the mile to the supermarket and buy more as long as I kept the load to less than 10 lbs. (I don't drive.) I also did some laundry that week.

My sister came to visit five weeks after surgery, so I cleaned the apartment so she wouldn't freak. By then I could lift up to 30 lbs - and did, when I stocked up on some of her favourite foods.

So my advice is that if you can't do it yourself and you can't get help, then just let it go. Get a recording of that song from Frozen and play it frequently to remind yourself of this if you need to. :-)

Thank you all for your kind words, I feel a little more relaxed reading them. I too think this waiting isn't helping and once I'm there n in my gown n socks I will be more positive.

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Originally Posted by Goofysgal Thank you all for your kind words, I feel a little more relaxed reading them. I too think this waiting isn't helping and once I'm there n in my gown n socks I will be more positive.

I had ten weeks from the time I was told I'd need a hysterectomy to the time I actually had it. I was so relieved when I woke up afterwards, put one hand down and felt the bandage on my belly. No matter what happened next, at least I'd gotten the surgery over with!

Goofysgal -

It is true that major house cleaning will not be done duirng your recovery. Mine did not get cleaned for eight weeks post op. I was naming dust bunnies, and with three black cats, my carpets were also black.

I was not hungry either (very typical), but because of other health issues, I still needed to eat every meal and eat healthy. I love to cook (I really missed cooking dinners post-op), so once freezer meals ran out, I planned simple, healthy dinners that even DH could cook. .

Everyone is different, and recovers differently, and has different needs. Some things you will need to pay attention to based on your own needs. If you need to have something done and you need help doing it, family members or friends can assist. If it can be ignored, then ignore it until you feel better.