TLH: Hysterectomy next month - so many questions!

Hello all, I posted on the welcome board, my story can be viewed there. I am having a TLH in a city about 3 hours away. Now that I have an "official" date for surgery I am getting super nervous.
The first thing that I am nervous about is the trip home. 3 hours. In Winter so who knows how the roads will be. It will suck for sure! If anyone has any advice for this please let me know. I am thinking reclining the seat and sleeping with pain meds, but it may be hard to get/stay comfortable...
The other thing I am stressing about is stairs. My bedroom is in the basement so I need to do stairs. Will this be a problem?
Another thing I am worried about is how much should I make myself do each day. Is walking around for a certain number of minutes a day helpful?
That is all I can think of for now, if anyone has any recovery tips I would love to hear them! Anything that helps with healing/pain management, boredom, etc.

I had a TAH in a city two hours away, but I had a three-day hospital stay afterwards. By the time I needed to do the trip home, I could handle it without discomfort. Some things I did:

- I get easily motion sick in any case, so I took a Gravol (Dramamine, dimenhydrinate) tablet before heading out. This meant that I was also somewhat sedated. I think that helped! However, if you're on narcotic pain meds, ask your doc before mixing Gravol with them.

- I asked the friend who was driving me to bring a flat pillow to put between my belly and the seat belt. This is a must!

- My friend gave me a choice: her small car or her husband's truck? In my experience, vehicles higher up off the road offer a smoother ride, so I went for the truck. Getting up into it was a bit of a trick, but the ride was quite comfortable.

Stairs: a railing is a must. You'll need it for balance and possibly to take some of your weight. Take the stairs slowly. Some women find it easier to place both feet on each step before continuing on to the next step. *Don't* carry anything, and don't make unnecessary trips.

How much you should you "make" yourself do each day? Nothing. This is an ease-through recovery, not a put-through recovery.

A better question is, how much should you *allow* yourself to do each day. :-) You can get up and walk around a bit even the first day after surgery. Also try sitting upright for awhile instead of reclining. When your body just barely starts to feel tired, rest. After you've rested awhile and feel refreshed, try another walk and/or another sit. If you rest awhile and still feel as if a truck hit you, you walked to far. Try a shorter walk the next time.

Don't be afraid of going outside. I went out my fourth day after surgery - my first full day home - and walked around the block. I went home, rested and felt good, so I went back out and walked around *two* blocks. That felt good too! Stick to flat(-tish) ground for the first couple of weeks.

It's all about listening to your body. Start off by feeding your body small, frequent doses of activity, then gradually work up to longer doses.

Boredom: start working now to stave off boredom later. Are there books you've been meaning to read? Movies you've been meaning to watch? A craft you've been meaning to get back to or learn? Stock up now so that after surgery you've got your books, movies, craft supplies, etc to hand.

I had a ten-week wait for surgery. During that time, anytime I remembered a small mending project I'd been meaning to get around to, I threw it in a pile. After surgery, it was easy to pull things out of the pile and work on them. Kept me busy and made me feel as if I was accomplishing something, too. :-)

Thank you so much SurprisedinNB! Everything you wrote is amazingly helpful!!

I am having a TLH the day after you. I have been waiting several months for surgery because of Lupron injections, so it is nice to see December date people posting.

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The first thing I am nervous about is the trip home. 3 hours.

Buy a small travel pillow to place between your stomach and the seat belt. It will help absorb some shock from bumpy roads. I live in Michigan. I hope your roads aren't as terrible as ours are. Luckily for me, the hospital my surgery is at is not even half-a-mile down the road from my condo.

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My bedroom is in the basement so I need to be able to do stairs. Will this be a problem?

It shouldn't be too much of a problem as long as you take things slowly, and as SurprisedinNB suggested, use the handrail. I asked my doctor the same question because it's 13 steps for me to get up to the bedroom. It's 26 steps round-trip. I have the same number of steps down to the basement. I have 3 steps to get up from the parking lot and four just to get in my front door. Gotta love condo layouts!

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Is walking around a certain number of minutes a day helpful?

Yes, walking is helpful and encouraged as part of the healing process, based on what I've read on here. Just listen to your body and don't overdo it. There isn't necessarily a prescribed number of minutes you should walk. Do what feels good to you. If your body says "stop," then stop!

Try to get some pain meds in before you leave the hospital, unless they make you nauseous. I've read mixed reviews about abdominal binders, but ask the hospital for one. This could also be helpful for the ride home.

If you have any more questions, don't hesitate to ask! The ladies on here are helpful and super-supportive!

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Originally Posted by CADhystersister Hello all, I posted on the welcome board, my story can be viewed there. I am having a TLH in a city about 3 hours away. Now that I have an "official" date for surgery I am getting super nervous. The first thing that I am nervous about is the trip home. 3 hours. In Winter so who knows how the roads will be. It will suck for sure! If anyone has any advice for this please let me know. I am thinking reclining the seat and sleeping with pain meds, but it may be hard to get/stay comfortable... The other thing I am stressing about is stairs. My bedroom is in the basement so I need to do stairs. Will this be a problem? Another thing I am worried about is how much should I make myself do each day. Is walking around for a certain number of minutes a day helpful? That is all I can think of for now, if anyone has any recovery tips I would love to hear them! Anything that helps with healing/pain management, boredom, etc.

First, the nerves pre-op are very normal! Try to keep busy preparing and freezing meals, cleaning your home, and making your recovery "nest". You have received some great information from the ladies here! A pillow between the seatbelt and your tummy is a must for the drive home. Time your departure from the hospital soon after you take your pain medication. Recline the seat back. Have the person driving you stop every hour so you can get out of the car and move a little bit. It will get the blood circulating and give your bottom a break (sitting was hard for me post op). Ask the driver to avoid the bumps and potholes because those don't feel so great.

Stairs should not be a problem if you go slow. Hold the railing and have your partner accompany you when you use the stairs for the first few days. Make a recovery nest on the couch or the recliner for during the day and limit how much you go up and down the stairs. Your body will tell you when you've had enough.

Walking is a very important part of our recovery. No one can say how many minutes a day you should walk or how far you should walk, as we are all very individual. The key is to walk as you feel able several times throughout the day. At first, a walk to the bathroom may be sufficient. Gradually you will work up to doing walks throughout the house, then down the driveway and around the block. Again, listening to your body is key and don't push yourself or you may pay for it later.

Here are some articles that may help:

Walking Post Hysterectomy

Pain Management

Boredom Busters

Do This - Not That: Hysterectomy Recovery

10 Tips for Preparing for Hysterectomy

I am sending hugs for a safe surgery and an uneventful recovery!

Hi CAD, I was super nervous too, don't worry, once you get to the hospital, everyone there will help you calm down. I really wasn't uncomfortable riding in the car, except the day I rode in my neighbors 1980 neon with no shocks �� You might want to plan to stop a couple of times so that you can get out and move a little during the ride. My dr told me upfront that doing stairs would not hurt me, but falling would, so I had to use the handrails and not carry large or awkward things up and down. My bedroom is up quite a long flight of stairs, and it didn't bother me to go up and down. As for how much to walk, you might want to check with your dr on that. I was up and walking later the day of my surgery, and my dr told me that I should be able to walk a mile by the one week mark. I did that easily. My advice about walking would be to do as much as you are comfortable doing. If you get tired or sore, rest and then when you are rested again, walk some more. If you try to increase your activity levels just a little each day, it will make it that much easier when you go back to work to avoid exhaustion and soreness. I did not have to make myself walk, I felt good and WANTED to walk, and do things that weren't restricted. I was really worried about boredom, I didn't realize that I would actually be able to do things after surgery. I got a friend, a neighbor and my sister to each take me out one day during the first week when I couldn't drive. We went to lunch, the mall to walk, etc. this was a huge morale booster for me. Getting out of the house was key for me. I felt good, and was willing and able to do things such as cook, bake, grocery shop, etc. I took lots of walks, and once I found out that I would be cleared to drive at 1 week, I made an appt for a manicure on that day just to ensure that I had somewhere to drive to. Once I was driving, I scheduled a lot of little things, driving to my parents house to have lunch with them, going to the supermarket, etc. I was working from home after the first week (I was a little brain foggy to work before that point), and went back to work at about 3 weeks. I really had no pain during my recovery, and didn't take anything for pain beginning the day after my surgery. I think my surgeon did a great job on me. Best of luck to you!

Thank you everyone for your help!