One week and 1.5 days later...

I guess I wanted to wait awhile to see how this would all turn out for me. I had my TAH-BSO on April 1 (Saturday..needed special set ups because of disabilities and lung disease). I was in a little pain after the surgery, but the morphine pump worked well, and I was up and walked a few feet from bed to door in room six hours after surgery.

At 12 hours post surgery, my catheter was removed and that all went well too. Day after I walked in hall five times (I'm 51 yrs. old, postmeno and have no 'period type' bleeding from this either). Day after that I went home at noon.

Percocet every six hours seems to help the first couple of days and I was up walking EVERY hour on the hour (had to keep my lungs moving).

Well, four days after surgery wasn't too fun...lots of gas and just feeling down but it quickly went away...and DH went back to work third day I was home, so I was glad he wasn't there for that!

The fifth day was taking out the staples and that went fine. But I didn't see the doctor and got to read the path report. All cancer was contained and removed. Yeah...I won't know more till about my six week checkup (I have another upcoming surgery that's also kind of major, on my chest). I'm not in denial...but this needs preparation too.

So, here I am, a whole week, and one and a half days out. Feeling really good. I never did walk bent over from the start. I have to tell what I think made this easier for me.

Seven months ago I started a weightlifting program (and some cardio, but not much cuz of my bad lungs). The 'dips' that I do were the same motion as getting up from the bed in the hospital, the 'lat pullups' were the same things as pulling onself up in bed, and the squats I'd been doing had made my legs so strong, that I could actually pick a piece of paper off the floor five days after my surgery. I had stopped working out a week prior to surgery and was kind of 'iffy' about retaining my muscle.

Well, I'm not superwoman..but I had lost over 100 lbs. and new my lungs wouldn't do cardio and that's why I started lifting, and to make myself more self assured an able bodied. It's really paid off!! I put the advice of you wonderful women here with my new muscles, and I feel great and am well on my way to a full recovery.

Pam

Wow, you're truly an inspiration

I can only hope to have half your stamina at 51! What a speedy recovery. And here I thought I was all hot-to-trot walking around 22hrs post-surgery

Congratulations on your weight loss, and on maintaining your excercise regime. I'm sure it hasn't been easy, but it's obviously paid off! Good on ya!

Hoping your next surgery goes just as smoothly. Good luck with it, and thanks for sharing your story!