Think Long And Hard

i'd think long and hard before doing this again..its nothing at all like i expected...not sure if i'd do it again if i knew then what i know now.....so all you ladies waiting your date, think about it!

(((((((Dg))))))))),

You are correct in saying that anybody contimplating major surgery should think about it first.

I am sorry you are upset. What is wrong ?

Maybe when you get farther in your recovery you will feel better.

You are less then a week post, so hopefully it will improve for you in time.

s

Pamcat

Can you tell us more about why it wasn't what you expected? What kind of surgery did you have? How long did you have to prepare for it? What do you know now that you didn't know a week and a half ago?

Kelly
hoping that the doc will say my leg is ok at Tuesday's pre-op so that I can go ahead with surgery on Friday

I believe that no matter how much we prepare ourselves for surgery...the first week is going to be rough....Our bodies will have been put through the wringer..and we will be exhausted and emotionally spent....
I think it's important that we spend the first few weeks giving ourselves some very positive affirmations and allowing ourselves to go through the emotions without feeling guilty....
It is important to get as much rest as possible so that our bodies can really begin the healing process....
My thoughts and prayers are with all those who are LIW and those who have already crossed over to the other side...
May the Lord's strength and peace renew your energies and restore you to total health...
GOD BLESS
LA

I can understand your frustration. When talking to others I was told they were glad they did it and how great they felt shortly after. Not on here but people where I live. So I thought great. It took me 6 yrs to come to this decision. It was effecting the quality of my life. I do wish I had known more about the recovery time and how long it would be before I could get back to my old ways.. I would walk 2 to 4 miles aday and also do toning. What I have read on this site It could take close to a year for complete full recovery and still you need to be careful. I dont regret doing it , I was very uncomfortable with my prolapse and bowel changes. I just feel that if you dont really need to have this surgery .. and can wait I would .. Because once it is done you cant go back.. I am hoping in a year I can enjoy my life with a better outlook on my future.. I am in my 3rd week and yes I have been very frustrated with not being able to do much and tiring so easy. Please dont let that bring you down. the more you can get up and around the better you feel. I know for me the fact that I am not working out like I did before for my mind to be clear. I am having a harder time coping.. Take it one day at a time one step at a time. It will get better......... I hope this helps.. Best wishes to you((((((((((((((hugs))))))))))))))))))
Loreine

Hi Diana,

I hope that you'll be feeling better in another couple of days - I read many of your earlier posts, and know that you had alot of things going on - prolapses of your uterus, bowel and bladder. I had the same surgery, and found that the repairs were more uncomfortable than the actual hyst. I'm guessing that you are probably very uncomfortable from the episiotomy-like incisions made to fix the rectocele?

If you don't already have one, send someone to the drugstore to buy a "donut" pillow for you to sit on, and call your doctor to ask what you can use to ease the discomfort where the repairs were made. A peri bottle filled with warm water can help, and I was given the OK to use some medicated Tucks pads.

Please let us know how you are doing. We care.

's

You are still in very early recovery to really be seeing any benefits from your surgery. It is a long recovery. The first 6 weeks can be rough, especially if you don't rest. Even 3 months post can be rough at times, but gradually things start getting back to normal, except that the problems that drove us to the decision are finally gone.
I'm 6 months post. The time has really flown. I had my share of recovery issues, but I went in knowing that it wasn't going to be a piece of cake. I didn't have much for pain other than the gas pain that hit my 2nd week post. I did dehydrate and visit the ER 11 days post. That was not fun and scary to say the least. I bled for 10 days post, which was a blessing because it truely scared me into taking my resting seriously. Still, in the long run I have found the hard recovery so worth the benefits.
One of my friends was frustrated at her recovery because she seemed to think that she should feel better right away. She's 3 months post now and was worried that a recent bike ride which caused her pain the next day was not right. I reminded her that when I was 3 months post we went to Chicago together and I was having some new pains from all my travels that week. Oh yeah. Then she got it. It is so normal to have ups and downs. They'll pass with time. You just can't see the light at the end of the tunnel because there's quite a few curves along the way. I'm sure you'll will get through like we all have.
Rest. Give your body time to recover properly and you'll be back in the swing of things soon enough. I was thrilled recently that my swelly seemed to have gone away finally. I played a little volleyball last night and guess what appeared today? My constant compainion since week 4 post; the I expected it to stay around for a year, so I'm not disappointed at all. It will go away for good in time.
I feel blessed to have been able to have my hysterectomy. Life is better than I thought it would be on this side. The first few months were not a piece of cake, but they were so worth the benefits now and for the rest of my life.

I'm sorry that you seem to regret your surgery. And I echo that one should think about her decision thoroughly and carefully. However, I would like to chime in that I feel much better at two weeks out than I did before mine. I felt better at one week. That's not to say that I didn't feel more awful than I ever had in my entire life for the first week. If I hadn't had a previous surgery (ankle ligament reconstruction), I'd have been sure I'd made a huge mistake. I thought that about my ankle surgery for the first week, too. But it passed quickly, so I assumed I would feel that way about my hysterectomy, too.

At any rate, I don't want those for whom this surgery would be a boon to cancel or postpone it simply because of one person's experience. Everyone's mileage may vary, but on the whole, I've heard more women say they were happy they had theirs than not.

Good luck to all!

Julie