Had hysterectomy today August 3rd: when I get discharged i'm probably not gonna feel so great?

New to this whole website- I just had my total hysterectomy this morning! I feel great now but I know when I get discharged is probably not gonna feel so great right? What are some of the biggest things that you notice physically when you got home that were bothersome?

and great question. Upon first returning home:

• Not being able to stand up straight and having to walk a little hunched over.
• Not being able to relax on the living room couch - too cushy and it hurt to get up (I usurped my husband's easy chair and strategically placed pillows to give me a reclining position).
• My appetite wasn't there either: bland food was best for me.
• Sneezing hurt worse than coughing - a travel pillow helped.
• Not being able to sleep on my side right away.
• Keeping up with meds - a narcotic, ibuprofen, GasX, stool softener and anti-biotic. I solved that by keeping a log.

As the week progressed and into my first week:

• Slow digestive system - constipation.
• Light-headedness - that bland diet gave me low blood pressure...
• Swelly belly - it's what brought me to this site!

During the first week to 2 weeks, I was able to get off the narcotics and all meds but ibuprofen, I added sodium into my diet for the low blood pressure, sneezing got better (!), I could sleep on my side again, and I was walking almost at my normal pace without being hunched over - still not walking far, but getting better. The only things I was still dealing with were constipation and swelly belly.

Each Sister heals at a different pace, so don't fret over how you're doing compared to others. Rest well!

For me, there was very little pain and discomfort. I had some problems focusing and my eyesight was also off the first few days post surgery. Probably the most annoying for me was an asthma flare up caused by the anesthesia which caused uncobpntrolkable coughing for a few days. But you don't need to worry about that if you don't have asthma.

Regularly clearing my lungs the first two days was the worst for me. I was expecting everything else but hadn't known that I would be required to cough on a regular basis to get all that gunk out. Fortunately I was able to keep my lungs clear by breathing deeply and lightly clearing my thoat instead of forceful coughing. Those first few tries at actual coughs the morning after surgery nearly had me in tears.

Walking hunched over was really irritating as well.

You may be one with an easy recovery. My pain level was very low--only took one dose of Aleve when I got home the next morning, didn't need anymore after that. I kept expecting pain and moved very slowly at first, sitting down, getting up, etc. Then I realized that I didn't really need to. My biggest issue was my energy level for a while. I rested a lot for the first couple weeks. Good luck to you!

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Originally Posted by Robinrr New to this whole website- I just had my total hysterectomy this morning! I feel great now but I know when I get discharged is probably not gonna feel so great right? What are some of the biggest things that you notice physically when you got home that were bothersome?

You will get tired easy.. Listen to your body .. I had a bilateral oophorectomy and hysterectomy 2 weeks ago. I feel like I can do a lot but my body tells me different. So, listen to your body . It's difficult to get into and out of bed but it will get better . The first few days a rough. Hang in there !!

I would say the most bothersome things for me included not being able to stand up straight, having the first BM (have plenty of water, fiber, foods with magnesium like nuts and dark chocolate) and getting up and back down onto the couch. Getting up and back into my spot hurt by my bikini incision. Once I finally my method down pat, it didn't hurt so much. Once I started sleeping in my bed, getting up and down for me was much easier.

Usually when I wake up in the morning, I need to pee right away. So the worst thing for me after surgery was that I couldn't just jump out of bed and head for the bathroom. I had to carefully lever myself up to sitting position and then pull myself to a standing position - all the while trying not to pee myself. I was sure glad when that phase was over!

The only other thing that was a real nuisance was that the skin on my belly itched, but I applied Benadryl gel alongside (not on) the incision and that helped a lot.

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Originally Posted by bex319 Regularly clearing my lungs the first two days was the worst for me. I was expecting everything else but hadn't known that I would be required to cough on a regular basis to get all that gunk out. Fortunately I was able to keep my lungs clear by breathing deeply and lightly clearing my thoat instead of forceful coughing. Those first few tries at actual coughs the morning after surgery nearly had me in tears. Walking hunched over was really irritating as well.

This! I had nearly forgotten. They sent me home with a spirometer to do my breathing with every day, and that helped a lot. But all that gunk in my throat was so, so irritating. I kept Ricola drops near my bed to help keep from coughing.

I had been given a scopolamine patch to help with nausea after surgery, but it didn't help much, so they had to give me something else, and apparently the patch makes your vision blurry for days afterwards. The Percocet had the same effect. It was annoying, I couldn't focus on print so I just watched TV for boredom until I ditched the Percocet.

My legs developed a worrying tingling and numbness, especially my left leg and foot--thankfully that went away once I became more active, it was a circulation thing I suspect. My lower back ached after surgery, that was a surprise, but a heating pad helped a lot. I kept it on low.

For me, it was getting up and down (painful). Not being able to clear my throat and the painful gas. Going pee was hard too. I had to mainly squat over the toilet because it hurt to sit down.