Abdominal Sugery scheduled for Friday Feb 22/13

So my surgery is scheduled for Friday Feb 22/13. I have chosen to work up until tomorrow afternoon given that my surgery is sceduled for Friday morning. Honestly I have been with this for at least a year and making so many visits to many different medical professionals etc hasn't been very much fun. The way this works for me is that I am in a Clinic situation and I don't even really get tomeet the surgeon until the day of the surgery,so there isn't any kind of relationship there and the nurses have changed the couple of times that I have been there. Added to that the inquistion that I went through the first time and no doubt on Friday as they want you there 2 hours before the surgery. I am beyond exhausted, beyond pain and of course the emotions are all across the board. I would like some advise as to what I can expect after the hysteretomy and what I need to do. I have been told so many things by a couple of different medical people I really don't know anything. I am having an abdominal hysteretomy with the removal of my cervix. I am 44 and so there are keeping my ovaries. I have a ginormous fibroid and that's the reason for this procedure. If you can help me out I would appreciate it. Let me know what I can expect all across the board.

Hello, i am having the Divinci sugery on Friday also..I worked this morning but i am officially off for 2 weeks.I am hoping to be able to go back by then..I did my hospital pre op today and i found out my surgery got pushed back from 7 to 8:30am...I am cleaning today and going to relax and enjoy my 5 year old all day tomorrow.I talked to a co worker who had the same procedure i am having and she said it is so worth it and it wasn't that bad...her advice to me was to breath in the machine they give you to breath in no matter how bad it hurts. She got pneumonia after her surgery and had a longer hospital stay and to get an adbominal binder she said the hospital will give you one if you ask...Good luck on Friday!!

Hi kayden. I had a TAH. Uterus, cervix, one tube removed, keeping both ovaries.
I spent 3 days in the hospital. Know that everyone is different and heal differently and at different paces.
I didn't have to do a bowel prep and I had no diet restrictions the day before surgery, just nothing after midnight.

Day one post op I had a catheter, and I pretty much slept most of the day. I was able to pass gas. I was on a morphine pump. It made me nauseous. I was much better when they removed it on day 2.
Day 2, nurse helped me out of bed, I was able to pee on my own and walked assissted up and down the hospital halls. Walking was much better once they put a binder on me. It gave me support and my stomach didn't feel as heavy. I didn't have much of an appetite. Because I was nauseous I was kept on liquids to be sure I could hold it down before I was given solid food. Which for me was dinnertime day 2.
Don't be alarmed if the let you go home before you have a BM. I didn't have one until day 5 post op.
Take chapstick with you as your lips will be dry.
You'll find coughing, sneezing and laughing will hurt. Pressing a pillow against your stomach will help a little. Oh, and have who picks you up when your are discharged, bring a pillow for you to put between you and the seatbelt. It'll help a little. I know I felt every bump on the road

During recovery, there's limitations on bending, pulling, lifting and pushing. You'll need to drink plenty of water, get plenty of rest and walk. You are going to be okay.

If you click on hysterectomy checkpoints at the top of the page you'll get a good idea of where you will be at each stage during recovery broken down into weeks.

I know that you are exhausted, just hold on a little longer.

I pray that you have a successful surgery and an even more successful recovery.

Lots of ((HUGS)) to you

Thank you

I also had the same surgery and very close in age ( 42) and for the same reasons. I had 4 huge fibroids and other smaller ones. I stayed in the hospital 2 days and also did not have a bowel movement until the 3rd day. I took stool softeners which helped. Also just have lots of patience. The first week was painful but not too bad after the pain I was used to anyway. I did take the morphine the doctor gave me for night time and Tylenol for the day. I was able to stop taking the morphine after a week. Now at 4 weeks I am feeling good. Still pulling down there but nothing to major. The tiredness comes and goes and you just have to rest. Take it easy. I have a DH who has totally taken care of me and two teens who have been great. They have allowed me to rest and sort of done some housework. I didn't feel like going out until week 3 and even then it was for short times. Just this past weekend I went out twice and felt ok. I have 8 weeks off and am thinking I might go back at 7. I am really glad I had this done. I am way less comfortable all ready then what I went through before which I am sure you understand. If you have any other questions please write me. Not sure how you friend someone on here, but would love to walk through this with you. I am on the other side and so glad I did this!!

also abdominal takes longer to heal so don't worry if others who have had the other options are getting back on their feet quicker!!