Problems - 2 weeks post hysterectomy

hi all,

I had my operation 2 weeks ago today and I've been having some issues.

1. My bowel habits have changed. I used to "go" a few times a week and now it's every day. Anyone know why? It's also changed in appearance, texture (don't know how else to word it!). Could it be that it's the affects of the anaesthetic still?

2. I have blood (usually brown sometimes red) but nothing major. However, it smells and it's nothing like I have smelt before. Is this normal?

3. My stitches (meant to be dissolvable) don't seem to be getting any smaller. How long are they meant to take to disappear?

I know I'm in the UK and most of you guys are in the USA but I don't know who to ask or what to do. I don't want to ring the ward I was on in case they ask me to pop in as hospitals totally freak me out.

I notice from some posts that you have to check ups and examinations but I've just been discharged and no-one will be examining me at all. I'm not sure if that's a UK thing or not and I'm feeling a bit alone really.

Any help/advice would be appreciated.

Blossy, everything you're describing is normal for two weeks out. Remember that this is a six-week recovery. A hysterectomy is major surgery and seems to discombobulate everything in the "neighbourhood" of the surgery, including the bowels. Many women report constipation. Some report diarrhea.

Odd smells are also par for the course. Women report that they have odd-smelling bleeding, odd-smelling urine (my own experience), odd-smelling incisions or that they just smell odd to themselves all over.

The only stitches I had were internal. They flushed themselves out over the course of a few weeks. Have you got external stitches?

I've heard from other sisters in the UK that they don't have post-op appointments *but* that if anything appears to be going wrong, they're meant to report it to their GP.

Thank you for your reply.

I had it done laprascopically so there are 4 port "holes" in me. External stitches with them all and they're all still visible (I'm hiding 2 under dressings as they're sore and I don't want to catch them on clothes).

I'm glad everything else is normal for 2 weeks. I was a bit concerned over the smell etc in case it was infection setting in.

x

Per http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/2608.aspx?CategoryID=69: "Most dissolvable stitches start to break down within one to two weeks. However, it could take several months before your stitches disappear completely."

Is the smell like, "Oh, that's an odd smell," or is it more like, "Ugh, that's horrible! What crawled up inside there and died?" I've had to deal with infected bite wounds on my cats from time to time, and the smell is well beyond "odd."

We are very glad you've joined us! It does sound like what you're describing is normal. This is major surgery and 6 weeks is the approximate recovery time.

I also had a strange odor down below. It started at 10 days post op and lasted about 2-3 weeks. It wasn't a bad smell but stronger and more "earthy" than normal. Here is an article on this:

Vaginal Odor Post Op

Please note any foul odor or discharge should be reported to your doctor immediately, as it could signal infection.

I had lots of strange discharge post op, which started and stopped at random throughout the first 5 weeks or so. At times it was clear, pink, bright red, brown, dark red, and orange. It was like a rainbow parading through my undies!

Doctors vary on how they follow up with us post op. Please know that you should contact your surgeon or your PCP if you have any questions or concerns about your recovery.

Here is the link to your Post Op Recovery Thread. This is a great place to update your progress as you heal and give/get support from women who had surgery the same week as you. It's also really reassuring to hear what is "normal" as you recover.

I am for an uneventful recovery!