Third Date Set for Hysterectomy

I was set to go in for an abdomin. hyster on 18 Nov but was delayed twice now. New date is 2 Dec and hopefully it will stick this time.

I have a large fibriod tumor (about 10 cm). Recent pelvic pains and pressure on other organs prompted my decision to have this procedure.

I have had only minor surgery before this. But thanks to my doctor and friends helping me out with hospital visits it's been pretty smooth sailing with the pre ops etc.

I'm single and live on my own with a large cat. I'd like to hear from others who also live on their own. How you coped with things around the house, things like that.

Of course I will have friends staying with me for at least a couple of weeks but beyond that I have no idea what kind of help I'll need.

I would say that if you have people staying with you the first couple of weeks, you should be fine after that. Those first couple of weeks are the hardest and I wouldn't want anyone to be alone during that time.

Maybe you could have someone on "standby" for after that time period just in case you are still not on your feet completely.

Best wishes on your surgery and recovery.

Singleton here!

My mom stayed for 6 days and my boyfriend helped out when he could...of course he was stuck working two jobs at a time, so he couldn't be around much.

You'll want help with any heavy lifting. (That 25-pound box of Kitty Litter is a no-no for about 4-6 weeks.) You might also want to do grocery shopping with a friend for a while...The actual shopping wasn't bad, but getting the bags in was a challenge. I'm used to hauling them all in with two trips and with the lifting restrictions, that was not an option...if my SO wasn't available, I either found a willing neighbor or made more trips...which was difficult given how tired I was from the shopping.

NO Vacuuming! NONE! for about a month. Seriously. Do a search on this and you'll find several sisters who discovered this the hard way. I had to deal with a dirty condo. I dealt.

Also, be careful with kitty. Since you say "large" you're not going to be able to pick him up for at least a couple weeks. Also, one of mine jumped on my stomach when I was in bed -- YIKES! I jumped and let out some noise that had her convinced this was NOT a good idea. Other than that, both of mine seemed aware that something was "up" and were very comforting as they cuddled by my side.

Best wishes on a quick and healthy recovery!

I've been getting warnings about the vaccum. This must really give the ab muscles a workout. I'll have to try that after I recover.

What about washing dishes? Cleaning catbox? Feeding the cat? (I've been experimenting with a grabber).

Hold the phone: You say "abdominal hysterectomy." Do you mean you're getting a full incision? Or are you having laparoscopic surgery? My numbers above are for the DaVinci surgery. If you're having a full incision, disregard this...A full incision is a longer recovery.

If you are having it done laparoscopically, after two weeks, any of those should be okay...unless kitty is a 300 lb. lion and you're feeding him a side of beef.

I'm getting a full incision.

My cat is 16 pounds, not all of it fat. But he does like to sleep on me. Fortunately he prefers to be on my chest.

Okay then. That's something I can't speak about...My mother had a full incision and she needed me there for a month, per her doctor, but that was over a decade ago.

I'm going to have to step out of this, because I don't want to mislead you. I'm sure other sisters will step in to help...they're good like that.

I will add a couple of things: The best advice I've received on this board is "You only have one chance to have an uncomplicated recovery."

There are tons of great articles in the "post-op articles" section. May I suggest you start with this one:

https://www.hystersisters.com/vb2/article_117136.htm

At 16 biiiiig kitty pounds, lifting your fur-baby will be a no-no. Try to explain it to him...If he's like my two, he'll just blink at you. Mine do this when I suggest they go look for jobs as well...I wish Rosetta Stone offered a lesson in "Cat."

I hope everything goes veeeeery smoothly for you PT Lover!

I got that one, and it was really informative and a little funny too.

My kitty does like being picked up, but he prefers I feed him and he'll keep me company around the house. Or not.