Post Op Question

Hello, today is my first day home from the Castle!

Dreading going to bed tonight, cuz its not the hospital beds, once I get in bed at home, I will feel stuck and trapped

As of yesterday my bowels woke up, and have been churning and some gas has passed, moreso today.....

I have eaten normal food as of yeterday evening.....

WHEN can I expect to pass my first stool??

I get nervous when I eat, I feel like Im eating too much just in case this takes a while to come back out...

Is there an expected timeline for that?

Also, when I urinate, its VERY different then normal..... It comes out if my bladder is full just fine, but then I have to kind of coax more out, and push and press to get the rest out.. I know my bladder had to be peeled away from my uterus, so Im not as horribly concerned with this, but was curious if there are any warning signs I can keep my eyes on to make sure nothing bad happens!

My final question is my insision.. Dr said I can shower already, but I decided to avoid it today, I had the shower kinda move around my insision as to miss it, but still get clean..... It was a very hot day today, and on the very end I feel some stinging.... Im curious if I can put neosporin or anything on it, or do I just leave it be for now and keep my eyes out for pussing??

Those are my main concerns, hopefully someone can relate

Thank you,

Hi Angipoo,

Welcome home!

Everyone is different, of course, so all I can do is relate my experience.

I never felt trapped in bed. I had a heavy cord strung from headboard to footboard and pulled on that to help me get out of bed for the first week or so.

I had my first very small BM a day after I started eating solid food, so it was sometime during my second day of eating solid food. I think the body needed something to work with in order to produce an actual BM instead of just gurgling and gas.

Other than some understandable residual soreness, I had no bladder issues.

I think the major concern re. showering and the incision is ensuring that it is thoroughly dried after showering and that you keep it dry. Before putting anything on the incision, I'd check with your doctor.

Best wishes for a smooth recovery.

Keep well,
IslandScribe

Hi Angi

Although I didn't have a TAH so can't directly compare - I had my op on Monday bowels moved wednesday am. I drank a lot of water and apple juice, ate weetabix, stewed apple, veggies and fruit and took a bowel softener and just waited for the urge to hit me! No straining allowed it was a bit scary at first but such a relief afterwards

I also drank a lot of cranberry juice which is great for the bladder as it has natural antibacterial properties, it felt weird weeing at first because of the swelling from catheter etc. but gradually has improved, I can even stop myself mid-flow now YAY

Pelvic floor exercises help the healing too, even if it feels odd, hope some of this helps - be kind to yourself and try to relax as much as possible,

big hugs

Ali
x

At ten days out from surgery, I am just now able to get into and out of bed without much difficulty. I only laid in bed at night. I used a lot of pillows and had a pull cord from the headboard to help. It was difficult, but got better pretty rapidly. Check around this site, there are a lot of hints to help!
On the bladder thing, I know what you mean! I have the same sensations. It gets better as the bruising goes down, tho I am not back to normal yet.
Bowel issues seem to take the longest to resolve. For me, things got active before they got organized and that was pretty uncomfortable. I ate fairly lightly until "the event". (about a day and a half after eating solid food) The stool softener has helped in the actual, um. process. Again, things have gotten better tho there are still issues. The rate of recovery seems to vary a lot here. I would be concerned if I went more than two days on solid food without passing anything solid at all.
I have been showering all along. It may be different for different closures - my doctor used glue! I agree that you should not put anything on it without the doctors OK!

The other ladies covered the bms pretty well, I just wanted to add something on the bladder issues, and the incision.

I am almost 3 weeks post op now, and I still feel like you do with the urination. Yesterday I went in to see the urologist due to concerns about not getting a good stream. He informed me that this is totally normal, as my insides were severely distrubed during the surgery, and it takes time for things to heal, or come out of shock.

I read on this site that it helps to kind of rock, or to apply slight pressure just above your incision when trying to use the rest room, and it really does work! As my stomach was bruised and sore, I used a towel over the incision, and just would lean forward a little, and that is all it took.

As for getting out of bed, I found that keeping proped up on pillows and moving like the nurses in the hospital showed me helped alot! I would bend my knees up a little, and scoot my hips a little in the opposite direction that I had to roll. Then I would roll over ever so gently, and grab the side of the bed, or you can use a kitchen chair then start to work up using my arms while sliding my legs over the side of the bed.

I promise everything will get easier soon. Take your time, and listen to your body.

I had the same problem with the bladder. My doctor told me that with all this room now the bladder is just saying "Yippee!" and it will feel like spasms and you'll feel like you're not completely emptying because of the bladder being disturbed during surgery. It takes awhile for the bladder to calm down. Hang in there and drink plenty of fluids. but not too much so you don't throw up! I love those emoticons!

About showering & the incision...Don't be afraid to get it wet. I found out that keeping that area clean is so important! I missed one day of showering & washing my incision during my first couple of weeks of healing--and it resulted in a small area by the navel getting infected. Nothing serious, it cleared right up w/antibiotics; but I think it was directly related to missing that one day of good 'ole soap & water!
I did make sure to buy a soap w/no dyes or perfumes to use those first weeks.

I was told to not put anything on the incision. (neosporin included)

As far as getting out of bed--that was one of my fears too; especially because I am a plus size woman. I used a chair w/a ladder back (like a kitchen chair) set againest the bed. The back worked like the hospital bed rails...and useing the techniques I learned at the hospital getting up was less of a problem than I anticipated.

Happy healing to you!

Welcome home! I slept in my bed the very first night. It felt so good to be in my own bed. if you want to sleep on your side, put a small pillow between your knees and you will be so much more comfortable. As for getting out of bed, I was lucky to have family to help me for the first few days till I was well enough to go at it myself. Laying on your side and sitting up using your arm worked best for me. As for your insision, don't worry about getting it wet. It is very important to kep it clean. I was told after showering for the first week, to pour peroxide in my insision. Good Luck!

I forgot to mention that after my showers I always use a blow dryer on low to dry my incision. Just to make sure that it gets completley dry.

Welcome Home!

Since I have a hand-held shower, my nurse told me to aim it directly at the incision to make sure I got it and to use Neosporin on it after patting it dry with a clean towel. This worked!

Oh, one other thing. I hope they told you to use an unscented body wash. I used Olay.

My best to you, and verify this information with your doctor.