Swelly Belly/ Fat Clothes

I took a night shirt to the castle but found the provided gown to be much more comfy, particularly when they wanted to check the incision. The robe I took was very handy for the walks in the hall

I'm almost three weeks post op and I live in sweats and some comfy jammies, flannel tops and bottoms. I tried on a pair of jeans and I can zip them, but doubt I can SIT in them. That is an entirely different matter isn't it!!?? haha

You will be home for a few weeks so don't worry to much about outside wear. If you are a good you may lose a few pounds to boot....I did

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Bev

Chatty Cathy -

Karen's absolutely right - no need to feel stupid :-). I think part of the belly issue is that your abdominal muscles don't work so well at first. My belly's not much bigger than before at this point, but I can't hold it in like I could before. I just wear somewhat loose clothes, and most importantly, nothing that will put too much pressure on my incision (I have worn jeans, just ones that have a stretch waist rather than zipper front.

I don't know what type of work you do, but I think you are pushing it a bit to return to work at 2-3 weeks. Talk to your doctor and see what they suggest. I work at home at the computer, and I have been able to do a bit over the last few weeks, but I can't sit in one place for too long, and I have the luxury of working for 15 minutes, then walking around a bit, then going over to my recliner. If you have a job, it's not probably going to be so acceptable. The initial recovery period for hysterectomy is 6-8 weeks. It seems most women go back to work sometime between 4 and 8 weeks. As with the swelly belly, everyone is different, and a lot will depend on your situation.

It is hard for people (like your family) to understand what this is like if they've not gone through it. I think because it is such a common procedure, people assume that it is a breeze and that you'll be back to normal in a week or two. Keep in mind, this is major surgery, and there's a lot of cutting and moving various organs.

Being scared (ok, terrified) is very normal, but almost everyone who's been through it will tell you that the waiting is the worst. The hospitals are generally very good about making sure you're not in pain. After, one of the hardest things is to be patient and not overdo things, and allow your body to heal.

Do more reading, and ask questions - everyone here is so wonderful, and we all do understand !