I'm a Newbie.... and yesterday's Op News

Hi,

I'm new to Hystersisters - so any help would be very much appreciated.

Am a bit jittery today. Was told yesterday by my Gyno (specialist) that I need to have a total hysterectomy in 2 weeks time. Not sure I'm feeling prepared. He was great, answered lots of questions - but lots more popped into my head after the appointment.

How long will the operations take, is there a lot of adominal swelling and how long does it last, how long before the drainage tubes and catherda (sp???) stay in for? Replies would be most welcomed.

Also - am I normal to feel so stressed, jittery and concerned regarding the op? How do I come to terms with it in the next 12 days enough to make me feel comfortable with what is about to happen to me.

Also, what is a realistic recovery period after the op. 3, 4 or 6 weeks.

My operation is scheduled for 15th August.

Thanks for any help.......

Venice,
We are all hear for you. If you have a ? please ask it. All we can do is relate to our experiences. So just remember the best advice is from your dr.
Here are some of the places you may want to visit on this site that have been very helpful to me.
Hysterectomy Options, Preop and Post op ?'s you may have.
Just look at the top of this page and click on them.
As far as recovery time, I had a TAH= total abd. hyst. and removal of my right ovary, and bladder tack. I am going into my 3rd wk of recovery and feeling great. There are also some on here that are much further along in their recovery, so maybe they will add to this post.
Good Luck in your decision. Sometimes our decision is made for us, and we have to find a way to deal with that. Just remember our uterus is not what makes us women, our hearts and souls do.
Much Love and Lots of Hugs to you,
Shelly

PS The nerve thing is VERY NORMAL!!!!!!

Thank you...... your words meant a lot to me - I'm feeling a little fragile - and what you said has really helped.

Hi and !

I'm sorry to hear you are facing surgery. HysterSisters is the perfect place to be! You are going to find so much valuable information and support here!

You might want to do some reading around here. A good place to start is Articles and Resources. You will find great Pre-Op articles and Checkpoints to help you prepare for your surgery and recovery.

I know you are nervous, we all understand that. It can be very normal. Please know that we are always here and we all care.

Try to treat yourself to something special before your surgery. Maybe a new haircut or just time alone. Keep busy by getting your home ready for your recovery. I did some 'spring cleaning' before mine so I wouldn't have to worry about it.

Best wishes for your upcoming surgery. You are in my prayers.

s, Deb

Hi Venice,

I am 4 weeks post-op, so I can answer some of your questions.

When you think of questions for your doctor, write them down. That's what I did. You can also go to the checkpoints section of this website and there are features there to educate you on what you may want to ask.

My operation was over fairly quick as far as hysters go -- about an hour. Depending on what all has to be done, it could last 2-3 hours. Endo, fibroids, repairs, all add to the surgery time required. I spent an hour in recovery, and 2 days in the hospital (Be at hospital 10 a.m. Thursday, surgery at midday [I have an Australian friend so I know some of your words], out at 2 p.m. Sunday).

My belly is still swelled some. The consensus of women on here seems to be that their belly swells more as the day go on. I can wear my pre-op bluejeans. Because of the "swelly belly," you may want to invest in some large t-shirts or nightgowns, something straight with no waist, because the skin between your belly button and your incision will be very sensitive for a long time. A lot of women purchase cotton knickers two sizes larger than they normally wear for comfort and to accommodate the swelling. I have not had any discharge, so I have choosen to remain commando (without knickers) for comfort except when I go somewhere. I know it's cold there right now, so make sure your post-op clothes are warm but lightweight. Plan for easy meals (canned soup was the only thing I wanted to eat for several days). I don't know how your pharmacies are there, but I knew I would be getting out of the hospital on a public holiday weekend, so I had my doctor write my pain medication prescription before surgery so I could have it filled the day before surgery, because I knew my pharmacy would be closed when I got out of the hospital.

Since I did not require any bladder repair, my catheter came out the day after surgery. Some women who have extensive bladder work done come home with their catheters. Every case is different. I had no drainage tubes.

It seems that in most of the cases on here, the doctors say for you to stay off work and rest for 6 weeks. If your hysterectomy is laproscopically assisted, the recovery time is usually a little sooner.

Being jittery is completely normal, I assure you. This is major surgery. It's a big decision. Make sure you are comfortable with the decision before you consent. Becoming informed is the best way you can do that. If you feel your doctor is pushing you, then pull back. If you feel you need a 2nd or even a 3rd opinion, then do that. I had 35 days to become informed before surgery. I read posts on here every single night for 2-3 hours, then I spent even more hours on here on the weekends. Believe me, by the time I had my pre-op appointment, I was "educated" enough that I understood everything the doctor was telling me. When I had my pre-registration appointment at the hospital, the only thing I didn't know what the nurse was going to say before she said it was what medicine was going to be in the PCA pump (turned out to be Demerol). If your nerves get too bad, ask your doctor to give you some medication to take in the days leading up to your surgery. Lots of women do that. It will make your life easier.

I got a folder and put all of my surgery papers in it (I learned that from this website). I took that folder with me to all of my doctor appointments. I kept my list of questions in it too. Now that surgery is over, I'm putting the papers in it that have arrived in the mail from the insurance company regarding billing.

Most importantly, follow your doctor's directions and you need to rest, walk, rest, drink, and rest!!! Adhesions are caused from straining/lifting, which causes scar tissue, which can lead to life-long pain. It's NOT worth it.

Good luck to you!
Rene

I can definitely relate to the anxiety that you are feeling. I had almost two months to wait before my surgery, which I think absolutely increased my nervousness. I did get medication from my doctor to control my anxiety - which I can tell you made all the difference in the world for me. I was finally able to get a good night sleep and the symptons that I had been experiencing - like chest pain and headaches started to go away. Mind you I did have several EKG's and a Cat Scan to rule out everything else, prior to the Dr giving me anxiety medication.

My story at the hospital was very similar to "passthesalt". I went in for a 5pm surgery on Monday and was discharged at 6pm on Wednesday. I had a TAH - so I was able to keep my ovaries. I was able to have my catheter out on Tuesday morning - the nurses definitely encouraged me to get up and use the restroom, which was surprising easier than I thought - for me it was harder to get in and out of bed than it was to get on and off of the toilet.

I passed the two week mark as of yesterday and definitely am still swollen and tender in the belly. My nightgown is my outfit of choice and I too have been lucky enough to have no discharge as of yet, but I did get underwear several sizes up which helps when I have company or have left the house ( I had my first outing the other day and boy was I exhausted afterwards). Make sure that you have at least one pair of oversized sweatpants or something similar that you can wear when you need to leave the house during the first few weeks - I have a doctor's appt tomorrow, so the sweatpants will get good use. Also I have used a pillow in the car to put between my stomach and the seatbelt that I used for the ride home from the hospital and my trip to the bank the other day - helped tremendously I have been using a lot of ice packs - the hospital had given me several to use during my stay and were going to throw them out afterwards, so I asked if I could keep them since they came in a nice soft bag - I have reused them over and over and it has helped me with the swelling.

Also make sure that you have somebody to take care of you. I am not married, so I was lucky to have my parents basically move in to help me. It has made all the difference in the world to have somebody helping me with meals and basic household duties like laundry and cleaning. Be prepared that there will be days when you feel like you may have a burst of energy and then you will spend the next day in bed. I have 6 weeks off of work and I have a feeling that I will be utilizing every last day.

What I can tell you for sure is that this site has been my best friend. I am 31 and have never been in the hospital, so I was very scared and was unable to discuss the surgery without crying for weeks. I found this site by searching the internet and found amazing comfort from reading about the experiences that other women have had. It addresses so much more than any book could ever talk about and by reading all the postings, I came up with questions for my Doctor that I hadn't even thought about - I found the post-op site to be great for this.

Good Luck and best wishes for a speedy recovery. Having the surgery over with has been the biggest weight off of my shoulders and the surgery, hospital and recovery have been so much easier than what I had built up in my head.

Thank you Figment for your support and words of encouragement.

You have answered many questions and it's great having all my anxiety concerns confirmed as being a normal reaction prior to this type of surgery. I've had some chest pains too and realise that this could be related to stress but will definitly visit my GP in the next couple of days to confirm that it isn't anything more.

Did you have any abdominal drainage tubes? perhaps it's just something that Australian Doctors do!

Thanks for the advice re getting some larger undies. I know that hubby will just love those (smile). I'm not exactly sure how much swelling there will be - so am unsure what size sweatpants to get. If I allow 4 - 6 inches extra around my waist/abdominal area will that be enough?

Again - many thanks

I had a TAH/BSO on 7/11/2005. I had to wait 4 months due to working for the School System. I didn't see my Dr. until that morning, so my consent form had to be resigned. I didn't have this site and I wish I had to ask questions. I did get the opportunity to tell him to take the Ovaries and the Cervix before they sedated me.
My catheter was in for 1 day. As soon as she removed it had to go to the bathroom, which was good because they want to measure the output. She encourage me to get up and walk(yea right!). I was on clear liquid diet for 1 and 1/2 days. I left the castle on Wednesday. So it wasn't a bad experience.
The nurses were great!
Also, I had my hair pinned up with hairpins and bobbypins. That is a big no no due to anethesia.
Continue to use this site to help with any questions on what to expect. Remember your Dr. can answer the major questions. I hope this helps. You are in my prayers.

You are very welcome ... I totally understand what you are going through. I did not have any type of drainage - I'm not sure it that is a local thing in my town or if that is traditional in the United States. The one thing that I have learned from this site, though, is that everybody's doctor seems to do something a little bit different As far as my sweatpants are concerned, I went with a pair that is one size larger than I would normaly wear, but I made sure that they were really loose fitting and that the waistband was extremely flexible. It also has a very high waistband (between the huge underwear and the highwaisted sweatpants - I am looking quite attractive these days ) My swelling and tenderness is just below my belly button, so the high waistband helps to not put a ton of pressure on my stomach.

One other thing that has really worked for me while sleeping is a body pillow. Not sure if it would be called the same thing there, but it's a long pillow that has allowed me to sleep on my side without putting a lot of pressure on my stomach. I am able to lean into it and even prop an ice pack in between at night - I feel like this has allowed me to sleep for longer stretches and get a more solid sleep.

I went for my 2 week check today and my doctor said that all the swelling and tenderness that I have is perfectly normal and to be expected. I had to laugh though when she reminded me not to do any sit-ups until my 6 week check - I wasn't so good at doing them before, so she doesn't need to worry about me doing them now

Good luck with everything - I'll be thinking about you and wishing nothing but a quick and speedy recovery.

Jennifer

Thank you everyone for your responses - the information and support is just fantastic.

venice