Upcoming abdominal / open hysterectomy: Comparing to a C-Section

Hi Ladies,
My surgery is 12/27. Abdominal incision; ovaries may or may not be taken.
I have heard that the incision is like that of a C-section, mostly stinging pain and up and around fairly soon. I have never had a C-section or given birth (my kids are adopted) so I have no frame of reference. However my C-section friends all say "Oh you'll be driving at a week and feel fine".
SO for those of you who have had both, was this surgery actually comparable to a C section or not so much since internal organs are being removed?

Any thoughts?

I've never had a C-section either. From what I've heard, most women find the hysterectomy more difficult for the reason you state: the removal of internal organs, which means you have internal stitches that need to heal. However, some women say that their C-sections were harder. I think one factor in this might be that you can recover from a hysterectomy without having an infant to take care of? You can certainly get more sleep! :-)

My own TAH went really well. I had minimal pain and no complications. However, "up and about" is relative. The nurses had me up and walking the morning after surgery. By the second day, I was walking multiple laps around the ward and sitting upright in an armchair reading when I wasn't walking. I did my first walk outside four days after surgery - I walked around the block, rested, felt good, walked around *two* blocks, rested, still felt good.

*However* I was walking much more slowly and with shorter steps than I usually do. I had to stick to flat ground, which meant staying in my own neighbourhood. And those two walks were my "workout" for the day - the rest of the day I spent sitting reading and sewing. I couldn't bend or twist at the waist or lift more than 10 lbs. I was off narcotics but still taking ibuprofen regularly. I needed a nap in the afternoon and I turned in for bed at about 7 PM.

I was finally able to get out of my own neighbourhood in my third week. By then I was up to normal speed on the flat, so I decided to try walking up and down hills. This meant I could walk to the supermarket - as long as I didn't buy more than 10 lbs worth of goods.

At four weeks, my doc raised my lifting limit to 30 lbs. All limits - lifting, abdominal exercise, etc - were lifted at six weeks, with instructions to start off cautiously and work up gradually. My body felt back to normal by about eight weeks, except for some abdominal swelling that lasted another month.

You can't drive until your doctor says you can drive. You have to be off narcotics - which can take anywhere from three days to three weeks - and your core muscles have to be recovered enough that in an emergency, you can stomp on the brake hard without seizing up in pain.

I have had two c-sections and a TAH on December 5th. These surgeries are nothing alike and don't let anyone minimize the amount of healing time you will need. The outer incision is very like my c section in regards to healing but the internal healing is a completely different animal. Google vaginal cuff. You have to be very careful about exertion on your body for at least three weeks. There is post after post here about women's stories about "over doing it". You will heal and hopefully it's textbook but if I sound blunt in this post it's because prior to my surgery I bought into the "it won't be much different than a c-section" and it set me up for disappointment with my recovery curve after. Good luck!

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Originally Posted by Chreff ...it set me up for disappointment with my recovery curve after. Good luck!

I'd definitely suggest that preparing for the worst even as you hope for the best is the way to go on this surgery.

I live alone. Before surgery, I had a worst-case scenario. I thought, well, if I can at least make it to the toilet and back by the time I get home from the hospital, I'll be okay. I can put a loaf of bread, some bottles of water and my pain meds next to my bed. I'll just stay there and live off that until I'm up for walking around.

You can imagine my delight when I arrived home three days after surgery in much, much better shape than that! I could make tea and toast, I could sit upright, I could walk around the block, woo-hee!

The positive start set the tone for my entire recovery.

Hi MrsCavsFan -

Having a hysterectomy is MAJOR SURGERY with removal of an important organ. While recovery is different for everyone, you still need to think in terms of weeks and not days. You will not be bedridden, but you will need to rest much. You will be able to do minor items around the house, but you will need assistance with cooking, cleaning, dishes, laundry, shopping, driving, etc. You will need time off work - again think weeks and not days. You will be doing lots of brief walks during your recovery - these help you heal. You will also be under lifting restrictions - probably 10 lbs for 6 weeks and 20 lbs for 8 weeks.

I had a TAH BSO. My recovery was typical. I had moderate pain which was controllable with narcotics / Motrin alternating for the first 5 days and then just Motrin after that for another 2 weeks. I was home alone during the day, and was able to make myself easy breakfasts and lunches, coffee and tea. I walked frequently, and extended my distance slowly. My DH came home from work at night and cooked dinner and did dishes. He took care of laundry, and other necessities. BUT, the house went uncleaned for 8 weeks so I was best friends with a number of dust bunnies. I went back to work after 3 weeks to a moderate stress desk job, but could only handle part time work for another 4 weeks. Some days, those 4 hours were very difficult to do.

As the other ladies have said, it is much better to plan on the worse for recovery. That way if you have an easy recovery, it is a pleasant surprise. You can always go back to work earlier than planned. Just do not push too hard too soon or you could damage yourself. Remember, you only get one chance to heal right.

I had 4 c sections. Do not even compare. I had a TLH with a 3" incision straight down at bellybutton. The c section incision was more painful BUT the hysterectomy surgery was harder to recover from. C-section pain was pretty much OK in a week and I was able to move around a little better everyday. However the TLH PAIN was less comparing incisions only. But the recovery took much longer. Activities were limited. Not because my Dr said so but because my body prohibited it. Hysterectomy recovery is NOT a daily improvement recovery. It is more like two steps forward one step back. Your body will remind you that on the outside you seem OK but the inside is far from recovered. Take at least 6 weeks for recovery. Again the pain is not bad but the healing process is slowly. You will get exhausted easily and you will be very limited the first 3 weeks but it takes about 6 weeks or more to feel up to par.

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Originally Posted by MrsCavsFan Hi Ladies, My surgery is 12/27. Abdominal incision; ovaries may or may not be taken. I have heard that the incision is like that of a C-section, mostly stinging pain and up and around fairly soon. I have never had a C-section or given birth (my kids are adopted) so I have no frame of reference. However my C-section friends all say "Oh you'll be driving at a week and feel fine". SO for those of you who have had both, was this surgery actually comparable to a C section or not so much since internal organs are being removed? Any thoughts?

Hi! I had a bikini cut c-section in December of 1996 and then a open vertical abdominal total hysterectomy with ovaries and tubes removed in August 2015. In my opinion, the bikini cut c-section was a tougher, more painful recovery. I walked hunched over for a week. For the vertical hysterectomy cut, I was able to stand up fairly straight the second day when they had me up and walking. It just seemed like the incision didn't pull as badly as it did with the bikini cut. The actual total recovery time was the same at 6 weeks. Good luck to you and take it easy!

Hi there. I had my open hysterectomy on 19th sept 16. Ive had all taken apart from my right ovary
Ive had 3 previous c sections and im going to be honest...its nothing like one. Im quite a tough cookie but it took me the full 6weeks to feel normal -ish
The first 2weeks were the worst but a lot of it was down to not being able to use the toilet properly (that will be the codeine)
Im happy to answer any questions you may have...