2+ weeks post hysterectomy: Puffer fish belly & sore breasts.

Hello everyone
I am very pleased with what I have learned from this wonderful group so thank you all.

I am writing today because I am wondering when will the swelling of my stomach go down? I had a laparoscopic hysterectomy on June 19th. I still have my ovaries and cervix.
I was also wondering what the heck is going on with my boobies? Boy are they sore. Why?

Thank you in advance for any tips or information.

I experienced bloat for the first two week very badly and for another week but not as bad. I had to take gas x regularly to help. I would swell up so bad it hurt, a lot. I had more pain from the bloat then from the actual surgery. It will get better, just hang in there.

Any chance your sore breasts coincide with your regular menstrual cycle? Since you still have your ovaries, you will still ovulate and have pms.

Hi & welcome!

Breast soreness is due to a hormonal imbalance, which is pretty common post op...Despite retaining ovaries, they need to establish a new blood supply & during that time, it contributes to reduced estrogen. So you may have other symptoms during this time as well...If you can have soy, it promotes estrogen in the body. Otherwise talk to your Dr if its bothersome...

Ahhh, swelly belly, well, its not as easy to determine when the swelling will go down. It may take weeks, some have reported months. I was on the longer end as it took me many months. I did notice inflammation go down at week 5 but I still had a puffy low area above my incision longer.

Post op, there can be bloating from gas & or constipation. Thats really a separate issue from a swelly belly-which is moreso inflammation from surgery, swelling of tissues, hormonal, retaining fluids & for some the muscles have been moved during surgery. Everything needs time to heal.

Ice packs wrapped for swelling, heat pad in a towel for pains. I wore an ab binder to help support my abs..

and

Swelly belly is such a common complaint post-op that it has its own emoji: It was what brought me to this site.

The article on Swelly Belly helped me understand what was going on. At my 4 week check up, I asked my doctor about it, and he said by 8 weeks it should subside. That turned out to be my timeline, though for 2 weeks prior it seemed to appear only in the evenings after daily living. Beyond 8 weeks I'd still go to the mat with it whenever I'd intensely engage my abs, like power washing the porch, heaving a 24 pack of soda over my head on a high shelf, body surfing at the beach, or doing a 5-minute abs focused workout. That last one was at 5 months.

This recovery journey is slower than most of us expect!