Will the real "swelly belly" please stand up?

I recently received a few online responses to a post I put on a women's board a couple months ago concerning my fibroids and possible surgery. I told them I felt at that time I would be having the surgery only for the size of my belly (17-week-size uterus) and the knowledge of my fibroids because I had little symptomatology.

What came next has surprised me? I will certainly ask my doctors, but can someone please clear this up?

The people who replied either said they still had swelly belly after several months, in one case 7 month, and another (who did not have a hyst and said she never would have one!) said the "swelly belly" is permanent (she quoted Dr. Northrup, but didn't have any details!)--warning me that I should look elsewhere for the return of my pre-fibroid belly! I don't understand the medical rationale behind these response, particularly the second and third.

I do fully understand "swelly belly" as a consequence of pelvic/abdominal surgery, major surgery. I would expect it would last a reasonable period of time, perhaps up to and including the time your physician tells you it takes your body to adjust to the hyst. Even though your body may be adjusting up to one year, doesn't swelly belly up to one year still seem excessive?

What medical reason could there be (other than pre- or post- weight gain) for a permanent swelly belly? The only reasons I can see are:

1. The belly was swelly before surgery due to weight gain and not fibroids, etc. and a hyst cannot improve upon that;

2. The belly was swelly after surgery and then the Punctured Princess gained weight sometime during and/or after the recovery period, some or most of which landed in the belly area due to an unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, or an HRT-related weight gain.

#3 The physician left a waste basket full of surgical sponges inside the belly of the Punctured Princesses who moaned too loudly preoperatively....

I'm still perplexed if it is due to #2 as this means all the weight would be gained in the belly area only--nowhere else?

I can see excess skin being a problem if the uterus and belly were large preop, as in my case. This resolves itself naturally with pregnancy, but a hyst is not a natural phenomenon, it's surgery, so maybe "permanent" swelly belly is excess skin?

I see no reason it should be permanent without it being caused by one of the reasons above. Can someone in the "know" -- a Punctured Princess -- please explain? Also, is the swelly usually less with a TVH as opposed to a TAH?

Thanks, my princesses and sisters.

Meg

All I know is that I am at 7.5 weeks and I am still swollen. The only real difference I know of for TAH vs TVH is that the incision can result in an overhang. I am not swollen below the incision, only above and this looks quite odd. My doc said she had the same from her c-section and it never went away. She also said that she notices swelly more with her thinner patients and she considers me to be one of them. Thanks to Lupron and the hyster, I have lost seven pounds and I can only see it in my breasts, not in my belly, but all of the girls here have said that it will lessen with time and disappear somewhere around 6 months or a year. (By the way, I am probably at my ideal weight right now, but I would prefer to have more muscle and less of the other stuff.)

I'm 7 months post hyst, and I still get swelly belly. My doctor told me it's not permanent, and I agree, as it usually only comes on the days when I HAVE to wear jeans or something that doesn't fit over swelly belly. I was concerned, as my swelly belly was "permanent" up until 3 months post op. Then it seemed to go away, and now it comes and goes.

I'm no expert, but I don't think swelly belly in it's truest form could be permanent.

Laura (who now owns elastic waist jeans after swearing up and down at DH for suggesting them.)

Hi,

I had a TVH and hardly even noticed I had a swelly belly until I put on pants that had to be buttoned to go back to work at 6 weeks. After that I would get a little puffy from overdoing off and on for a few months. It was very slight and less and less for about 6 months maybe. It was not a problem really.

It is just my guess that the swelling might be a protective barrier for the belly until all is healed inside. The ladies that have abdominal may have trouble with swelly belly mostly because of the incision that has to heal as well as the inside incisions I would think.

It might help to exercise and watch diet as soon as one is allowed post op to help with this belly problem.

I know a co-worker friend of mine had a abdominal hyst a couple of months ago and is now doing the treadmill and diet, and has had great success with her belly getting smaller.


It probably depends on the person and her prior health and age as well. Everyone is so different in how they heal.

s