asking for friend. How much does an abdominal hyst compare to c-section?

My friend is having a hyster on the 14th. She wants to go vaginaly, but due to the fact that she only had one vaginal delivory, there may not be enough room and the doctor may have to do it abdominally. My question is this, how much does that pain compare to a c-section if the only thing that is being done is removal of the uterous and cervix? She wont be having any bladder work or other repair? Would love any answers about this. Thank so much
P.R.
TVH 6th of Sept.
bladder repair
rectocle uterine prolapse

Hi P.R.
I had 3 C-Sections and am 12 days post op from a TAH. I remember trying to weigh this same question in my mind prior to my surgery. With much apprehension ( I didn't find my new Sisters til after my surgery) i rode to the hospital, did all that check in stuff and sat there waiting. They started an I.V. but the urinary catheter was inserted after i was asleep... yayyyy! I woke up in the recovery room in pain but they finally got that under control. I had a PCA pump when I got to my room so I was able to administer my own pain meds in small doses as necessary. When I woke up the next morning, it was time to get out of bed (a most dreaded thought ) To my surprise, it wasn't bad at all. I was actually shocked at how little pain I had with that first little shift to the chair. I had great pain management in the hospital. Tell your friend not to be shy about keeping her pain under control. If she is not comfortable she should ask the nurses to do something about it. The thing to remember is that your friend won't have someone coming in every 2 hours with a baby to feed. You are priority and they want you as comfy as possible and they want you to rest. They actually gave me sleeping pills. I had never taken them before and wow what a good nights sleep I got in the hospital. So, to wrap this up before your eyes fall out I actually think the hyster was much less painful than the C- Sections. Dealing with a brand new baby as well as major abdominal surgery is tough. Tell her she can email me if she would like. HisLoveBug@aol.com
Peace and Love and Great Big Cyber Hugs

I have had two c-sections and IMO, I believe the hyst. was a bit worse...or at least the recovery has been. Your friend needs to remember that only a baby is removed during a c/s and organs are removed during a hyst. Granted, you don't have the nurse bringing a baby in every couple of hours and you can take all the pain med you need, but I am almost 3 weeks post op and when I had my 1st c/s, I was moving 500 miles to a new home at 3 weeks post-op after c/s! I couldn't even imagine doing that at 3 weeks post op after the hyst:-) Anyway, each person is different in their own recovery. You HAVE to allow time to recover from the hyst. As with a c/s, you HAVE to recover quickly to tend to a little one.
Blessings,
Roxanne

Hi I'm 8 days post-op and a TAH is a little more painful than a c-section. I had a c-section and this is alot different than a c-section. Roxanne is rught at a c-section out comes a baby, with a TAH they remove some organs and you have alot of internal stitches. Everyone is different i still take my pain meds you do stay sore a little longer. But its well worth it!!!!

Hi there, I had an emergency cesaerean last December, so I now have the reward of a wonderful one year old boy. The c/s was weird because I was awake and so I was more aware of the pain afterwards, but the pain creeps up on you because of the epidural. Unfortunately I have a really high tolerance to pain meds, so it takes a lot to get my pain under control. I think the c/s causes more pain initially, but the recovery from c/s is faster because you're not thinking about yourself, only about taking care of the baby. My baby was in NICU for 3 weeks, so I think I recovered quicker because I had to be at the hospital all day every day for 3 weeks. I think a lot of the difference in your pain depends on the hospital and nursing staff you have as to what kind of care you receive. With my TAH, I was in pain before the operation, so I was really looking forward to feeling better. I had a great deal of pain in the recovery room and probably for the first 24 hours until they finally gave me percodan which relieved most of the pain. The second day I was dreading because they said I had to get up and walk, something I didn't do for 2 days after the c/s, but I felt great! It was a wonderful surprise. The thing about the TAH is that it is sort of deceiving, especially if you had a lot of pain before surgery. What I mean is that I felt better immediately, but once I came home from the hospital - it has been 4 1/2 weeks now - the pain was as bad if not worse than the c/s, and recovery takes MUCH longer. If you continue to read these posts, you will hear about women who do not feel completely healed after 6 months to 1 year. It is a long recovery, but I agree it is well worth it. I hope this has helped you some.

Hello sisters,

I have had both a C-section and a TAH, and with all due respect to Jenn, I think she is too early in her recovery to make a clear comparison. At her stage, there is still a lot of anesthesia in the body numbing the pain. This is why many sisters report at around 2 to 3 weeks post-op, they suddenly seem to be feeling things a lot more, especially if they start resuming lots of activity. All those countless internal stitches are starting to dissolve then, too, leaving weakened muscles to take over.

In a C-section, a baby and placenta are SUPPOSED to come out. In a hyst, the supportive ligaments that were attached to the uterus are severed and reattached to other places inside you with countless internal stitches. Lots more cutting and stitches inside. That is why total healing from a hyst takes many months, longer than a C-section.

My very best to you...

Linda

Thankyou ladies so much. I love this site and all the info was great for me back in sept when I had my hyster and I still come here for other reasons that pop up a little longer into your healing. I was glad to hear that the one sister was up so well so fast! That is really encouraging!! I too felt good fairly quick from my tvh, and a little further down the road had some things pop up like granulation... But by then you know what you are in for and the right after surg pain that we are so scared of is over. Thanks for letting us know what to expect during that time
PR

Hmmm... I dreaded my recovery the whole 6 months I waited. To be honest, my C-section was h*llish. I had to have help getting out of the bed for over a week, I thought id NEVER get back to normal.

However, I learned a really wierd but interesting thing with my TAH. Even though they removed organs, and did considerable repair work inside... I'd been in so much pain for so long that I actually felt better 2 days post-op than I had in months. I was able to get out of the bed without help. Yes, that's right... I never needed someone to help lift me out... the pain from the surgery was no worse than the pain I'd been in for 6 months.

My doctor told me that for women who aren't having pain prior to surgery, recovery is very unpleasant. For those of us who were in pain, tho... we bounce right back. The cessation of pain is WONDERFUL!

Nae

[Edited by NaeNae on 12-11-2000]

Yes, Nae Nae,

I had the same thing happen. I could tell just a couple of days later that something really unhealthy was GONE! Still, keep in mind that around 2-3 weeks as anesthesia wears off, you may be feeling things more. Keep resting, gals!

My very best to you...

Linda

Oh, I can definitely empathise already. I'll be 3 weeks post op Tuesday, and I can feel... all sorts of interesting things. The twinges, the shooty pains that take my breath away, lots of soreness... but overall, it's still nothing compared to the pain I dealt with every day prior to surgery. Plus, I know that there's an end in sight... I most likely won't wake up tomorrow unable to get out of the bed, and stay that way for weeks on end.

I do have to say, tho... when the stiffness and soreness and owies kick in, WALK! It doesnt make sense, but when I start to hurt, I get up and walk for a bit, and it loosens everything up.

And you ladies are such a Godsend!!! To have others to talk to who've been here, who know exactly what I'm going through... I'm SO thankful!

Tho, why is it we're all up at this hour?? *laugh*

Nae