C-Section gals

I had one, 10 years ago. Everytime I tell someone I had a hysterectomy and that they opened my scar they say "oh, so this was no big deal for you" what?. This was much worse than the birth of my daughter. I was up and out and wearing jeans in two months after I had her. It has been three months now and I can get the jeans on but the Shelf hurts like hell. I can't tell you how many women tell me this. Any other women want to compare this two operation?


Janet TAH BSO

actually even those of us who never had a c-section or a kid hear this one all the time. my sister in law had the nerve to compare my hyst to her 2 c-sections...over and over and wanted to know why at 4 weeks i was healing so slowly. i was furious as i was doing really well...was even working part time at 3 weeks!!! what nerve!

i usually tell women who say that to me that with a c-section they dig into the cracker jack box and pull out a prize...but with a hyst they removed parts of my body that weren't supposed to be leaving my body!!! i finally shut my sil up when i told her i had about 200 internal stitches...just a wee bit different than either of her c-sections.

Well, maybe I'm weird, but my C section some 18 yrs ago was MUCH worse. It took forever for me to sit up again from that and I remember hurting to breathe! Mind you, my C section was emergency- since my daughter had done a flip during labor-so maybe it complicated things? I guess I expected this kind of pain again and by comparison this was much better.

I too hear people all the time saying "oh, so it's the same cut as the c-section, no big deal, yadayada.."
HA!
i totally agree with you that the hyster-section was ten times worse for pain, ten times worse for recovery. yup, drives me wild when well-meaning folks unintentionally minimize the procedure. but that's ok. that's what the hyster sisters are for! bottom line is no one can possibly understand what this is like unless they have gone thru it themselves.

I had a c-section two months before the hysterectomy and the DOCTORS said my recovery from the hys would be similar to the c-section.

Well! The hysterectomy made the C-section feel like a skinned knee in comparison. During my sad follow-up appointments they were saying things like, "well you had two surgeries in two months... I don't let people go back to work for a full 6 weeks after a hysterectomy and you have had two surgeries" Yeah. This after I had set up work for a return MUCH sooner than the 8 weeks I needed before limping (literally) back in.

Why do they belittle this surgery so much! I can understand that you don't want to be too pessimistic as you may cause a patient to be too timid in returning to daily activities, but preparing realistically is very important. When my hys recovery was so much worse than the cesearean, I panicked. What was wrong with me, I thought. It wasn't until I got a second opinion on the recovery that I realized my surgeon had grossly underestimated how soon I would be back at work.

oops forgot signoff

Francesca
radical hysterectomy with bilateral lymphadectomy - cervical cancer

I agree with cervix101 completely. My c-section was a breeze compared to this surgery. With my c I was pretty good after 2-3 weeks. With this surgery it took me 3 months before I felt somewhat ok.

Why is it always other women ? it is 2006 and women are so cure to each other. I worked for a woman just once, I have no idea how I let her live Cervix101, I can't imgaine what it must be like to have to have two tummy surgeries in two months.

My C-Section was planed she was stuck in my ribs head up. Maybe because over 600,000 women have this operation a year people assume it is like having a tooth out. I feel for the sisters who have to go back to work. I am at 3 months and I still close my kids door I can't lift.

And as for men, they can't understand how to put toliet paper back on the roll, or put the seat down how can they understand a hysterctomy ?

Janet (midnight and still not tried)

I had a c-section 17 years ago and it was no piece of cake. However, I was back into my pre-pregnancy jeans...actually smaller jeans....at 6 weeks post surgery.

THIS surgery kicked my butt! I am almost 3 months and just purchased some bigger clothes because I don't have the energy to workout like I need to and this darn swelly belly will not go away!! I had a TVH but still this is major surgery!!

Like somebody said (newyorkgal I think) with a c-section they are taking the prize out but with this surgery that are removing body parts! It ain't normal peoples!!

First of all, alot of us women who have had a c-section, had them when we were in our early 20's. I am now 46 and this recovery and surgery is nothing like what I went through have my daughters. The hyst is alot more traumatic to say the least. Internal body parts are moved around and with a section, the doc is only cutting thru to the uterus, not going around intestines, bladder, vital organs. So, it goes without saying that I can not compare my c-sections with my hyst as they are so vastly different from my other much younger experiences. But thats just me. Recovery is a heck of alot longer than when I had my babies, thats for sure. Hugs, (Like Janet its midnight and I am still not tired - wide awake) Susan