Need Info on Weight and Fitness Issues

Hi Ladies -

I am 40 pounds overweight (due to 2 broken legs since 2003) and was headed into surgery this Tuesday. After reading everything here on the board, I am not so sure anymore.

My doctor never said anything about:

1. ovaries going into shock and perhaps not working for awhile (assuming I can keep them)

2. swelly-belly

3. gaining weight

4. the possibility of not being able to workout (ski and bike aggressively) 6-8 weeks after surgery.

My procedure is an LAVH and it seems to me that women who have had this surgery have gone through all of the above.

Can you please share your experiences?

Thanks,

Katie,
Everyone is different, not everyone gains weight, not everyone's ovaries shut down. I am seven years post op and have not gained weight. In the beginning it did take my body awhile to adjust and recover from surgery, but once things settled down I was able to shed the extra pounds I had put on before the hyst. Weight gain can be from many things. Hormonal imbalance, thyroid imbalance, our bodies changing as we age.

As for the ovaries, unfortunately it is not possible to know in advance what yours will do. There are many women who's ovaries continue to function following a hyst, than there are others that do shut down. Do keep in mind that during a hyst the blood supply to the ovaries is shut down and it can take some time for them to begin working again.

There are no absolutes when it comes to a hysterectomy. If you are not sure, talk with your doctor and maybe get a second opinion. Explore your options and do your research until you are comfortable with the decision.

Do check out our resources section. You'll find some good information there HysterSister Resources

Althearose, I've been kind of following your posts in "lurking" mode, started to respond a few times, but the last few days have been a bit rough here and I couldn't finish. I was so sad to see you post that you had decided not to do the surgery because I believe deep down you want to get it over with so here is my 2 cents and my story.

Lost 75 pounds several years ago. Yeah for me!
Had bad accident 4 years ago and gained back 25.
Lost the 25 pounds, great shape and had RSO, D&C, endo removal last year with terrible doc.....6 mths on Lupron, gained 35 pounds! Yikes!!!!! Why? Simple math.....more calories going in my mouth than I was burning off with exercise!
This year between July 1 and my surgery on 9/19 I lost 25 pounds. Yeah again!
Surgery till now....down 6 more. Will I gain some? Maybe. Why? Because I'm not eating right nor am I exercising enough right now but that is not forever!!!!!
Would I do the same surgery I just had all over again even though I may gain some weight her in a little while? Absolutely!!!!! Weight gain is something that I have control over!!!!! I can eat better and exercise more! Without the surgery, I had NO control over my chronic pain, lousy periods, moods, etc. The pain interferred with so much of my life that there is no way I would let the thought of a temporary "possible" weight gain deter me from it! The facts are that MOST women have SOME decrease in metabolism from a hyster. So math again...speed it up with an extra 10 minutes of brisk walking or whatever. Another sister posted on here about being heavy and worrying about gaining weight post hyster. Well if she is pre-hyster and heavy, what made her gain that initial weight? Same thing that will make her gain it post hyster.....our bad eating habits and not enough exercise. I've seen this great section of hyster sisters that has buddy dieting and exercising. There are tons of them all over the net as well. There is Curves, WW, LA Weightloss, any number of programs to consider. For me personally, I knew I had to get rid of the excuse of feeling bad or being in pain to finish what I started in terms of my overall health goals. My recovery has been a bit rocky if you read the post op board but I would do it again in a minute even with the post op issues.

Judging by my moods and other indicators, no, I do not believe my remaining ovary is functioning right now. Oh well! It will sooner or later and if not, I'll have to go on HRT which is what I was trying very hard to avoid, but still I am better off with having had my surgery done!

What swelly belly? Again, everyone is different. Other than a period of time where I was extremely constipated over several days, my stomach is FLAT and I do mean flat! If I didn't know better, I would swear he did a tuck! A lot of women get swelly belly. Personally, I think it is because our muscles down there are lazy to begin with, we don't exercise them before, and we are so paranoid about our tummies afterwards that we forget to exercise those abs! I started doing tummy pull-ins (like sucking in tummy to put on jeans that are too tight) as soon as doc gave me the okay!

This is all just my personal opinion and I'm sure you'll hear from many others. Ultimately, you follow what YOUR heart is telling you to do....your head will figure out the details if you listen to your heart first in life.
hugs and best wishes
K

Hi Althearose ~ Me again. Here are my answers to your 4 concerns:

1. ovaries going into shock and perhaps not working for awhile (assuming I can keep them) Kept mine. No shock. Life for me is going as it did prior to surgery but feeling better than ever.

2. swelly-belly Never got it!

3. gaining weight Down 6 lbs but heck, I've fluctuated so much the last two years that who knows where it will be a week from now. But I don't think I'll be able to blame it on my LAVH -- it will be my behaviors that make the difference.

4. the possibility of not being able to workout (ski and bike aggressively) 6-8 weeks after surgery. I went on a shopping spree with my sister today -- a 3 hour round trip by car and we pounded the pavement for 6 hours of shopping. I feel fine now. Not really even tired. It's been 16 days since my surgery.

My doc warned me about the early onset of menopause because of ovary issues, swelling, said weight gain is a personal issue... if you are prone to gain, you'll gain. As for activities, he told me that 2 weeks out I ought to be back to my old self but just don't do anything crazy that would cause a set back. He said the only thing to wait for was a 6 sex post op check for sex to be sure vaginal cuff and anterior repair had completely healed.

I am glad to hear that you are still interested in learning more about these issues. I was afraid you'd closed the door on LAVH forever. I was the same way about wanting to be reassured. But deep down, I knew that my choice was to be miserable in my current state or to take steps to make my life better. I am so very very glad that I made the choice that I did.

Best wishes ~

As the other replies you have gotten indicate, there is a wide range of possible outcomes after hysterectomy.

My question to you is this: Is this the best thing for you health-wise? I mean, do you and your medical team believe that a hysterectomy is the best course of action right now? If so, then my advice is to have the surgery. No matter when you have it, you're unlikely to be doing a vigorous workout 6-8 weeks after surgery (although I suppose it's possible if you heal really well -- but this won't be known until you actually have the surgery).

If you aren't sure this is the best thing for you now, then by all means postpone, get additional opinions (2, 3, or 23 if that's what it takes) until you have the answer which you are at peace with.

In the grand scheme of things, I just believe that your health is more important than temporary swelly-belly and weight gain (usually temporary if they happen at all).

The other question I have is this: If you really need to have your ovaries removed (your first concern calls this into question) then you don't really have a choice anyway. The surgery is going to happen sooner or later. It's better to have it now than to wait and suffer even longer.

I know this is a very hard decision. Bottom line -- if you're not 100% sure this is right, and if this isn't being done for a life-threatening condition -- you have time to decide. We're here for you no matter what.