What I have learned :)

I thought at first that my doc was a pain in my rear, but I guess come to find out after posting some helpful information to attempt to help other ladies on here my doc actually has a brain...LOL Go figure...lol This is what I have been told about various things before and since my surgery. Hope this helps

The BIG O: For most women that have clitoral orgasim there sex lives are not likely to change after having a hysterectomy. Even if they took everything. I was informed that for women who's "G Spots" are higher in the vagina that sometimes after surgery they can have a little bit of difficulty reaching orgasm because when they go to take everything out they are not sure where these spots are, muscle, tissue, nerves, etc. It does take some time for this to "wake back up" or heal to so to speak. Women who mainly have "clitoral" orgasims will have no problems or minimal if they do. Just because you don't have a uterus or cervix anymore doesn't mean that you can still acheive the same level of orgasim that you once had. Also, women that have had TVH or other surgery can still ask there doc about "oral sex". Some docs say sure, others might not, it does depend on your OB.

The Vaginal Cuff??? The way that it was explained to me is as follows. My nurse practitioner put her hands together like she was going to pray then entertwined her fingers linking them together. She said this is how the doc sews the vaginal cuff together. This "cuff" is where they close the hole, yes hole, where your cervix used to be. Wherever your cervix was inside of your vagina that is where the "vaginal cuff" is now located. This DOES have give to it when intercourse is resumed. It should NOT hurt, you probably will barely even feel it. The reason why we have to wait 6 weeks, sometimes longer is due to the fact that this "cuff" has to heal. There are TONS of stitches in this cuff to make sure that it is sealed shut. Going back to the demonstration of the fingers being intertwined, I was told that if you happen to POP a stitch in the vaginal cuff ( she demonstrated this by pulling one finger out of the intertiwined fingers literally leaving a hole where the "stitch" had been ) it does leave a hole. The hole may be small, the hole may get bigger over time, but whatever the size of the hold the popped stitch caused it leaves you open for ALL KINDS of infection and problems. If the vaginal cuff doesn't heal like it is supposed to and you do get an infection there it will take A LOT longer for you to heal than if you didn't get one. She even told me that this can cause all kinds of pain for the rest of your life.

Abdominal Pain, Twinges, Burning, "Weird Pains":
While I was being examined I had a pain around my bladder and at my belly button. I was like "What is that"??? This is the explanation. The pains, aches, burning, twinges, etc are normal. Your uterus used to me in a spot close to your belly button, now that is gone. When the uterus was surgically removed there were ligaments that had to be cut in order to do that. While that is healing that will cause some discomfort in that area. You can also have pain called "referred pain" along the vaginal cuff but on the inside. When I say "inside" I mean inside your body, not the vaginal wall. This pain can cause radiating back pain, burning, or cramping like sensations. This is the vaginal cuff healing on the inside of your body. This is normal.
Have you noticed that when you move around more is when you have more pain?? This is because where your utuers one used to be ( which if you ball your hand into a fist and place it just below your belly button, this is where your uterus used to sit, your ovaries were floating on either side. The size of your uterus will of course depend on what was going on with it at the time of surgery or the cause of surgery ) your uterus is now gone. This causes everything in that area to readjust, shift if you will. When you stand up all of the organs that are readjusting are being pushed on by everything else in your body. Your large intestine, small intesting, bladder, etc. They are finding there "new place" in your body. Readjusting themselves. This is what causes the discomfort, especially after surgery where it feels like your doc just played a drum solo on all surrounding organs...lol This of course like EVERYTHING else needs time to heal. That is why constipation is not uncommon as well as gas and bowel pains.

After all I have been told I am sure there is more and I will try to remember or keep you ladies informed as I get new information, but the most important thing that I have been told, TIME AND TIME again, It IS going to take time to heal...totally healed, 6 months to a Year. I know that this sounds like a long period of time, but just keep in mind that organs were removed that were there from birth, it is going to take our bodies a while to adjust to them being gone, not to mention our minds adjusting to new experiences of hormones. It may have taken just hours for surgery, but the recovery is a long process, but if you look at it as this way......... We didn't get to the point of surgery over night either. We didn't just wake up one morning and go, WHAT!!! I have what???? These things took time to form. We had patience, peace and comfort even when we knew we were in pain trying at saving what organs we had, we can be that way now knowing that we are NEVER going to have to deal with that pain and misery again. This too is just another process that our bodies are going through that is going to take time. The research that we did before our surgeries on what we had are going to be the same now on what we do now that they are gone.
I hope this has helped somewhat
God Bless

Oh you are amazing! Thank you for all of that information, and for taking the time to write all that out. I truly appreciate what you've done. I have learned a lot and now have more peace of mind knowing that my body is going through a very meticulous healing process which is what's causing the discomfort.

A nurse told me also about "referred" pain and I didn't quite understand what she meant until I read your post. I had extreme back pain when I started doing my 2 mile walks after 6 weeks out, and it felt like my hip area, torso, (lower back area) was not connected to the rest of my upper body! Strangest pain I have ever felt. Now it is subsiding a little, thank goodness.

Again, thanks for all this important information.

great information, thank you for taking the time to explain to us.

My doctor has given me the full go ahead on everything but I still notice twinges and pain with certain movements. I think I would have liked to have read this information about 5 weeks ago.

I am sure it is going to help alot of others though.

Cheers and a big hello from Sydney.

Thank you SO much for writing all that down-my biggest curiousity was about the pains when overdoing it-I have had such an amazing recovery that I could not understand why when I made dinner or did some walking my lower back and abdomin hurt so bad-now I know and it makes sense-My uterus was so big that my other organs are gonna have a lot of fun finding a new bigger home! Thanks again, Lynette

Thanks a lot for all the information. My doc did show me a diagram of the parts she was planning to remove, but with your descriptive mail I can relate it to the outer part of my body

thank you, thank you!!!!! this is a great post for all of us recovering from a hyster. you made me feel a whole lot better on what was going on inside me. love tl

Thank you for sharing what you learned with us! It's so reassuring to know that I'm "normal" and that yes, just taking too long a walk or working in the kitchen is enough to through my body out of whack.

Snowpea, you are WONDERFUL! I have never heard the things we are experiencing expressed so well and succinctly. You explanation describes so well what is happening to us. I wish, as someone else said, that I had seen thisinformation prior to my surgery and recovery. My mind is more at ease now with this news. You are so sweet to share this with all of us sisters.

Thanks for all the info! I think I am going to copy it and print it out for my dear sweet darling husband (LOL) that thinks it's time to have sex 41/2 wks post op!!!!

You are all SO welcome. I feel SO much better and empowered with each piece of sensible information I get from my doctor on the "Why" behing the "What"....lol I am so glad that I could share it with you all.
I will post more info as I get it
Don't feel like you are "bothering" your docs with questions though. They get paid how much a year or per visit that you have to have with them, we need to get our monies worth...lol
God Bless