Any advice to help shorten the healing time?

I am not a candidate for anything other than a TAH. What have you found out regarding "healing" afterwards? I would be interested in anything that would shorten that period of time.

Hey Wendy,

What I've learned thus far, it looks like an average of 6 weeks ... YIKES!
It will all be worth it in the end.

Hugs right back at ya!
Tracy

	Quote:
Originally Posted by Freezy143 Hey Wendy, What I've learned thus far, it looks like an average of 6 weeks ... YIKES! It will all be worth it in the end. Hugs right back at ya! Tracy

HI there.. yep it looks like we are all in for about 6 weeks of recovery. I just got in the mail the booklet that this site offers,.. they will send it to your house. It is fill with tons of infor mation, and questions that are good to ask your doc. My TAH is 10 days aways, This is all I think about so this was a good thing to get and read.
Good luck Sisters!!!

Hi JewelledWidow!

Based on my own successful recovery from a TAH/BSO, I would advise exercising patience in recovery and practicing restraint from trying to "push the envelope" and do too much too soon. In other words, take it easy and don't push yourself. Make "R&R" your friend. Ease back into physical activities slowly. For example: After a few of weeks, if you feel up to going out for dinner and a movie...just pick one or the other instead of trying to do both. It's amazing how little things like getting in and out of a car can make an impact on the healing abdominal area.

Following the mantra should pay off for you in the long run.

Many s and Best Wishes,

Hi girls
I am a Type-A person and I was under the delusion that I could just jump right back into my former life post-surgery, as if I controlled the universe!
It has been about 3 weeks since since my surgery, and I have come to grudgingly accept that healing cannot be rushed- it will take TIME.

Some people who had surgery at the same time as me seem to be doing so well, working part-time and going to the gym, others are still mostly home-bound and do lots of tv watching-

it seems to be a very individual process. That said, i wish you all smooth and fast recoveries- and don't beat yourselves up if you aren't running the marathon after a few weeks post-op!

Hi JewelledWidow,

Didn't have a TAH but just my two cents. Get in the best shape you can now! Exercise your abs and try to get them strong, obliques too. The stronger you are the less effort it will take to just get out of a chair, etc. Your back muscles will come into play as you baby your abs post-op so work on it too. You still have a couple weeks--make the most of them. Can't hurt!

Best wishes, Pat

Also - up your water intake after surgery - that really helps clear out the narcotic pain meds, the morphine, anesthetic etc

I upped mine on Day 2 to get rid of a headache (from the meds), and I got lots of practice getting out of bed to get to the washroom! lol (hint: lean on your elbow, and use your arms to push you up to a sitting position while you gently swing your legs over the bed edge).

Carmen is right. Trying to push recovery is asking for trouble. I felt pretty good just one week post op so I got a little cocky and tried to move around too much. I didn't bend, stretch or lift - just got up and down off the sofa more often. I started to bleed (doc thinks I may have pulled one of the stitches in my vaginal cuff) so I was put on strict bed rest for a couple of days. Thankfully the setback was minor but it really drove home the fact that I shouldn't push myself.
I was a COMPLETE couch potato for three weeks (except for that one day of too much moving around) and I think its the best thing I could have done for myself. All I did was watch TV, read, and sleep. I started to feel more human during week 4. I'm now 6 weeks post op and returned to work yesterday and was able to work a full day. I was tired afterward but not exhausted and it was a "good tired".

When I asked my doctor about restrictions (bending, stretching, lifting, stairs, etc) at my pre-op appt he said "start everything slow and easy to test the waters and listen to your body. if it hurts STOP and don't do it again until you're ready". I thought he was being a dork for not giving me exact instructions but in hindsight he gave me the perfect advice. Everyone heals differently and there's no way of knowing in advance how you'll heal.

BTW - during my recovery I learned that I can be with myself not doing a thing and still feel great mentally. I took great pleasure in simple things like listening to the birds singing - same birds that are always here, but I really LISTENED to them. I actually wish my recovery were longer. While its good to be back in reality, I learned alot about myself during my 'special time' and I'll always cherish those 5 weeks (I'm not counting the first week- that one was painful )

Before I say anything else, let me say I think everyone is different and a lot of your recovery is based on what you were doing BEFORE. I was walking 4 days a week for an hour a day to try and get in shape. I am active - don't go to the gym, but am active. I also think age has a lot to do with recovery time - I am 47. I also think attitude has a lot to do with it as well.

I work in a hospital, so I talked to everyone - docs, physical therapists, nurses, etc. The common theme was to move - walk - but do not lift anything. I think folks confuse those two. I walked the halls three times the day after surgery - yep, I walked really slow and I kept a rolled up blanket pressed against my tummy the whole time -I had an abdominal incision TAH. That rolled up blanket was my constant companion for 2 weeks - I liked it much better than a pillow because I could fold it the way I wanted and it was flexible. It was also not as hot as a pillow. Every time I walked or layed down at night, that blanket was held up against my belly and it really helped.

Anyway, I did not go home and stop walking (I've never gotten that - people walk in the hospital right after surgery and then go home and go to bed.) I did not cook, clean, do laundry, do dishes that first week or so - but i walked at least twice a day - 10-15 minutes. I also got up throughout the day from a chair to get a drink, go potty, get a book, etc.

I also went to bed really early - 8 PM - and read in bed till I went to sleep. Then I would get up a couple of times at night to potty and slept in until 9 AM or so. I would wake up about 6 or 7 and then read until I fell back asleep. But I did not nap or lay down during the day - once I was up, I stayed up starting the day afterIi came home. I sat in a reclining chair - it was most comfortable.

I also stopped taking pain pills during the day as soon as possible - I took 800mg of motrin every 6 hours. I started breaking the percocet in half and taking one about 3 or 4 PM and then took one every night when I went to bed. It really helped me rest. After about 2 days, I took no percocet during the day. I think getting that narcotic out of your body during the day helps you to move more and also helps the bowels work!

I also bent over - I don't get people not bending at all and then suddenly at 6 weeks starting to bend! I didn't pick up anything heavy - just my socks, or the toothpaste cap or my clothes - but I did bend. I heped do the laundry by moving one piece of clothing at a time from the washer to the dryer.

I did rest a lot - lots of reading, watching movies/TV, helping my son with homework - but I also kept moving. I found that sitting up (not in a reclining chair) was much harder than standing or walking.

My last word of encouragement is to MOVE - start really slow and work your way up each day. I am 5 weeks post op and can walk 20-30 minutes twice a day on top of grocery shopping, driving, working around the house. When I get tired (usually late afternoon) I sit down for an hour or so and read or watch TV. I still try to be in bed by at least 9PM and get up at 7 AM.

I hope this helps - my best to you!!

hey 99---great post...I'm printing that one out, I think there are a lot of gems in there. Sounds like perhaps you need to change your screen name to 100percentsure!