Ten Things I Learned from My TAH/BSO

As I sit here 5 days post op, here’s what I learned so far….I hope it helps some of you

1. That my long, painful periods were not normal, or me just “getting older” (I’m 43). Fibroids are a real medical condition, and although it took me years to decide to do something about them, I’m glad I took control and finally did something rather than live with the worsening symptoms. I no longer have to live with hiding in my house for days at a time, ruined clothes (and furniture), cancelled business meetings, fatigue from anemia, etc.

2. That the biggest thing I feared, the Foley catheter, was a big nothing. Not only did it not bother me, I was thankful to have it so that I could rest and not get up to urinate the first night.

3 That it really is true, the waiting is the hardest part. I made myself (and my family) crazy with the anxiety before surgery.

4. That the gas and constipation post surgery are as real as anyone says. I tended to gloss over reading about them, thinking that I would just drink prune juice and not worry about it – WRONG! I feel so full and bloated right now and am so preoccupied with coming up with ways to induce a BM.

5. Before the surgery, I read a few times about vaginal packing and drain, but didn’t really ask or understand what it was. OUCH! The most painful part of this ordeal so far was when my doctor removed it. It felt like she was using a plunger on me to remove my sore and swollen insides. The good part was that it was over quickly.

6. My husband is a sweetheart, and also a gourmet cook. He has gone above and beyond to make me delicious comfort food, and serve me in bed. The problem is, I have no appetite, or only want simple things – toast, a banana, etc. I don’t want to hurt his feelings. Instead of the cooking, I would rather have him spend his time bringing me water, ice packs (for the incision), and changing DVDs for me on the bedroom TV. I’ll never tell him this.

7 I should have bought a thermometer and kept it bedside. I have to report a fever over 100.4 degrees, and my poor husband had to drive to CVS last night at 3am to get one. The fever was 102, so good thing he did.

8. Despite everything I was told by the anesthesiologist, I was aware (somewhat) of them taking the trach tube out of my mouth after the surgery. More like a glimpse of awareness and knowing they were pulling something out of my mouth. It didn’t bother me at all, but if someone told me there was a chance I would be aware, I would have obsessed ahead of time.

9. It was difficult to urinate after they removed the Foley (about 24 hours post op). The nurse had this cool little “Bladder Scanner” that scanned my belly to show how much urine I had inside me. Anything over 400cc would require re-catheterization. I had 350cc and was very nervous, but the nurse made a little sitz bath, and I went for the first time while sitting in it. No problems after that.

10. No matter how much it hurt, I’m glad I did my walking, coughing, and breathing exercises. I think it really helped.

I like your list !

From a 7 week post op perspective, I'd add:

11. Recovery is not a race or competition. Each one of us heals differently. Just because my sister went back to work (or walking or swimming or whatever) at X weeks doesn't mean that I will (or can or should) and if I can't it doesn't mean that I'm weak or "not as good" as she is.

O...i Love This List!

	Quote:
Originally Posted by SisterJB 6. My husband is a sweetheart, and also a gourmet cook. He has gone above and beyond to make me delicious comfort food, and serve me in bed. The problem is, I have no appetite, or only want simple things – toast, a banana, etc. I don’t want to hurt his feelings. Instead of the cooking, I would rather have him spend his time bringing me water, ice packs (for the incision), and changing DVDs for me on the bedroom TV. I’ll never tell him this.

That is a great list - I agree with the points that also apply to me, but why oh why wouldn't you 'fess up to your hubby that you'd rather have his assistance in other areas? Since you say he's a sweetheart, I bet he won't be offended. Besides, cooks tend to get more offended when you don't want to eat the meal they just prepared for you.

12. No matter how good their intentions, teenage sons do NOT clean as well as I taught them ;-) (yeah, I made the mistake of looking in their rooms today.... I won't venture there again - I'm afraid of staff or small animals with sharp teeth... ugh BOYS!) lol

SFK
I know you"re right on #6. He is helping me in other areas, but I let him know today that as much as I appreciate it I don't need that much food. The first night I was home, after dinner he made me a "snack" of red peppers he roasted, italian ham, cheeses (not great for a bm), figs, apples, etc. He also made a homemade lemon lime refresher. I don't want to sound like I'm complaining, he's a real treasure....but we worked it out today

	Quote:
Originally Posted by JoAnnDe I like your list ! From a 7 week post op perspective, I'd add: 11. Recovery is not a race or competition. Each one of us heals differently. Just because my sister went back to work (or walking or swimming or whatever) at X weeks doesn't mean that I will (or can or should) and if I can't it doesn't mean that I'm weak or "not as good" as she is.

This is so true! I see a lot of women on this board that feel like they HAVE to rush to recover! I was one that went back to work after 3 weeks (LAVH/BSO) and even though the procedure I had made things easier, I was still healing inside. If I had to do it over again, I would just now be going back to work.
Everyone is different, and everyone should do things at her own pace... even Super Woman needs time to recover.

Great list. I am 4 weeks post op.
May I also add. You will have set backs. Don't let these get you down. Stay positive through your recovery and listen to your body. And when in doubt CALL YOUR DOCTOR!!!

	Quote:
Originally Posted by SisterJB SFK I know you"re right on #6. He is helping me in other areas, but I let him know today that as much as I appreciate it I don't need that much food. The first night I was home, after dinner he made me a "snack" of red peppers he roasted, italian ham, cheeses (not great for a bm), figs, apples, etc. He also made a homemade lemon lime refresher. I don't want to sound like I'm complaining, he's a real treasure....but we worked it out today

Great to hear. Think you could send some of that fantastic food my way, though? :snort: