When will I honestly get back to normal?

Hello Sisters!

I am 5 days post op and have had 2 painful BM's. Will the pain associated with the BM go away? I am still experiencing a ton of gas. My tummy still hurts. I took a shower yesterday walked around my room and slept for almost 4 hours, why? This is crazy to me. I'm used to being on the go all the time. When will I start to feel normal. Is it coming in week 3? I am going on vacation to st. Maarteen and I want to semi enjoy my trip. The trip is to celebrate my 10 year anniversary. No kids are going along and although I won't be able to do any hanky with my husband I don't want to complain the whole time either. If anyone can offer me a little piece of hope to get back to normal, it would be appreciated! LOL

Thx,
InandOut

You will get back to normal. I am only 17 days out and have felt fantastic since day three. I am very active while also being cautious. I still have discomfort with No. 1 and no.2 but getting better eveyday. My gas was pretty extreme, as I had never had it before and I went out and got some gas x and it seems to be helping I also eat 2 fiber one bars everyday. Some days I do really well without the nap but then the next I have a 2-3 hour one. I also try and push myself a little farther and or faster on my daily walk. Everyone is different so take your time and be patient. Your body will let you know if you have done too much Good luck with your recovery and your vacation.

Thanks so much Lemonhead! I had just started running. I worked out like 4 days a week faithfully. I guess I will just keep doing a little each day and it should get better.

Hi. I think it will come back faster than you expect, especially if you were fit and active before. I found a big difference around day 8-9. The gas might still be painful when it happens, but it will get less frequent. My doc suggested to focus on soluble fiber (fruits and berries) instead of fiber bars, because the soluble fiber causes less gas. Good luck, and keep walking as much as you can without hurting yourself. I think that's the key to success, both for keeping the digestive tract moving and for recovering stamina.

My husband also taught me some isometrics for my arm muscles. These can be done without contracting your core, and I think they are a good way to start having upper body activity without lifting weights or doing other things that might pull muscles that are not ready for tugging yet.

sounds like me, inandout, and i am hopeful it will all be okay. it's fantastic that you have a trip to look forward to!!! don't worry "today" about "tomorrow." i think you will be amazed that there can be amazing differences between one day and the next. not necessarily in a linear fashion; maybe some up and downs, but all the same, big gains in short times. don't worry. do the things you can do on any particular day, and know that you will improve and soon be back to doing what you want.

my motto these first couple weeks is, "less is more." the less i overdo things now, the more i will make a strong and lasting recovery. i'm not a runner, but i love horseback riding! can't wait to get back to my horse and training her...try to find peace accepting that hobbies and fitness will be recovered in due time. i imagine you will still find MUCH enjoyment in being away on a vacation sans kids...you deserve it! wishing you the best...

Hi - you will feel better and better every week. but a word of caution. i am/was very active as well - i started feeling great and overdid it in week 4 and popped a stitch - I started bleeding heavily and had to go in to the doctor and get silver nitrate and more stitches. It was painful (all I got was lidocaine because I was driving) During weeks 4-6 you have to be very, very careful - the stitches are starting to weaken and you want them to pop on their own - but they are weak and any pressure you put on them (too much time on your feet, carrying heavy stuff, etc) and you will pop them before the skin has healed.

As my doc told me in week 4 - you only have one chance to heal properly from this surgery - don't blow it!!!

Here is something that really helped me with going #2 - eat one yogurt with probiotics every day. You will go #2 like clockwork in the morning, it will be soft but not too soft - perfect. I use the Giant brand, the store brands are cheaper than activia and seemed to work better for me. I also had less gas, probably because I was regular.

Hope this helps, ladies - take good care of yourself! time will pass by quickly and you can resume all of your activities - just be patient!


TVH 18 Apr, still have ovaries, 44 years old

I still have my ovaries as well. Thanks for the advice. So I need to be really careful while away on my trip. Not sure what type of stitches I have. I will make sure not to over do it.

	Quote:
Originally Posted by plumeria1965 Hi - you will feel better and better every week. but a word of caution. i am/was very active as well - i started feeling great and overdid it in week 4 and popped a stitch - I started bleeding heavily and had to go in to the doctor and get silver nitrate and more stitches. It was painful (all I got was lidocaine because I was driving) During weeks 4-6 you have to be very, very careful - the stitches are starting to weaken and you want them to pop on their own - but they are weak and any pressure you put on them (too much time on your feet, carrying heavy stuff, etc) and you will pop them before the skin has healed. As my doc told me in week 4 - you only have one chance to heal properly from this surgery - don't blow it!!! Here is something that really helped me with going #2 - eat one yogurt with probiotics every day. You will go #2 like clockwork in the morning, it will be soft but not too soft - perfect. I use the Giant brand, the store brands are cheaper than activia and seemed to work better for me. I also had less gas, probably because I was regular. Hope this helps, ladies - take good care of yourself! time will pass by quickly and you can resume all of your activities - just be patient! TVH 18 Apr, still have ovaries, 44 years old

check out the Post Op Checkpoints also, they are great to keep you informed on what to expect as the weeks go by.

The first week post op the BMs were rare and painful. Then they got better, then by week 4 I suddenly became more regular than I had been in a long time since the fibroids had gotten so big they interfered.
Now, at 5.3 weeks, BMs themselves are not painful but the one warning cramp from hell I get right before I know I better be i the bathroom within the minute is painful.
This is sort of new but I think it may just be things still settling, moving, healing, whatever it is, it takes time and, vacation or not, time off or not, the reason we are given the time to heal is BECAUSE we need that time to heal.
So enjoy your St. Maarten and remember that the main thing you need to be concerned with is resting and healing.

You have asked a very good question......and I've wondered the same thing. I am becoming more and more mobile each day, but I still feel like I've been run over by a truck. The gas pain and swollen belly are driving me crazy, and I miss doing the simple things that I used to do before the surgery. I also tend to tire out easily, so I try not to push myself too much.

Hopefully you will feel much better when you go on your trip. Best of luck! Hopefully both of us will feel better soon.

Thanks so much Pepper! I really pray all of us recover quickly and properly!

	Quote:
Originally Posted by Peppercat You have asked a very good question......and I've wondered the same thing. I am becoming more and more mobile each day, but I still feel like I've been run over by a truck. The gas pain and swollen belly are driving me crazy, and I miss doing the simple things that I used to do before the surgery. I also tend to tire out easily, so I try not to push myself too much. Hopefully you will feel much better when you go on your trip. Best of luck! Hopefully both of us will feel better soon.