LSH Feel like I'm going backwards with recovery...HELP!

I am 4 weeks, 2 days post op, LSH, ovaries intact, major clean-up of extensive endometriosis, wrapped around and attached to other organs, adhesions, adenomyosis, etc. I was feeling GREAT immediately after surgery. I had an On-Q pain ball, and didn't even need to take my pain meds until that ran out, and even then it was just minor pain, so I took Motrin and an occasional Percocet. The surgery went very well, no complications. I did have some clear watery discharge, which startled me a bit after hearing horror stories of nicked bladders, but it went away after the first week, and I was told it was normal due to cutting the cervix? Anyway, doc did a pelvic ultrasound at 1 week post op, and all was well.

SO, here I sit, busy mother of three, feeling worse than I did in the beginning!! I am exhausted, emotional, bloated, constant severe low back pain which started immediately after surgery, and belly pain. How can I be feeling this way, when I had so much energy and virtually no pain (except for back) in the first couple of weeks? I was ready to run a marathon, and now I'm on the brink of tears with aggravation and frustration. My husband thinks I may be overdoing it, but honestly I've only been doing what I consider "light" housework, laundry, etc, because hubby is so wonderful and supportive. I haven't really done THAT much in my opinion. I notice that I am really sore in the abdomen after sitting for more than a few minutes, or if I'm on my feet for a while. Doc checked labs and I don't have any signs of infection, and urine came back clear.

Now, keep in mind that I had a year of hell before I finally found a doctor who could properly diagnose me, and perform surgery, and the pain is minimal compared to that pain, but I was told I would be pain free by now. One year ago July, I was at the river with my family and experienced a sharp pain in my left lower abdomen, out of the blue, and it went downhill from there. I went from working 70 hrs a week, full time student working on my masters, busy mom, exercise enthusiast, to not even being able to walk to the bathroom. My quality of life changed dramatically, and I went to several doctors, a few trips to ER with fevers, pain so bad I couldn't talk, ct scans, you name it, and nobody could tell me what was wrong. GI consults, Phsychiatrist because I became so depressed, etc. My family has suffered tremendously through all of this! I felt like I was crazy, because the doctors would just look at me and tell me all the tests were normal. I've been a nurse for 14 yrs, and I know my body. Something was majorly wrong. I was a healthy, strong woman before all of this. I do have a tendency to minimize things for fear of being "that patient" and I am not a complainer. I am stubborn, and "strong like bull" as I put it lol. I finally sat down with my wonderful GP, and he got angry with the lack of treatment I was receiving from all the specialists. He got on the phone and got me right in with a physician who specialized in endometriosis, etc, as he was sure that was what was causing my pain. I got right in, and he immediately showed me on ultrasound that I needed surgery right away. We scheduled it, and boom it was done. He said he got everything cleaned up, and took out my huge mass filled uterus. YAY!! I can tell you that after 3 babies, one c-section, tubal, gallbladder, this was the easiest abdominal surgery I've had by far!

So why am I going backwards with my recovery? I'm not in severe alarming pain, but I had no pain 2 weeks ago. I know everything is ok, because I've been checked out by the doc. Is this normal? Does it take some people longer? The doc told me I would be completely back to normal in 6 days. Um, I thought I was, but not the case. I feel like a big baby for even asking about this, because this was a minimally invasive surgery.

I've rambled on long enough lol just wanted to give the history of my problem. I'm sure I left some details out lol but you get the general idea. Any feedback is greatly appreciated

Each body is different gatorgurl74, your hubby could be right ! Maybe you are doing too much. I found after my TAH the first few days were great while I was in hospital, it all started when I got home. Just bear in mind we all have different healing patterns,the first couple of weeks you would not of felt much pain due to the numbness where the cut/cuts are. Maybe that numbness has worn off and your skin is returning to normal, hense the feeling pain. please don't be rushed to do too much and read the guildlines on post op on this site, they are so useful and informative.

Big hugs and be gentle with yourself.

First of all, yes, you did have a "minimally invasive" surgery....BUT as far as I know, all that means is that the method they used to get inside your pelvis was less invasive than other procedures....you still had an organ removed not to mention the removal of the endo and adhesions!!! My goodness. That is a lot for someone to go through at one time.

I think it is perfectly normal for you to be in some pain after going through that. My always told me that there would be days when I thought I felt great, and then a week or two down the road, feel worse than I did when I was in the hospital. It is all part of the healing process. You just need to give your body some time. You may not have a large external incision, but I'm sure you have hundreds of internal stitches that need to heal!

Best of luck to you sweetie. Try not be discouraged. This process takes time, but it does get better!!

The doc said six days is all you would need to fully recover?! That seems absurdly short, even for a minimally invasive surgery. There's still a lot to heal. Take it slower if you can and listen to your body. I too had a minimally invasive procedure but I know I'm not fully healed at six weeks, despite having been cleared by the doc for all normal activities again. People regularly post in this board that it is normal to be (I think this is what I've been reading here) about 40 percent healed at six weeks, 80 percent at six months, and 100 percent after a year. I probably feel closer to 70 percent now, in terms of pain and energy levels, but I know if I tried to do 100 percent of what I was doing before, I would be hurting a lot more at the end of each day.

IMHO, it's a matter of shock. You know how patients come in and seem fine because they're in shock, then the initial rush leaves and they realize how much pain they have? It's similar. Your body underwent a year of absolute misery (I know, I did the same) and suddenly, the thing making you miserable was gone! Woohoo, party time for the bod! But, now the initial shock of surgery is gone, everything inside needs to reassess itself. I swore all I needed was the pain to go away and I'd be fine. Now the pain is minimal and suddenly I'm dealing with a physical and mental exhaustion so awful I crawled back into bed. I believe the body needs time to recover from all it's been dealing with so it's sending a big signal to slow down. A load of laundry seems light but to your body you're running a marathon.
I hate to say it, I'm glad to see others in the same boat. I woke up in despair that this is how it will always be!
Be kind to your body. Let it rest, let it become healthy again. Then you can ignore the laundry and go out and have fun again.

	Quote:
Originally Posted by gatorgurl74 I am 4 weeks, 2 days post op, LSH, ovaries intact, major clean-up of extensive endometriosis, wrapped around and attached to other organs, adhesions, adenomyosis, etc. I was feeling GREAT immediately after surgery. I had an On-Q pain ball, and didn't even need to take my pain meds until that ran out, and even then it was just minor pain, so I took Motrin and an occasional Percocet. The surgery went very well, no complications. I did have some clear watery discharge, which startled me a bit after hearing horror stories of nicked bladders, but it went away after the first week, and I was told it was normal due to cutting the cervix? Anyway, doc did a pelvic ultrasound at 1 week post op, and all was well. SO, here I sit, busy mother of three, feeling worse than I did in the beginning!! I am exhausted, emotional, bloated, constant severe low back pain which started immediately after surgery, and belly pain. How can I be feeling this way, when I had so much energy and virtually no pain (except for back) in the first couple of weeks? I was ready to run a marathon, and now I'm on the brink of tears with aggravation and frustration. My husband thinks I may be overdoing it, but honestly I've only been doing what I consider "light" housework, laundry, etc, because hubby is so wonderful and supportive. I haven't really done THAT much in my opinion. I notice that I am really sore in the abdomen after sitting for more than a few minutes, or if I'm on my feet for a while. Doc checked labs and I don't have any signs of infection, and urine came back clear. Now, keep in mind that I had a year of hell before I finally found a doctor who could properly diagnose me, and perform surgery, and the pain is minimal compared to that pain, but I was told I would be pain free by now. One year ago July, I was at the river with my family and experienced a sharp pain in my left lower abdomen, out of the blue, and it went downhill from there. I went from working 70 hrs a week, full time student working on my masters, busy mom, exercise enthusiast, to not even being able to walk to the bathroom. My quality of life changed dramatically, and I went to several doctors, a few trips to ER with fevers, pain so bad I couldn't talk, ct scans, you name it, and nobody could tell me what was wrong. GI consults, Phsychiatrist because I became so depressed, etc. My family has suffered tremendously through all of this! I felt like I was crazy, because the doctors would just look at me and tell me all the tests were normal. I've been a nurse for 14 yrs, and I know my body. Something was majorly wrong. I was a healthy, strong woman before all of this. I do have a tendency to minimize things for fear of being "that patient" and I am not a complainer. I am stubborn, and "strong like bull" as I put it lol. I finally sat down with my wonderful GP, and he got angry with the lack of treatment I was receiving from all the specialists. He got on the phone and got me right in with a physician who specialized in endometriosis, etc, as he was sure that was what was causing my pain. I got right in, and he immediately showed me on ultrasound that I needed surgery right away. We scheduled it, and boom it was done. He said he got everything cleaned up, and took out my huge mass filled uterus. YAY!! I can tell you that after 3 babies, one c-section, tubal, gallbladder, this was the easiest abdominal surgery I've had by far! So why am I going backwards with my recovery? I'm not in severe alarming pain, but I had no pain 2 weeks ago. I know everything is ok, because I've been checked out by the doc. Is this normal? Does it take some people longer? The doc told me I would be completely back to normal in 6 days. Um, I thought I was, but not the case. I feel like a big baby for even asking about this, because this was a minimally invasive surgery. I've rambled on long enough lol just wanted to give the history of my problem. I'm sure I left some details out lol but you get the general idea. Any feedback is greatly appreciated

You need to consider the possibility of an infection. I did great for 2 weeks, then felt I was starting to go downhill. At 7 weeks the pain was extreme and I couldn't keep food down. I'm currently in the hospital on my sixth day of antibiotics and painkillers due to a vaginal cuff infection. Theyve switched me to oral meds and I'm hoping to go home today. Mine came on slowly and was hard to diagnose - kept thinking it was bladder, but urine cultures would come back clear. I don't want to scare you, but don't take the possibility of infection lightly - see your doc!

I'm sorry you are feeling bad.

Keep a log and check on your temperature for signs of infection. If it does get worse, call your doc.

Now, I had TAH and felt ok for the first couple of weeks. At about week 4, I started feeling like crap, swelling, sore, tender. I'm still having those days and I'm almost 8 weeks.

I went to the doc today and was released. She said I was good to go. I discussed with her my little pains, soreness and a bulging feeling between my legs. She examined me and found nothing wrong. She told me my body is telling me that I'm doing too much even though my mind doesn't think so. I really don't think I'm doing much at all but my body isn't lying. I'm tender on the inside and haven't done ANYTHING for the last 2 days and feel better today.

I plan to do nothing for the next 2 weeks before I have to go back to work. I feel guilty in a way because I caused myself to hurt and I need to remember I just had major surgery and 7 1/2 weeks post op is not very long.

4 weeks post op is very early in the healing process. Please be very careful.

I had all the same things adhesions and all. My TAH was done on 9/6 and mine alwyas hurts. Some days worse than others. Today even was running a fever. It just takes time. I'd slow down a lil and see if that reduces your pain

I felt better in the first two weeks and then worse in weeks 3 & 4. The first two weeks, I was probably still feeling the hospital painkillers, had lots of help, and still had lots of muscle stength from being in good condition. I also could't do much. By the time I hit weeks 3 & 4, I was more active, but was having more swelling. I have seen a lot of post regarding conditions like infection that pop up, which some of the posters to this thread have also raised. However, it also sounds like you may be doing more than you're ready for. The recover process goes on its own pace and I found the forced inactivity very frustrating!

Hi,
I just wanted to say that even though you had "minimally invasive" surgery, you are still healing on the inside. I believe that my lap assisted vaginal hysterectomy is considered minimally invasive, but I am feeling pretty crappy right now. My doctor told me that my body would be healed by two weeks, but from what I have read on here it can really take much longer than that to completely heal. Give yourself time.
Merr