First surgery was a TAH

Hi all, I'm 42 years old and needed a TAH due to very large fibroid tumors in my uterus. I was severly anemic, and having increasing issues with pain which I could have handled but my doctor was very concerned about the size of the tumors and them causing an emergency situation by interfering with my other vital organs. You see...I had put this surgery off for years...because I am terrified of surgery. So I had let it go way too long, and knew in my heart the time had come to face my fear. never having surgey before, i didnt know what to expect. Scheduled the surgery and prepared like a champ, was really okay up until the day of surgery. I was blessed with wonderful family support, but when it came time to go into the operating room I literally freaked out. I've never felt anything like it, I've never been out of control like that. My wonderful surgeon took my hand and leaned close to me and said to me so kindly "Do you want me to stop?" I said no, mask went on and I was out.
It took me a very long time to come out of recovery, almost 4 hours, and a couple more for the anethesia to wear off, i don't remember much from the first day just flashes of my family feeding me ice chips and very kind nurses coming to take care of me. Second day in hospital I was much more clear, they had me on a morphine drip, the pain was sobering but manageable. Getting out of bed the first time hurts, and you think you cant do it but you can! And each time you do it gets easier and easier. I went home day 3. They took out 3lbs of tumor!
Week 1 at home is a blur of pain, lots of sleeping, lots of medication, and terrible constipation. I had to use an enema the first time I went 5 days after surgery. I found that using Colase, Miralax, eating lots of fiber and drinking water did the trick from there on.
Week 2 was more manageble, I could move around better but tired out so quickly. Lots of sleeping. I also had zero attention span, so reading, even movies were difficult to stay tuned into. I just let my body sleep when it wanted to.
This is when I started checking hystersisters often, it was incredibly helpful to hear the stories, helped me feel normal! People seriously do not understand what you are going through.
My skin on my tummy was so super sensitive during the first 3 weeks, i couldn't even stand to rub lotion on it. Comfortable clothes were my PJ's, I opted for a night shirt so that nothing touched my tummy.
week 3 and 4 is when I started feeling better, still very easily fatigued and resting most of the day but can walk around and do a few little things around the house.
I'm in week 5 now. Honestly I thought I feel better by now...but I'm still needing to rest much of the day and take it very easy. I do take short slow walks a couple times a week with my dog and that is wonderful. I only go for about 15 minutes. I've driven a bit with my pillow protecting my tummy, but trying to really not drive just to be safe.
I cant thank this site enough for giving such real information, it has been a lifesaver for me!!
I am very glad I did the surgery. I didn't realize how bad I felt, even through the pain from surgery I can tell I'm going to be more comfortable after. My tummy is still pretty swollen, so not much fits, I had to go buy a few items a size up so that i could go in public.
Advice...be sure you have help the first 2 weeks, even if to just bring you food. dont overdo it or rush recovery, taking it slow will pay off in the long run. cold packs are awesome, and so it the compression wrap for your tummy.
Hugs to all my hystersisters out there!!!!