1 wk post op and lots of questions...

Hello everyone, I am a 31 year old single woman with no children who went in to the hospital expecting to have a simple oophorectomy and came out with a TAH and my appendix is gone too! The Dr. said that he found invasive cancer in the cyst and one ovary so he took everything, lymphnodes and all, so there was no more risk of the cancer spreading. 3 days after surgery, he went on vacation and my next appointment is not until July 15th. I have tons of questions, and was hoping I could get some answers here...

HRT- I am taking 0.635mgs of premarin....can anyone explain what this hormone is, and what its main functions are?

I am home from the hospital for 3 days now and am moving about fantastically. The pain is not too bad, my mother left for home (Texas) this morning, so I am on my own now. How much activity can I endure, am I allowed to vacuum, climb stairs? No one's told me anything so I've been doing as much as my body tells me is ok. I dont want to push things but dont know what "normal" activities include...

When can I expect to poop? Its been since before the surgery and my appetite is strong. I have been taking stool softeners at the recommendation of my dr., since painkillers can cause constipation, but how long am I supposed to wait?

Also, I am not sure what to expect, hormonally. Am I going to go through surgical menapause? I have been crying a lot at night (like PMS tears), but I dont want anyone close to me to know that because they all say how proud they are of me for being so strong. Is this normal to cry?

I'm sorry to write so much but I didnt have any warning that this procedure was coming and since I dont have a netowrk of people to lean on here close to home, I was hoping I could get some answers from some of you who've been through this.

Thanks for all your support, this is a wonderful website.

God Bless and be well,

Hope

Hi Star

I am 11 days post TAH and no vacuuming! You need to rest lots and drink a lot of fluids no lifting more than a jug of milk is what my dr told me. No bending no baths only showers. Take small walks but you really need to rest a lot. The hormone I don't know anything about but the pooping I can tell you it took me 5 days with help of stool softeners try eating foods with lots of fiber. Dr told me to only climb stairs one time a day. Please let you friends and family help you physically and emotionally you deserve it. You been through a lot of trauma. This site is wonderful for support and You can find out just about anything you need here by searching the ladies are so wonderful. Remember this was the advice that my dr gave me and all drs are different. I hope I helped in some small way. Good luck and best wishes take care and rest.

Hi there Starsurvivor I am sorry to hear that you had to have this done but the best thing is that cancer is gone. I to have had a TAH/BSO due to cancer in my cervix.

your Q? on the HRT i really cant tell you to much about that beings that i am new to that to But i can tell ya what my Doc has me on . I do the patch cuz i cant take pills I am on Estraderm 0.1 mg patches and i seem to be doing jusy fine with them.

I to was crying and thats just not me so i told my doc and just up the MGs and now i am fine no more crying

You really need to get lots of rest, drink lots . DO NOT VACUUM and as far as your stairs just take your time up them, i to have stairs( thats where my potty is) and take your time down dont push your self

when i left the Hospital i did not have a bowl moment either. But i did a few days later not the best but was better then nothing just dont over do it with the Laxitives well wil me now i have the runs I had my Hys done June 21 so not that long agao
If i were you i would call the office i am sure there has to be some one taking over for him Well good luck and keep us posted


TAH/BSO June 21 due to Cancer in cervix

Sorry I can't answer any questions re: HRT, I am not allowed to take any for a few months, as for bowel movements, I couldnt poop either, it was suggested to me to try a suppository such as Dulcolax. Much to my relief, after using I was in the bathroom within 15 minutes. I did continue with the stool softeners for a few days after until I became regular.

Take your time on those steps and rest well

I am so sorry you feel like you are going through this without a strong support system. I hope you find it here. I have. This site has really helped.

If your ovaries were removed, then it is my understanding you are in surgical menopause. I would prefer to not be on HRT or estrogen, and some women aren't, but I have also read that if your body is thrown into surgical menopause abruptly, especially if you weren't near menopause because of your age, then HRT can help that shock. I plan to try and go off of it later. Anyway, I'm not a DR or medical person. And it is amazing how little I found out that I know about my body!

My DR told me to not lift anything heavier than 10 pounds for 6 weeks. He told me to not bend, stretch or use my abdominals any more than I have to. No vacuuming. Only showers, no baths (although some DRs on this site have approved baths). The one thing that has helped me is walking. It helped get my bowels going, it helped me feel better. I did take Milk of Magnesia to help my bowels get started.

Good luck, and take care.

If both ovaries were removed than it is considered surgical menopause. I am 45 and had them removed and my doc says I should be on ERT now and then when I reach my early 50's, the time when I would naturally have started menopause, that I can decide whether I want to continue hormone therapy. The younger you are, the longer period of time you will be without hormones which is not good for your bones and other parts of body.

Welcome to our little home away from home! So glad you found us. Warning... this site becomes addictive.

I am very sorry that things turned out the way they did, but glad they got all of the cancer out. Please yell at your Dr when he gets back for not leaving you a contact person to ask questions. I am sure he has someone covering for him, but it would have been nice if he had given you who to contact. But I know you will always find someone here willing to give you what help they can with their experiences.

Almost all of us have problems with that ellusive first bowel movement. As for me, on day 4 when I came home from the castle, my Dr said it was ok to take a mild laxative if I wanted. That did the trick. Then I started to use Milk of Magnisia daily and drink prune juice. I would also take Citrocel once a day to keep the fiber up.

As for the hormones, you will find LOTs of wonderful information in the hormone jungle. Go to the pull down menus and it will give you tons of great info about synthetic hormones (premarin is synthetic) and bio-identical hormones. It will tell you some of the differences between the pills and patches.

As for the crying, it is something lots of us do. I understand the holding back because of the family. I did that also. The shower was my big place to cry. And at night, alone in bed. I was started on hrt at 2 wks (vivelle patch) and at week 3 it was like my world was closing in on me. That only asted about 4 days then started to get better. I am 6 wks post op now and feeling pretty good. Hopefully your "down" time will be short also.

As for activity....rest, walk, take those stairs slowly and seldom.

Caren

I'm glad they got all the cancer that was present. If you need more help in the area of cancer or cancer treatment, be sure to see the Forum here entitiled Cancer Concerns. They are very supportive there have experience with all the different aspects.

Your DR should have someone standing in to take calls and emergencies while they are gone. You could try calling them and see what you can find out. I know, though, it is always feels better to talk to my own DR.

I can't answer HRT questions, but I can give you some basic guidelines on activities.

My DR told me "basically bedrest", no work at all, of any kind until at least the 3 week appointment. Sitting up for short periods is o.k., but counts as an activity No driving for 2 weeks. Some have longer driving restrictions. Again, ask your DR. Some have restrictions on stair climbing. My DR. told me to "take it easy" with the stairs, and limit myself to 1 or 2 trips up and down per day. Some say no stairs for a certain amount of time.

You need to let your body rest and heal from Major Surgery right now. If you overdo, you will have more soreness, no way around it, the healing process for this surgery takes time.

You also need to drink plenty of liquids and take short, frequent walks to stimulate your circulation and your digestive tract.

I could micowave packaged dinners for myself, use the remote, watch videos someone else got for me, hand stitching, talk on the telephone, etc.

After 3 weeks I could fold light laundry and do other very light things around the house.

I avoided bending over, twisting, stretching, pulling and pushing (pushing grocery carts is not allowed), too. They are hard on your abdomen and put stress on the surgery sites.

No lifting over 10 pounds, no doing the laundry, no sweeping, no mopping, no vacuuming, nothing physically strenuous, no swimming, no bathing in the tub, no sex for 6 weeks or until the gives the o.k..

Once you are released for all activities, usually at 6-8 weeks, you can do any activities you want. Do work up to doing all of your regular routine gradually so you don't pull something or hurt yourself.

Feel free to ask more questions, we love to help. :wave

First, constipation! I, too ended up using a suppository. You don't want to get so constipated that it hurts when you go! Sometimes that's all it takes to get you back on track.
Hormones, can't help you there except to suggest you take your "resting" time to do some research. Some women do well on premarin, some do not.
Crying,,,seems this surgery is a shock to the system both mentally and physically. With the added shock of cancer, I'm sure your emotions are a bit raw right now. Give yourself permission to cry and I don't care how "strong" everyones expects you to be, try to connect with a good friend or loved one who can help you through this.
Also, it can take awhile for you to adjust to the hormones.
I am so happy that the cancer had not spread! Happy healing!
My restrictions consisted of nothing in the vagina, lifting nothing over 15 pounds. I listened to my sisters for the most part and was very careful with everything I did.
I was allowed to drive at 10 days. Waited longer as I was not ready.
Hugs to you!!!

Hi,
I am very sorry to hear about what has happened to you. What a surprise to wake up to! Also it does seem as if your doctor was not as sensitive and available as he should have been. Is there someone covering for him with whom you could meet now, or do you have a family physician you're comfortable with? I think you're entitled to sit down with someone, go over your surgical and pathology report, and get your questions answered soon, not in a couple of weeks.

I'm also worried that you used the phrase "invasive cancer" and think you need to find out more about that and whether any follow-up is needed.

The other women here have all stressed what useful information there is on this site regarding hormone replacement therapy, etc. Do take advantage of it, so you'll be well informed when you meet with the doctor!

I'm glad to hear that your recovery is going well so far, and hope it continues! I had an easy recovery, walked daily from very early on, went up and down stairs and did light housekeeping. On the other hand, my husband was on hand to help out with other errands so I could rest when I had to. If you are mostly on your own now, just take it easy and simple, but walking is good for you.

It sounds as if you need answers about the surgery itself and possible follow-up care and then also need to think about hormone replacement options. It may be too soon now to decide whether the Premarin is right for you. There are plenty of other possibilities if you decide it isn't. I am on 2 mg estradiol and having no problems at all.

I did have a few crying jags, though, but feel that was due mostly to fatigue and post-op trauma.

You sound like a very strong person, but i hope there is someone you can lean on and confide in.

Take care of yourself!