nov 11 TAH, i'll go stir crazy

had 3 c sections how can recovery be any harder than them and i was riding the horse within 3 weeks. 3 days in the hospital and the doc is sounding like i may be more than a week off work, really... i'm an active atletic person. ride 30 miles at a time. true i have a uterus the size of a 5 month PG with fibroids and the doc says i may loose 15 pounds there, but shouldn't that make me feel better almost immediately?

Hi Maztrk,

Best wishes to you on your surgery... and we're here for you when you come home!

About the recovery... you are going to need more than a week to heal. I am an active person, too, and it took me a while to learn how to just relax and rest... I am five weeks post op now and am getting really good at it. lol

Resting is VERY important after this surgery... it has everything to do with how you will feel a year from now. So take it slowwwwww.

Take good care, Gracie

surely walking and driving, my job is so sedintary i think i'd be stiller there than at the house and barn... i was pushing the kids basonettes around the hospital halls in 3 days, and the last boy was still born i was at work in 3 weeks and i was only off more due to the grief than my physical condition? so since i don't have the super large tummy to recover from or a 10 pound kid to carry around how much different can it be. i swear i'd wait this menopause thing out but long heavy periods and this big uterus the docs are not seeing another way out.

Please remember that a TAH is MAJOR surgery. You won't be back to work in one week, nor two weeks, nor even three weeks. The recommended recovery period from a TAH is six to eight weeks, and you will need that amount of time. Your body needs to recupperate. You will feel wiped out for a while, and get tired when you least expect it.

I am four months post-op, and I still have days when I feel drained of energy. I was in good shape pre-op, walking at least two miles a day for exercise. I went back to work at 5 1/2 weeks, and almost didn't make it.

You only get one chance to heal properly. If you try to overdo it too soon, you can do irreparable damage to your body, which you will regret later. Be good to yourself and don't rush it. You're not in a competetion to see who can recover fastest.

Best wishes, lots of s and prayers,

Lisa

i only have about a weeks worth of vacation time after that it's time off with no pay. i'm single and have bills... c sections are major surgery too right? the first week back would be a short one with thanksgiving week...

keep in mind with your hyst they are removing organs. You will be on some restricitons all of which your doctor is the best person to advise you about. He or she willt ake into consideration your general health and fitness level. Each person is different. While I have read some ladies say they were back to work after a few weeks, and others who still experienced discomfort 8+ weeks later.

The main thing you should remember is that while the incision is similar, this proceedure is not the same as a c-section. And healing, not anything else, is the most important order of the day. The worst thing you could do is overdo it and wind up back in the hospital.

As for time off work, if your company offers it, you may want to look into FMLA, family medical leave act.

BSQ

i know to take it easy, i know everything has to heal up. but can't someone tell me some better news. i would think having the 15 pound brick out of my belly would make everything easy soon, i've seen guys come out of multiple heart bypass surgery do better than what you are talking about?

Maztrk,

Since we are all individuals it is probably impossible to predict how well you will feel at 3 weeks. Everyone is just concerned that you will overdo it.

Think about it this way. With a c-section, they cut through around 5 layers of tissue and take the baby out, then they sew the 5 or so layers back up.

With the TAH, they remove your uterus. They reattach the ligaments that were attached to your uterus to your vaginal vault. They sew a cuff at the top of the vaginal vault. This results in a lot of stitches to heal internally. IF you are BSO, the tubes and ovaries are coming out too (more cutting, more stitches). If you are up for gory detail and pictures (warning: graphic surgical pictures) go to www.pelvicfloor.com

Personally, I am not taking ANY chances with vaginal vault prolapse. Definitely would not be riding a horse for a while - don't want to shake those ligaments up.

If your work is sedentary, you might be able to return after a few weeks. However, my work won't allow me to return without the doctor's release, so you will probably have to convince the doctor that you are ready.

Keep your positive outlook as it will probably be the biggest factor in your healing - provided you don't overdo it. Take care! We only nag because we care!

i understand and no i don't want vaginal prolapse i'm sure. i know to take it easy to not lift to walk and exersise in moderation... i won't even lift the turkey on thanksgiving. i guess the horse won't mind if i wait 6 weeks, perhaps drive the cart, only planned on walking at first but i will go easy, serious ride season doesn't start til the end of January as far as the competitions go and i hope to bring myself up to that slowly. my SO seems to be more supportive than i expected, he knows me and does feel my recovery will be faster and easier than most women. he's a widower and went thru this with his wife... she passed of cancer July 2001 and i admit some of my fears are for him, he's a tough guy but is he ready to see me with tubes and cathedars and stuff... he says we'll be fine. i doubt he'll let me over do. will the fact that dispite the huge uterus i do have good abdominal mussle, am fit help with holding everything togeather sooner? they said they may leave one ovary if one looks good, but at 50 i wonder if there's a point. does every one need HRT? the doc says she's putting a patch on me at surgery?

I'm so happy that you've found this site, because there's loads of information, tips, links, personal experiences, etc... I found that it took me awhile to take it all in, and to figure out the specific questions that I had left. Reading the information and links gives me a good medical perspective on things, but reading the castle stories and posts really helps me to get a feel for the possible post op scenarios - and to feel better prepared!

While this site offers me opportunity to learn information and a obtain insight, I know that it cannot of course offer me a flat out *prediction*. None of us has direct previous personal experience with a prior hyst to otherwise base this on - and this is why it's so valuable that others who have gone before us share theirs. No one can tell anyone else what their experience will specifically be like - but, by reading the experiences of others, one is better able to forecast their own possible scenario.

It's my personal philosophy that I'd rather plan for the *average-to-slightly-worse* possible scenario ... that way, I'm better prepared, not to mention delighted if/when my own experience is *better*! Then, too - I'm making realisitic plans - and am not setting myself up to be caught off guard needing something that I didn't already arrange for - and that I am not in a position to do for myself at that point!

Just as with our individual symptoms, our specific surgeries and particular post-op needs will also be unique. I don't see your surgery date listed, but hope that yours goes very smoothly for you - and that you are back up and around in short order!