3 days post-op LAVH

Hi,

I am new to this site, and I am now 3 days post op.

Does anyone have advice to give me on how I should be feeling, or what I should expect.

My doctor and nurse's did talk to me about all this in the hospital but I was so out of it from the Morphine pump ( pain medicine) and the vomiting that I have no idea what they said.

Thanks for any advice you can give me.

Kathy

Congrats...and welcome to the other side. You may have some pain from the surgery...I did for about a week... I gradually weaned myself off the pain meds. Your digestive system will probably be your biggest problem...gas, bloating, cramping. Try to eat foods that do not create more gas and bloating, drink lots of fluids and fiber. I ate prunes and flax seed to get my bowels working. I did not have a b.m. for about 4-5 days and that was helped out by using a glycerin suppository. My DR said not to walk farther than my mailbox, but I found walking helped with the gas pain and the bed sores I was getting from lying down so much. I remember not having much of an appetite so I lost about 7 pounds...I ended up drinking some Ensure for about 2 weeks to help put the weight back on.

Rest, Rest, Rest....I tried doing too much too soon. My DR scared me into resting after my first post-op appointment.

I used icepacks on my belly the first week also to help with incision pain and swelly belly.

I hope this helps.

Patti

Hi, Kathy. I had LAVH/BSO, too. In some ways, I felt better the first week than I did the second, mainly due to all the pain meds. I slept a LOT the first week, slightly less the second. I had a lot of bruising from my belly button down to the pubic bone, but I don't think that happens to everyone. The hardest thing for me to remember was that even though I didn't have a big incision, I did have major surgery, and it was hard not to overdo things. Usually didn't realize I'd overdone it until it was too late and I was exhausted. I didn't have much of an appetite the first couple of weeks. I was sore, but made fairly steady improvement. I'm 7 1/2 weeks post now and still find I get tired easily, but all in all, I'm amazed at how much better I feel.

Rest a lot, drink lots of water (it helps with the gas and it's good for you anyway), take short walks around the house. You shouldn't be lifting much of anything. See the home page for Do's and Don't's list; it's all applicable. Wear your pj's a lot! Much easier not to overdo it when you're not dressed. Some spotting can be normal. I spotted for full 4 weeks. The more active I was, the heavier the spotting. Any fever or bright red bleeding merits a call to the doctor. Nothing in the vagina for 6 weeks; most docs say to shower, not take baths. Be extra careful with stairs.

Most of all, listen to your body. It will let you know when you've done more than you're ready for. Good luck and happy healing!!

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 (even grocery carts), 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.

Hi Kathy

Boy, I guess I was lucky -- my doc wouldn't talk to me about the "do's & don'ts" (she said I'd forget!) so they sent me home with a written list so I couldn't forget!

You've gotten a lot of good advice here --- Omaha Kitty and Patti have had the same surgery as you, and what my doctor told me has been summed up by Shirl0. But just to drive the point home, here's another list for you:

Toonces Do's and Don't's List for Post Op

-Picking up pillows and repositioning them…..allowed
-Turning on dishwasher AFTER SOMEONE ELSE HAS LOADED IT…..allowed
-Changing roll of toilet paper…..allowed
-Flipping on lightswitch…..allowed
-Folding laundry…..allowed
-Taking short, easy walks and gentle stretching…..allowed
-Lifting the remote control…..allowed
-Asking others for help...allowed and encouraged

X – Vacuuming…..NOT ALLOWED
X – Sweeping or Mopping…..NOT ALLOWED
X – Carrying laundry across house to washer…..NOT ALLOWED
X – Lifting, Bending, Reaching, Driving…..NOT ALLOWED
X – Lying around the house all day doing nothing…..NOT ALLOWED (see above)
X - Bending to access oven or empty litterboxes....NOT ALLOWED
X - Going to Wal-Mart for some bargain shopping....NOT RECOMMENDED
X – Pushing a shopping cart….NOT ALLOWED
X – Sitting for prolonged periods of time i.e. at computer….NOT ALLOWED
X – Opening windows, particularly the hard-to-open ones….NOT ALLOWED
X – Making other people’s problems your own…..NOT ALLOWED
X - Picking Tomatoes, Weeding, and other such nonsense...NOT ALLOWED

s

Dear Gustogal, Shirl0, OmahaKitty, Cowpatti1962

Thanks for all your support.

I see that some of you have a chatting place also by your name.
How do I do this to talk to you all.

I am not very good at figuring out the computer. I'm lucky I figured out how to post a message. LOL

Please email me anytime at Suncastles321@aol.com
I would love to get keep in touch with all of you to help me through this new process in my life.

Also, If I do to much even though I feel good, They say I will get scare tissue/adhesions. This is a scarry thought to me. I just do some moving around until I get tired. I did make the hubby, and kids lunch for school, and work today. Is that a bad thing? or a big NO, NO. I did get dishes into the dishwasher, and put a load of clothes in the dryer. Not to much bending, I am pretty tall, and my arms could reach. I hope this was ok to do these things.

Kathy
:confuse:

Hi Kathy;
I'm not so sure about the lunch thing.... How old are your children? I've got my 14 & 12 yr. old making their lunches now and I think it's the best thing going! As far as I'm concerned I'm never going back to lunch making.
Be careful with the dishwasher unloading, that's alot of bending, twisting and lifting.
Take care.

Hi Kathy,

Also be careful about putting clothes from washer into dryer --- some things (towels, jeans) can get very heavy, and that WILL put pressure on your tummy!

s

There is a chat room for all the sisters. If you look at the top of this page, you'll see where it says "chat" next to message boards, Control Panel, Hormone Jungle, etc. If you click on that, it will take you through getting into chat. You do have to have AOL's Instant Messenger (AIM), and if you don't have that (or regular AOL for internet access) it will give you the link for getting set up. Then you can come to the chat room and talk to everyone! There's usually someone there; there are several ladies from the U.K., New Zealand and Australia who with the difference in time zones are not sleeping when we should be!

Just go very easy while you recover. You can overdo it before you realize it, which can lengthen your recovery time, even if you don't get the "big" bad effects like scar tissue and adhesions. Only do half of what you feel like you can, then stop! And if your kids are old enough to pack their own lunches, with a little direction, I say go for it! You may never have to do it again!