My Recovery. and the 4 most important things to take to the hospital!!!
I am now 2 and a half weeks past my total hysterectomy and appendectomy. Vertical cut to my belly button, I think this is the worse kind you can do it was for removal of Hyperplasia Atypia ( pre-cancer cells) Fortunatly no cancer was found!! I thought I also had a small hernia because I was having pain in right side and hip, ended up being a stone in my appendix that was about to burst! I am feeling totally blessed that all was found and removed before I had appendicitis or cancer! Dr said I would have had cancer with in a year based on what the final results showed.

I am feeling really good so I hope that gives you hope! I was scared to death, I have no kids, (the sad part) I’m 43, so I had almost given up having kids, but life with out cancer is what is important now! But honestly it was not that bad. I have a long, story which I think is very important and inspiring but if you don’t have time to read it here is the
4 most important things to take to the hospital!!!
1) A good flat backscratcher… the morphine made me itch a little I would have gone nuts with out it, I was able to reach my legs that itched like crazy with those massagers to keep blood clots away. It was like having a cast on but I could scratch with the flat end of my back scratchier. I could reach things on my table, and even close my curtain.
2) A hand held battery operated fan!! I got hot the first night started having mild hot flashes, but my husband brought me a fan that was light clipped to the bed and had adjustable neck, I held it and if I fell asleep the blades were soft and stopped so it was PERFECT!!!
3) A soft neck pillow like you use in the airport!! Mine is unscented and I think that is important for the hospital it was great I could use it for my neck, my arm with the IV or to hold against my stomach when I walked, the nurses said they had never seen any one use one but it was perfect, it cradled my belly with just the right amount of support.
4) I package of Jell-O cups, the strawberry was perfect. I know hospitals have Jell-O but my hospital had sugar free which I hate! And lime or orange which I hate. I asked for Cherry but my friend only found strawberry but it was better, it is a mild flavor, you can have it even if you are on the clear liquid diet, which I was because if the appendix. By having it there at the nurses station in their frig with my name on it I could have one in a minute any time I asked even at 3 in the morning when I just needed something in my stomach. It made every thing better! I would get up go pee and walk then be starving at odd times all night long, the walking is so important you have to do it as much as you can I know that is why I got so good so fast! It was not easy but after the first time it just got easier every time. With the neck pillow on your stomach go walk every chance you can.
Then ask for the Jell-O :O)
This is my survival guide, and honestly I did 4 days In the hospital with out much trouble. I didn’t have the gas pains that they talk about. Maybe because I had had a colonoscopy the week before! Maybe because I had to do an enema the night before surgery. Either way I was glad to not have the gas pains.
I had some constipation which was painful after I got home so take the laxatives until you are normal again. I did very well on the morphine except for the itching… so take a back scratchier! AND WALK!! I couldn’t get out of bed until the third day because of the morphine, and catheter ( which is a God send and not painful at all!!) Because of my appendix and the kind of cut I had I was a day behind what is normal I think. But when I did get up sure it hurt but not worse then I could stand. Then I figured every time I was up I was going to walk so about every two hours I was up to go pee and I was walking down the hall, so by the start of the 4th day I got to go home! I know how scary this all is, I had never had a surgery or been in the hospital, except my tonsils when I was 5. I had to let go of the dream of having children, once and for all. But I also got to know I will never have uterine or ovarian cancer, my colon polyps were caught in time to be removed so with a colonoscopy every 5 years now, I won’t die of colon cancer like my father did! ( had I waited until I was 50 I probably would have had colon cancer too) and
I no longer have pain from my appendix… SO do what you can to look on the bright side what ever the reason you are having this done, in the end you will be glad it is over. On the side of getting on with your life, and hopefully two weeks later you will be sharing your story so others are less scared too. God bless you and keep you well.

Surgical Material for Recovery - submitted by Better-Living

4 things to take to hospital and why - submitted by Onthebrightside

TAH 13.11.09 First Day Home - submitted by missmatakana

1 week since Tah/bso - submitted by hysteraskopy

TAH/RSO (kids briefly mentioned) - submitted by SouthernGlitter

Not impressed with hospital - submitted by FibroidsBGone

TAH--Not a big deal - submitted by lil'bit

Hysterectomy now 5 weeks Post Op - submitted by jen1973

TAh/bso hystersisters believer(thanks) - submitted by pevans

Halloween Hysterectomy - submitted by cynth11

The story behind my TAH... (children mentionned) - submitted by redhead65

SAH kept ovaries & cervix 10/21/09 - submitted by deeveebee

Eleven Days Ago... - submitted by *MonCherie*

My TAH Experience - submitted by pamonthego

TAH/BSO One year later........ - submitted by Reallyscared

Recovery at home - submitted by scaredbrina

TAH- forgot to mention an important part - submitted by heathertink

SAH- I had no choice - submitted by Reanle

Finally- my TAH :) (kids mentioned briefly) - submitted by heathertink

It really will be okay :) - submitted by cleo76

RSO, then TAH - submitted by HysSis2009

Story of my TAH - submitted by felican2002

10 days post op - submitted by ALQ

Scared??? What ever for? - submitted by Sunita

Cervix decision? Some advice! - submitted by LateBloomer57

little by little - submitted by nelie

TAH, My Decision, Not my mothers/husbands. - submitted by lady s

TAH BSO 9/1/09 Feeling Good - submitted by Bales

TAH/BSO Aug 4 all is well - submitted by olive51

two days post-op/ feeling FANTASTIC - submitted by papoos

TAH/BSO No SWELLY BELLY no Weight Gain - submitted by loving5

4 days out !! Ooh er - submitted by racy8

tah story - submitted by huskerfan1984

TAH - My new LIFE! - submitted by oklahoma

TAH, my story and how it came to be - submitted by SouthernGlitter

TAH/LSO--"mini-lap" and being fit. - submitted by mindyf

My story 5 days post-op - submitted by bbksimmons

5th week of TAH Princess - submitted by texas_aggies

My Hysterectomy changed my life and I would do it again! - submitted by MustangSallyT

7/27/09 SAH/BSO-Recovery going well - submitted by bobbielynn

Good to be on the other side! 7-7-9 TAH - submitted by mhaywar

TAH July 24th Tazmanian Devil finally at peace ;) - submitted by simple4soul

TAH on July 10 & feelin' good! - submitted by kiia

Tah - submitted by adascandlelight

TAH July 21st - submitted by Catarina

My story of my tah - submitted by igottaangel4u

Before and after July 9 surgery - submitted by summerdaisy

TAH July, 8th, better than I thought - submitted by glmrphy

7 days post TAH - submitted by karenmac

Bowel management post Op TAH/BSO & Sacrocolpopexy - submitted by Aquaseas

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Over the last year, things have been getting progressively worse with my menstrual cycles. I started noticing that my menstrual cramps didn't go away after the first two days of my period. I started having them for a week. Then two weeks. Then pretty much all month. It would get really bad the first few days of my period, then calm down to a constant ache. I ignored it. It got worse. After two ER visits my OB recommended a diagnostic laparoscopy. So I went through the whole shebang of surgery on 9/10/09 - I asked her several times to just go ahead and do a hysterectomy but she wouldn't commit to it. She went in and found some endometriosis, several large cysts on my left ovary, and my uterus was 'enlarged and boggy'. She cleaned out the endo and removed the cysts and sent me home. I had HORRIBLE gas pains in my chest and shoulders for almost a week; NO ONE told me that this was a side effect of the carbon dioxide they pump into your abdomen! That was the worst part of my first surgery.

Two weeks later I showed up for my post-op appointment in tears. I was still in pain. This time she scheduled me for a TAH. I was really angry for a few days because I had to go through the whole surgery experience AGAIN just a little over a month after the last time! My surgery was scheduled for 10/16/09 - I had two weeks of misery to get through. At my pre-op appointment she told me she was going to attempt to do a LAVH instead of TAH, and that she would just re-open the lap incisions from my diagnostic procedure. This news made me feel happy and I was no longer dreading the surgery. I figured it would shave at least two weeks off of my recovery time!

I had my hysterectomy done at a different hospital than the diagnostic lap. The anesthesiologist for my first surgery was very thorough and sat talking with me for a good 30 minutes prior to my surgery. He gave me several medications for nausea and of course good ol' versed to relax me prior to going into the OR. My anesthesiologist for the second surgery was NOT like that. He sat with me for maybe 10 minutes. I kept reiterating that I DO NOT come out of anesthesia well; I'm combative. (Or so I've been told, I don't remember.) He did make sure I got medications for nausea but forgot to give me the versed. I was completely freaked out by the time they got me into the OR. He quickly gave me the shot and out I went.

When I came to in the recovery room, I felt extremely panicked. I kept asking the nurse why I felt like that but she just brushed me off. I also noticed that I had a bunch of yellow gunk all over my tummy and my thighs. The anxiety started to subside by the time I was wheeled up to my room. I did NOT sleep after my surgery - I was up and walking within an hour of getting to my room, peeing on my own and eating. They still kept me overnight even though I could have gone home that same day. It was a long, uncomfortable night.

The next day my OB/surgeon came in to release me to go home. She told me that I started waking up before they had a chance to take the breathing tube out and I started panicking! She didn't even have time to clean all of the benadine (or whatever) off of me - so that explains why I felt panicked and was covered in gunk! I am SO GLAD I don't remember that! One good thing the anesthesiologist did do is several deep breaths prior to waking me up to help push some of the carbon dioxide out - it worked because I had NO issues with chest/shoulder pain. I also had no vomiting - just some mild nausea.

I had my surgery on a Friday morning and went home the next afternoon. My recovery has been fairly uneventful - the worst part being my first BM (I have issues with constipation anyway so it was not a fun experience.) I kept one ovary so I am guessing my body is still trying to balance things out; I've had some mild depression and acne breakouts. My pathology came back showing adhesions on my uterus, adenomyosis, and my left ovary had a corpus luteum cyst on it so my doc removed it. I took Percocet off and on for the first week I was home, then switched to Motrin. I've been wearing my jeans and getting out doing stuff almost every day since being home. I believe that the fact that I was in good physical shape prior to my surgery has helped me recover quickly and without any major issues.

I have my 6 week post-op next Wednesday and am confident I'll be going back to work on Nov 30th. I am also hoping she'll release me to start easing back into my workout routines - I miss being physically active!

I have no regrets, I'm just ready to get back to my life - WITHOUT constant pain! I still can't wrap my brain around the fact that I'll never have a period again....

LAVH - my story. - submitted by InlineSk8er

TVH-What's the big deal? - submitted by schwan

LAVH Story - submitted by bobbydoo

Tvh (oct 30,2009) - submitted by djd832001

LAVH/BSO 10-21-09--VERY LONG & Descriptive - submitted by darceyd

2 wks post LAVH doing well - submitted by profpa

Total LAVH/LSO October 5th - submitted by back2normal2009

LAVH Oct 5, 2009 - submitted by Shanispaz

LAVH October 5 - submitted by mehitabel74

LAVH on Aug 4, 2009 6 weeks post op - submitted by rabianco2

LAVH- 6 days post op - submitted by Deelish Dish

Surgery 9/24 LAVH - Scared! - submitted by donnab454

Recovering from TVH Plus rectocele - submitted by youngones

New and Nervous - submitted by maaikewd

TVH Bladder Sling 9/9/09 - submitted by hysterbunny

Wow! Only 36 hrs. post-op and I feel MAHVELOUS! :) - submitted by MissFire

Lavh bso 8-21-09 - submitted by bluebug

TVH w/episiotomy revision 1 week post-op - submitted by anwilliams04

Lavh - submitted by gotawolf

New here scheduled for TVH & bladder repair 10/22/09 - submitted by MM64

TVH with complications - submitted by WhiteWolfe55

Total Vaginal Hyst 8/20/09 - submitted by feb17

LAVH with TOT bladder sling - submitted by impatientjen

TVH August 17 surprised all around - submitted by ohtobeahayes

Post-op TVH with bladder sling. - submitted by Xaxxy007

TVH August 10- Road to Recovery - submitted by 123nurse

TVH-Aug 4th - submitted by quirky1

TVH 6/29 with posterior repair - submitted by wordwizard

LAVH - 8 months post op - submitted by Sasue

Surgery July 23 - submitted by RumbleSis

TVH with Bladder Sling - submitted by DBig

LAVH Wednesday, home Thursday and feeling pretty good (children mentioned) - submitted by Narnian70

4 days post-op... - submitted by twiceblessed

7/16 LAVH @ 1:45 left hospital by 10:00 7/17 - submitted by Hooiser Gal

LAVH 07/01/09 (Children Mentioned) (Long Post) - submitted by goofywife

LAVH Friday Home Sunday - submitted by ChefJenny0

TVH June16th-Kept Ovaries, Love Life - submitted by Sophie525

TVH 1.5 weeks ago - anemia - submitted by loves24

TVH kept both ovaries 6-11-09 - submitted by Dizney

TVH/RSO with enterocele repair- Sorry, its long! - submitted by waitinginpain28

LAVH is the way to go!!!!!!!!!!! - submitted by Limarie

LAVH August 2008! - submitted by Irishlassy

TVH/BSO and doing great - submitted by packer26

TVH 4 days post-op, Spinal block - submitted by starrshack

Tvh 4/27/09 - submitted by ReneeBTX

LAVH trans Vaginal experience - submitted by Xaviera

LAVH with BSO and Monarch Sling 4/10/09 - submitted by NMrider

53yr old LAVH/BSO - submitted by Melonballed

TVH 3/17/09 -Everything Going Great - submitted by Harley Low Ride

TVH Recovering 2 days later - submitted by EmmyMae

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I decided to have my LAVH due to very heavy periods that came every 2 weeksI hadlots of pain with it - I'm 33 and didn't want to continue to deal with this for a possible 20 more years.

I started my bowel prep Thursday afternoon 11/5 things didn't start happening until later that evening then it was over by around 12am.

I went to the hospital at 6:30am got set up in a room, had a wonderful nurse. I was given some nasty lemon stuff to drink for my acid reflux then I was taken back to surgery. I was joking with the anesthesiologists on the way and then I woke up in recovery.

I was in some pain when I woke up I would compare it to labor pains I think. After I was moved to my room I was given Toradol and morphine in my iv.

The day nurse I had was horrible I would page the nurses station every hour for more pain meds and about a 1/2 hour or so she would finally show up with more morphine. I had orders for 2mg every hour so I don't why she was so slow.(Actually I do now) My mom told me that she had gotten that nurse suspended from work before for something(I didn't ask) So I'm thinking that the day nurse had a grudge against my mom and was not being as caring as she could have been.

My night nurse was wonderful! She was always right there if I needed anything and just very nice. I had my catheter removed the next morning and I was finally able to eat something( I felt too icky to eat before that) I was discharged at 11:30am and home after I picked up my prescriptions.

I had quite a bit of pain in my neck and shoulders which I think were actually gas pains now. I slept most of the rest of the day then didn't sleep much that night.

I woke up feeling pretty good on Sunday had my husband take me to Walgreens to pick up pads and stool softener. I relaxed the rest of the day.

I am surprised at how good i feel and then remind myself that I am still recovering and need my rest

Sorry this is so all over the place it's the drugs.

4 days post op from LAVH - submitted by amys1

My LSH experience - submitted by kishey

4 Days Post Op LSH -Day Surgery - submitted by Tortellini

Lavh - 9 days post op - belly sleepers - submitted by 722tiger

One month post-op & feeling great! - submitted by Winkey

Lsh - 10/1/09 - submitted by rsh1922

LSH and BSO Sept. 2009 - submitted by bridgfdk

Emergency Hysterectomy LSH - submitted by Jeni E

Had LAVH on Sept 24, 2009..I'm doing Fine! - submitted by kjluster

10 days post op - submitted by misssmartypants

Total Laparoscopic Vaginal Hyst - Both Ovaries Removed - submitted by missivanhorn

so cool! - submitted by justmeinwv

Lsh - 8/19/09 - submitted by seabreezelivin

LSH Story -- large uterus, experienced surgeon, good outcomes so far - submitted by LoriAusTex

2 weeks into recovery - submitted by dmlocke65

TLH 8/10. Recovery going really well! - submitted by 34inPA

About the Hospital Stay....(LAVH) - submitted by hurtingnomore

TLH 8/5/09--2 days post op! - submitted by Kelly_R

One year anniversary on LSH - submitted by scgilb

Tough decision...no regrets! - submitted by jmmt

lavh a success - submitted by alicia ann

LSH was a great decision for me - submitted by nylbor

Laproscopic is THE WAY!!! A Happy Experience. - submitted by Redtullips

TLH 6/30 home same day - submitted by nanpne

TLH 5/2009 w/bladder surgery too. - submitted by BumUterus2009

Lavh/bso 06-02-09 - submitted by Sadie85027

Tlh/bso - submitted by BAHC

LSH, RSO on 5/26/09 - submitted by BlueSkies&Sun

LSH Surgery and feeling better already - submitted by rolling

LAVH, home now... - submitted by hootie364

TLH 1 Week Post Op - submitted by SoCalAngel

LSH with A & P repairs- - submitted by portlandsis

Lsh 5/5 - i feel awesome! - submitted by Stickers

My Laproscopic Supracervical Hysterectomy - submitted by yorkieluver

Waited so long now finally did it ! LAP - submitted by bussygrl

LSH done on 4/15/09. Feeling pretty good :) - submitted by JMRod1208

8 days post LSH - submitted by julia1214

I did it! I'm now 3 days post-op (LSH) - submitted by havefaith09

TLH/BSO 6 weeks so far so good - submitted by Hysterrific

TLH, BRCA Positive - submitted by zoey1227

Nordic Skiing 4 weeks post-op - LSH - submitted by picturesque

Total Laparascopic Hysterectomy, kept right ovary - submitted by kmunchkin13

laparoscopic supracervical hyst - submitted by happy&relieved

I did it! - submitted by CourtneyC

LSH - went great! - submitted by dehedy

My Story TLH with BSO and Cystoscopy - submitted by Paintedlady

LAVH - My Hysterectomy Diary(child mentioned) - submitted by epainga

My LSH-BSO experience - submitted by Gianna57

Lessons Learned from my LSH - submitted by rubydoo2

Post op. No Novasure for me LAVH - submitted by tehya

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Just had my daVinci hyster on Monday and it's Thursday and I can barely tell I had anything done. Did the bowel prep on Sunday and a couple of special anti-bacterial showers and headed to the hospital at the crack of dawn. Woke up in my room after just feeling sleepy. Kept my ovaries but got rid of a large fibroid filled uterus and cleaned up some internal scar tissue from a C-section. Stayed overnight, good idea to get lots of drug induced sleep. I had 5 tiny "holes" in my abdomen covered in waterproof bandages so I could shower right away. Came home Tuesday afternoon and only had trouble in the evening getting comfortable enough to sleep. I think it had more to do with the drugs and anesthesia than the pain. I really only felt a couple of the "holes" pinching but nothing else. No bleeding and swelling is going away fast. Spent Wednesday walking around the house and watching T.V. and got a great night's sleep with just Tylenol. Thursday had a doctor's visit to release a couple of stitches in the "holes" and that's it. I can see how each day is better than the one before and am so glad I did it. I already feel so much less constant pain in my pelvis and can't wait to forget about the bleeding and crazy pain days that came with the fibroids. I thank the hystersisters with their stories, I felt prepared for whatever might happen. I believe in positive thoughts and have really come out of this better than I ever imagined.

Simply Amazing, So Happy I Did It - submitted by luckydogs

From Hawaii: 4 days post-op, da vinci hysterctomy - submitted by Hawaii_2009

TLH - turned into some TVH with DaVinci - submitted by odragon

dVH/TLH-BSO with Cystocle repair (LONG) - submitted by IamGeeky

DVAH 11/5 with removal of cervix and Ovaries - submitted by Maggers

DaVinci Robotic Hysterectomy....My Story - submitted by AprilW2222

Feeling quite useless - submitted by love da vinci

Complete RALHP:Kept Ovaries - submitted by Kushiro

dVLSH Oct. 5 (heavy menstrual bleeding)- great results! - submitted by sunnydays42

daVinci laparoscopic complete hysterectomy with bilteral BSO - submitted by zenyatta5

Two days Post Op RALH - Long - submitted by Tiredoffibroid

12 Days Post DaVinci Surgery (Long) - submitted by Bobbeleh

post-op Robotic/LAVH, hemorrhoidectomy, anal fissure repair - submitted by real

Surgery 9/16/09 - submitted by KarenInKY

Davinci Procedure on 09/02 Feeling Awesome - submitted by mycookiebaker

Post-Op RALH, Days 1-6 (long post) - submitted by EvaDC2009

Just home from RALH - submitted by debg60

Da Vinci Surgery Story - submitted by dbroido

Two days post-op from da Vinci (RALH) - submitted by jc1978

Truly amazing minimal pain da vinci tah/bso - submitted by BJNC

Relieved and Very Blessed to have had a successful DaVinci Supracervial Hysterectomy - submitted by lumpygus

DaVinci Robotic Assisted Surgery on Monday 7/20 -- I am home!! - submitted by IWannaBPainFree

DaVinci Surgery Friday Home & Feeling Great Saturday - submitted by Peacehill

Exactly One Month after surgery! - submitted by ocalagal63

4 weeks post op with fistula - submitted by MEK02

bladder problems - submitted by flower00

DaVinci biggest fan - submitted by jkgentry

First week after Da Vinci Hysterectomy - submitted by ocalagal63

RALH/BSO - 3 days post-op - submitted by GeorgiaPeach300

Post-op from Hosptial to Home - daVinci - submitted by september2

Week-by-week breakdown at 7 weeks - DaVinci - submitted by bellakat

My daVinci experience - submitted by Spiky Sandy

da Vinci surgery experiences days 1,2 and 7 - submitted by saffronmatilda

DaVinci 19 days post op - submitted by notme58

daVinci experience was very good - submitted by SamandScruffy

DiVinci total hysterectomy-Not as bad as you think - submitted by steps

RALP 6 weeks later - submitted by lovestobake

2 days post dVH - submitted by InLoveWithScott

DaVinci Hysterectomy 1 week later - submitted by bluejeans01

2 weeks post RALH - submitted by lwilberg

2 Days post DaVinci Hysterectomy - submitted by kahlana

My da Vinci RALH story - submitted by gypsy714

My Story with RALH - submitted by mgrims

my story and words of encouragement! dVH - submitted by lilmisssunshine

My turn to share with the sisters DaVinci TVH - submitted by Sugar&Spice

Ralh - submitted by calvin111

DaVinci Hyster/1 week post - pretty good! - submitted by DebinHI

da Vinci RALPH - submitted by music gal

Da Vinci LAH two weeks ago - submitted by melissap45

Da Vinci LAVH +BSO 5 days ago - submitted by Veejay

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