Always call your doctor's office with any concerns you have about your health.

Caring for Your Incision

Some types of hysterectomies have external incision/s that require tending. Discharge instructions from the hospital should contain specific instructions for caring for yours. If they do not, ask your surgeon or call their office.

Abdominal Hysterectomy

You may come home from the hospital with stitches (or staples) or your stitches may be removed before you leave the hospital and replaced with steri-strips. Generally your incision should remain dry (or be dried carefully after a short shower) and covered loosely. A call to your doctor's office can calm your fears if your incision comes open. Be sure and rest and do not do any lifting. Overdoing things can stress your incision.

Vaginal Hysterectomy

While a vaginal hysterectomy does not have external incisions, if you had anterior or posterior repairs, you may have an episiotomy-like incision, if so, the first thing to remember is to avoid sitting. For immediate relief, use a peri-bottle filled with water as hot as you can stand it to spray over the area, every time you visit the washroom. If you were not given one when you left the hospital, you can use a sterilized plastic condiment bottle: it will be just as efficient. Another option is to use a clean wash-cloth that has been thoroughly soaked in hot water.

Laparoscopic Hysterectomy

Usually the 4-5 small incisions of a laparoscopic hysterectomy can be covered with bandaids. Although your incisions are small, internal healing must still take place. Be sure and rest enough so your body can heal properly.

Managing Pain Post-Op

Upon discharge from the hospital, your surgeon will send you home with pain medication and instructions.

During the first week it's important that you follow your pain medication instructions, taking your pills on schedule. This is to insure that your pain will be manageable. Waiting or forgetting to take your pain medications may mean that your pain will increase and will be more difficult to "get on top of".

Denying yourself the pain meds might sound heroic but your body will have a difficult time healing from the incisions and repairs if it's spending its energy managing the pain.

Take your pain medications as instructed and call your physician with any questions or concerns.

The Pain Scale is a great way to communicate the intensity of your pain to your family and/or physician.

Andrea Mankowski, software designer and endometriosis sufferer, devised this pain scale to describe her pain to her family and her physicians. Although it is designed to describe pelvic pain, it can in fact be used to quantify pain anywhere in the body. If you research pain on the Web, you can find many references to this method of quantifying pain. Feel free to print this out and take it with you to your doctor appointments or to the hospital.

Constipation?

If you are experiencing the normal constipation from your surgery, here are a few things HysterSisters recommends:

Vaginal Bleeding Post-Op?

No matter what kind of hysterectomy you had, chances are you will need to wear a pad for a few weeks as there will likely be vaginal bleeding post-op. As your healing continues, the bleeding will be less and less red and become more brownish. Around weeks 3 or 4 you may pass some stitches.

If your bleeding was lessening and one day you see much more blood and it is bright red, be sure and call your doctor's office. Lifting or doing too much may result in tearing of stitches which could cause extra bleeding and slow down your recovery. This is another reason to take things easy and allow your body to heal.

The odd odor you may become aware of can be a combination of things related to your hysterectomy. Healing vaginal stitches may be one of the culprits! Pain medications could also add to the odd odor. But remember: No douching allowed.

Bladder Spasms or Infection?

During your hysterectomy it is likely you had a catheter inserted for urine collection. Although the catheter is usually removed within a few days of surgery, your bladder may be affected by its use.

Many women complain their bladders feel as though they have an infection. It may be that you have a bladder infection (especially if accompanied by a fever) however many discover that the bladder isn't infected but spasming. Your bladder is irritated during surgery by being moved and also by the use of the catheter. It may take your bladder a while to get back to feeling normal.

Check with your doctor on any concerns you have about your bladder. There are effective medications for bladder spasms or, if you have an infection, your doctor will need to put you on antibiotics.

What is Swelly Belly and How To Get Rid of It?

First of all, the term swelly belly (Latin term: Swellibellicus) is a HysterSisters-created word that refers to post-op swelling of the abdomen. It can occur in any type of hysterectomy procedure, but seems to be more prevalent in abdominal surgeries. The current views are that swelly belly is caused by trauma to the abdominal tissues, gasses used during surgery, and/or fluids collecting in the tissues due to trauma during surgery.

If you've ever sprained your ankle or been stung by a bee, you've probably had some swelling at the injured site. Same thing with swelly belly.

What swelly belly is NOT is fat, or weak muscles (though they may contribute), or last night's lasagna collecting around your mid-section (though that can also contribute!)

Swelly belly seems to make an appearance soon after surgery in most ladies (though not always all) and may hang around for several weeks or even months. It is exacerbated (made worse) by too much activity, lifting things that are too heavy, being on your feet too long, stuffing yourself into jeans that are too tight, and just generally overdoing it. It also seems to be worse in the evenings, after a long day.

So, you ask, how do I get rid of it? You don't. It has to go away on its own!! Resting may help, not overdoing it, not lifting things that are too heavy, not being on your feet too long, whatever the triggers are for your case of Swellibellicus - that's what you should avoid. Sometimes a good support panty can help too, but again, make sure it isn't too tight, or it can make the problem worse. (Support panties work with swelly belly like putting a pressure bandage on a sprained ankle can take the swelling in the ankle down.) Occasionally, ice packs or a heating pad may help too, but check with your doctor first before using either.

What won't help? Exercise, especially too soon, (though after your doctor has released you, it will help tighten up your abs). But the swelling in the tissue may not disappear with exercise. Dieting may not help either, though if you've got somewhat of a tummy to begin with, you may notice some improvement. However, once again, dieting will not get rid of the swelling in the tissues.

So what's a girl to do? Just wear your belly proudly and don't sweat the small stuff. Swelly belly is just one of those things you may have to endure until your body has healed. A small price to pay for getting rid of painful periods, excessive bleeding, fibroid tumors, cancer, or whatever else was the reason for your surgery.

P.S. If your tummy becomes hot or red or painful, please call your doctor. This is NOT normal and NOT part of the normal post-op swelling. Any unusual symptoms, or anything that you're not comfortable with should be reported to your doctor immediately. Always better to be safe than sorry!

P.S. HysterSisters recommends the Swelly Belly Band to help provide a bit of support while calming the itching of a healing incision.

Help Getting Out of Bed?

You may find it difficult getting in and out of bed. Some women find getting out of bed so difficult they spend their nights in the living room recliner. Here are some tips that might be of help navigating the bed dilemma.

Turn over to the side you are getting up from. Do not try to sit bolt upright as it hurts tons more. By turning to your side you are using less front abdominal muscles and using more of the side muscles and your arms. So, go all the way over on your side, now, with your elbow on bed, start to push up and at the same time put your other arm in front of you to help push you up to a sitting position (it is kind of like walking your arms along until you are upright). It helps to have your feet just about hanging over the edge also, but not too much or that stretches in a way that hurts. As you push yourself up you need to drop your feet down.

To get back down you should do just the reverse. Do not let yourself flop back down straight. It really hurts, you have no control over how fast you are going and you will tighten up those abdominal muscles in a very jerky way trying to slow yourself down. OUCH! Again, this is the really hard way to get back into bed or on the couch. Instead, lower yourself onto your elbow, using the opposite arm in front of you to brace yourself going down on your side. Do not turn until you are all the way down and your knees are up on the bed. Once you are totally down and on your side, then turn over. To adjust yourself bring your knees up a bit and dig your heels in and lift your bottom or hips to adjust yourself. Use your legs, not your stomach muscles if possible.

Other great ideas: a kitchen chair next to the side of your bed can be used as a handle, much like a railing on the side of a hospital bed.

Insomnia?

Yes, having insomnia after your surgery is very normal. Perhaps it's the pain medications or perhaps it's your body's reaction to the shock of surgery. Whatever the reason, this is something to discuss with your doctor. You need to rest when you can. Struggling between insomnia and post-op nightmares is a challenge. Hang in there. Your body should get back to a normal sleeping pattern soon.

What is Allowed? Not Allowed?

Allowed

Not Allowed

A Tummy Pillow?

A tummy pillow is a small pillow that can be used as your personal helper during your recovery.