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SHARING IS CARING

Way easier than expected!

From the Abdominal Hysterectomy Stories Articles List

Hi everyone!

I had my abdominal hysterectomy on Monday morning. It went way easier than I thought, and I just wanted to share my experience for those who are waiting to go.

First of all, the only pre-op my doc ordered was bloodwork. No EKG, etc. No bowel prep, but I ate lightly for 3 days prior.

The surgery went fine, and he kept the ovaries which made me happy. No signs of endometriosis. Just big honkin' fibroids that had to be chopped up to pull out the incision. LOL.

I woke up with a morphine pump. They let me have water and I chugged it down quite a bit----the nurses were amazed at the output in my Foley bag. They kept having to empty it and I kept filling it right back up. They kept me on the cath all night and had me sit up and then stand, but I got dizzy and nauseated so they didn't ask me to walk.

The only problem the first night was that the catheter had a kink in it and backed up and I had enormous pressure on my bladder. I had read another sister's story about that, so I asked my nurse to check and she emptied 3 containers full of urine from it and the pressure subsided.

I got up Tuesday and showered. I walked a ton on Tuesday and continued the drinking; no gas or BMs and very little appetite, but the pain was very tolerable.

I had packed a robe and it was soft and warm with large sleeves so I could wear it to sleep in and they could still take my blood pressure. I didn't use the lip balm or lotion that I packed, but I did enjoy my iPod and the pillow I brought to hold over the incision.

The doc kept me Tuesday night because I hadn't had a BM or gas. No problem, the hospital was comfy and I had a private room and all of the nurses were very nice. The only painkiller I had on Tuesday was a Vicodin in the afternoon and a Darvocet at night. I finally pooped at 7pm and then again on Wednesday morning, so the doc released me and I was home by 9am. 48 hours total in the hospital.

I've taken one Vicodin since I've been home. I'm amazed at how easy I am getting around and how little pain I am experiencing. It is mostly "sore" but very manageable. Not a lot of bowel movement, but I'm eating and still walking and drinking and it will come.

I do have a weird situation--my uvula is swollen, perhaps because of an allergic reaction to ibuprofen. I had to go in to see the anesthesiologist today and he said to just keep an eye on it and it should go down.

So all in all it was WAY better than I thought. I am resting when I feel I need to, and trying to eat healthy foods to aid with recovery.

Whew, that wore me out. Time to lie down for a bit. For those of you who are waiting: good luck and hopefully things will go as smoothly for you!



SHARING IS CARING

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