LAVH and bladder sling....advice please

I will be having a lavh and bladder sling. Just wondering what kind of restrictions I will have and how much pain to expect.

Thanks
Kristy

Hi Kristy
I had a TVH with a bladder sling and also a rectocele repair so it was a little more extensive than what you're having. It seems to follow that with each added repair it can increase your recovery time and sometimes the discomfort you feel. There are so many variables with individuals that it's hard to say what your experience will be.

For myself, I had quite a bit of discomfort, but with pain meds and being careful what I did it was very manageable. I know the rectocele repair added to my discomfort quite a bit. Most doctors give restrictions for lifting and activities where the abdominals are used. Sitting for very long was uncomfortable and riding in the car. I did well if I could recline a bit and not compress my tummy area.

I think you can expect it to take 6 to 8 weeks to heal and after that you'll want to take your time and add in activities until you're back to a regular routine. There are women who seem to sail through their recoveries and recover more quickly than this, but they aren't the norm. I hope everything goes smoothly for you. We'll keep an eye out for you in post. Let us know if we can help with anything.
Rita

Thanks Rita. How bad was the pain and how long did you have to stay in the hospital?

Hi Kristy,
It's been a while since I had my surgery so I'm doing my best to remember accurately. Some women wake up without pain and that wasn't true of me. The nurses took good care of me and the pain meds did their job. I don't want to make it out to be worse than it was, but I want to be honest. I think it's better to be aware of the possibilities and talk to your dr about what to expect. I would ask what your dr will use and ask right out what you should expect when you wake up.

I had some trouble with the morphine. I didn't realize it at first but I was having trouble being dizzy and nauseated when I moved. When they took me off the morphine it went away. I wish I had known more about what to look for because now I know that a lot of women don't handle morphine very well. There are a lot of pain meds they can use so if one doesn't work be sure to speak up and ask for something else.

Because of the dizziness and nausea I stayed an extra night, for a total of two nights. I had my surgery early afternoon and went home about 48 hours later. It was uncomfortable riding home in the car. It was just enough pain to make me very glad to be home in my bed. I used a warm rice bag for cramping.

I would consider my recovery to have been slower than many. I was physically spent when I went into surgery. I was anemic and had gone through several other procedures prior to my hysterectomy to try to stop the heavy bleeding that just wouldn't stop any other way. It took me every bit of 7 wks to begin to feel like getting 'back to normal'. I will say I have no regrets. I feel great and it was well worth the time it took to heal. I love my bladder sling-still. It is so wonderful not to have the incontinence I dealt with before.

I hope this is helpful. If you are in pretty good health you will probably have an easier recovery, but I hope you can set aside at least 6 wks to heal. I think you'll be glad and if you don't need it, you can get going sooner than that. Don't worry about things, just ask your dr lots of questions so you can be as prepared as possible. It doesn't look like you have a surgery date. Do you know when you will have yours done?

I wish you well with everything. Let us know if you have more questions.
Rita

I have to get a bladder test on Wednesday so he knows exactly what kind of sling he will use. I will get my surgery day then. Thanks for the advice.