Recovery Progress Reports for Hysterectomy dates Jun 07-Jun 13,2021

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Originally Posted by EmmaM1980 Awww so sweet! We adopted a three year old tabby male called Ash, about a week before my surgery. I'm glad we did, it's given me something to focus on and get snuggles from.

I actually planned to adopt a pair of kittens, I figured litter mates would keep each other busy and wouldn't bother the elders. But then the emergency surgery happened and I figured I was in no shape to be looking after kittens, so I put my adoption plans on hold until I'd fully recovered from surgery. Look how that turned out!!

Just got back from my post op follow up. Glad to report everything inside is well healed. Two open insisions on the outside still that I just have to be patient with. Got my fibroid results. It was 723g! No wonder it felt like it was squishing my bladder

I forgot to post about my own follow up appointment! It went well, I got a clean bill of health from the surgeon. She told me a couple of times both at the hospital and at her clinic that I must be pretty tough, because it was such a massive fibroid that I must've been having severe symptoms for a long time and was able to ride them out. Plus, I was up and about and off the IV pain medication barely 24 hours after the surgery.

The fibroid wasn't weighed, but it was 17 cm / 6.8 inches across, and was actually starting to disintegrate from the inside out according to the pathologist!! It was crushing my left kidney and pressing on the nerves and arteries leading into my left leg, that's how I was finally diagnosed, but the ultrasound shows that with the pressure off everything's normal, no more swelling, nothing wrong there at all. My evil right ovary, which my surgeon lifted while she was at it, was full of endometriosis according to the pathologist, which explains why I screamed and collapsed every time I ovulated from that thing . . .

I asked about my swollen belly, I thought that with the fibroid gone I shouldn't look pregnant anymore, but she said that the fibroid severely stretched out my stomach muscles for years, much longer than a pregnancy would've, and it's going to take a lot of exercise to tighten them up again. At least there's nothing really wrong there, just another side effect of having an outrageously lazy family doctor.

I had my 6 week post op appointment this week as well, and even though I currently have that odd "phantom tampon" sensation I was given a clean bill of health. I still have stitches in my vaginal cuff that are supposed to dissolve around the 90-120 day mark, but over all I'm healing well and feeling great. I didn't ask how much my fibroid weighed (softball sized they said), I thought about it but this is the first time in 2 years that I have been able to lose a few pounds and I want to just go on thinking it's my new awesome will power doing it and not the fact that I had things removed! Either way I'm feeling good and even though I really like my doctor, I'm thrilled that as long as I stay the course and have no new issues I don't have to see him for a year!

Hi, I'm 7.5 weeks post op from a total daVinci hysterectomy, including my ovaries. I had endometrial hyperplasia going in and came out with a diagnosis of "has had endometrial cancer" as some of the cells were literally in the process of changing from precancerous to cancerous. It was quite scary. My only followup is that I have to see my gyno 2x a year for 2 years and then 1x a year for 3 more years. My surgery went well, the surgeon says and he doesn't expect a recurrence, so I'm hopeful. I'm 61 and a sudden cardiac arrest survivor (2/28/2020) so I'm very glad to have this behind me!!!

The only issues I have now are that sometimes I will feel small quarter sized areas of discomfort on my abdomen for a bit of time, and I'm having a bit of bladder issues, which the doctor said to take Pyridium for. Drinking cranberry juice and finished the 2 days of Pyridium, so hoping it's all behind me now. Oh yes, also vaginal dryness that I'm using a vaginal moisturizer (per gyno) for. Other than that, I'm feeling good. Back on my bike (w/ doctor approval) and walking about 3000 steps a day.

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When can you return to complete high impact abdominal exercise?

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Originally Posted by Jen Bunny When can you return to complete high impact abdominal exercise?

I haven't found an answer to that, I think it's highly individual. I've been doing easy pilates and find I'm not yet ready to move up... that being said I have done a couple blurpies to test things out. They felt good but swelly belly told me not yet

I plan on waiting until at least Jan to try again

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Originally Posted by Jen Bunny When can you return to complete high impact abdominal exercise?

There is no magic time or date and it differs for each individual.
Your doctor should release you to exercise, usually at week 6 post op. When released, you should GRADUALLY ease back into exercise, increasing intensity/duration incrementally until you are back to your pre-surgery levels.

If in doubt, put a call into your doctor and ask.
I was pretty much back to my pre-surgery levels by week 16, but everyone heals and recovers at their own rate, depending on your physiology.

My LAVH was on June 10, so it has been six months. The swelling FINALLY subsided just in the last two weeks. I feel really good and just loving the no pain and no period. It’s been a huge blessing after years of infertility and heartbreak. I finally feel like myself again, actually a better version of myself.

I’m so thankful for this journey and for all of you. It’s been so nice to look through and find things that made me feel better through this process.

Best of luck to all of you!