Surgery soon and not sure what to expect

Hi,

My surgery date is The 29th of Feb
I am very nervous, not sure what I should be doing before my surgery, not sure what to expect after regarding recovery, and sex.
My Dr is great , but I would love to hear from those who have through it.
I am having a TAH

Hi Brash! to HysterSisters! I am sorry your are having a hysterectomy, but glad you found this site! I also had a TAH, and I also had a BSO.

Being nervous is normal - this is MAJOR SURGERY. Of course you are concerned. The doctors and nurses will take very good care of you - they will see you through this.

You need to prepare hour household for your downtime. This might include meals in the freezer and super cleaning your house (you won't be doing that for about 8 weeks). You will also have a swelly belly after surgery, so you will want to have loose fitting clothes and maybe underwear one size larger than you normally wear (I lived in sweats and old shorts for 12 weeks post op). You will want to have a comfy nest in which to recover, with warm blankets and DVDs for entertainment. You will also want to get a small pillow to hold against your tummy when you cough/sneeze.

The biggest surprise for me post-op was the level of fatigue. You will be very tired. Just showering or taking a short walk (which you will do alot of in recovery) was exhausting. The pain was manageable with narcotics and Motrin. You will need help the first few weeks with cooking, dishes, shopping and driving. You wont be able to lift more than 10 lbs for six weeks (a gallon of milk weighs about 8.5 lbs.).

Regarding sex after your restrictions are lifted (about six weeks), everyone is different. Some say it is better, some say worse, and everywhere in between. For me, it is different with my orgasms not as intense (no muscle contraction) but they happen more frequently. Go figure.

Hope this helps. Please post with any questions or any feelings and emotions you have. We are here to help you and support you.

(((Hugs)))

Brash:

You also can check out the pre-op and post-op sections of this web site for other useful information on preparing for surgery and what to expect post-op.

Again, we are here to support you. Post and ask what ever you want. Even if it is just an emotional plea for understanding. This is a tough surgery to wrap your brain around.

(((Hugs)))