don't know what to expect

I have been diagnosed with andemyosis after suffering with endometriosis since I was 14.(I am now 28. I had my daughter 6 months ago and have been suffering from heavy bleeding and horrible cramps ever since. I am scheduled to have a tvh on may 20th and I don't know what to expect. My dh is taking 2 weeks off to take care of my 2 young girls (the other one is 3. Is this enough time? What kind of pain am I facing? Is there anything that helps you heal faster? I am relly stressed about this because my children are so young and dependent on me. HELP!!!

2 weeks should help alot, but the young kids are the biggest concern. Be sure to teach them to be careful of your tummy-ache and that you can hug but not pick them up.

You may want to consider his utilizing an out-of-home daycare or sitter when he returns to work, as otherwise you'll probably feel good enough and forgetfully pick one of them up ... big mistake. If you're uncomfortable with the daycare plan, maybe have a friend who also has young kids to help cover a "middle" portion of the day to help with kids after dh returns to work ...

Plan ahead and you'll do fine.

{{{Courtlyn}}} (That means hugs to you!)

Wow - I don't have all the answers for you - my situation was quite different - but I just want to encourage you. I think it's great that your husband will be able to be home with you and your children for two whole weeks. That will be a great help to you. Do you have any other family members or friends who can come by and check on you or do an errand for you or help you in some way (even to come over and chat while they fold your laundry for you) once your husband goes back to work? It will still be some time before you get the doctor's okay to resume your normal schedule. With you having a vaginal hysterectomy, you won't have that long abdominal incision to deal with, so that's a help, too. I had a laprascopy assisted vaginal hysterectomy just over three weeks ago. The pain was the worst for me after I got out of recovery, but everyone's different and your pain management medications may work better for you than mine did for me. It wasn't as bad that night and the pain got less and less quickly. I was feeling a lot better over the next two days, and it just got better from there.

During your recovery **rest a lot, drink a lot and walk a little every day** - concentrate on taking care of yourself during your recovery and - I know this will probably be hard for you to do - *do not* overdo. I know that with my LAVH, I started feeling so good that I did a lot more than I should have and exhausted myself (you may not feel it the day you do it, but you'll feel it the next day!!).

Since your surgery is not til May, you still have some time to make lists of things the children like to do, snacks they like to have, etc. to help your husband out. You can make a list of e-mail addresses and two lists of phone numbers (one for you in the hospital - don't forget to bring a phone card - and one for your husband so he knows who to call/e-mail with the good news that your surgery went well). You might want to plan on bringing your bed pillow to the hospital to help you feel more comfortable. I did and it helped me. I also brought a steno pad to write notes on when I'd think of something I wanted to tell or remind my husband about the next time I saw him or he called, questions for my doctor the next time he'd check me in the hospital, etc. You can get your bedroom ready for your return home - my husband made a place in our room for a small table by the bed for tissues, phone, a glass, etc. and he also put a chair there for the times I felt like sitting up to rub a gassy tummy. Some ladies like to freeze dinners. Three couples we know volunteered to supply us with hot dinners for six nights after I got home from the hospital. It was wonderful! Some church groups/moms of preschoolers, etc. will do that. Do you have anyone like that? You could make up a list of simple dinner ideas for your husband - he doesn't have to make big, fancy meals each night. (Frozen pizza works!) I made up a batch of cookies for my children a couple of days before my surgery for snacks. I would take it easy the day before your surgery, though, and if you don't sleep well the night before, don't worry about it - I didn't either but I rested as much as I could. Since you have this extra time, you might want to write up a few short notes for your children and include a few stickers or whatever that your husband can drop in the mailbox (children love to get mail!) or put on their pillows while you're away at the hospital. I don't know if this idea will appeal to you, but you could buy a couple of videos they'd like (and maybe one for your husband!) and give them one each week for the first two weeks - that will give them something new to watch. New coloring books and crayons are always a fun thing for 3 year olds. Maybe the baby would like some new toys. You'll have to remind your 3 year old *not* to jump your tummy - you don't need that right now!

You could buy groceries ahead - things that would be easy for your husband to make for meals and snacks. You might want some cranberry juice (not "juice cocktail") to guard against urinary tract infections - I drank lots of this in the hospital. I also ate 4 "bite sized" prunes with a buttered bagel and a hot cup of tea each morning for breakfast and it worked!! (I like prunes a lot better than prune juice - and I was happy to have them!) It's good to have something like this in the house.

*Please be encouraged!!* Reading posts from women who have had this surgery and now feel so much better encouraged me before my surgery, and now I'm here to tell you, you *will* feel so much better!!!! This is a lot for you to go through right now, but it sounds like it's in your best interest to have the surgery. You'll do great and you'll feel so good so fast - as long as you don't overdo it!! You certainly won't be picking up your 3 year old for quite a while (but she can sit next to you or lay by you on the bed - that will be nice). I don't know how much your baby weighs but please check with your doctor as to when you'd be able to pick the baby up again. You don't want to hurt yourself. My recovery was so much quicker and the pain left faster with me having a vaginal rather than an abdominal, so I hope that encourages you. Please feel free to e-mail me anytime. Also, post on these boards - the ladies here are *wonderful* and you are welcome to come into the live chat. This is a great site. Please let us know how things go for you. Also, these are just my ideas - if any of this could work for you, great, but if not, that's okay. We're all different.

My husband said to tell you to "listen to your husband - if he says for you to sit down and rest, then let him do the work and you rest!!!" You'll heal faster if you relax your mind and rest your body!!

Hugs and prayers to you for a successful and uneventful surgery and a restful, complete recovery --

love, Sue

Hi Courtlyn!!

and welcome to Hyster Sisters!!

My hubby took off 2 weeks also. I was getting around pretty well after about the 3rd or 4th day. That's with a TAH and remember, everyone is different! I heal very quickly I have found out with this surgery!

Have you read the pull-down menus on the main page yet? There is a lot of good information there that will answer your questions. I had a list of 30 pre-op questions to ask my doctors that I gathered from there! Hyster Sisters Hubby read them with me, so he knew what to do as well. I was spoiled rotten!



Email is always on!

Sara

Hi..I had a LAVH/BSO on 4-16 (Tuesday) for adeno, I was home on 4-17 and pretty sore on Thursday and Friday...no so much the surgery pain as the horible GAS pain! Yesterday (Saturday) I was up most of the day and today (I feel guilty saying this)...I can hardly tell I had the surgery...no vicodin, just IB Profin today...It is still tender around the four small incisions and feels a little heavy inside, but I feel really good! I think 2 weeks will be good! I only have one son who is 8 and in school full time, so that has helped and my DH and DD(step) have helped a lot with the household chores! Good luck to you! I hope you feel as good as I do!

MJ! Good to see you posting! I had the same basic recovery you had. Only one Vicodin when I got home. We are lucky eh? I count my blessings each day for it too!



Sara

Thank all of you for your great ideas. I can't wait for all of this to be over. I feel crazy for counting down to a surgical date.