Recovery Progress Reports for Hysterectomy dates Jan 18-Jan 24,2021

I was curious about the binder too. After my surgery they didn’t tell me to use a binder. I went home and got mine out from my C-section and it just felt too tight so I didn’t use it. After my myomectomy they didn’t tell me to use a binder so I figured it was ok. I was a little concerned about squishing my bladder too lol it was really sensitive so I wanted to just let it settle on it’s own lol so long story short I think it’s ok if you don’t wear a binder. If you had abdominal surgery I’d 100% say to use it because it was a life saver after csection!

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Originally Posted by Bumblebee2320 To bind or not to bind, that is the question... Hello Everyone, Have a quick question: do you wear your binder when you sleep at night? At first I wore mine 24/7 but had to remove it from time to time when I had digestive issues. The past few days I’ve been taking it off before I go to sleep so my skin can breathe. Does that hurt the healing process? Not sure if it’s ok to have it off. My organs feel a bit floppy without it but my bowels have more issues when I sleep wearing it. Could also be that I’m having issues because I had severe adhesions and scarring around my bowels from a myomectomy 15 years ago, the surgical team had to break all of those up before my main surgery. I plan to ask the doctor about the binder at my follow-up later this week. But wanted to find out what the rest of you are doing. Please let me know. Thanks!

Just had my phone call 2 week follow up with my surgeon and pathology reports came back ALL CLEAR! They tested everything they removed and no cancer cells. It was just a regular (huge) fibroid degenerating and many many other fibroids. I’m so relieved and can finally breathe and focus on healing. Thank you all for your kind words and reassurance. He was so nice and said that the uterus was huge. He put it in a bag, cut it and removed vaginally. 1st degree tears. I told him I was totally unprepared for the damage down there and he apologized a lot for not preparing me better for that part and said it’s very common to have the soreness and discomfort down there. I had so many questions and he answered them all. He had a good laugh with all my dr questions lol The ovaries are attached to the main blood supply and the ip ligament. He said it will take four weeks before everything internally is healed up and I need to still take it easy. No lifting. No sex. In two weeks I will have to have an internal exam to check the cuff. Not looking forward to that. But everything else is all good. I told him which incision was the most sore and he said that was the one where the assistant arm was. That’s the one that was in and out and moving the entire time so that makes sense!
Hope everyone is feeling good and recovering well!!!

Day 12: Last night as I was falling asleep, my partner, Gary, put his cold hands on my belly for warmth. The coolness felt so good....and then I remembered-remembered I could be putting an ice pack on my tummy. I got up and went downstairs to get the ice pack which felt so soothing. This morning I woke up feeling significantly less pain and swelling.

Day 13 - LAVH
Went for a drive, felt nice to be out and about, got a couple things at the store, before a big storm hits.

Haven't been able to connect with my surgeon at all, but thankfully my doctors office has been amazing and answered my questions and concerns.

I fit into my jeans again, which is nice, and have lost 6lbs since being home- lack of appetite is real.
So trying to be sure i eat properly.

No exercising allowed still, id give up my morning coffee to be allowed in the gym lemme tell ya! Lol

Still reminding my self to take it easy.
And rest/ not over do it.

I feel little twitches and pulls which are good reminders to slow down.

I just wish there was a way to speed up the internal healing- i’m wanting to be active again, sexually and exercise wise...

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Originally Posted by hapi77 I have been having some problems with posting too. Sometimes it just won’t post. Also I didn’t get any emails yesterday that told me there were replies so I missed all the posts. Lol

Nice to know I am not the only one

Hi,
I had my TLH on the 19th January and I have had a really good recovery for the first 2 weeks. I had very little pain- most of which was caused by gas & I have been taking lactalose twice a day to help with bowel movements.
I have been taking things easy- no lifting/pulling etc & I’ve been on a couple of short walks.
On Monday night, I had a large haemorrhage at home and had to call an ambulance, as after the enormous clot had come away, the blood flow would not stop.
I lost another clot while the paramedics were with me & then haemorrhaged again, a few hours later at the hospital. The doctor examined me & then cleared out what she could and I stayed in for 24 hours to be monitored.
They have given me antibiotics (just incase, as there is no infection present) and told me that I must go back if it happens again, so that they can investigate properly. They have also stopped my blood thinning injections (even though they said that they weren’t the cause)
Few days in bed for me now I think!

My 2 week post op appointment went well. My dr says that I look great, I felt well and drove myself to appointment. My incision looks great. I still need to lose weight but have not gained alot of weight. I have to return to Dr appointment in one month and she will check vaginal cuff. She did say no sex for 10 weeks. Then to take it slow, and stop if painful but says that most have no problems. She said that if cuff comes unstitched then I would need another surgery to fix it. She also says that more intense bladder sensation is expected since cuff sits on my bladder now. So, I will continue resting to combat my fatigue and will give myself more time to recover completely. CPL
P.s. Me, my dr and her nurse all agreed that hysterectomy was the best solution for me. Just very grateful no cancer and won't need to see a gyn-onco.

Jennings669
So glad you checked in here. OMG that sounds so scary, sorry you had to deal with a hemorrhaging issue. Fingers crossed for you that it is over and done with. Agree hanging out in bed and taking it easy is a good plan. Keep in touch and let us know how you are doing.

Taurus75: I hope you did reach out to your doctor? Let us know how you are doing.

Coffeeshark: Sorry there is no way to rush healing, it takes as long as it takes. Sorry I know that is hard to do but you definitely want to heal properly the first time and not prolong your recovery by jumping back into activity of any kind before you are cleared by doctor.

CPL and Hapi77: Glad your post-op appts went well and all is good so far.

Magentia: YES Heat and/or Ice are the best “friends” during recovery. I loved them both at different times or reasons.

Bumblebee: Binders are really an individual choice or suggestion by a doctor. My doctor did not say I needed it so not sure what I was missing as I did not use one. Definitely think there are pros and cons.

Sorry my posts will be short til the weekend. I am at my parents for a few days helping out, which does not leave me much time to check in on you ladies til late evening. But I am thinking of all of you and wishing you the best. Hang in there

Jennings669

So sorry this happened to you. It sounds very scary. Glad you sought and received speedy medical response.

Hang in there, Hope you’re feeling better soon!

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Originally Posted by Jennings669 Hi, I had my TLH on the 19th January and I have had a really good recovery for the first 2 weeks. I had very little pain- most of which was caused by gas & I have been taking lactalose twice a day to help with bowel movements. I have been taking things easy- no lifting/pulling etc & I’ve been on a couple of short walks. On Monday night, I had a large haemorrhage at home and had to call an ambulance, as after the enormous clot had come away, the blood flow would not stop. I lost another clot while the paramedics were with me & then haemorrhaged again, a few hours later at the hospital. The doctor examined me & then cleared out what she could and I stayed in for 24 hours to be monitored. They have given me antibiotics (just incase, as there is no infection present) and told me that I must go back if it happens again, so that they can investigate properly. They have also stopped my blood thinning injections (even though they said that they weren’t the cause) Few days in bed for me now I think!

Hello! I have yet to post here, but I have been reading and following Doing ok
Supracervical laparoscopic hysterectomy, both ovaries and tubes taken out.
Jennings669 - that sounds terrifying! I'm so sorry you're going through that. Hope you are ok today <<<hugs>>>

So - post op pathology pretty much as expected. Thankfully no cancer or hyperplasia! Phew! Diffuse adenomyosis, focal endometriosis, tons of ovarian cysts (had those all my life), benign tumor on one of my fallopian tubes and on a uterine ligament, and extensive ovarian and uterine vein varicosities causing my pelvic congestion syndrome.

I'm still going through the "was it justified???" mental gymnastics, but the results sure point that way. I have had the "if it wasn't cancer, why did you do it?" question so many times - well - with anyone who knows about my surgery....

Swelly belly - wow. Yeah. Thank heavens for stretchy pants and long shirts!!! I can barely do anything without it getting out of control and quite uncomfortable. I read about binders - but my doctor never mentioned them - and they sound so uncomfortable! Didn't use them. I did buy oversized very high waisted underwear

Constipation - really no issues. I eat chia seed pudding made with coconut milk every morning with blueberries and a banana. As long as I do that and drink water, I don't have any problems Highly recommend as long as you have no chia seed issues!!! I make enough for about 5 days at a time (4 cups of coconut milk, 1 cup of chia seeds. Shake or stir every 20 min or so for the first couple of hours. Rests overnight in the fridge, stays good for about 5 days).

HRT - I am using Divigel, 1mg, every morning. Wow - very impressed. Not perfect - but it works!!! One of biggest fears going in to this was surgical menopause (I read a lot of horror stories... big mistake). I wasn't even in perimenopause yet. It's early days, but so far the Divigel has been pretty darn good.

Incisions/Other physical - I've had very light spotting on and off, but nothing much. My incisions seem to be healing quite nicely. I have the "phantom Tampon" pressure that is a bit disconcerting - kinda feels like something is trying to get out! Thank heavens it is addressed here, good to know it isn't abnormal. Doc said everything looks good at my 2 week follow up.

I am still rather tired and have some major brain fog. My activity level is still a lot lower than I had hoped at this point mostly because of the swelling. I'm really hoping that calms down soon!

Thanks for being here!