LAVH: Upcoming July hysterectomy - weight gain after surgery?

Hi, I have a question regarding post op. A lot of people say that they gain weight in their mid section after surgery. Is that just from the swelling? How long does it take for your weight to return to normal? Why do people gain weight after this surgery?

I think for the most part when people talk about gaining weight post-op they're referring to the "swelly belly" that can come as a result of different things (the gas used to inflate the abdomen during surgery, swelling and inflammation from surgery, and just bloating in the abdomen). For me, the immediate swelling of surgery lasted about a week getting better each day and with movement (walking mostly - no bending, stretching at that point for sure).

At 2 weeks post-op my abdomen will still get bloated much more easily after eating and occasionally if I overdo it moving around too much. You have to remember that all of those muscles are healing and that your other organs have more space to move about so you may feel some intestinal gas and movement in other areas where you didn't before. At this point you still have internal healing going on and I still have some bladder spasms and times when I also feel like I'm swollen lower in my abdomen.

At this point I have not actually gained "weight", just a little size in my waist when swollen. I cannot wear tight fitting pants like jeans unless they fit low down on my hips, or pants that button above my bikini line. All of my loose fitting pj pants/sweats/etc... still fit me just fine. I had this with my last surgery for endometriosis as well and it went away completely within about 4-6 weeks.

I experienced the opposite (which I do not think is very common) and LOST weight. I had PLENTY of gas and bloating for the first 48 hours post op but it completely left by the time I went home and by 4 weeks post op, I had lost 23 pounds without trying. I had PCOS and my body's inflammation was in overdrive. I had a wonderful recovery and didn't have to take any pain medicine at all 6 hours after surgery. Hysterectomy is the best thing I have ever done for myself.

Everyone is different. personally I came home a bit bloated overall from all the fluids they pump into you - that easily subsided within the first few days and was peed out. At 3/4/5 weeks I weighed the same as before surgery when I went back to work.

I have since gained approx. 11 lbs (now at 5 + months) and I can say its entirely personal due to less activity and personal motivation ...its not that I cannot get back to exercising and watching my diet - I'm slacking a bit and its entirely on me to improve.

I was also concerned about weight gain, but was surprisingly back to my pre surgery weight 1 week post op. I still get swelly belly at night if I'm overly active during the day, but actually lost 2 inches from my waist and 3 inches in my hips since surgery. Probably because I don't have the adenomyosis uterus making me look pregnant anymore