Should I be feeling better?

I am almost 15 weeks out and I have to admit that I still feel around the same as I did at 3-4 weeks. At 10 weeks, I thought that I had finally turned that corner. My belly was starting to get feeling back and it wasn't nearly as swollen. Then Easter weekend came. Of course I lifted and carried my grandson.. I hadn't seen him for weeks! He was 7 mos old. By the following Tuesday, my belly was so swollen and sore that I knew I had over done it. I have spent a few days resting and taking it very easy... It has now been a month and it hasn't improved...
I have seen my doc.. he did blood tests, ultrasound, x-rays and can't see any reason for the pain.

The pain seems like a moving target. It doesn't seem to be localized in a certain place and I have small sharp pains at the tops of my legs (where they join at the pelvic area). My abdomen is numb again and I seem to have a very strange sensation around my hip bones. It almost seems like something is pulling inside on both hip bones.. it's sort of like a burning sensation. I also seem to feel like something is pulling at my belly button inside. I also seem to have sharp pains that shoot down the vaginal wall.
Does anyone else have these sensations? I am getting very discouraged as I am usually a very active person but each day it seems like my belly is so swollen that I can barely manage to walk very much!

I am almost 9 weeks out. Went swimming on Sunday (very gently for 15 minutes) and have been sore ever since. From reading many posts, the burning sensation is nerves healing. I know how frustrating this is (we're the same age) but you may just need more healing time. Six months they say before we forget about this. I used to wonder why that long but now I know. The muscles take so long to heal. When we had our TAH they cut through three layers of muscles.
I hope that other sisters come along that can offer more advice.
Take care of yourself - you're not alone.

Running Chick, I'm one week behind you in recovery. My ab area feels just like you described. Today I almost stayed home from work, my abdomen was swollen and tender and all my joints hurt. Tomorrow if I wake feeling the same way, I am staying home and staying in bed! UGH...good luck, I do think this is normal. Practicing patience is probably one of our top ten toughest challenges in this journey!!

Right there with you. Had my hyster on 2-4 and about at 8 weeks I felt pretty good and started lifting things at work. Did it correctly and was feeling great when all of the sudden it was like hitting a wall. I hurt on the inside like I tore things up and I started to swell up. It has been 3 weeks since then and it is getting better but ever so slowly. I am also sick of this stuff and yes patience is very hard to learn. I am now just starting to feel better and am able to work longer hours toward full time. When this happened I had to go back to part time and ask everyone to help when lifting was needed. Now I am spooked to lift anything.

RunningChick,

I am sorry to hear that your recovery is not going so well. We had our surgeries the same day. I have been feeling so great lately so I do not have a lot of advice.

I did however have agonizing hip pains a few weeks ago. It was freaky. I also sometimes have a weird vibrating type feeling in my lower abdomen, probably close to where my uterus used to meet my cervix. It feels like a cell phone does when it vibrates against your body but kinda like it is coming from the inside...strange! The first couple of times I felt it, I actually reached down thinking my cell phone was on my lap, only to find it in my purse - no where near me.

I also have developed a bladder infection and am scheduled for a cystoscopy next month. But that is another story...

Best wishes and I hope they find that pain, get it resolved and quick.

Running Chick,
Someone had posted the following which I thought was interesting:

"I had asked my surgeon to explain how the muscles were cut. The incision was under the muscle line and they run vertically. They lift the flesh up and separate the muscles to get into do the op. This is why we have discomfort, soreness and still swelly belly in that area. "

Now that I have resumed a somewhat normal life I am alot more sore than two weeks ago but trying to exercise and work sure does take a toll. We are so busy as women and even the littlest movements cause stress on our muscles. I am so amazed that there are sisters out there that were back to aerobics or even running at eight weeks. My P/T does not want me to do any exercising except walking for six months and said the muscles take a long time to heal.

Monica