3 days post hysterectomy: Belly sore with and without the binder

Hi I am finally home after staying overnight at the hospital for my hysterectomy and even though the hospital gave me a binder I am noticing that my stomach is really sore and tender if I walk around the house or try to sleep. Is this normal after 3 days ? I hate to call my doctor for every little issue.

It's completely normal. Your poor belly has been stretched where they inflated you with gas to allow for the laparoscopic surgery, plus you've had a load of things cut and just generally moved about internally! It'll take a while for all that to settle down so give it time, you should start noticing it being less sore when you are resting (although it may still flare up when you move about - it's surprising how much you use your core just pottering about slowly).

A good rule of thumb for when to call you doctor about symptoms is when they get worse not better and you can't think of a reason for it (like your pain increases when you've just been sat relaxed and quiet), even if the getting better is very slow sometimes!

and

I agree with PrincessWolfie - this isn't like getting over a stomach bug. Recovery really has to be measured in terms of weeks rather than days. To help you know what to expect for these next 6 weeks, these are some of my preferred resources to share:

• Hysterectomy Recovery Videos on the Recovery Splash page
• Hysterectomy Checkpoints for a week-to-week guide (you can sign up to receive Checkpoints in email, too)
• Do This - Not That: Hysterectomy Recovery with additional links

Also, I'd like to invite you to join your Recovery Thread for women who had surgery the same week as you. Recovery Threads are wonderful for getting support, comparing notes, encouraging others, and posting updates. You can find your week at Recovery Progress Reports for Sep 30-Oct 06. I'm guiding that particular thread, and will say that no one there is pain-free at this point - if the ladies there are off the narcotics, they're still taking ibuprofen and acetaminophen. We'd love to have you join us!