I'm having a hysterectomy!

MissPiggy · Apr 7, 2005

I'm 24 with 2 kids, and I already have a tubal, so no worries there. I'll be having a TVH (leaving ovaries) with A&P repair and Monarc mesh placement. Any tips for me? I want to bounce back quickly and get back to work! Thanks!

The only tip I have is one you probably aren't going to like... give yourself PLENTY of recovery time; I went back when I thought I should be ready and it took me a year before I felt "up to par" - turned out I'd gone back too soon :uhoh3: . Take every bit of time off you can have and don't be fooled by the fact that you feel better before that time has elapsed.

Good luck; I think you will be glad you had it, I know I was. :rolleyes:

webblarsk · Apr 7, 2005

Good luck to you! Get plenty of rest. And like miss piggy said. Don't go back to soon. You'll do more damage than good.

CathRN · Apr 7, 2005

Take your time!!!! I went back to work way too soon and was drained for a long time. I am a firm believer in taking the time for your body to heal properly, you will feel much better in the long run. Yes, you may think you are ready to go back to work sooner, but take the recommended time. Your employers may seem that they are concerned about you, but they just want you to come back to work sooner. (at least that is they way it is where I work). Good Luck!

LPN_mn · Apr 7, 2005

It takes minimum 6 weeks to recover. I was not allowed to drive or lift anything over 10 lbs. I am sure there were other restrictions that I just don't remember. Take it easy and take the whole 6-8 weeks to recover. I was not working at the time but did have 4 small children at home. Just do what the Dr. recommends and do not let your job quilt you into going back to work to soon. I have never regretted having my surgery and firmly believe it should be an elective surgery for all women :). It totally changed my life for the better.

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Apr 7, 2005

Lucky you! A few years ago my then-insurance company denied me a hyst because I apparently hadn't suffered enough (you mean taking birth-control pills that made me psychotic, having two D&Cs, and STILL needing a full-sized adult diaper in addition to wearing a pad and two super-plus tampons for three weeks out of every month wasn't suffering enough?! :angryfire ) so I wound up having an endometrial ablation.

Well, that worked for the first 6 months or so, and I never did go back to bleeding as heavily as I had before the procedure, but eventually I was pretty much back to where I'd started.........bleeding for most of the month, never knowing when I'd start or when I'd stop.......and the waiting game began again. In the meantime, I was working so much and then getting sick, so I could never build up enough vacation time to have the surgery and get through the recovery period without winding up in the poorhouse.

Then just a couple of weeks ago, my pregnant daughter gave me a coupon for Tampax, and I realized I hadn't used any in a long time........in fact, I haven't had a period or anything resembling one since December. I've been in perimenopause since I was 42, so maybe I'm coming to the natural end of things and won't need the surgery after all.........who knows? At any rate, I'm happy for you, and wish you the best of luck. Also, you might want to check out the website HysterSisters---they are WONDERFUL and have all sorts of great advice, tips for recovery, what to expect and so on. :)

brwnngj · Apr 7, 2005

Don't expect to bounce back that quickly or you will put yourself through more harm later. I had a Hysterectomy 2 years ago at 26 and I went in thinking it would be a lady partsl Hysterectomy. Much to my surprise I woke up cut from hipbone to hipbone. I am now experiencing complications due to scar tissue and the dr wants me to have a scar revision. I am too scared of another surgery so I have been avoiding it. Good Luck and

CrunchRN, ADN, RN · Apr 7, 2005

My experience was good even though I had to have an abdominal when they couldn't do it as palnned (LAVH). I exercised a lot prior to surgery and that, I feel, helped me bounce back quickly. Of course, all that abdominal muscle meant that they couldn't visualize well enough through the lap. scope and had to convert to an abdominal incision After 2 or 3 weeks I was carrying a raft down to the lake and riding my bike. They didn't let me come back for 6 weeks though. However, I worked for a gynecologist and my experience with the majority of our patients was that they took a much longer time to recover than I did. Just make sure you have a very good surgeon and a PCA for your immediate post-op period. Best of luck to you.

SouthernLPN2RN, MSN, RN, APRN, NP · Apr 8, 2005

Thank you all for your advice!! I'm really looking forward to it! I've had a cystocele since I had my son (17 mos) and I found out that I also have a rectocele and uterine prolapse. So I'm hoping this is a blessing!

P_RN, ADN, RN · Apr 8, 2005

It was one of the best decisions I ever made. One precaution is to research the cystocele and rectocele success rates. Both of mine only lasted about 5 years. The surgeon now tells me that he never should have done that particular procedure. I had to keep a foley for 4 weeks.....probably not the policy now. But having the Hx was wonderful.

NurseFirst · Apr 8, 2005

i also recommend peggy huddleston's "prepare for surgery, heal faster". i didn't do any kind of exercise prior to surgery, had a tah, am obese (bmi 37) was 52 at the time and did great!!! the nurses were surprised how well and how quickly i recovered (as were my friends)--i had surgery at about 2 in the afternoon, didn't get back to my room until about 7pm (due to periodic limb movements of sleep they had to give me more anesthesia than expected, so i was in recovery longer than expected.) i taped nice orthodox christian music which i put on a tape and was able to take the taperecorder into surgery. awesome!!!

nursefirst

lucky you! a few years ago my then-insurance company denied me a hyst because i apparently hadn't suffered enough (you mean taking birth-control pills that made me psychotic, having two d&cs, and still needing a full-sized adult diaper in addition to wearing a pad and two super-plus tampons for three weeks out of every month wasn't suffering enough?! :angryfire ) so i wound up having an endometrial ablation.
well, that worked for the first 6 months or so, and i never did go back to bleeding as heavily as i had before the procedure, but eventually i was pretty much back to where i'd started.........bleeding for most of the month, never knowing when i'd start or when i'd stop.......and the waiting game began again. in the meantime, i was working so much and then getting sick, so i could never build up enough vacation time to have the surgery and get through the recovery period without winding up in the poorhouse.
then just a couple of weeks ago, my pregnant daughter gave me a coupon for tampax, and i realized i hadn't used any in a long time........in fact, i haven't had a period or anything resembling one since december. i've been in perimenopause since i was 42, so maybe i'm coming to the natural end of things and won't need the surgery after all.........who knows? at any rate, i'm happy for you, and wish you the best of luck. also, you might want to check out the website hystersisters---they are wonderful and have all sorts of great advice, tips for recovery, what to expect and so on. :)

riern · Apr 8, 2005

I had my hysterectomy one year ago last month. I must say it was the smartest thing I've done in years. I feel so much better. Now, that said, it took a long time for me to get back to "normal" so to speak. Just be patient with yourself, take the time to recover slowly. Get some loose fitting pants or house dresses, swelly belly will be aggravating for a while.

I found a website that helped me it's a forum somewhat like this...hystersisters.com

Good luck to you...and remember...it takes time.

Rie