after Hysterectomy

[picklestar]

hi I have had endo well found out I had it when I was 22 . after many long years Ivf , I had coil fitted and was in more pain than before . I have had it removed as I am booked into have total hysterectomy which was supposed to happen after Christmas but they have now brought It forward to November . I had sorted everything for my son now having to rearrange who's doing what for me and son . my husband can deal with himself . so worrying about everything at the moment .mum had arranged to come home from Greece a month before op and now I will be having it before she gets hear and outlaws are moving in .

I have a few questions

they are not doing key hole will they use dissolvable stitches ?

can I have bath or shower I know I will have to wait a bit but not sure what I am allowed to do ?

is their any vitamins ect you would recommend to be taking ?

any other advise would be great full x

[Mabes]

They seem to use dissolvable stitches as a matter of course. Are you having your hysterectomy via laparotomy if you are not having keyhole?

If you have a laparotomy (cut across bikini line is what I had for a cystectomy) you might not be able to have a bath for up to 6 weeks. TBH you might not want to for a while as it can be very hard to get up from the bath after being cut through that area. It takes time to heal and get your muscle strength back.

You should be able to have a shower after a bit but will need to keep the area dry at first while it heals.

A good multi vitamin and mineral might be useful for overall health - in case you're deficient in anything. At this time of the year I am mindful to take oral vitamin D3 and I also take B12. You can get them from Holland and Barrett - the brand is Better You.

You will want big knickers (as you will probably be a bit swollen), comfy loose lounging around clothes and PJs/nightie, plus you'll probably need a selection of sanitary pads and ibuprofen/paracetamol for after you finish whatever pain relief the hospital give you.

A v shaped pillow is nice for sitting up in bed or on the sofa.

One thing to be mindful of - try to keep on top of bowel movements. The morphine in the hospital can make you really constipated so it's helpful to have some fybogel and laxido/movicol in to keep things moving. Also some gripe water or gas relief tablets for gas pains after the op.

Lastly a couple of things I just got for when I have my laparoscopy - a couple of crop top thingies to use instead of a bra when I'm wearing PJs. I can't bear the feeling of the bra band when I'm swollen and these crop tops keep my boobs in place without causing discomfort (useful if you have big/biggish boobs).

Also some women find an abdominal binder useful after their operation on their abdomen so I've been looking into those. In some hospitals in the US they give the woman one to wear after a laparoscopy or laparotomy so you might find that useful to google.

[annelou74]

Hi i have just had an abdominal hysterectomy with removal off my ovaries due to endo, they use dissolvable stitches also the dressing they use is waterproof for a shower but not a bath, i was allowed to have a bath 10 days after the op when i was told the dressing can be removed, just be aware that they put a catheter in you for 24 hours unfortunately this caused me to have a bladder infection which hurt more than op good luck its the best thing that has happened to me x

[picklestar in reply to annelou74]

thank you both . mabes I am having cut across nicker line so big knickers are on list and thank you for advise about boobs yes mine are big and need controlling lol I have a couple of sports bras . will look into vitamins thanks. I am fine with showers but ar some point a bath would be nice .only 4 weeks so need to get myself sorted xxx

[helsbels_m]

I'm three weeks post op from a total hysterectomy. They used dissolvable stitches on me. Day three of being in hospital I was having a shower. The nurses removed the dressings and said it was fine to have a shower. Once I returned home I had a bath but didn't use any bubble bath - I just needed to sit in the hot water - it was slightly difficult to sit down - but it was great!

You definitely need big pants - I took some nice M&S ones in, which made me feel good particularly after wearing the God awful paper ones the hospital provide!

On my discharge from hospital they gave me a booklet of what I can do and when. So for example 3 weeks post op I can do light housework, 6 weeks you can drive etc. I've also joined the hyster sisters forum on the web - they send a check list out each week following my op. This has been invaluable as you sometimes think is this right? Should this be happening? And the checklist has answered a lot of my questions.

Hope everything goes well.

[picklestar]

thank you for the info .hope you are feeling better

I had my pre op this week . I have to inject myself when I come home eek not looking forward to that

also was told to shave as they will use dry raver if not . not sure how much to take off think I will go just under my bikini line

xxxx

[picklestar]

first week after op feeling ok bit weird but I guess that is normal . not sure I will last resting for 6 weeks without going mad

outlaws are driving me insane . my son is getting upset because I cant do things and he is not well so not helping as nobody hears him at night so I am getting upto him . husband has son cold he is miserable and he smokes but his mum does not know so cant do it at home lol . and everyone is snapping at each other.

roll on Monday when my mum arrives

I think that is my rant over cant do it on fb as they will all see xxx