Hysterectomy advice please

[lisaevans2912]

Hi everyone,

Im due for a hysterectomy on the 4th April, removal of everything, ovaries cervix tubes the lot. I have just turned 30, what im wanting to know is how have people got on with it? how was the recovery? All i seem to be doing is reading the same things over and over it would be nice to get some real life experiances on this. It says i wont be able to drive on some sites for 4 weeks? is this right? and the not being able to lift a kettle? Honestly have loads of questions running through my head so anything anybody can tell me would be greatly appreciated!!!

Lisa

xxx

[Chinaxo]

I can’t give you personal advice but just what I know from my MIL as she recently had a hysterectomy due to fibroids. She didn’t drive until she felt that would comfortably be able to complete an emergency stop. Lifting a kettle, well she did do that as she is a woman and does more than she should all the time and was also on her own for most of the day without much of a choice! She was exhausted and spent the first 3 days in bed but after that was up and about. No housework and short walks around the house and garden and she made sure to not sit still for too long. Eat well and prepare some meals in advance which you can freeze and easily pop in the microwave and reheat. You really just need to make sure you don’t overdo it and know your limitations. Oh and be sure to have a fan in the bedroom in case of night sweats/hormone changes! Xx

[blondie120]

Hello lisa,

I had a total hysterectomy in 2014, i laid awake worrying about my opp mostly becauses i wanted to know if id still feel like me afterwards, i had it all removed just a vag left now, scar was hip to hip , i had so much endo everything was stuck together bladder to cervix , womb to intestines ,took my surgeon 4 hours to make a good job of it, i was really weak after but so glad , i felt different in the coming days more at peace , no hrt didnt want it to re ignite , best not to drive as tecnically your not insured but when i did drive it pulled inside , course you can lift a kettle but dont hoover hun , you will be tired but your young an i was 47, once recovered i had loads more energy and have always been glad i had it done, totally went off sex tho been 5 years now , but i think thats more a me thing than a general thing . Good luck hun xx

[Magsiemoomoo]

Hi Lisa

I'm kinda in the same boat as you with a total hysterectomy and cervix and removal of remaining ovary, tube and cutting away endo and adhesions (my womb on MRI is showing attached to the far right of my abdomen).

My surgery is scheduled for 25th April and I am hoping to go on the HRT patches for the menopause syntoms. I had chemical Menopause for 6 months and flushes were awful and Livial (tibilone) didn't balance these out.

I have a lot of questions too so am interested to follow this and see responses.

Really hope this sorts us both out as fed up now of being in constant pain.

I had surgery end Jan 18, unilateral salpingo oopherectomy, 2 cysts removed and omentum tissue cut away and removed for biopsy as stuck to my perineum. Following biopsy the omentum showed to be full of endo cellls so within 6 months back to pain again. Only had ablation last year so excision is needed now.

Really hope it goes well for you hun and you recover well and quickly xx

[NW248]

The limit to what you can lift for about 3-4 weeks is 3kg. So you can life a kettle, just don't fill it, keep it to the minimum you need (which you should anyway) and if you need a lot of water use 2 half kettles. Likewise pans, you'll need to keep the levels down. I made a load of food in advance and froze it, so I didn't have to do any cooking for a month.

Driving, its a case of being able to do an emergency stop without the sudden strain to the abdomen. I also wasn't happy about using buses due to drivers being unhappy about stopping long enough for you to get up from a seat and walk to the front, or the possibility of having to stand whilst being thrown about.

However, two days after the op I was discharged from hospital, I'd also had loads of endo removed, walked a few hundred metres to the bus with a 2kg rucksack, went to the train station only to be put on a bus across Manchester to a different station, then a 3 hour train journey with one change to get home. For a couple of hours I had to sit in the corridor because there were no seats. Not recommended but can be done.

The level of pain I was in was about a tenth of what I'd experienced every period of my life!

Once the 4 weeks is up find a gym that has a well-qualified fitness trainer that can give you suitable exercises to build your strength up. The ones I was given in hospital were pitiful - I think they think all women work as secretaries and spend their spare time doing their nails, I needed actual strength to do work on the house and walk up fells with a rucksack.

[Mrsrestell]

It sounds like we’re in a similar situation. I’m only 35 and waiting for my full hysterectomy too. Its a pretty scary and uncertain time, and I’m finding that there’s little support out there for helping younger women navigate this kind of operation and recovery (especially if you haven’t had children but always wanted them). That’s great that you have a date - just out of interest are you in the NHS and how long did you have to wait? I’m in my 6th month now and still no news, but the Zoladex and Tibalone is keeping me ticking over. Best of luck with the operation. Xx

[Katinldn]

Hi, I had a total hysterectomy two years ago at 34 so my ovaries remained. It is a big op and you need to make sure you give your self plenty of time to recover. I tried to rush back to normality too quickly and ended up back in hospital. No heavy lifting, driving, hoovering etc. They say you shouldn’t lift more than the weight of a kettle so make the most of having someone running around after you I was in hospital for five days, but when I got home I started by getting up and pottering about and then moved onto small walks around the garden then street. I found that I tired very quickly and would need to nap after a short walk, but in time you build your strength up and begin to get back to normality. From a pain perspective, I felt so much better. I had the pain of surgery, but the awful nagging and weight I had felt for so many years in my uterus was gone. What did surprise me were the huge hormonal changes i felt immediately after, despite keeping my ovaries. I was ALL over the place - I could go from laughing to bursting into tears in a couple of mins. As you are having yours removed, have a plan in place to manage those changes as for me, that was the toughest part of my recovery. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to ask. Good luck with your op xxx

[Sludge78]

Mine was abdominal surgery rather than laparoscopic so I was almost 12 weeks without driving etc. The first week or two I did pretty much nothing then gradually started with light things and built up. Actually ended up fitter than I had ever been as walked a little further each day to build up strength.

[ChloeV]

Hi Lisa,

I had a total hysterectomy in December 2018. I also needed a pelvic floor repair and excision surgery on my bowel. I had 4 days in hospital but was only bedbound for the first couple of hrs, then they want you up to go to the loo. My main issue was with constipation. I had the problem before due to the endo but it got way worse in the weeks after surgery due to the anaesthesia and painkillers. The good news’s was that the pain was totally manageable without strong meds and I therefore was able to deal with it with just paracetamol after a week at home.

I did take it easy though. I could carry the kettle and make myself some food but I let myself take little rests on the bed/sofa afterwards. No housework, no bending down etc for 6 weeks. I don’t drive so I can’t give you too much info there. I was told that the issue is with tiredness at first and then the discomfort of the safety belt. They did say after a few weeks you could be in the car with a pillow on your tummy between you and the belt, but you should confirm with your team I guess.

The menopause side of things was pretty smooth, no physical symptoms just a lot of brain fog. I felt so much better after the surgery with all of the endo symptoms gone. By 6 days post-op I already felt better then before my op. It was really the right decision for me. I got put on the HRT patch and then given testosterone gel a month later, which really sorted out the memory and fog.

Sorry, that was a bit long. Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions! All the best and good luck.

[Zoehman82]

Hello Lisa,

I am 36 and had hysterectomy in August 18. I kept my ovaries but they took cervix and tubes.

I would say in all honesty the first week could be a bit of a shocker. I wasn’t prepared for how bad I would feel. Very sore, exhausted etc. I was lucky enough to have it key hole too.

The first week I stayed in bed. I really wasn’t able to do much else. The second week I managed to get downstairs and sit in the sofa a bit more. Usually with lots of pillows and a big foot stool so I could get myself comfortable and propped with the pillows. My mother in law took over from my mum st this stage to come and help around the house and look after the children. She stayed till I was six weeks post op. I know I was very lucky to have this support. I started doing little bits of chopping around 4 weeks and started making hot drinks etc. My MIL did it all for me and as I was getting less tired and feeling more able she let me do little things. I went for little walks up and down my street after the first two weeks. Before that it was just moving round the house. I couldn’t have gone any further. I had a little set back at two weeks post up as I had developed a big cyst on my ovary and they thought I had a haemotoma.

Any way by week 5 I had a week in a hotel

With my mum. We stayed in York and did a lot of walking. We were in no rush and did the sites etc but at a slow pace with lots of breaks. At week 7 I started volunteering back at school. Just a few hours in the mornings.

It was tiring but it felt good to have some normality.

I stopped all pain med around four weeks I guess. I slept a with a giant u shaped body pillow. Please get one you won’t regret it. I couldn’t have managed with out it. I slept with my hard on the bends and was able to support my body. Tucking one leg in between my legs and wedging the other behind my back. I felt so supported.

Just rest don’t race into doing anything. If you have a family member or friend that can stay to help for the first 2/4 weeks I would say do it. Then you will be less tempted to try and do things that you shouldn’t.

Inyou don’t then prep

As many meals you can freeze now, little portions

You can microwave if

You are in your own.

Don’t be left at all in the first week. It can feel quite scary and it’s hard to know what is normal and not.

Take care and good luck please message me if you want to know anything else.

Xx

[lisaevans2912]

Thank you all for your replies!! I have been waiting since November and have been on the prostap since around then aswell. Stayed livial in December although i dont know if that's making a difference or not. Im having keyhole so fingers crossed the recovery wont be too hard or long. Really appreciate everyone taking the time to reply xxx