How long did it really take you to get over surgery?

[Hotwaterbottle01]

I had a massive fibroid removed 5 months ago (25cm) and everything was in such a bad state when they opened me up I also had a full hysterectomy too. I was told to expect a longer recovery as the fibroid had grown out of the womb and had to be scraped off my insides and other organs and it had all been such a mess.

I unfortunately developed a blood clot ( which ive had before) anyway it became infection a few weeks later ( has been feeling generally unwell since the operation) and found myself being rushed back into hospital with sepsis.

My tummy still feels sore just mainly on one side but the scar is worse on that side anyway. I also had a drain inserted into that particular side so it was the side that definitely came off the worst. I went to see the consultant expecting to be told it’s just natural and going to take a little longer to recover but he’s now said I may have adeshions and need further surgery😫.

I can’t face more surgery, it’s the impact it had on my family and the fact I nearly died! He’s told me to wait until the start of February to come back, if the pain is still ongoing then he advises I have the surgery .... but he said let’s just see if it settles.

Going by the bog standard advise on recovery on the nhs guidelines I should have been up and about a 6-8 weeks. 6-8 weeks I was back laying in a hope bed and I never even tried to drive until about 3.5 months post op and when I did I ended up back in bed for 3 days with pain ananda a hotwater bottle. It’s hard to gauge is it just a painful slow recovery or is something else going on?

Has anyway had any experience of a really long recovery like this but still managed to get back to normal with no further intervention?

Or had experience of hysterectomy or adeshions?

It feels sometimes like period cramp in my side which is weird as I now have no womb? Is this what adeshions would feel like ?

I can drive ok now but I just get random crampy pain and my tummy feels heavy ans bloated. Thanks!

Sorry you’ve been so poorly

It has taken me a good year to recover from major surgery, albeit a completely different type to yours. I was still having pain and some symptoms at the 6 month check, but things got much better by 11-12 months post surgery.

@Aloe6 awe thank you! That’s given me some hope. I’ve only recently started to be able to pick the children up again, I just felt I couldn’t before hand it was like my scar wasn’t going to burst! Good to hear you are feeling better even though it’s been long for you too 💞💞

*was

If you have to have further surgery, speak to your consultant to ask if you can have it done keyhole. You are back on your feet a lot faster. I had my hysterectomy done keyhole & I was out & about 3 days after having it done, don't get me wrong I was tired after going out but I wasn't that bad I needed to go to bed.

I had a lumpectomy 6 months ago and the site is still sore. My mum had a mastectomy and was nearly fully heed after 6 weeks

Everyone is different and heals at different rates. Don’t put any pressure on yourself to be up and at it before you’re ready. Paid is your body telling you to slow down.

Did you have a thread on here awhile back, before Christmas? You lost a huge amount of weight through having the fibroid removed? Sorry you don't feel back to normal

You need to take it very easy OP.
Rest as much as possible.
heavy lifting is not a good idea (as my friend found out she need up with a hernia at the incision site where she had her ovary removed).

You have had a lot of major invasive surgery and infection so if you take care and be more gentle with yourself you could be feeling a lot better by Spring/early Summer.

Completely different surgery (spinal) but a long 5hr op
For three weeks I did nothing except sleep, eat and managed to watch an episode of buffy before I slept again!
The surgeon told me recovery for the nerves etc was up to a year and not to count as "recovered" until then

I had almost 8hr major abdominal surgery a few years ago, in my late 40s, I was up and about within 12 hours, rested a lot for the first 2 weeks (just pottered about the house every hour to keep circulation going), driving after around 6 weeks (given all clear to drive by surgeon) and completely back to normal after 10-12 weeks, although I had to be careful lifting heavy things for probably another month.

You've been unlucky but the infection may have caused the adhesions.You would have them sorted through keyhole surgery so recovery would be fast and the pain from the adhesions gone.

Sorry to hear you've had such a tough time though. Everyone is different and hopefully you're now on track to fully recovering.

I had a total hysterectomy and similar issues, I was in bed for a month, could walk a bit and drive after 3 months, didn't feel totally recovered for a year. My wound wouldn't heal for ages. The hrt kept needing adjusting. Id had keyhole on cysts and was literally back to normal in 3 days. People have no idea how different having a massive vertical incision, major organs removed, immediate menopause and all your other organs rearranged( mine were all stuck together etc too) is...it takes bloody months to recover from and you sound like you're doing too much. I found the hystersisters website useful.5 years on it's been life changing, so you'll get there in the end xxx

Have you looked at post sepsis syndrome? I've almost died from it twice, both times ending up on life support in ICU.

After a second c section 15 months ago I still have skin around area which is tender to touch. I had cellulitis post op too.
Seeing a well qualified Pilates instructor was really important in building back my strength and learning to move/lift in ways which protected my body. Perhaps you would benefit from core strengthening exercise?

Sorry to hear you’re recovering a lot slower than you’d expect and of all the complications you’ve had.
When I had my hysterectomy it didn’t go completely to plan either and I had to return several times before being discharged. They kept on saying they’d have to open me up again but luckily it starting Improving enough that it was avoided, I hope this is the case for you too.
I ended up with 3 months off work and it took a good year to feel like I’d healed.

Sorry that sounds tough.

I had lung surgery which involved two chest drains and 18 days in hospital. I asked them what I needed to do to recover (very little advice!) and they said walking to prevent infection. I could do that so walked a lot.

I was back at work part time after six weeks. The swelling/sore spot took about 12-18 months to go down. It still feels slightly tender when I press hard (3.5 years!).

What I would say is anaesthetic is a major event and it really takes about a year for the body to recover from that (for example it can affect lung function test results for up to a year!). I really recommend taking magnesium and omega 3 (anti inflammatory) and getting a full blood test.

I also carried a lot of tightness in my chest area after the surgery but found yoga, pilates and massage to be really beneficial (carefully!).

You need to go to the doc re. symptoms and recovery and how far you should be pushing yourself. As a general rule if you are in pain you have gone too far. It is important to keep active though.

Another time I had knee surgery and the recovery was far worse!

My lung is adhered to my lung wall (this was meant to happen) and I can feel it when I twist. I can't fully rotate my upper body without some discomfort. I had a lot of strange gurglings after and I can relate to the worry you are experiencing, I hope things get better for you.

Also, it may sound wierd but it is a real physical trauma to have major surgery and it is quite possible that some of the symptoms are related to the trauma you have been through.

I had ptsd after mine, due to how it all happened and I found giving myself small structured goals really helped and doing practising mindfulness.

I didn't keep them up though and ended up having a gradual mini breakdown with other events! 3.5 years on now and I have loads of exciting and new things planned this year - fitness challenge events and so on.

At some point last year I just kind of decided it was all ok.

Oh wow thank you all for the post! It’s made me feel better.

My consultant told me to go get back in the saddle with all things (exercise and sex!) he said I wouldn’t do myself any harm but if the pain is worse after any of these activities and still the same in 4-6 weeks then surgery would be useful.

It’s not the surgery as hopefully it would be keyhole this time 🙏🏻 it’s the idea of possibly developing another blood clot, this is what nearly killed me.

Anyway it sounds like tenderness and a little discomfort could be still normal at this stage, what I would say is 3/4 weeks ago I was still taking paracetamol frequently, at the moment I having niggles and almost like a cramping feeling but I’ve not reached for the paracetamol for a good few weeks so I guess it’s moving in the right direction! X

@MustardScreams thank you!

@Nat6999 it’s true I guess the consultant is only going by the standard guideline and we are all different x

@managedmis no it wasn’t me, I haven’t lost weight but quite the opposite 🙈 scared to even look at the scales

@MsPepperPotts
Oh god no! That’s not what you want after surgery your poor friend!!

@ClientListQueen oh that sounds nasty surgery 😳 makes me feel squeamish anything to do with spines or noses!! Funny you should mention nerves, as I’ve said all along my tummy has felt like someone else’s tummy just stuck into my body and I have a numbness on one side and they did say nerve damage can cause some pain so thanks for reminding me. X

It took me over a year to recover from a total hysterectomy. Hospital said it would be around 6 weeks. They were wrong! I didn't really have any complications from the surgery but do have some other long term health conditions.. In all honesty, I didn't feel right for about two years but I refused hrt so maybe that didn't help.l

@Baileys4two glad to hear you recovered well. I don’t think I’ve done enough bed resting in the early stages, but it’s difficult when you have small kids. My youngest has been the most difficult as they have adhd, ASD so I was constantly having to get up to attend to them even when family members where looking after the little ones x

@defineme thank you so much! Yes your absolutely right I’ve has surgery before but this was something else and my incision was large around 30 staples in it. Your words have made me feel better I guess your body dosent day oh it’s 5 months tomorrow so that’s everything back to normal. And I was unfit before the surgery I had been left with this thing growing for 18 months and hand to stop running and swimming as it’s was like being very heavily pregnant and over due. I guess the fitter you feel before a surgery the better you will bounce back xx

@Walnutwhipster no I haven’t but I will now. I’ve had terrible tiredness. I was on iron tablets. They have now finished and I am struggling with feel exhausted during the day x

@11hairylegs oh no poor you!! Did they also think you needed opened back up for adeshions? X

@skatesbythesea sorry to hear this sounds like you had a really awful time 💝 but that’s reassuring to hear it’s still tender. I totally agree with the trauma of it all. I’ve had a few dreams that I am being rushed back down to theatre. I also think your body can remember pain, I tore bad in labour when I had my first baby and to this day I still sometimes get a little pain!! Sorry to hear your about your breakdown 💝💝 but so glad to hear your doing little things to I help push you forward. I certainly don’t feel like me, 10 years of ivf, miscarriages, pregnancy’s (from bloody hell) labour, fibroids and now this has left me feeling like I am a totally different person!! You sound like you have a plan to keep yourself tip top mentally and physically xx

@Crabbitstick yes thanks this was on my to do list! I feel I need some proper help as since the op my back has been awful too! Glad to hear you found it was really useful!

@ILoveMyCaravan thank you !! ☺️ this is so reassuring 💝 At 6 weeks I still needed help to get out of bed 🛌 I am just praying I can at least feel better for the 6 months mark!! My mum keeps telling me the same, she had surgery decades ago and swears there’s always a tenderness in the area she has her operation!!

Has anyone actually had adhesions and what did it feel like? I describe my sensation as a cramping to my consultant as in a period cramping feeling.

But when I look online it describes it as a cramping gassy feeling ... it’s not like trapped gas.

Can anyone’s describe it? Thanks x

I was left with adhesions, it feels like period pain, dragging, crampy. Worse if I've been stood up too long. I only get relief from lying down and painkillers. It does actually feel like something is stuck together, which I suppose it is!