To think I will be ok 4 weeks after a Hysterectomy??

[Allthefoodandwine]

Hello!

Was due to have an abdominal total Hysterectomy, including ovaries tomorrow.
Caught Covid, so it has had to be delayed.
New date 29th November.

We are hosting Christmas for 12, including family over from Australia.
DH is a great cook, but, cannot cope with more than one thing on the hob and one thing in the oven at a time.
The normal rule in our house, is he in on drinks/canapé/hosting duties, and leaves me to the oven & hob.

This works well.

However, this year, I will have had a Hysterectomy 3.5 weeks before Christmas Day.

Yes I have read all of the various guidelines with what you can, and cannot do - they are confusing.
I am not planning on lifting the turkey, or heavy pans etc....

But from those who have had a Hysterectomy, what will I be able to do?

Just trying to get my head around it all!

Thanks!

Do not lift a finger. Your useless DH will have to sort it all. But I'm a bit zero tolerance as I have an Ex who wouldn't muck in.

Tbh I wouldn't have guests either. I was told 6 weeks resting and then 6 weeks gradually getting back to normal. And I was young and fit, but that was about right.

Is it keyhole or surgical cut ?
I had mine about 6 years ago as a surgical cut and it took a good 2 months to be anywhere near normal however if you pace yourself and are sensible as you say about definitely not lifting things etc I reckon you would be ok.
Be really good after the op for the first few weeks and rest rest rest as you will feel better quickly but your body lets you know when you're overdoing it - mine swelled up when I'd done too much .
If it's keyhole you will be absolutely fine.

I'm really not sure, I had a keyhole hysterectomy and kept my ovaries so by all accounts the easier surgical option. Could I have cooked Christmas for twelve people after 3.5 weeks? Probably not realistically mainly because of all the bending and stretching putting things in and out of the oven etc. I also had relatively small children around which I think probably made my recovery a bit slower as I prioritised my energy on them. Would there be any way that you could make certain things ahead and freeze and then get other family members to bring various dishes so essentially you could organise before you have the operation and then just oversee the coordination of it? Everyone is different but it's the bending and lifting etc that would be my biggest concern for you.

Why would you put that pressure on yourself? 6 weeks of no lifting anything heavier than a kettle and lots of rest too, unless it's changed that used to be the advice.

I would suggest buy as much preprepared as possible. Or ask people to bring a dish each. People will understand

Also, what I wasn't prepared for was how tired I was afterwards. I had overwhelming tiredness for weeks that I thought would never go. I really just don't see how this would be possible this year for you to host. Maybe someone else could?

@megletthesecond to be fair to him he is amazing around the house & kitchen.... just can't cope with too much happening on the cooker!

It's me who isn't good at sitting around doing nothing.

I had my big toe fused 4 weeks ago, and he's done/is doing everything.

I had 12 weeks off work after mine. I needed it.

Do not even think about doing this massive Christmas unless you can sit and rest while all the others do the work.

you can organise and do any prep that can be done sitting down. You absolutely must not do any lifting. This is a major operation and even lifting something light can cause damage. Imagine if you were complaining laid off and unable to do anything,

I would ask the guest to help, I am sure they will understand.

Is it abdominal as in open cut?

If so you'll struggle but it isn't undoable but you'll have to have help with lifting heavy stuff and wouldn't be able to stand comfortably for hours cooking.

What's your freezer space like or could you buy a small cheap freezer for a garage space?

If so I'd get dh to cook it over the weeks and freeze it all ready to heat up on the day. Lots of people do this anyway when hosting large numbers.

If keyhole you'll be much better than you think at 3.5 weeks however at this stage I was still tiring if standing for long periods. But I went back to work after 3 weeks so was well enough iyswim?

@changer121 unfortunately it's a surgical cut, due to an enlarged uterus caused by Adenomyosis.
Would LOVE to have keyhole, but my surgeon said it's just not possible.

I have a tall stool for the kitchen, which I have used when I have chronic pain from a long term health condition - would that work?

There's no point asking your husband to cook Christmas dinner for 12 if it's a nightmare for him. you'd be better off cancelling guests or going elsewhere or roping someone else in. Your husband might not contribute equally to this but if he pulls his weight generally I don't think there's much point betting Christmas dinner on him doing a thing he doesn't feel he can do, particularly when Christmas dinner is time critical and likely to cause upset if it goes wrong.

Ah
Mine was the same and thinking about it I really don't think it's a good idea .
You will feel exhausted and also I felt very vulnerable.
I'm sorry but it's a short term pain for a life changing and improving op .
Be kind to yourself xxx

I had hysterectomy for adenomyosis back in June and my uterus was also enlarged.

I had robotic laparoscopic vaginal surgery and went home the same day!

I wouldn’t it’s undue stress and pressure. If he’s cocking it up you’ll be tempted to help. Can’t someone else host?
If they have to come to you I’d go with ready done eg m & s or booths and he can follow instructions.
Not worth risk of overdoing it and ending up back in hospital.

If you do host, don’t bother with a roast. Make something like a lasagna or similar that can be put in the oven and left, or even better get the guests to bring it, and then one or two veg on the hob but get others to do the work.

It’s not just the physical recovery, you need to also consider how you might react to the anaesthetic or painkillers.

Your job is to focus on recovering not hosting.

A takeaway or a buffet is another suggestion if they come. I think it’s poor to expect someone who has had major surgery to host though.

I'd order the food in.
I did two years ago, it was all lovely

Assuming the other 10 people attending aren’t all children then surely they can step in to help?

my mum had an abdominal hysterectomy earlier this year she is normally the type who needs to be superglued to a seat to keep her still but she was completly off her feet for about 6 weeks and then it was a slow recovery from there

I think it would be madness to do this. Can someone else host?

If it’s abdominal rather than keyhole, no you won’t be fit enough. Even if you were physically able to, it’s recommended you don’t bend or left anything more than a kettle for the first few weeks. All your muscles etc need a chance to knit together. It’s major surgery.

My mum had a hysterectomy on Monday and was back at work the following Monday.

no idea if this is normal but many report similar recovery times from a section. (I took weeks to recover and she told me i was particularly lazy/Weak)

Shamelessly bookmarking.

Due same op around the same time and have not factored in that much recovery time. I'm very ostrich about it right now and it's in less than 3 weeks.

12 people at once is a big ask anyway. Could a couple of the other adults be on kitchen duty? Or even host it instead?

You have having major surgery and will be in recovery for at least a couple of months. I think expecting your hapless husband to cook for 12 people is going to end in disaster (he doesn't sound like a good cook to be honest if he can't cope with more than one pan at a time).

My Mum had a full hysterectomy and didn't even try and get out of bed for 3 weeks. And she's a tough old bird.

I had laparsoscopic abdominal surgery just over 4 weeks ago and I’m still not totally recovered! Though that may be because I’ve already had two c secs so one scar is taking a long time to heal and regain muscle strength.

Its not impossible but plan for the worst case scenario.