Hysterectomy operation, how long did it take before you felt able to cope on your own?

[SquashedSquirrel]

I'm having a hysterectomy in a couple of weeks and was wondering how long it took before you felt 'better' and able to lift things and generally do things for yourself?

I appreciate everyone is different but I guess I'm just trying to get as much info as possible.

I'm unable to have key hole surgery and will have a significant cut due to large fibroids. I won't have much help at all once I come out of hospital (will be staying with family but not for approximately 2 weeks after operation itself) and was wondering if it's going to be really really difficult for me to cope.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

I had a hysterectomy 7 years ago (emergency, so not keyhole surgery) just after giving birth. My womb ruptured so my hysterectomy experience may be different to yours.

Moving around post hysterectomy in the hospital was hard and painful. But I was given morphine to help. Spent a lot of time sleeping. When I got home approx 7 days later, I was still in pain but able to cope. I could lift and boil a kettle - you just have to be understand to boil a cup at a time, don't fill it to the brim!

Shopping was nightmare. I really did need someone with me for that. I could only walk slow and couldn't drive.

When my twins got home from the Special Care Baby Unit approx 14 days after my hysterectomy, I could care for them. I lifted them, fed them, did the bottles, etc. It was hard and it's not recommended that you life anything of any weight for 6-8 weeks but I had no choice.

Every person is different and I was lucky in that I had no complications despite this and healed well. When you have your support TAKE IT. Put your feet up and do nothing. Take the medication you are offered. It's a big operation.

I felt 'normal' again after about 8 weeks.

lift, not life

I had one just over 2 years ago, I was 35 at the time. The hospital gave me a strict talk on how I must rest after the op, no housework, no childcare etc. Nothing for 6 weeks then 6 weeks to gradually get back to normal.

I was in hospital for 4 days and was off paracetamol by the time I came home, nurses were baffled by me not using the morphine, 2 c-sections had prepared me for more abdominal surgery. But I did literally nothing for 2 weeks, didn't leave the house, family looked after the kids, I didn't lift anything......... basically I was on MN all the time. I was able to make my own tea and 'self-caring' by a week post op, even then my family would pour out little jugs of milk for me so I didn't have to lift a whopping 4 pint bottle. I didn't have to change a nappy for 4 weeks .

When we started going out I wasn't pushing the pushchair and just pottered about. I'm sure if I had overdone it I would have done myself an injury. I think I didn't have any pain because I was able to let my body heal at it's own speed.

I was back at the gym and work at 12 weeks post op.

So, so important to try and do the absolute minimum for a few weeks. I was stupid, due to low boredom threshold combined with my I know best attitude, did far too much (walking for too long week after surgery, cooking elaborate dinner for friends). My stomach muscles took far longer than normal to heal, my stitches came out a week later than normal and I felt crap for a lot longer than I would have if I had done what I was told in the first place.

I had one in February. DH did everything for several weeks.
Have you looked at the Hystersisters site. There are always some women who are living alone, even some with little children! The site is great for practical advice. You will need to have as much as possible prepared beforehand (e.g. meals in the freezer)..
Remember that even if you don't have a long abdominal incision, you will still have hundreds of stitches inside.

Best of luck!

Thank you so much for all your advice and for sharing your experiences.

Its made me realise that I'll simply have to ask for help (I had an operation in August and tried my best to just get on with things without much assistance). I'm a bit crap at asking for help and then accepting it! Your stories have made me realise that I'll have to accept it.

esperance thank you for mentioning the stitches + I'm just trying to plan meals at the moment in preparation.

I've just remembered something else. I was 5 weeks post op and feeling quite good (although still taking it easy) so I called the hospital and asked if it was ok for me to start lifting the children and they gave me a very firm "NO". They would not budge (I was telling them I felt ok etc) and gave me a lecture on how I might feel ok and my external wound might look ok but the internal stitches take longer to heal.

FWIW the gynea nurses were disgusted the way post CS mums were treated and said it was all about getting the beds clear as soon as possible, nothing to do with getting them moving to help them heal up . IME the more you do the more pain killers you will need. Laze about and let yourself rest for as long as you can.

Meg thank you. I am seriously going to have to just rest. It's so difficult particularly when you begin to feel better (as you found). I know that when I do go to stay with my Mum, she'll want to do everything for me which will help.

I guess there will be a lot of internal stitches and I do not want to rupture anything or end up in more pain.

Thank you for your advice though, I appreciate it.

oh, you don't just rest. You MN, FB, read the papers, catch up on trashy Sleb magazines, read books, eat biscuits, gaze out the window ( I got really good at that during my cabin fevery first fortnight), do a bit of home filing and shredding, file your nails, catch up on TV programmes....etc.

I was able to read stories to the dc's and 'direct' the household. But apart from that I made the most of the break.

Hi squirrel. Not had a hysterectomy, but 3 weeks ago I had a colposuspension and a bilateral uterine suspension through a large incision. I know it's different, but I thought I'd share in case it's helpful. I was in hospital for 8 days. I've been pleasantly surprised by how much mobility I;ve had - when I had my gallbladder out by keyhole surgery I couldn't even lift my arms without it hurting to all hell. But this has not been too bad. Like the others, I've been told absolutely no lifting of anything heavier than a half full kettle for 8 weeks. No pushing anything. No pulling anything. Basically no movement that requires you to tense your abdominal muscles. I think the fact that I have found things easier than I thought they'd be means that I have still been overdoing it - tempting to start cooking, sorting stuff out around the house, walking for longer than I should. It is good to be active. but it's really good to err on the side of caution. I definitely need at least one sleep per day, sometimes two. In terms of pain, I'm coping with paracetemol and neurofen. But things are still very bruised, swollen and tender. Get as much help as you can. And if you can stock up the freezer with meals for yourself, do. But better to get people to bring you food if possible. You have to take it easy - you've got to give yourself the best chance of healing well. Good luck and sorry you have to go through this XX

Bless you cardamon, I can't pretend to understand what you had done but it sounds major!

I can however totally understand what you said about feeling better and beginning to perhaps do more than you should.
I'm glad you're managing with 'regular' pain killers. I'm expecting to be in a fair amount of pain but that's not really based on fact. I think I'm just looking at the worse case scenario.

Did the hospital say that you 'had' to walk so far each day? One of my friends said that she was told to walk every single day. I actually don't mind that (providing I'm not in too much pain) as it'll mean I get some fresh air.

Thank you for all your ideas and kind words. I'll def' do lots of freezer meals. I'm hoping that my friend will bring me lots of her gorgeous home made food (I'll have to beg but it'll be worth it!).

The physio had me out of bed the day after my operation. I was a bit , but was high as a kite on morphine so it wasn't too bad! When I was on the ward I was told to do 3-4 minutes (initially under supervision) 3 times a day. The plan once I was discharged was to start off with two 5 minute walks a day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, and gradually build up adding 5 minutes to each walk a week, until by week 8 I should be walking once a day for 40 minutes. Needless to say I haven't be sticking to this - the weather is too yucky for one thing - why would I want to go out in it twice in a day?!??? So I've been walking to a local Cafe Nero, having a coffee and then walking back. And doing errands on the way (bad Cardamom!). I've also been told to do pelvic floors and drawing in lower abdominals several times a day. The pelvic floors are fine, but I'm still too tender to do the lower abs. I;m seeing my gynae physio the 3rd week of January, and I'm sure she'll sort me out with a suitable programme. Of course as you are having a hysterectomy, the physio advice re pelvic floor/abdominal exercise may be different. I think I should point out that I have apparently bounced back extremely quickly and everyone (nurses, surgeon, physio) has been amazed at how quickly I've been recovering.

About the painkillers - the sooner you can get off the morphine and the opioids (including tramadol, oromorph, codeine, cocodamol) the better. They often give really bad constipation and the very last thing you want to be doing is straining. I'm sure you'll be given some laxatives/bulking agents. If you feel they're not working then say so and ask for something different. Lots of people have success with lactulose and movicol. I don't. I get bloated and they just give me loads of wind. Good old fashioned senna and prune juice in the other hand does the trick nicely. XX

Thanks.
My friend said the same re having to get up out of bed hours after her op'. She said she was in pain but was also shattered and so simply couldn't be bothered (although did it obviously).

Luckily I live very close to a large Park and so I imagine I'll end up walking round there until I can go a bit further to the shops and get a coffee.

I've been on opioids for a while now but agree with you that it's not a good thing. In the past, the Hospital have been quite generous with the drugs due to the amount of pain I've been in however, after this operation, I really don't want to have to rely on them for any longer than need be (I'm going to try and be brave!). As you said, there are side effects etc.

Someone also mentioned peppermint tea. They said that during the operation, you're pumped full of air and it's quite painful afterwards.