Hysterectomies - it's gotta be done but over here for hand holding

[Oddsocksrus]

LetsFaceTheMusicAndDance
I guess I start..
My cervix is on the outside, it can't all hang where it should and no manner of pelvic floor exercises or devises will get it back there.
I'm 41, one fab dd and wanted more but there you are, can't now can I?

This thread, hopefully, will be for those waiting, recovering or supporting

[FeetUpUntilChristmas]

Oh yes drain coming out was excruciating. I didn't bother with bottled water or a pillow but I was in a private hospital in a private room so different to an NHS ward. Food was OK too.
I chose to wear a baggy t shirt style nightdress as I find them more comfortable.
Think about what you are going to wear on the way home, I had my op back in the summer so I wore a nice roomy maxi dress, you will be swollen and won't want anything to touch your 'tummy' area, mine is still numb now, weeks (months) later.

[cocolepew]

I had a total hysterectomy a year ago. I didn't shave, mine was done keyhole but I did trim .

Had it on Wednesday evening and got out Friday afternoon. After the op I was on a drip, oxygen, noisy expanding leg pressure things. I had oxygen through a mask but they changed it to the nose tubes through the night. A drain and a catheder were also in place. Everything was taken out/off the next day.

Had awful wind pains and took to my bed for a week . Had a small tear in my bowel and leaked shit out of my vagina. Anti biotics sorted that.

Do rest as much as you can, don't feel guilty about sitting on your arse.

[Crutchlow35]

I went in for 8 am on my op day. I showered and washed my hair that morning and also went to the salon for a bikini wax a few days before.

Had blood taken, stockings on, blood pressure etc all taken. Told to unpack any shown my bed.

I was second on list and they came for me and wheeled me down at 10.00. All quite relaxed.

Back on the ward at 1.30. I remember nothing about being woken in recovery. Only having obs taken back on ward. I slept most of that day. Had catheter in.

No dinner offered or wanted that evening. Just some sips of water. I wasn't allowed visitors that night either.

Day 2. Up and out of bed at 8 after being given a bed bath. Breakfast which promptly made me vomit due to the amount of drugs in my system on an empty stomach. More toast and a coffee and began to feel human. Back into bed and stayed there.

Pm on day 2 they took my catheter out which yippee meant I could have a shower and get clean pjs on.

Couldn't wash my hair as couldn't lift my arms high enough. Also struggled to wipe after a wee.

Obs continue to be taken frequently. Pain mess given every 4 hours.

Day 3 was general recovery. Made to walk a lot and made to eat meals in the day room. It wasn't served in the ward.

Day 4 after rounds was released at about 4 pm.

Day 5. Family all left and I slept most of the morning. Managed to get up and started to watch the first of downtown abbey!

Day 7 community health came and removed my staples.

Day 8 back in hospital due to infection - day case only.

[shewhowines]

Did anybody else have to follow a strict 3 day no fibre diet, prior to op? I also had to drink 4 cartons of pre op drink the evening before and 2 the morning of surgery before 7.30. Showered the morning of surgery. Removed nail varnish.

They trimmed the pubic hair during the op - not shaved. Got back from theatre at 6pm. Have vague memories of husband visiting that evening. Was monitored every half hour through the night including blood pressure. Had drain, morphine drip, saline drip and oxygen through the nose. Got no sleep whatsoever through the actual night.

Next day was exhausted due to lack of sleep the night before and none the night before at home due to worry. Couldn't get comfortable. I was made to get out of bed briefly but didn't fancy any breakfast. Was sick once, either due to morphine or GA. Went faint just before. Was given anti sickness drugs. Was given diplophenic (sp?) suppositories which was ace for the pain. Managed to eat lunch and dinner. Asked for and was given a sleeping pill (had been using them previously due to cancer diagnosis)

Day 3 was great. I was out of bed and walking the length of the ward a few times.

Day 4 I was a bit tireder than the day before. Went home in the afternoon. Rested but walked around the house as much as I could.

Day 9 shuffled around garden centre for 20mins

Day 10 had catheter removed - may have been in longer than normal due to lymph nodes being removed as well as hysterectomy.

Day 11 constipation and wind kicked in

Then just got better and better till now 3 weeks later I can do most things. Overdid it in tescos and phone shop on Sat for 2 hours though.
I haven't really been particularly tired although I have been resting a lot obviously and definitely not lifting anything heavy.

[shewhowines]

And blood thinning injections for 28 days and stockings for 6 weeks.

[Crutchlow35]

You remember much more than me!

Yes to

Blood thining injections
Morphine drip. Mine wasn't in properly and staff couldn't understand why I was in so much pain. I ended up being giving oromorph and an hour later I felt grand.
Oxygen in nose and saline drips
30 minute overnight monitoring. It OP was exhausted the next day.

No to the 3 day fibre thing though. Just fasted from 10 the night before. I didn't have a drain either.

[Meglet]

Bookmarking. I had one 4yrs ago for constant dodgy smear test results, after a couple of LLETZ it was easier to whip the whole lot out. If I can remember anything useful I'll pop back.

All I will say is recovering from a hysterectomy is a lot more pleasant than an emergency c-section.

[shewhowines]

It was only 3 weeks ago today so it's still very fresh in the memory. I'm still recovering obviously.

[LetsFaceTheMusicAndDance]

Good idea about the small water bottles.
Got the humungous pants and big nightshirts with roll up sleeves.
Got the ear plugs and eye mask.

Centre did your bloody bastard fibroids grow back - the feckers?
I'm getting very roomy, up to the waist, jogging bottoms to wear home.

There is no danger of me feeling guilty about sitting on my arse for 6 weeks Carole and wtf with the shitty vag?

Horrible thought about not being able to wash my hair. My head itches like a nit farm if I don't wash it every other day.

I think that's a rapid recovery thing with those drinks shewhowines. Are you waiting for results or have you already got the all clear?

Blood thinning jabs - noooooo.

[shewhowines]

I heard last week that I don't need chemo . So recovering from my emotional battering too.

I was allowed to shower as soon as I left hospital. I didn't have a problem washing my hair.

My vertical scar was glued and steri stripped. It's quite neat and fine.

I couldn't face doing my own injections. DH has to do them. Only 7 more to go. Yay. Some hurt more than others. Pinch the skin hard to minimise the pain. My mum took worryingly, great pleasure in doing them, the two nights DH was away

[cocolepew]

I had a blood thinning injection the day before and a suppository to poop. I only had a paracetamol drip .

Oh yes the shitty vag was a delight. I had gone for a wander up the street with DH, my first time out. I thought I had stood in dogs poo until it dawned on me it was me . It was utterly disgusting. But cleared up very quickly , the anti b's closed the hole in my bowel over.

[LetsFaceTheMusicAndDance]

That's excellent news about the chemo

I'm doing the mental equivalent of sticking my fingers in my ears and shouting La!La!La! about the jabs. I'll cross that bridge if/when I come to it.

If you don't mind me being nosey, how did you know there was something wrong? Or did they pick up the cancer via routine screening?

[shewhowines]

Walking around help dislodge the wind.

[LetsFaceTheMusicAndDance]

I can only hope you managed to get your nice new phone out first.

So sorry - I just can't let it lie

[LetsFaceTheMusicAndDance]

I can't work out that wind thing.

You get wind inside your intestine. So how does opening the abdomen make you windy? Unless the wind filters in to the intestine?

[shewhowines]

It was a smear test. Most cervical cancers are at the bottom of the cervix. Mine was up it, so presumably the pre cancerous cells weren't picked up 3 years ago. I know I was very lucky to have this smear test when I did.

Please, please encourage everybody you know to have their smear tests. It's amazing how many people have said to me that theirs are well overdue. There's been a big rush at my local doctors recently

[YouStayClassySanDiego]

Isn't the wind a result of the abdomen being inflated in order for the surgeon to get a good look inside to see the organs ?

I had pain in my shoulders and across my diaphragm as a result , sorted it with peppermint capsules.

[LetsFaceTheMusicAndDance]

Ooo that's nasty-sounding she. I certainly will preach the good word about testing.

[shewhowines]

Good luck to both you and oddsocks. You'll both be fine.

[cocolepew]

Yes the phone made it out safely

And yes the wind is from it being pumped into your abdomen to expand it.

[shewhowines]

And the lactulose gives you bad wind.

[GlitterKitty]

The morphine may make you sick. I had it before so told the docs and I was given anti sickness stuff which was great. Morphine makes you constipated, don't go overboard with the fun clicky thing - and keep sipping water. Dnot shave before, let them do it. It's an infection risk. Try and get up and moving asap, it helps with wind. 2 week's post op here, it was all less scary than I had expected.

[LetsFaceTheMusicAndDance]

Thanks she

I'm going to try to avoid the morphine and ask for something else because it makes me feel as if I'm going to stop breathing. Maybe they can keep my epidural going?

GlitterKitty glad you're on the mend.

And now the inevitable question for post op women....

How are your orgasms these days?

[GlitterKitty]

I had that with the morphine- they do give you oxygen nose tubes to wear at the same time that help.

I think the morphine was most useful for allowing me to sleep that first post-op night when I was woken every 2 hours for blood pressure checks- I wasn't in pain so much as really uncomfortable. It was great to press the button, put my nose tubes in and drift off...

[oldgrandmama]

In my late fifties, after my periods had ceased, I suddenly started spotting. Two exploratory procedures under general anaesthetic and it was then announce I not a pre-cancerous condition of the uterus, but a pre-pre-cancerous conditon. I could wait and see, but would mean regularly going through the exploratory op. (and my medical insurance wouldn't have been happy) or a hysterectomy. So I went for that. Gynaecologist also said she'd remove my ovaries too - I demured, but she said better safe than sorry.

Op went fine - catheter in place for 36 hours. Beautiful neat wound just above pubic hair (I was told gynaecologist 'famous for her exquisite stitching') and good pain relief (it was a private hospital - those were the days when I could afford medical insurance! ) but I'm sure most hospitals are generous with pain relief - they should be.

But oh - the bloody WIND! Yes, I'd been warned, but assumed it was old wive's tales etc. It isn't. One's insides don't like being interferred with during any sort of south of the border surgery, and protest by sort of shutting down and trapping wind. I got to the stage when I couldn't have cared less if I'd farted hightily in front of George Clooney, HM The Queen and the Pope, all at the same time. And along with the wind came ... yes, constipation. The nurses were lovely - they started with some syrupy laxatative stuff that had no more effect than waving a magic wand over my guts, then started on suppositories. These had no effect and after a rather clumsy night nurse inserted one of the (large) things sideways and hurt my bottom, the nurses went on to mini-enemas. Plus advice to walk as much as I could, go up and down stairs (all the time holding a pillow to my wounded tum). By the fifth day - RESULT! Could have powered a hot air balloon with the expelledwind - and all those prunes came good!

So - my suggestions for anyone going in for a hysterectomy: As I've learned since, drinking loads of water helps alleviate wind and constiptation. Also peppermint tea and even strong peppermint sweets. It will hurt to cough, sneeze, even laugh heartily, for a while after surgery, but a cushion, pillow, or anything softish held against abdomen will stop most of the pain, especially if you crouch down a bit too, at the same time.

Don't be alarmed at the idea of a catheter - it makes things more comfortable after surgery and usually, it's inserted during surgery, so you don't know anything about it. Its removal, in my case, didn't hurt at all. Nor did the taking out of the stitches. I couldn't look, and didn't realise the nurse had actually done it when she had!

Hope this helps. Please PM me if you have any queries.