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

I'd add wax ear plugs and an eye mask. These gave me a fab night's sleep the second night. I took my netbook.

Mint cordial/peppermint capsules/pepperminnt tea for the wind.

Lipsalve

A soft pillow from home and a little pillow to told against your stitches when you need to support them (to cough/sneeze/get up and walk about)

I had a spinal and complete sedation - so like a GA without the after effects. It was fab - I was right as rain straight after - wide awake with no brain fog or nausea. The spinal kept me pain free for a long time afterward so no need for painkillers stronger than paracetamol and ibuprofen.

But...

I was discharged 26 hours after the op and I don't think the spinal was out of my system as I was in the GP's surgery getting stronger painkillers the following day.

Welcome letsfled. It sounds like you've been through the mill. We all know what it is like to be waiting and counting down. You'll be fine. Soon th pain and the op will be a bad memory. Honestly. I'd just add a small clock to that list as I couldn't see a main one and its easier than a watch. Oh and I've lived in my two maxi dresses. Far more comfortable than anything else, especially in the early days.

chrem the doctor sounds incredibly unhelpful. Did he say how long it will take to kick in?

Well 5 weeks now and my thoughts are returning to thinking about driving. Last week that sounded an impossibility, so fingers crossed by next week, I may be back in the real world. My DH is moaning as I am lunching all the time. I have to get out of the house as I'd go stir crazy and where else can my friends take me, which doesn't involve much walking?

Thanks for the tips for my bag.

Next question: when will I be up and functioning round the house. I'm a fidget at the best of times never lying in or sitting down. DH will be demented with me.

2nd question: consultant/gp/boss/colleagues (nurses) all certain I will be off 14-16 wks which seems an eternity. Is that really the time frame to be back to normal, pain free and not exhausted? I'm on full pay so not a problem there but more from the point that I cannot imagine being off work that long

I don't think you will need anything like that for a normal hysterectomy, but yours sounds a bit more complicated. Perhaps they are basing it on that.
If you worked an office job you could go back a lot earlier, but nursing is quite physical. I'd assume the full time off, but you will be out and about a lot sooner. You can wait and see how you feel and go back sooner if you feel ok. Alternatively, just enjoy the break.
How long would you be told to stay off for a c-section?

Mine was a radical hysterectomy, including lymph nodes. It was the discomfort of the lymph nodes in my groin, that has hindered how I've felt but I think I will be driving in a week or two. I've been feeling fine, after the first few days and been off painkillers from about 2 weeks post op. just can't do as much walking as I would like, and need to take it a bit easier.

You won't be feeling really unwell for very long. Just pre record loads of tv programmes, get books in and prepare to get addicted to mumsnet even more than you already are.

Fled I am on day 19 and able to do a little light cooking( dd lifting pans of water and plates etc) can chop and stir fry. I find any longer than 20 minutes and I need a sit down . Am taking a short walk every day and have been to m&s for a few bits with sister. Bearing in mind that I'm still in strong sleep inducing antibiotics.

The first week I was very dozy and not able to do anything much except lying / sitting in different positions.
You will need all family members to jump to it. Week 2 less so but still you'll need help as you cannot even lift a kettle . Found a short walk soothing and helpful during this time to shift gas and get the blood flowing a bit. Have you managed to put a few shepherds pies/ lasagnes in the freezer? Very useful if you can.

Agree with the lip balm eye mask and ear plugs.

Have found the Hystersisters app which is full if useful stuff.

Re HRT , first patch on today. No idea how long it will take

I had my hysterectomy on 31 August and went back to work on 8 November, I work in as a Classroom Assistant in a Special School.

You probably won't be feeling like doing anything for a while, remember you are having a major operation you won't feel like you do now .

I thought I'd done well today to toddle to the post box and back 1 week post op - but Dsis phones and sounds all shocked when I tell her of my achievement - 'Are you bed-bound?' She does have an unfortunate manner but I think she expects me to be hopping about and back to work within a fortnight

Lftmad your sister and my mother would get in like a house on fire

I stayed in bed for a week

I would have liked to, but I was paranoid about getting a DVT. It's ironic, when I've had the perfect excuse to lie in bed, I haven't had any lie ins at all.

I've mostly been in bed or lying on the sofa. I do have walks around the house when I take my ever-so-sexy-and comfortable-surgical stockings off to shower. I have to wear them 24/7 for 4 weeks and every night for a further 2 weeks.

After that I'm going to burn them to signalthe start of my tampon and towel giveaway party.

Surgical stockings weren't given to me but I was hooked up to inflatable turbo leg massagers in hospital and given the jabs.

Liking the sound of your party Lftmad !
I slept for 10 hours last night which is a miracle considering my bladder weakness. But just shows I can hold it in if I need to. Pelvic floor exercises must be doing something Now I just have to persuade my awake self that I don't need to go to the loo every 15 minutes

Ooo inflatable legs. I wouldn't have been able to keep my kids away from them!

Glad to hear about your sleep and improved pee-holding capacity. One welcome side effect of my op is that I don't need to use panty liners as mini tena ladies. An unexpected bonus!

I wanted to take the inflatable leg massagers home, I loved them. I didn't need surgical stickings and I have had a DVT I had my jab the day before my op but that was it.
I still pee like a horse

I hadn't even thought about surgical stockings

Got my pre-op assessment today so it's becoming v real

I hope you get lots of reassuring answers today Fled. I know what you mean about it becoming 'real'. I was convinced something would happen to prevent my op right up to the point they put the sedation on.

I'm fed up again today. In the hospital they told me more than once that the District Nurse would call round to take my stitches out and that they would arrange for that to happen. We still have District Nurses? Who knew? I thought they died out when Nurse Gladys Emmanuel hung up her thermometer.

So i'm waiting and wondering when the District Nurse would be making an appearance as I'm nearly down to my last dressing. Rootling in the dressing bag I find a letter. It's addressed to the Practice Nurse. I open it and my clips should have been taken out on 15th. I clearly need to add feckin mind reader to my list of post op things to do!

Omg Lftmad !
What can you do about it? Can they do it at the gp practice?

Fled - hope the pre-op goes well.

I'm going to the gp for the practice nurse to take them out tomorrow. But dear lord it makes me wonder about staffing numbers. I had a jab that was intended for a woman on the ward with the same surname as me but different spelling, I had to ask 3 times for the paper knickers they offered me to wear under my op gown, I had to wait 25 minutes in a corridor outside the anaesthetic room before the op, they discharged me too fast to get my pain meds properly sorted and didn't include the second set of surgical stockings they told me I needed in my discharge pack so DH had a 75 minute round trip to pick them up

And I'm sure this wasn't incompetence on their part so much as that they were absolutely rushed off their feet.

I wonder whether any of them think fuck it - I'll work in a privte hospital where I can actually have the time to care for patients properly.

Rant over.

Sorry Fled How was your pre op?

I so hear you as referred to up thread. There is no actual care in hospital , just an endless list if processes to which you are subject.
There's also that feeling if being the last to know anything. Dsis ( a midwife) looked at my notes and saw they had me down as type 2 diabetic instead of type 1 which is a completely different condition. If I'd had the energy I'd have given off stink- but then if you play up you just get patronised or ignored as they simply have no time to deal with anything that's not on their pro-forma.

Let'sface- That's not good about the nurse.

Pre-op went ok this morning. Was actually physically sick last night I was so nervous. Thankfully I'm first on the list on the 7th due to my latex allergy. Nurse was lovely saying us nurses make the worst patients and yes I would be off for 3-4 months! Measured for the dreaded stockings too

Nothing more I can do til the 7th now

I don't know anything much about diabetes but I'm guessing that would have been dangerous if your Dsis hadn't spotted it.

YY to not having the wherewithall to complain at the time. Having only been in hospital to have 3 straightforward deliveries, I had no idea how crap it could be. There was no advice about recovery. Nothing about how important pelvic floor exercises are because there's an increased risk of prolapse - or about pelvic floors at all. I'm gobsmacked now I've had time to think about it.

And the night nurse with a voice like a foghorn who didn't trouble to keep it below the jet taking off level when she was doing everyone's night time obs, FFS why wasn't she told to STFU? I did wonder who the hell was in charge - probably her!

In fact, I'm really efffin angry about it but at the time, you're so grateful to get it over with and just want to get out. It's bloody shoddy though.

Oops sorry Fled I forgot that you work for the NHS

I'm glad your pre op went well. Do you know exactly what you're having done and are you happy with the info you got?

Letsface - don't worry. It's not a perfect service by any means. I try to remember all my patients are someone's parents of children which gets me through dealing with the downright rude obnoxious ones but overall I love my job.

Yes the appt was good today. Was in there nearly 90mins going through it all. Will be in hospital 4-5 days depending on how it goes but she's anticipating the surgery taking a few hours whilst they rummage around taking out endo/adhesions and looking at my ovary as well as the hysterectomy itself. DH told not to bother coming up at afternoon visiting as I won't be in the ward by then.

The nurse was excellent giving me loads of info without panicking me more and we discussed the finality of no more kids (not really anything new as I was told I had secondary infertility 3yrs ago). Got ranitidine for night before and the morning of the op.