Hysterectomy next month. 3 questions.

[tobee]

Hello. Just had my pre op for my abdominal subtotal hysterectomy. The nurse who saw me thought that the surgeon should be able to do a bikini line incision.

I know I need to pack baggy clothes but what does this mean? What should I avoid in terms of fitted ness, material etc for hospital stay, leaving and days after?

Would I be stupid to take an iPad to an nhs hospital? It says on my info sheet not to bring valuables, which is the sort of thing I normally stick to, only to find everyone else has all the comforts and luxuries they want.

Anymore recommendations of wind relief and constipation???

Meant to say, thanks in advance.

Hi
I had a total hysterectomy with a vertical incision last year,so bit different. I bought nighties to hospital because pyjamas would rub and wore loose dressess or yoga pants when i got home. I took my tablet to hospital, had my own ensuite room (nhs) and never left it. Re constipation I ate every fruit and veg off hospital menu and took lactulose they prescribed, managed ok and wasn't constipated but going to loo was uncomfortable for a couple of weeks, being spaced out on painkillers helped though.

I don't know about hysterectomies but I do know about constipation!

Take some big cartons of coconut water in with you :) really helps to hydrate you and move things through.

Good luck with your op!

Thanks for the replies!

Oohhh! I love coconut, so that's good.

I had a TAH last summer. Vertical incision. Was in hospital for 3 nights - let out early for good behaviour. Stayed in hospital gown till I was allowed up to take a shower - 2nd day - then just baggy pjs. My incision was covered with something like duct tape and was never sore. I left in the same clothes I came in with. Skirt with elasticated waist. I packed tena lady pads for stress incontinence - which has miraculously disappeared! - but came in handy for the post-op discharge. This varies a lot, but in my case lasted for 6 weeks, just needed a pantie liner.

I did take my Kindle. But tbh I didn't feel the need for entertainment. Slept most of 1st day, on and off. Plenty going on in the ward. It does take some time for the anaesthetic to leave your system.

I took the lactulose they sent me out with, but glycerine suppositories saved the day. Felt I had to re-train my insides like a recalcitrant toddler. Made an effort at a regular time each day. Bladder was also a bit weird till it got used to extra space. Had to wriggle around to empty fully. But all fine now.

Peppermint tea is meant to be good for wind. I just kept taking the painkillers - 500 m ibuprofen and paracetamol -as directed by the hospital. Take them regularly, as you would for anti-b's.

My best advice would be to read the aftercare sheet the hospital gives you and believe them when they say REST. They MEAN it.

Good luck!

I had a sub total hysterectomy in 2012 with a horizontal incision just above my cesarean scar. I wore leggings and long t to go in and the same to leave. I bought some big pants for coming home expecting to have pads for bleeding but didn't have any bleeding at all. The big pants were great as they didn't cut into the scar are. I had terrible bloating and wind I looked pregnant for a while, as soon as I was concious enough I took windeeze and drank peppermint tea.

I too, a book and my I pad the bedside cabinet had a locking drawer I took the key to surgery with me and gave it to the nurse with my specs.

I agree totally with thyme you must rest rest and rest some more.

I had a bikini line hysterectomy 7 weeks ago. Just to reassure you, I came round from the op and had no pain. They gave me a self administering morphine drip which I used throughout the first 12-18 hours by pressing for a shot of morphine about once an hour to knock me out in short bursts of sleep as the nurses are checking you so frequently at first that it is difficult to sleep at all. I found this worked well for me.

I wore cotton nighties for my 4 day stay in hospital and wore a pair of very soft joggies for coming home. I bought 2 pairs of hysterectomy knickers from the Hysterectomy Association web site which are huge Bridget Jones affairs but they are very soft and give support to the wound area.
I was bothered with wind but not until the 2nd day. I was prepared for this, I took in a bottle of peppermint oil tablets from Holland and Barrett and drank loads of peppermint tea. I also ate as much fruit and veg as possible from the menu in hospital.
They had me up and in the shower within 48 hours and it is advisable to get mobile as quickly as possible as that also helps with wind and constipation.
Once I got home I stuck to my nighties for a good few days (it is a reminder to everyone that you are ill too) and took a lot of rest. The tiredness can feel terminal! I can't stress enough about doing as little as possible for as long as possible and resting frequently.

I can't comment on the jiPad as I was in a private hospital. I did take mine with me but found I had little concentration so stuck to watching rubbish telly and reading magazines as my attention span was terrible.

Lastly, remember to have a rolled up towel or a soft pillow for the car journey home to press against your tummy. This will soften the impact as you have a horrible dragging feeling in your tummy when you are being jiggled about in the car. It didn't become pleasant to be in the car until about 2 1/2 weeks after my op.

I had a hysterectomy last year. If you can have a regional anaesthetic, then go for that. Recovery is way quicker and they give you a happy drug during op so you don't know what's happening even though awake. Saves all the bloating and constipation I found as body not suffering from the general - which is a lot of the symptoms after.

Clothes - just had tracksuit bottoms on at day 2 once had shower. I took books and a small mp3 radio - which I found lifesaver to entertain and just feel in touch with outside world for three days that was in. Also, when tired too read or do anything, then music was easy to keep brain occupied enough without anything than lying there. Also helped fall asleep in noisy ward. Depends on what you are like, but for me I needed something to keep me occupied with valuables, it's tricky as most of the time you'll be in the bed so will be with you, but during op, your stuff may be just left in an office or somewhere, so maybe first visitor can bring it to you?

I didn't get to a ward till after my op. I was admitted to 'the surgical lounge' and handed over my bag to the nurse who was there when I was seeing the anaesthetist. He inserted an epidural for post-op pain relief - and that's all I remember till I woke up on the ward. My bag was by my bed.

No lockable anything. But I didn't bother to unpack my bag. By the time I was strong enough, it didn't seem worth it.

Interesting about the bleeding, or lack of it. I only bled for a few days, but I'd had a lot of fluid in my abdomen pre-op (my problem was ovarian) and I think it took some time for all of it to escape. There was a disposable layer on my bed while I was still in a gown. But this was probably a bigger operation - removal of v large cyst and biopsies of lymph nodes.

Agree about the pillow for the journey home, Mother! Every time we went over a speed bump, it really hurt. Also useful for coughing or laughing.

Wow, thanks for the replies. It almost makes me tearful that everyone is so lovely (as is often the case on mumsnet).

Also thanks for the laughs.

I would like to take my iPad not because I will be keeping up on world affairs or getting my dose of the mumsnet intelligentsia but because I like to doze off to relaxing books from audible. It's like going to bed with a story being read by your mummy.

I am, fortunately, very , very talented at resting and have a PhD in it, so no worries there.