Is there a hysterectomy support thread?

[ALemonyPea]

I had a laparoscopic vaginal hysterectomy, retained ovaries but everything else removed.

Day 6 for me, and I have some questions and would like some support as freacking out about the thought of vault prolapse.

I am managing pain wise now. Some slight pulling on one side, but manageable. Belly button keeps bleeding, but not enough to run out, so just cleaning it twice a day.

I feel quite heavy down there, is that normal?

I thought I had read everything there was about hysterectomies before I had the op, but the surgeon mentioned vaginal vault prolapse just before the surgery and explained it briefly. I then googled, and the first page brought up an awful image and I can't get it out my mind. I'm terrified that it'll happen to me.

Can anyone offer any help and support.

thanks everyone for the hand holding. Top tip. If you are in lots of pain tell them. They were so busy in the early hours with throwing up people that I didnt tell them and got told off (in a kind way) when they discovered how much pain I was in.
I've not been able to move and feel like a massive wuss.

I hope your appointment goes well today Bg. Thinking of you.

Toto and Robots hope you ate feeling as well as can be expected.
Toto I am amazed that you are up and about, I thought that you would have a night in hospital!
Robots make sure that you take all the painkillers offered. I hope that you are moving soon. Is it the pain that is stopping you moving?
BG2015, is your appointment today?

Morning robots hope the meds are working now. I had a click demand morphine drip and used it liberally, and am pretty sure I didn't move a muscle for 24 hours. I was pretty much out of it and wondered why I hadn't needed a wee, to realise that of course I had been catheterised. What a chump. Hoping you have a much more comfortable day now.

Toto, hope you are doing OK.
On a mix of brufen paracetamol, tramadol and oramorph. Clearly made of weedy stuff.
Fainted when was sat up right, so that wasn't great. Rather confined here.

Oh Robots, sounds tough. I'm thinking of you and hope things improve soon.

I had an abdominal hysterectomy with only 1 ovary left in place at 36 (I am 63 now). I went private as I had health insurance through my work. I had a very large fibroid in my womb - the size of a football.

My consultant said that he was of the view that most doctors tell women to take it too easy and that means a longer recovery time. I had my op Thursday lunchtime, Friday morning he said I should try having a shower (which I managed ok) and take short walks up and down the hospital corridor. I needed no pain relief whatsoever (I do have a very high pain threshold) and did not have a catheter.

Saturday morning I was discharged and the consultant said although not to do any heavy lifting I should certainly not be just laying or sitting doing nothing. He advised going for a walk, no matter how short every day.

I took his advice and went for a walk every day. Two weeks after the op me and OH went camping at the British Grand Prix. I went back to work after 4 weeks. I did work in an office so sitting most of the day but had an hour and half commute each way.

I think going into hospital with a very positive outlook helped me a lot plus the fact I was relatively young and pretty healthy. I was childfree but never wanted children so not having to worry about accidental pregnancy was a big relief

I have never had any problems and so pleased to be rid of the pain and such heavy periods.

Omg I got my date! End of October!

Beloved that's great!!! Time will fly and soon it'll all be done!!

Mybeloved, how do you feel about that date?

BG how did your appt go?

User, that's nice for you.

I feel....scared but glad. Scared because know it's major surgery, but glad because I will finally be free of daily pain that inhibits my life and has cost me 2 jobs.

I was offered an earlier date but am away so asked if I could have October. Lots of time to prepare.

Going to stay with my parents for the 1st two weeks i think as wont be tempted to overdo it, then will go home.

Robots I hope you are feeling a bit better by the time you read this. I was on exactly the same mix of painkillers as you for the first 48 hours - Gig is spot on that you need to shout up if you're in pain. For some reason I found suppositories slightly more effective than oral painkillers, but lying on my side with knees bent for them to be administered was agony so it was swings and roundabouts in that respect.

Beloved Great news that you've got your date. The time will go quickly now you've a definite schedule to plan for. Staying with your parents is a good plan - when you're at home it's easy to be tempted to try to do more than you should just out of habit.

BG Hope you got somewhere with your consultant's appointment today - any news from PALS yet?

Toto Hope you are taking it nice and easy at home!

robots, you're not weedy at all! Take all the drugs - and time - that you need

Ahh, thank you arch. I know it will go quickly. I seem to have waited a lifetime and now it is happening so fast!

I saw my consultant. He was amazed that I'd been told I wasn't on the waiting list, he showed me a letter that stated his colleague (who I saw in February) had recommended a hysterectomy and had put me on the waiting list! I could've cried. Stupid jobsworth secretary.

I pushed and pushed for a date but he couldn't say when just said that the waiting times had come down considerably. He wrote all over my notes that I'd been waiting ten weeks, that my appointment with him today was to discuss the operation and was NOT the start of the pathway. He also wrote that I would take a cancellation.

He examined me again and said my uterus is very bulky and he thinks there's more fibroids than last years scan showed. He said I might have to have an abdominal surgery as opposed to a laporoscpy. He won't know until he starts looking. Then we had the ovary discussion. He says out, I say in. But still up for consideration.

Praying I get it done in the next 8 weeks. Thanks everyone for asking about me.

BG that's disgraceful! So do you think that now the consultant has it on hand it will move forward?

I had to wait over 10 years to be taken seriously. I don't know why we women are made to suffer so unnecessarily. I'm so sorry you are going through this.

Robots I hope you're feeling a bit better today! Did you have a ful hysterectomy? I get so confused with whose had what type.

We need a spreadsheet with whose kept ovaries, waiting time, painkillers used etc it would make things so much easier.

My OH has just said..."are you on mumsnet again?" And I said " yes I'm talking to my hysterectomy friends "

BG2015, that is fantastic news. How do you feel?
Robots you are not weedy at all, everyone is different and all recoveries will be different.
I was a mess at work today, I am sure I have made loads of mistakes, but my colleagues were lovely. I dread to think what I will be like tomorrow, I don't really want to go in but I need to.
I just want the wait to be over now.
I need to be at the hospital for 7am on Saturday.

Loving the spreadsheet idea

He said that the appointment people/managers are very ruthless and often forget that there are people with real life problems behind their NHS number.

He was very sympathetic. I like him. I just hope his doctors scrawl makes a difference.

Just let me go and see Harry Potter on the 28th May then I'll be happy!

I'm sure it will make a difference BG. And that you'll get to see Harry Potter!

hyster, are you having your op tomorrow? What type? Good luck

My operation is on Saturday and I am having a total Hysterectomy including overies out.
I am sure that your consultant will be able to make a difference BG2015.

BG At last! I'm sure your consultant's intervention will move things forward (but hopefully not to 28th May).

Great idea for spreadsheet! In the meantime, mine was abdominal and I lost both ovaries - it's nearly 5 months since my operation now, but the time has flown since I went back to work (I was off for 7 weeks then on phased return for a month).

Hyster Hope you are OK at work tomorrow - at least it will take your mind off the wait.

Mine is going to be a total abdominal with or without ovary removal depending on the extent of the endometriosis.

arch, how do you feel 5 months on? Do you mind me asking, has sex changed much? I think that is one of my big fears.

I feel pretty good five months on. No residual pain at all - I very occasionally get a 'shock' sensation around my wound which I think must be my nerves reconnecting, but that's about it. My stomach muscles aren't yet back to what they were but I haven't really been exercising them much I can lift and stretch and do everything as normal.

There's been a definite improvement in sex (so far), strange though it may sound. Before, I was often in too much pain, or having endless periods, even to think about it. When I did have sex, it wasn't very 'intense' - presumably because I was clogged up with fibroids and endo. Now, I don't have any restrictions on when, and the sensation is much better. It's not as good as the halcyon days of my 20s and early 30s before everything started to go wrong, but it's miles better than before the op. I even still have vaginal contractions, which I expected to lose when my uterus went. It's nice not to have to think about contraception, too.

Arch how do you feel in yourself? Have you started the menopause at all? Are you on HRT.

This is my biggest worry if I have my ovaries removed, turning into a raging monster. I have quite a few hot flushes now and feel my self very irritable with things. I'm 48 so it's definitely the menopause beginning