Radical Hysterectomy

[Tinkhasflown]

I'm having a radical hysterectomy with the next 4 weeks as a result of suspected ovarian cancer.

Can anyone advise me what the recovery will be like? Also any tips on what to wear post surgery in hospital? I always wear pjs but due to the large vertical scar will I have to opt for a nightdress instead (I hate wearing those)? What about underwear?

Thanks so much, all advice appreciated as I'm currently in a headspin.

i wore those shirt beach coverups in hospital, then maternity pjs , as for knickers , make sure their high waisted . I got some primark seamless in a size up . My scar is horizontal though . Every good luck 🤞

I don't know what a radical hysterectomy is, and mine was keyhole but I needed a nightdress due to the catheter anyway. I just bought a couple from a supermarket in a much bigger size than I needed, they pump you full of air so the swelling is quite astounding. Buy peppermint tea while in said supermarket, it helps with the trapped air afterwards. I was in nightdresses for probably 5 days/ a week until the swelling reduced enough for me to get waistbands on more comfortably. I found bending hard so nightdresses arre also easier to get on and off.

Hello
My mum had similar surgery recently- for context, she’s in her late 70s, but generally very fit
She was in hospital for a 10 days, but this was partly due to a post op complication with her heart rhythm (drug related, nothing to do with the surgery)
Her pain was well controlled, post op, by an epidural and they had her up and mobilising the day after surgery and by time she was on a regular ward (she spent a few days in ITU due to the aforementioned heart issue), she was able and encouraged to walk up and down the corridor
post discharge, she was immediately able to care for herself, apart from putting on surgical stockings! I am doing most of the house stuff for her, certainly anything that involves lifting and stretching!
She needs daily injections to prevent clots and I’m doing those for her, but she could self-administer
Post op, she wore a gown when still in ITU, but when on the ward, was able to wear Pjs
Mum had a urinary catheter in for a couple of days, so you may want to pack a nightdress (supermarkets sell them cheaply) while that’s in place
Get some granny pants in the next size up
Peppermint capsules for the trapped wind!
Mum is now 3.5 weeks post op and doing amazingly, slowly building up her walking each day and going out for coffee with friends!
she said it was nowhere near as bad as she feared it would be, I wish you all the best with your op 🌸

You may just be in a hospital gown, depending how long you are in.
Immediately post-op they may give you paper knickers. It depends how long you will be in.

I had a prolapse op many years ago and had a catheter for days. At first, (in my experience) the tube was going to a bag on the side of the bed (in a stand) but once they see you are passing urine, they leave a shorter tube and it pops in your knickers. This may be very different for you because I couldn't wee for over a week and was actually allowed home with the catheter in.

All the best with it.

Have you got a plan for your post-op care? Have they discussed HRT? If your results are benign, this may be an option as the surgery is effectively surgical menopause and many women begin HRT straight away.

Recovery will be slow - I was back at work on reduced hours after two weeks (desk job), but it was months before I could hoover or mop. I was also extremely tired for quite a long time afterwards.
Pyjamas should be fine as long as the waistband sits above the scar - do you know if the incision will be horizontal or vertical? With regards to underwear, the bigger the better!
For the car journey home, a pillow between the seat belt and your tummy helps massively. Wishing you lots of luck

I had this surgery for the same reason and have the vertical scar. I sized up on pj's to avoid pressure from the elastic and wore high waisted leggings and loose tunics. Recovery was 6 weeks and then I went back to work (I'm a nurse) but remained on light duties for another couple of weeks.

I had a radical hysterectomy last autumn vis keyhole surgery. I wore hospital gowns in hospital and was only in one night and then came home. I wore a shirt dress home and then mostly dresses for the next couple of weeks. I think I wore big knickers for a few days so I could wear pads (very minimal bleeding) and then back to normal knickers. I don't own nighties so wore my usual vest and shorts in bed when I was home. They have a loose waistband though.
PP made a good point about having a cushion between your tummy and the seat belt for the drive home, I didn't and ended up holding it away from my body as it was painful to have it pressing on me.

Once home, dr said to rest completely, not even allowed to lift the kettle or empty the dishwasher. Thankfully my DH was around to do everything. After 2-3 weeks I felt normal and was able to drive again and go back to work (office job). Felt back to normal after 6 weeks.

One friend was back to work after a week. Another friend tried to do too much and her stitches burst open so recovery was delayed more (make sure you rest!)
A third friend found recovery hard so took a bit longer to get back to normal but all fine since.

I cannot stress enough about making sure you rest afterwards!!!! It will make a difference in the recovery. Good luck with the operation.

Ps, no periods & no smear tests ever again is brilliant!

I had this surgery in June for the same reason. I was 36 so a good age for recovery.

I had a vertical incision from c-section scar to belly button. It took a while to get my pain under control in recovery but that’s the only time I recall feeling pain rather than discomfort. I had a 24 hr spinal morphine injection pre-op which was unpleasant and I was mildly allergic so had a very itchy 24 hours! I refused all morphine after that and had paracetamol. They put a couple of very thin tubes into your tummy to give local anaesthetic via a driver and that was removed the following day I think. You also have paracetamol via a drip.

Once my legs worked again I had a bed bath (gross but I felt so much better) and put a nightie on. £10 cotton ones from M&S are lovely. I had over the belly button pants, also cotton from M&S and they are SO comfy. By day 2 I was walking slowly around and had a proper shower and hair wash. You will need to be able to inject yourself with Klexane. Top tip do NOT rub the injection site after you do it or it really stings!

There are a number of us ladies with ovarian cancer over on the cancer support thread, if you want a hand hold or advice or support please feel free to post in there.

Thank you all so much for the responses.

I can't have keyhole unfortunately and will have a vertical incision due to the dize of the tumour. The Consultant indicated this would stretch to above my belly button, but maybe I'm wrong about that. I'll confirm that with my oncology nurse. I figured in that case even granny pants won't help.

I will purchase at least one nightdress and maybe some larger pjs too. Thank you for the tips about peppermint tea and a pillow for the car journey.

@AGreatUsername Thanks for the info about the cancer thread. I do plan to drop in at some point, but I just can't seem to get myself there just yet.