Having a Hysterectomy and looking for advice!

[Neets24]

Hi, just wondering if anyone can give an advice based on their experience. I have very large fibroids which are continuing to grow and have been advised to have a Hysterectomy . I am.lucky that my works health insurance policy will cover this so I can have a degree of flexibility on when i have it .
I have 3 school age children under the age of 9 so am just trying to figure out how mobile I am likely to be after surgery. Am i going to be able to do basic childcare things such as cook dinner, washing, playing with them after a week or so or should I schedule the surgery for after the summer when they go back to school?? Any advice really appreciated!!

It's pretty major surgery Mine was done vaginally so I didn't have an abdominal wound so I was better off than someone who had it done abdominally.

. I had it done when my kids were in that age group , and I was relying on my DH and my mother to do most of the housework / child care / washing etc. for a few weeks. Obviously I got a bit better each day but I wouldn't have been able to do the child care things in the first couple of weeks.

If you've got a choice you'd be better off to delay until they are back at school.

I had a laparoscopic one, also with a large fibroid. wouldn't have like to be looking after anyone else in that first week although was fine on my own. was pretty much ok the following week so depends on your specific surgery. Wait until they are back in school definitely.

It depends on what type of hysterectomy you have, I had a laparoscopic sub total hysterectomy which left my cervic, was done keyhole, I was only in hospital 1 night & able to drive again within a week, the only thing I couldn't do was lifting anything heavier than a kettle for a couple of weeks. I was able to go out for walks, could go shopping as long as I had help to do the carrying, I was able to cook with help, lifting heavy pans was my partner's job. You will need to rest but don't need to be confined to bed, I had an hour in the morning & a couple of hours in the afternoon after the first few days & gradually got to the stage where I didn't need it.

I had it done when my kids were 11 and 9. They tidied up my C.Section scar which was a mess. To be honest with you I found it alot easier than the section, maybe as I wasn't trying to lift a 10lb baby several times a day. I think I was home in 3 days and we had a meal on the way home and a takeaway the day after but by day five I was cooking. I used an office chair and whizzed round the kitchen on that. You just have to be careful about lifting anything heavy.

Four of us had the op on the same day and I had the most removed, lost my ovaries as well, but I was discharged first and didn't seem to have any major problems but I was younger than the other women. I was late 40s and they were probably in their 60s so if you have young children you probably have that advantage as well.

I think I was back at work in six weeks and life was totally normal.

It was the best thing I ever did, got my life back. Hope it works for you.

Fab, thanks for the advice guys. It's abdominal surgery so will leave it until Sept when I will get more chance to rest in between school runs.