Hysterectomy. What to take to hospital, how to recover at home ?

[TheDogsMother]

I'm having a hysterectomy next week (and admit I'm pretty scared). I found a really useful thread on here about what to take to hospital eg wipes, bottle of water etc but I can't seem to find it again. Does anyone have any advice on what I should take with me to help feel a bit better when I come round. Also any little changes at home to make recovery a bit easier ? I don't even know if it is even possible to walk upstairs to go to bed ?

@Majorityofthree23 I have indeed disappeared down that rabbit hole and completely scared myself in the process. I think I'm starting to see now that everyone's recovery is different. I need to stop over thinking as there is absolutely no other option but to have it done.

I'm so pleased yours went well. I really do want to get up, shower and walk about a little too. I'm used to walking 1.5 hours a day so I'm going to miss that for a while

I think "yes it went ok" doesn't make for a good story.... hence why that's hard to find on the internet!
All the walking should stand you in good stead to get over it. (I'm back to walking my two dogs now five weeks later)
Everything crossed for you

I had those injections. They’re tiny, more like pin pricks, but I still got my husband to do them (what a wuss I am!).

Hello.

I too had a hysterectomy because of endometrial cancer. This was in 2022. Different trusts have different procedures, so your aftercare may differ.
I was really tired after the op and wasn’t really in the mood for reading or looking at my iPad, so I wouldn’t take too much into hospital. Plus, I had inflatable compression devices on my legs to prevent dvt and they pump up every few minutes - not very relaxing. I wasn’t allowed out of hospital before I could pass urine and fart 😉. Arm yourself with loads of high fibre stuff and drink lots of fluids to get the old bowels working again. Take a cushion for the drive home. They will give you strong painkillers - I didn’t need them, but it was good to have them, just in case. I also had the daily self administered injections and they were fine - didn’t feel a thing. The worst pain was the shoulder pain as pp have said. This happens if you have keyhole as they pump you up with gas to make it easier to operate. You will probably look pregnant for a few days and your clothes will feel tight, so nighties and dresses without waistbands are the best things to wear. Also, slip on slippers or shoes. Bending down will be difficult. I also recommend a low stool to help you get in and out of bed.

Recovery went well for me and I was back in the office within the month. Cancer free now.
Good luck for the 9th. You’ll be fine.

Thanks so much @ItsTapasTime this is really helpful.

Perhaps you could answer this for me. I work entirely from home so can work from bed if necessary. Do you think it's feasible to do an hour a day just to keep things ticking over ?

I didn't do anything for first week but did log on second week everyday (mainly as was rather bored!)

I had a laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy at the end of November. It went fine.

My top tips are to get some Dulcoease and start taking it around 24-48 hours ahead of the operation, and continue taking it afterwards while needed. The surgery and drugs bung you up, and pushing is a no-no for the first few weeks. Waiting for that first bowel movement is not fun, so you want to get there as quickly and easily as possible.

Also, if you like it, get some cranberry juice in. Having a catheter in can increase the risk of getting a UTI, and the cranberry juice helps avoid having that fun to deal with.

Good luck to all with this coming up. I had a laparoscopic hysterectomy in 2021. Luckily I found recovery pretty easy. I was walking lots by the end of the second week, and back to work in a physically and mentally demanding job after 5 weeks.

Worse bit was the shoulder pain, but that's very time limited. I also found the bloating persisted for a few months, and so needed a few pairs of bigger, high waisted trousers.

@TheDogsMother it really depends on how you recover from the anaesthetic. You may find you need a quite a few naps in the first few days. Sometimes I felt great and then did a bit too much. Then it would really hit me and knock me back for a couple of days. See how you feel in the 2nd week.

Remember, you are having major surgery, so be kind to yourself x

I had my keyhole hysterectomy on a Friday & was out for a pub lunch on the Monday. I was able to drive a week after the operation.

@TheDogsMother . It really depends. I 100% wfh and didn't log on for 6 weeks. It was our quietest time at work. Whilst I felt "fine" relatively quickly from a pain point of view, I was unbelievably tired. When I'm tried I make mistakes and I hate hate hate making mistakes.
I was also a bit randomly weepy - and would have been mortified if I'd burst into tears at work.
Best wishes for tomorrow (I think yours is tomorrow!)

Wow that's amazing ! It really does seem like everyone's journey is so different.

That's my big fear, making mistakes. Thank you for your good wishes and yes it is tomorrow. I'm incredibly nervous 😟

Hope it goes well.

i found the first week i was dopey, probably from the anaesthetic, not eating all day etc. I would give yourself at least a week before thinking of sitting and working.

Get clothes that are very loose around waist and tummy. Don't bend else it hurts and can affect internal stitches. My husband had to tie my shoelaces and get shopping out of the trolley, I believe I healed earlier due to being 'good' like this. Wasn't allowed to leave hospital till I'd had 3 wees and a poo!
It never really hurt, just felt sort of wobbly. I found hystersisters helpful but bear in mind they often tend to post if they're having a bad time, so it depends on how you'd react to this.

My hysterectomy was a while ago, but glad I took in dried mango as the pain medication (delivered by pump) made me feel very nauseous and it was about the only thing I could face. I also bought peppermint tablets for a health food shop. Not sure if they deserve the credit but wind was not too bad.

I got a cleaning firm to do a full professional clean before I went in. Skirting boards, backs of cupboards, carpets, everything. My house looked lovely. Nice as I had no energy and took quite a long time to recover.

I also identified restaurants within a short walking distance of my house and lined up friends to walk with me for coffee, lunch or tea.

You must never hoover ever again!

Best wishes...

I imagine DH saying 'it's been a year now. Are you sure you still need to avoid cleaning, hoovering and housework ?'

The best piece of advice I can give you op is to remember that recovery is not linear.

I had a textbook brilliant recovery, left the hospital 18 hours after surgery, was driving a couple of weeks later, didn't need painkillers after day 3 etc but every so often I'd do too much and it would land me back in bed for a day or two.

Your body is very good at telling you to slow down so don't try and push through as you'll hurt yourself, listen to it and rest

Hope it went well @TheDogsMother and you aren't feeling too sore💐

I found this info when looking up how laxatives help before a hysterectomy and it seems to have some good advice on recovering well

Royal College of Gynaecology info sheet

Thank you @longtompot . I went there for 7.30am yesterday, did all the checks, was gowned up ready to go and they said I was first on the list. At 2.30 pm I was finally told I'd been cancelled😪It was hard as I was pretty nervous and had been psyching myself up. I've booked to go private with the same consultant for next week now as I do have a health insurance plan.

Thanks for the really useful link.

Let the countdown begin ...... again

@longtompot Oh and best of luck for the 15th, I'm on the 17th. I've stocked up on big pants and plenty of peppermints 😂

Oh my god! How frustrating! I'm glad you've been rebooked in but I can just imagine how you felt having the wait and then being told that news.
Looks like it's me telling you how things went and what to look out for rather than the other way round. I wasn't planning to take my iPad with me so won't be updating from my luxurious hospital bed 😬 but all being well, I'll be home the next day.
I bought two packs of big pants, just in case, and have added ginger biscuits and cranberry juice to my home delivery shop to help with any sickness and potential utis from having a catheter, just need to get some mints to have alongside the tea I already have.
Thank you! See you on the other side.

Happened to me too @thedogsmother - my lap hysterectomy was 12 or 14 years ago & I had also been gowned up, pre-op sleepy drugs taken & wheeled to the room before theatre ..... & then it was cancelled.
The previous surgery had taken too long & my surgeon didn't want to start mine late in the day so I needed to be re-booked. Fortunately for me only a few days later (private hospital, my then work health ins scheme: handy :) )

And all the tips for you above are great - keep moving, little & often but do listen to your body - we're all different & recovery is individual too.
And like so many other women have said it was the best surgery for me - no more endometriosis pain, no more periods or expensive pads & pills.
All the best

@TheDogsMother
Can't believe they cancelled it 😡
Hope everything goes well
My operation is on 16 jan 😱 (hopefully)