Finally I'm getting a hysterectomy!! Any advice gratefully received :)

[Redandpinkstripess]

After 2 yrs of hell and a roller coaster of investigations, diagnosis and pain, I'm finally getting a hysterectomy next week.
I just want to be fully prepared, so any tips would be gratefully received. They are hoping to do it vaginally.
Thank you x

Yay! Mine changed my life! Best thing I've ever done.

For the hospital - loose, comfy clothes. Take some sanitary towels for residual bleeding. When you're going home, hold a pillow to your abdomen to cushion you against road bumps.

Join the hysterectomy sisters Facebook group. There is loads of info on there e.g packing lists, info leaflets, and everyone has been or is going through the same

A couple of hints: a longer charger (and peg to clip it to the bed), lockets (sore throat after GA), love hearts (trapped wind), a water bottle with straw, and a pillow for the drive home!

Mine was the best thing I've ever done, 6 months on I still wake up and am amazed to be pain free so good luck!

Good luck next week and try not to worry! Mine was the best thing I have ever done. Similar... Several years of pain, bleeding etc. It has been life changing.
Take it easy, rest as advised after the surgery and you should be fine.
Take care of yourself!!!

Thank you so much. Some really handy tips there 🥰

No advice really but it was the best thing I ever did. Maybe I was lucky but a lot of people said I wouldn't even be able to lift a kettle once I was home. I seemed to recover fairly quickly and felt so much better that now it didn't rule my life.

Good luck!

Thank you. I can't wait to get my life back 🙏

They do advise not lifting anything heavier than a kettle for the first few weeks. OP, if you don't have anyone at home who can cook while you are recovering, it would be a good idea to stock up on bung-in-the-oven ready meals, or do some batch cooking to tide you over.

You may find you want to sleep at odd times. Mine was abdominal so probably a harder recovery than vaginal as the external wound had to heal as well as all the internal stuff - it was hard at first to find a comfortable way to sleep at night and I had to prop myself on multiple pillows.

The first poo after a hysterectomy is notoriously painful - you may want to make sure you have your laxative of choice in the cupboard if needed!

I'm so happy for you - mine was life freeing.

I had a robotic vaginal hysterectomy and my ovaries were left.

Went in at 6.30am, surgery at 8.30am and left hospital at 8pm.

I had no bleeding afterwards, some discomfort for a few days and then day 4 I pretty much slept for 24 hours and then after that I got stronger everyday and was back at work after 3 weeks.

I would suggest making sure you take something like fybogel and eat a high fibre diet afterwards (and a few days before) especially if you plan on having a codeine based painkiller. Not moving as much and codeine and a missing organ did cause some constipation but I started lactulose and it solved it pretty quickly!

I've never looked back.

I hope it all goes well for you.

Things that I'm glad I packed: nightshirts, a zip up hoodie to wear over the nightshirts, lip balm, flip flops for the shower, huge bath sheet towels, sanitary towels, headphones, soft drinks for afterwards.

Oh and peppermint oil capsules before going in and afterwards.

Lots of great tips and reassuring advice. Thank you :) x

What did everyone wear after? The plan is for a vaginal procedure but they won't know until they do it

To go home I wore some very baggy elasticated trousers (which I could pull up high - I had a lap that turned into a bikini cut) and a very baggy T-shirt. I didn't care what I looked like, it was aaaalll about the comfort!

Love Heart sweets that help dissipate the gas they pump you full of to do the op and a litter type picker upper l

Oh and I got some loose joggers from Hush and loose jumpers.

Rest afterwards! You might feel fine but all the healing is happening inside and you can't rush it. No lifting or you risk a prolapse and further surgery.

sorry if this sounds dim, but why do you have a hysterectomy?

I am peri if not fully menopausal and have been having horrible period pains for weeks, although obvs no period.

My mum had a hysterectomy at my age due to a prolapse, which got me wondering what symptoms would lead you to need a hysterectomy?

@FunnysInLaJardin I bled continuously for a couple of years and they could not stop it with the pill, medication or the coil, so a hysterectomy was my only option.
Op- loads of threads on here about the op and recovery i think I've posted on all of them. Advice as per other posts really but do be prepared for overwhelming exhaustion for the first week and also possibly feeling v hormonal which I did not expect at all. Plus my hot flushes which I hadn't had for ages came back almost instantly which I was surprised at. Best thing I have ever done though, genuinely life changing.

All I have to add is the advice my friend gave me after having 6 children and a few internal surgeries when I was having my first baby. Buy massive pants, really gigantic granny pants. I imagine they will be helpful in the same way

Thank you!

I was given the option of staying in for an additional night after a 2-night stay following my abdominal hysterectomy but was longing to go home. The one thing that bothered me was coping with stairs since I only had an upstairs bathroom and bedroom at home. I asked a nurse to come with me to the stairway in the hospital and be there while I made sure I was ok while I tried the stairs out. It was fine.