Laparoscopic hysterectomy - advice and what to expect?

[Lovebooks87]

I am in my early 40s. Have endometriosis and adenomyosis, mirena coil and hormones aren’t helping with the pain. Going to have a laparoscopic hysterectomy + tidying the endometriosis. Keeping the ovaries.

I am reading lots of different things online.

Who’s had the same thing? Was recovery okay? I will signed off work for 4 weeks (I do quite a physical job). Worried about logistics around young kids, school pick up etc.

And was it life changing? I am fed up with being in pain and just want my life back.

And also, any tips post op!

I had a hysterectomy 16 months ago and had 8 weeks off post op, initially signed off for 6 but developed an infection so wasn’t ready to go back. I think 4 weeks might be a bit optimistic :(

Main advice I would give is don’t try and do too much too soon. Rest as much as you possibly can and don’t lift anything with any weight. I was able to drive after about 4/5 weeks but was still quite uncomfortable and probably should have left it a bit longer.

There is a good Facebook page called Hysterectomy Sisters UK - lots of people in the same boat.

Was definitely worth it for me, I felt loads better once I’d recovered. Good luck!

as an Obs n Gynae theatre nurse I would say 4 weeks is cutting a bit fine. I would defo say 6 to give yourself proper time to heal.

I had a hysterectomy almost exactly a year ago - also had Adenomyosis (and endo as it transpires but I didn’t know that until after the op.) I kept my ovaries too and to be honest, I wish I hadn’t, as my endo has come back and I’m starting to get ovary pain again. But in terms of the Adenomyosis, yes it’s been life changing. I was in so much pain every day and now I am only in pain some of the time and nowhere near as extreme as it was before. I don’t feel like my energy has ever really returned. I still get very fatigued. But absolutely no regrets.

I had a fairly textbook recovery, although I did have an infection which set me back a bit. I think I had around 7 weeks off work, but I have a desk job. There’s no way I would have been ready to go back to a physical job then. Research pelvic floor physio for afterwards. This isn’t usually offered on the nhs but I paid privately for a few sessions and it really helped.

Did you both have laparoscopies?

I had my surgery in my mid-30s after years of trying to push through the pain, so I completely understand the point you’re at right now that feeling of “I just want my life back.” 💛
In my case, keeping the ovaries was the right decision and it really helped me feel like myself hormonally afterwards. The recovery wasn’t instant, but it was steady. The first 2–3 weeks I genuinely needed help with meals, basic chores, even moving around too much so if you can plan support for school runs and the physical bits of daily life, please do. It makes a huge difference and takes the pressure off healing.
By week 4 I was better, but not “full physical-job” strong yet so be kind to yourself and allow flexibility if your body asks for more time.
And the life-changing part? For me, yes.
Not in a dramatic overnight way but in the quiet moments:
Sitting through a full day without pain.
Walking without that dragging feeling.
Planning things without checking my calendar against my body.
That freedom is everything.
You’re not just choosing surgery you’re choosing a chance at a better quality of life. And that hope you’re holding on to? Hold it tight. It’s what carried me through too.

Thank you so much, this is exactly what I need to hear. I just want to fall asleep without pain and be able to exercise. Just to be normal!

I had the surgery this morning. So far so good! I managed a little walk 😊

That's amazing!

I'm having the same surgery in 4 weeks.

Wishing you a super smooth recovery.

I had a hysterectomy 10 years ago, via robot-assisted laparoscopy. I recovered very well and quickly - I didn’t even need pain relief after a couple of days. The first few days, I was quite stiff in my torso so couldn’t move that easily, definitely no bending down or anything too strenuous. The main thing for me was tiredness - I slept 15 hours on my first night home, then I needed a couple of hours sleep in the afternoon, and got tired easily doing anything like walking to the shops, but the consultant said that was normal after an op, and I was fine after a couple of weeks. I had 4 weeks off work pre-approved but I probably could have gone back a bit sooner.
No issues since, and such a relief to be rid of the constant pain I was living with.