Hysterectomy Support Group

Hi! I had my operation 2 years ago with everything removed ( right ovary,uterus,follopian tube,cervix) due to huge cystic mass on my ovary and myoma.This is not the first time I was put to sleep due to operation. The first time I had when I was 12 years old when my left ovary was removed.I know what to expect so its not that scary the second time I had my operation as compared to the first one.The difference is that after a month of my first operation I had my first menstruation while my second operation had my early menopause.Operation for me is the start and end of my monthly period.I was put on general anaesthesia and was asleep for almost 8 hrs.A lot of blood lost as my hemoglobin level drops.On dextrose and cathether for almost 2 days.with on and off pain on my incision site. After 5 boring days in the hospital I was discharge. Everything will be provided once your admitted to the hospital so nothing to worry.

Carry your own nighties or plan to wear the hospital gowns.

Expect to have a foley catheter in your bladder to drain urine for the first 24 hours. They will put it in in the OR. After they remove it, you will have 6-8 hours in which to urinate on your own OR they will have to reinsert it.

Expect gas pains along with incisional pain. For the gas pains, plan to walk the hallways a lot. For the incisional pain, request your pain meds as needed. Do NOT wait until the pain is excruciating. You will NOT get addicted to pain meds IF you are taking it for pain that is ACTUALLY being felt.

Have some pantyliners or light days pads. You should be in the hospital no more than 3 days IF all goes well. Pack accordingly.

Buy a reacher for when you are back home. You will not be able to bend for a while.

Use slip-on shoes as you will not be able to reach your feet for a while.

Anything touching your abdomen is going to prove painful. Plan to wear house dresses or sun dresses while recuperating.

If they are taking out your ovaries, mentally prepare for menopause. For me, the symptoms started kicking in by day 3.

Oh yeah, they are going to give you a shot in your abdomen once a day for the time you are in the hospital. That is to prevent you from getting a blood clot.

You will have an abdominal dressing. The surgeon USUALLY changes/removes it for the first time 24-48 hours after surgery. You will have staples in. Those will get removed 7-10 days later in the surgeon's office.

All the best. I know the mix of excitement and fear you must be feeling. Enjoy your Thanksgiving and look forward to 3 weeks after surgery. That is about the time you will START to feel like you are in fact getting better.

Hello Lynn,
Don't worry about your up coming operation, they are so adept at this operation these days that it is pretty easy to recover from in just a few weeks.....
I live in Canada so I'm sure it will be slightly different here that what you experience...
I had everything removed but one ovary so not sure what the plan is with you....? One ovary will hopefully help prevent menopause at least for a little while ....lol

Take pillows with you wherever you go, for the trip home, tons in bed in case you need to sleep upright for awhile so you can maneuver in and out of bed, and especially if you have dogs of cats that want to jump on you when you sit down!! That's a biggie>>>Lol

Make sure you have plenty of help in the first week, so hope that you can get ya mum or someone to stay home with you...

Make lots of meals in advance if you can prepare a little extra for easy throwing in the oven as you wont want to be lifting or bending over in cupboards to much in the beginning.......

Rest up lots, and take naps without feeling guilty about it..! lol
Take care,
Sharon