Dear Friends,

I had the surgery and am at home recuperating. I have lots to share with you and will answer any question you might have.

I am really all ready glad I have had the hysto. All the pain from the endo and fibroids is gone. I have pain from the surgery but my dr is keeping me well medicated. And already i am taking less pain meds. I am still very swollen but this will come down. The stuck a hormone patch on me and so far so good. I feel emotionally okay.... my husband thinks differently and we have been having little spats... He is stressed out. We are both adding and abetting and I am trying to stop the cycle of upsets... he is being so supper sensitive. So we sit on the sofa and talk till it is talked and cried out.
I asked my dr. if he would take a picture of my sick uterus ; i felt it would help me with my closure and emotional feelings. Oh my word when i saw the pictures... it was a monster in my abdomen. I did the right thing having the hysto. I will try to posted a picture of my sick female organs soon. The whole uterus, tubes, ovaries were sick with endo and fibroids.

My dr. was great and he was able to take it out with a bikini cut but it was close to not being able to it was SO BIG. The whole mess was the size of a bowling ball. ( He told me going in that if he could he would save one ovary; it was not sure he could take it out though with out opening me up with a bikini/vertical cut and the cut horizontal. So i expected to wake up with a large X ... but my dr. made the bikini cut work. But really in the end I would have realized what was the most important was getting that sick mess out of me.

I am also being very good and resting and getting up and walking. They get you up and walking quickly to prevent blood clots. They also put these cool leg wraps on my calves that messaged my legs with the pressure of air being increased and release. I loved the cool leg wrap messagers!! They felt so good.

I did ask my dr about keeping my cervix so it would help support my bladder . My dr. whom i trust said that is not true. Also something ease to conceder cervical cancer is the most aggressive and hard to treat cancer and the death rate is very high. It is best to have it removed.

I recommended doing kegal excersies .. and to make it more fun to can practice on your husband.

Tuesday, pre registration took half the day.
Wed. early morning surgery, in a room for recovery a few hours later
Thursday, made me get up and walk, took out the cathatar, (I am having to learn how to press again to make my self release the urine. It is hard to want to when you are sore and in pain. But the more you do the better and quicker your recovery. They start you will liquids and gradually you move to regular food. The prerequisite at my hospital to be allowed release was to pass gas. It is a very proud moment with much relief. You really did something important for the good of your body.
Friday things are looking good, the staples are removed and it does not hurt very much .. sometimes a little prick. my nurse was very slow and gentle. Dr. came in a visited several times while i was in the hospital to ck on me and other patients.
Sat. I am at home with my husband. I have made phone calls for family and friends to come and stay with me for the next two weeks. YOU will need help with everything. Everything is too heavy to be lifted.. do not do it. Do not take a chance on messing up the surgery and causing damage to tender areas that are healing. Some insurances provide for in home care after surgery if the dr. writes a request for it.
Sat. I am in pain and so sore, bruises are showing. I keep gritting my teeth i am in so much pain. my husband says i am not being nice.... He says it is my tone... well it is a tone that is full of pain. and dear there is not way i can go grocery shopping... He honestly expected me to go grocery shopping with him... sweet man but so clueless. Want and need fog the brain.
He is not happy about not having sex for a month and an half... and I let him know if i am not ready/healed we will wait till I am really well and healed. I am not having my insides tore up.
My husband and i are going to try and be creative and pretend we are dating. I am going to make it fun.

If you have not had a bowl movement in a couple of days after surgery then use an enema to get things moving. Fleet has baby ones that are perfect. It is very important to not get constipated and clogged up. I am told this is caused by the stuff to make you sleep and feel no pain.

Oh also I was recommended to have have an epidural and the shots that put you to sleep. The epidural is the way to go. It will decrease you pain greatly. As for sleep you can be in a light sleep or a heavy. Either is fine it is just what you are comfortable with. I have been in the heavy sleep before so i was not worried about it.

Letting your body heal properly is more important than making some neat and clean or making some one happy by getting up and doing something for them...This is a time you have to take care of your needs for healing or it will cause long term problems for your health.

I was finally able to come to terms with having an hysterectomy when i finally realized there are no medical advances that can cure endo. nor fibroids. I thought i would just wait it out tiill menopause to happen , however; . one trying to wait it out will not really help) the disease can progress and second) even after menopause endo, fibroids and the scar tissue, can still cause problems. I did not want to ruin my health being stubborn and keeping my uterus when it would only continue to ruin my health.

I am about four days post a full hysterectomy and I already feel so much better. I am going to make use of a very low dose hormone patch to prevent bone loss , high cholesterol , and numerous benefits.

I wish all of you the best.