HYSTERECTOMY

[PattyInAK]

I am scheduled to have a hysterectomy on September 20th.  Have any of us had the operation?  Would you care to share your experience?  Thank you.

[TerriL]

Hi Patty,
I had a hysterectomy about 15 years ago.  A lot of the recovery will depend on how they do the surgery.  Mine was done abdominally.  Naturally the first week was the worse time.  I do remember that I needed the full six weeks to recover and start to really get back to feeling really well.
Will you be taking hormone replacement therapy?  I started premarin immediately after my surgery and I think it did help although surgical menopause is still difficult. 
Let me know if there is anything specific that you are wondering about.  I'll be praying that you have a speedy recovery! 

[Teresa]

I had mine about 4 years ago. Once I got through the first week it really wasn't bad, and there are great drugs for the first week. The most important thing to remember is to follow the doc's instructions to the letter. Even if you feel like doing stuff-DON'T. That is the hardest thing, especially in the last few weeks. You have to remember that you are still healing inside. The way you take care of yourself in the first 6 weeks will have a lot to do with how you feel from now on. My best friend is an OB-GYN and she made sure I didn't forget this (nothing like being questioned daily about your activities!). If I think of anything else, I'll let you know.

[PattyInAK]

Thank you for your reply Terri!
My surgery will be done abdominally.  As far as HRT, we haven't discussed it yet.  I would like to avoid taking Premarin as I don't believe it is made in an ethical way.  Its produced from the urine of pregnant mares, thus the name Premarin (PREgnant MAre uRINe).  And the foals are considered a by-product and Lord knows what happens to them.  I know there is a big rescue outfit for PMU Foals.
I am mostly wondering about the recovery period.  Thankfully I have been paying for short-term disability benefits for years now should an event like this come up.  It will kick in after 14 days, and I can collect (60% of my pay) for up to 12 weeks.  Work is slow so this is coming at a good time.
Were you able to do ANYTHING during the first couple of weeks?  The female half of Dan's bosses told Dan that he will have to do everything for me and take good care of me, especially the first couple of weeks.  She told him to rally the help of my mom, sisters and friends to cook meals.  LOL!  This is sounding great to me, my sister makes a killer Chicken Cordon Bleu!  I don't mind being forced to just rest, watch movies and read. 

[PattyInAK]

I had mine about 4 years ago. Once I got through the first week it really wasn't bad, and there are great drugs for the first week. The most important thing to remember is to follow the doc's instructions to the letter. Even if you feel like doing stuff-DON'T. That is the hardest thing, especially in the last few weeks. You have to remember that you are still healing inside. The way you take care of yourself in the first 6 weeks will have a lot to do with how you feel from now on. My best friend is an OB-GYN and she made sure I didn't forget this (nothing like being questioned daily about your activities!). If I think of anything else, I'll let you know.

I do understand the importance of "not pushing it."  A friend of mine tried to show her broken leg who was boss and she ended up hurting herself worse.  Pain is natures way of telling you to take it easy.  A lot of people take pain pills and then over-do it.
You are giving me a lot of good information about this, Terri, thank you so much!

[Ruth in MT]

        Healing Rays     

Been there,  done that,   got the

[Barb]

I have not had the surgery - it sounds like you are getting great information !  With any surgery - the main thing is to not push it - follow doctors orders and let Dan take over !!!!  Do the doggies have a ramp to your bed?  They will want to be with you and you surely do NOT need to lift them !!!!  If not, get Dan to make a simple one - long board wrapped in carpet.

My doctor is a big follower in herbal meds - I took hormones for quite a few years, she took me off and I am now on several different herbs.  I have been feeling good and will go back in a month or so for some follow up blood work.  There are alternatives - I would quiz your doctor about them.

Will be sending rays and prayers for you on the 20th.  Please designate someone to post here to let us know how the surgery goes - or have someone e-mail me and I will post.  Do you have the Internet at home yet?  If not - get on it girl !!!  We can't have you out of pocket for 6 weeks !!!! 

If all else fails - I have your phone number !!!!!

Stock up on books and movies and enjoy the relaxation....and the drugs !!!

[TerriL]

Patty,
The first week is definately the most difficult.  I remember that using a pillow pressed up against my abdomen really helped when I was trying to sit up.  Pretty much you are not going to be doing anything.  Walking to the bathroom and that is about it. 
Letting Dan and your family take over is the best thing you can do. 
I took Premarin for about five years and decided at that point that the risks outweighed the discomfort of the hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms.  If you can do without the HRT that will be great!  Thanks for the information though...I did not know that.  Makes me even more glad that I'm not taking the stuff anymore!
Take care of you!

[Teresa]

Patti, There are many other types of estrogen other than premarin. What's great is they make estrogen patches and you don't have to remember to take it each day! The main reason for taking estrogen is it protective quality on the heart, however since you are over fifty, the doctor may not recommend it at all. It is something to look at the pros and cons of and then decide. There is a lot of info a the website www.minniepauz.com. It is a very informative site and also has some hilarious stuff on it about menopause. You HAVE to read the Minnie Moments section! I get the newsletter and love the cartoons, etc. She has a lot of stuff about soy supplements that can be used instead of estrogen. There is also a site, www.hystersisters.com, that is about nothing but hysterectomys, before surgery and after. It also has a message board so you can ask lots of questions and get answers. I learned about it on the Minnie Pauz site. You are being smart and getting your info ahead of time. Because we thought I was facing possible ovarian cancer, we only had 10 days between finding out and having the surgery with lots of tests and visits and having to process info in between. Everything was benign and now I'm glad it is all behind me. It is true about not picking up the dogs. If they weigh more than 10 lbs, they are a no-no. I was able to take care of getting my own lunch and breakfast. You want to get up and walk around some, the doctors will highly encourage that, but you also want to avoid going up and down the stairs as much as possible. I would stay upstairs for the morning and then downstairs from lunch until Randy got back home from work. It kept me from looking at the same four walls all the time.
What type of books do you like to read???? I have a library in my house and would be glad to send you some!

[PattyInAK]

Thanks Terri.  I am 51 years old.  I hope my doctor can put me on something natural if need be after the hysterectomy.  Thanks for the website, they sound great, and I will be sure to check them out. 
Our bedroom is upstairs, with my great bathroom.  We also have a bathroom with a big shower downstairs.  I think what I will do is set myself up on the hide-a-bed couch downstairs with lots of pillows.  I know Willy and Alex will want to sleep with me.  Misty tends to want to be with Dan.  I would have more room if I was on the hide-a-bed.  And its right there with the TV and movies.  Also, Dan would be the least disturbed at night if I was downstairs.  I'm sure I will have some restless nights.  If the doctors encourage walking, I will have no problem with that.  We have some great trails on our property and the dogs will love the many walks.
As far as books, I enjoy real-life  true adventure stories, such as extreme mountain climbing and stories about the sea.
Thank you so much for all the information, you're being a big help.

[Roberta]

Have not had the surgery, but the hormones side may be Ok if they do not take the ovaries or they sometimes leave or or part of one. The hormones especialy the eostragen is for bone density, you can take calcium till the cows come home but you need other hormones and carriers. I've been on HRT given to me by a dr from the Jean Hailles centre as my meno was bad, but everyone is diffrent, so that is why numerous ones are made.
Tke care of your sself and DO NOTHING, take up stitching or jig saws and let everyone spoil you.
roberta

[Dee Dee and Hallie]

Ugh Patty I'm sorry to hear this. So many women have it done though, I'm sure you will come through it fine. Sounds like you have a good recovery plan in place complete with doxie therapy! I hope you can post while you are recovering we'll want to hear how you are doing. Like everyone says be sure to not overdo and let Dan take care of you until the Doc says it's ok to do more.

I was on HRT for years (NOT Premarin for the same reasons you don't want to take it). Until the cancer scare, then I along with so many other women went off of it. My main reason for taking it was bones since I have osteoperosis, and the HRT worked great, the year after I went off it my bone density plummeted. So now I am taking Boniva and Evista and hoping that will do the trick as I really don't want to go back on estrogen. I have a friend who has breast cancer they beleive from the HRT which is why they recommend not taking it if possible. (it's safer to take with the progesterone I believe but there are problems with that too). Ask your Dr a lot of questions so you can make the best choice for you.

[PattyInAK]

Ugh Patty I'm sorry to hear this. So many women have it done though, I'm sure you will come through it fine. Sounds like you have a good recovery plan in place complete with doxie therapy! I hope you can post while you are recovering we'll want to hear how you are doing. Like everyone says be sure to not overdo and let Dan take care of you until the Doc says it's ok to do more.

I was on HRT for years (NOT Premarin for the same reasons you don't want to take it). Until the cancer scare, then I along with so many other women went off of it. My main reason for taking it was bones since I have osteoperosis, and the HRT worked great, the year after I went off it my bone density plummeted. So now I am taking Boniva and Evista and hoping that will do the trick as I really don't want to go back on estrogen. I have a friend who has breast cancer they beleive from the HRT which is why they recommend not taking it if possible. (it's safer to take with the progesterone I believe but there are problems with that too). Ask your Dr a lot of questions so you can make the best choice for you.

I appreciate all the voices of experience here.  I am actually happy this is going to be done.  As my doctor said, my uterus is the size of someone 14 weeks pregnant and I look it!  I just hate it.  I sure hope the post-op swelling goes away soon.  I trust my doctors, they are all women, and really enjoy taking care of other women and making sure we can all grow old gracefully. 
I don't have internet at home yet, we just haven't signed up.  Maybe we will decide to do that since I will be off work for so long.  But I will have access to my mom's computer at the cabin and my sister's computer across town, when I can get out and about.  I'm thinking the easiest thing to do is just get hooked up at home. 

[Dee Dee and Hallie]

I hope you do get hooked up at home we will be waiting to hear from you. Do you think you could have Dan post or send me or someone an email so we know how you are right out of surgery?

[papbouv]

I'm now 56 had a Vaginal hyst when i was about 26 so it has been a very long time ago I got to keep my ovaries did not have to take the estrogen. I looked up the information about Premerian they do not give the horses very much water to keep the urine concentrated so they can make their product. Most of the foals are killed right after birth some get do get rescued though.Then years later had to have my bladder tied up not sure if the hysterectomy had anything to do with that part or not. If you have any problems in that area make sure you tell your doctor have both done at the same time. DO Not Lift any thing heavy also the pillow over you surgery site helps when you cough you are suppose to deep breathe & cough after surgery so you will not get complications.
Papbouv

[April]

I've not had that surgery, but with any abdominal surgery you really need to be careful about lifting and stretching those muscles too soon.  The most complicated thing I've had done was an apendectomy when i was in high school.  I needed a pillow against my abs when I coughed for that and my incision is still only about 1 1/2 inches long after streching with prgnancy! 
As far as the hormone issues go, eating foods with soy tend to help that quite a bit.  Soy is a great source of plant estrogens and can be used by the body either in place of or in cunjunction with HRT.  So if you like tofu and soy milk you'll be fine!  lol  Please let us know how things go as soon as possible after your surgery!

[Anita]

Hi Patty,
I just had a total abdominal hysterectomy on June 30th of this year.  I feel great.  I was only in the hospital for 2 days.  The recovery wasn't too bad.  The worst part was that I couldn't pick up my little wiener girls for almost a month!  I really listened to my doctor and took it easy, no lifting, no heavy housework especially vacuuming!  The other tough thing I remember is it hurts to laugh for a over a week!  No funny movies or dachshund antics!

The worst pain I had was from the air that gets into your abdomen during the surgery.  It gets trapped inside and settles under your collarbone.  It can be uncomfortable.  I took pain pills for this but that was about it.  That pain went away in a couple days.  I hate pain pills, they always make me feel weird. 

There's lots of variables that help your recovery (age, weight, all that stuff).  I also had a great doctor who said he does lots of stuff to minimize pain like not using retractors if he can help it, he said he also uses a type of internal anesthesia to minimize pain.  I didn't have any stitches or staples externally.  It was amazing.  The incision, which was a bikini cut, still itches a little but it's not a big deal. 

I read a good book before my surgery called The Essential Guide to Hysterectomy by Lauren Streicher.  It had lots of practical information in it that I thought was helpful.  All of the other books just seemed to focus on why you don't need the surgery which is not true for some of us.  I had massive fibroids and didn't have any other choice.

Oh!  I almost forgot to mention the best part was that I lost 7 pounds since my uterus was so huge and I still haven't gained them back!!!

Sorry for the long-winded response.  I hope it helps and good luck.

[papbouv]

Watching Animal Planet today they had the PMU mares at action to be sold for horse meat over in Europe they bought 25 mares sold for 10 thousand dollars to the SPCA in Houston TX. The vet went over the mares under weight, feet in very bad shape, & not socialized around people.The Pmu mares are the mares used to make Premain estrogen replacement therapy. If the SPCA had not stepped in the mares would have been slaughtered all went to Foster homes until their health was improved and they could be adopted out.
papbouv

[Krista]

While I have not had the surgery, my MIL did back in June. 

She had her uterus and cervix removed vaginally, her ovaries are still intact because they could not reach them due to surgical complications and they were not causing her problems anyways.  She is 60 years old, and extremely overweight.  I say that to let you know she is not as in as good as health as you are, and she is older as well.  She has recovered very well.  She was in quite a bit of pain the first 10 days or so, but her pain was compounded by her arthritis which she was not allowed to take her medication for several days prior to her surgery.

I hope your surgery goes very well and there are no complications.  May you have a speedy recovery and feel better than ever soon afterwards!

[Sandishooligans]

Sorry I'm late checking in.  I imagine you're gonna be laid up for a bit, but I know of 3 dachsies and a kitty cat who is up to the task of playing nursies.  Praying for your speedy recovery.  I'll be thinking of you!