I’ve been over on Instagram talking about my hysterectomy and recovery & a lot of people chimed in, so I thought I would put a blog post together about my personal journey.
The reason: Why did you have a hysterectomy in the first place?
For as long as I can remember I’ve had heavy bleeding. I started my period in my teens and it progressively got worse over the years to the point that it was humiliating and embarrassing. I would dread that time of the month like the plague. It wasn’t just heavy periods, it was bleeding through a tampon and a pad and still having to come home on my lunch breaks to change pants. I was so tired and exhausted from losing so much blood. As the years went by and after having two kids it just seemed to get worse. I had an ablation in March of 2020 and in my case it didn’t work. The ablation seemed to only make my symptoms worse and more painful each month. I highly recommend researching REALLY hard before deciding if that procedure is right for you. My Mom had a hysterectomy at 40 and historically my family genetics aren’t great when it comes to “that time of the month”. I knew after the ablation failed I would most likely have to consider a hysterectomy.
I had been putting it off because I didn’t want to be down for a month or more. I have a toddler again…how would I make it work? I was actually scheduled for one last fall, but had some things going on and didn’t want to miss those or take time off of work at that time. So, the day after I turned 41 this year I had a HYSTERECTOMY!
Happy Birthday to me right? Ha!
I get incredibly nervous before surgeries. And I absolutely hate IV’s on my hand…for goodness sakes! Anything but my darn hand! The surgery itself was pretty good, I have nothing negative to say about that whole process. I arrived an hour before my scheduled hysterectomy and got ready and two hours later I was in recovering munching on ice chips. I did stay the night in the hospital. Because I had some scar tissue on my bladder they had to remove I ended up having a catheter for almost 24 hours afterwards. The nurses will make sure you are walking up and down the halls and came go to the bathroom before you are released.
You will need help when you get home. My Mom, Dad, and Sister watched my kids for two weeks while I recovered. I needed Terence’s help for a couple of days getting in and out of bed and using the bathroom. I absolutely don’t know what I would have done without the help of family. With Heidi still being so little she still wants to be held frequently and I couldn’t lift her at all.
The GAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG the GAS!!!!!!!! I heard you get really bad gas after laparoscopic surgery, but my WORD!!! The gas was terrible. It’s not regular gas either. Because they use carbon dioxide gas to inflate the abdomen during the laparoscopy, gas can get trapped. The gas lasted 3-4 days for me and was very painful and moved all the way into my neck and shoulders. To help with the gas you can walk around or shift your legs side to side in bed. Your first bowel movement should occur 4-5 days after surgery.
These are some things that helped me during recovery:
- A heating pad. Laying a heating bad on your back or over your abdomen really helps relieve gas and pain.
- A belly band really helps support your back and abdomen while they recover too.
- stretchy shorts and leggings
- Getting up and WALKING is KEY!!!
I thought that I would bounce back after 2 weeks no problem. I’m just now hitting the 2 week mark and I’m still really sore and it’s hard to bend over. I can drive and do most things around the house that aren’t strenuous, but I’m definitely not 100% yet. I have a follow up appointment next Tuesday and I’m hoping to go back to work soon!
This is what the incisions look like afterwards and they aren’t too bothersome. It’s much better than cutting you open like they used to do for a hysterectomy. There will be a lot of swelling, bruising, and bloating.
If you have any questions feel free to message me or comment! I’m looking forward to this next chapter. My sister and I just turned 41 and I’m excited for what the future holds without the struggles I’ve had my whole life. Overall, I’m really glad I had this procedure done and wish I would have done it instead of the ablation. I hope this post helps someone going through the same struggles and I’m here and praying for you as well. xoxo- Becky
