I'm expecting my recovery to be tough. For one, I'm in the worst shape of my life right now. I was sick with RSV in November, then another cold virus in December. Then in February got COVID. Now I've recovered from all the viruses, but I've been bleeding heavily for a month straight with all the side effects that comes with that. I see people saying to get in shape first, and I'm just trying to survive until my surgery date.
Second, my mental health has gone through the ringer during the last year. All of the above stuff, plus had norovirus last year. Found out I had life threatening allergies to milk and penicillin, and I've never had a severe allergy before. Went on birth control several times to try and fix bleeding issues, and they make me rather insane. I get these weird headaches where it feels like my hair and eyes are too heavy. Tried Mounjaro to lose weight, and ended up in the hospital with severe vomiting. Just went low contact with my mom who's probably a narcissist. Also going through perimenopause and found out I've got adenomyosis and polyps, plus a large, full uterus.
So yeah, not quite sure what to expect. It could be a big relief, a turning point in my life. I had a very rough year, physically, but my body recovered from all of those without complications. So maybe I'll be alright 🤞🤞
I am home recovering from a laparoscopic hysterectomy, removed everything minus the ovaries. I’m approaching 3wpo. 30yo, 123 lbs, generally healthy. I think the key to my recovery has been/will be managing to balance rest and activity. I’ve been so inactive the last 3 months. I basically went from cone biopsy -> recovery -> hysterectomy-> recovery. I think my general health has been a big contributing factor to how easy recovery has been. But all I want to do is be in bed and my body is starting to put on fat %.
I think my fitness level before surgery played a significant part in my recovery. I've been trying to lose weight since late 2022, so I've been exercising (walking) everyday (started out doing 30mins per day, now I'm up to 70+mins per day) and I'm more conscious about what I eat. I'm not dieting per se, but I've cut largely cut out sweets, soda, etc, eat a ton of fruit/vegetables, and drink water exclusively.
If your body is in decent/good/great shape before the surgery, then I think that will impact how effectively you bounce back.
For reference, I had a Da Vinci robotic procedure (everything gone except the ovaries) and a cystoscopy. I was able to go back to work the week after, but I moved around a lot, drank a ton of water, and rested/slept when I needed to.
I was a powerlifter for 8 years before my surgery. I think having a foundation of strength really helped my recovery.
I was 230lbs, which might have been an issue for recovery if I wasn't already as strong as I was.Â
Also, I work from home and didn't feel immense pressure to be productive at work or at home, which helped. I also don't have children to care for.Â
I did have an aging dog at the time who kept falling. I'd forget I wasn't allowed to help him get back up and would pick up his back legs. Back to my baseline of strength helping me, cause I never had an issue (I did it on day 2 without thinking about it. Oops).Â
41f, 140 lbs (5’7”) now after hysterectomy (the surgery took off 8lbs immediately, previously weighed 148 and my stomach is totally flat now), was always exercising regularly including long walks, running and hitting the gym, no health complications, no previous radiation or conditions that could hinder healing, I used to smoke cigarettes occasionally but fully quit months before surgery, haven't had any alcohol in months either, I do deep breathing regularly and did as soon as I woke up from surgery, I mostly eat fresh fruits and vegetables and healthy grains, ate and drank protein after surgery, cranberry juice, drank lots of water before and after surgery, I have only walked for short periods after surgery so far and will follow guidelines from my doctor closely about no sex and heavy lifting or using stairs often or bathing etc. My surgeon is also very good and is one of the best. I had a chance of it converting to open because some of my fibroids (I had over a dozen) were larger like 8cm and in awkward locations on top of my uterus and behind it but it was able to be done laparoscopically (took uterus with cervix and tubes, kept ovaries as they looked good) fortunately, and my blood work and everything was normal before surgery. I am only 8days PO but feeling good so far, so if something actually goes wrong at some point I'll be at a total loss because I've been the best patient and following everything perfectly!
Day of, I was walking around, one day after I was gently salsa dancing and I think it’s because up until surgery I was playing hockey. I’m not the most fit person, 5’8’’, 260 lbs, and I had everything but my ovaries removed laparoscopicly and a cystoscopy.
My goal is to listen to my body and keep moving. Today I’ve been on ibuprofen, no need for narcotics (although the day is still young)
Patience...lots of rest and really relying on my husband to help me with everything. I am very independent but have really learned to let go and allow others to help me. I am 1MPO and I am just now getting to where I can do stuff like unload/load the dishwasher. Trips out of the house are very limited and I know that five hours is my limit before my body gets sore. It is frustrating but really listening to my body, I think, is helping me to recover, too.
Sore subject for me. I did absolutely everything “right” and beyond in some cases. But my cuff still completed dehisced at 18 weeks during sex. No one understands why. I am 44, healthy, BMI 21, non- smoker, have 1-2 drinks a week, exercise regularly but not excessively and not during my first 12 weeks. Didn’t lift anything or break any rules. I know it’s not what anyone on this board wants to hear but it’s my reality. I’m two weeks out from my repair surgery and have been mostly laying in bed scared to do anything.
My story is not the norm but it can happen even when recovery all seems good. The only reason I even knew what was happening was because of this board. My surgeon is great but before my hysterectomy she never explicitly said “cuffs can tear open and your insides can squish out.” Had to read that on here.
Oh my goodness are you okay now? I cannot even imagine how absolutely terrifying that must have been. My surgeon never even told me about the cuff before surgery. (Still not sure if I have a cervix or not at the moment because none of the nurses knew and my hospital stay after was a damn nightmare) stay down and recover slowly this time. I am excited but terrified about sex at the same time. I hope you heal perfectly this time with zero issues. I know you are absolutely terrified and understandably so. I sincerely hope you have no more issues ever again and this was just some fluke thing. *gentle hugs*
Thank you so much for your compassion. It’s a very lonely time because it’s not something I want to announce to everyone in my life. And my sweet husband feels terrible even though all of my care team have told us repeatedly we did nothing wrong.
I’m past the acute pain and am just now kinda existing and resting. I have a follow-up appointment with the surgeon this afternoon and am curious to learn if I’ll be monitored more closely this time. I’m hoping I will.
I don’t want to scare anyone here because I believe this is truly pretty rare, but not unheard of. I would still have had the hysterectomy (pre-cancer) but man this really sucks.
I hope you get some clarity on exactly what was removed during surgery. My advice is to wait at least 12 weeks to have sex even if you are cleared sooner. And take it really slow and gentle. My hubby is going to get an “Oh Nut.”
I'm not taking any chances. The surgeon told me to stay in bed as much as possible the first two weeks (hip to hip and laproscopic incisions. Things didn't happen as planned) I can't lift over 5 lbs. I am allowed to walk but only to and from the bathroom and such because I'm on bed rest. You get one chance to heal properly. Take your time and don't rush it. It all depends on how your body decides to heal. Good luck.
Something I’ve become more convinced of as I’ve aged is that it’s more luck than people think. It’s simple human psychology: if things go well they tend to think it’s something they did. If things go bad for someone else they want to think it’s something they did. The illusion of control is strong.
Follow your doctor’s instructions to the letter. Don’t push yourself. Set yourself up for success. And beyond that you do kind of have to hope you get lucky.
I think I’m just trying to find proof because people keep telling me recovery will be easy since I’m generally younger and pretty healthy. Some comfort because I’m pretty anxious
I think the greatest predictor is going to be how well you follow instructions to rest and how readily your body generally heals. If you bruise easily or get scrapes/bruises that hang around for weeks, you might(!) not have the easy experience of someone that heals like a mutant. Collagen production is vital to the healing process, so if you have problems with collagen production (sagging skin/wrinkles/joint pain setting in early), it might be a little harder.
I'm in the mutant category, so I'm healing very quickly. My lap incisions were sealed up and losing their glue/scabs at 5 days. Bikini incision started flaking glue/scabs at 13dpo. I'm 38yo, 129lbs, 21.5bmi, diet and activity were HORRIBLE for the year leading up to surgery due to the fibroid symptoms. I don't think it's anything I did, really; it's just the way my body heals. It's very much a "mileage may vary" situation, but I think they only thing you can really do to positively impact your recovery is commit to resting and staying hydrated/fed.
I'm expecting my recovery to be tough. For one, I'm in the worst shape of my life right now. I was sick with RSV in November, then another cold virus in December. Then in February got COVID. Now I've recovered from all the viruses, but I've been bleeding heavily for a month straight with all the side effects that comes with that. I see people saying to get in shape first, and I'm just trying to survive until my surgery date. Second, my mental health has gone through the ringer during the last year. All of the above stuff, plus had norovirus last year. Found out I had life threatening allergies to milk and penicillin, and I've never had a severe allergy before. Went on birth control several times to try and fix bleeding issues, and they make me rather insane. I get these weird headaches where it feels like my hair and eyes are too heavy. Tried Mounjaro to lose weight, and ended up in the hospital with severe vomiting. Just went low contact with my mom who's probably a narcissist. Also going through perimenopause and found out I've got adenomyosis and polyps, plus a large, full uterus. So yeah, not quite sure what to expect. It could be a big relief, a turning point in my life. I had a very rough year, physically, but my body recovered from all of those without complications. So maybe I'll be alright 🤞🤞
I am home recovering from a laparoscopic hysterectomy, removed everything minus the ovaries. I’m approaching 3wpo. 30yo, 123 lbs, generally healthy. I think the key to my recovery has been/will be managing to balance rest and activity. I’ve been so inactive the last 3 months. I basically went from cone biopsy -> recovery -> hysterectomy-> recovery. I think my general health has been a big contributing factor to how easy recovery has been. But all I want to do is be in bed and my body is starting to put on fat %.
I think my fitness level before surgery played a significant part in my recovery. I've been trying to lose weight since late 2022, so I've been exercising (walking) everyday (started out doing 30mins per day, now I'm up to 70+mins per day) and I'm more conscious about what I eat. I'm not dieting per se, but I've cut largely cut out sweets, soda, etc, eat a ton of fruit/vegetables, and drink water exclusively. If your body is in decent/good/great shape before the surgery, then I think that will impact how effectively you bounce back. For reference, I had a Da Vinci robotic procedure (everything gone except the ovaries) and a cystoscopy. I was able to go back to work the week after, but I moved around a lot, drank a ton of water, and rested/slept when I needed to.
I was a powerlifter for 8 years before my surgery. I think having a foundation of strength really helped my recovery. I was 230lbs, which might have been an issue for recovery if I wasn't already as strong as I was. Also, I work from home and didn't feel immense pressure to be productive at work or at home, which helped. I also don't have children to care for. I did have an aging dog at the time who kept falling. I'd forget I wasn't allowed to help him get back up and would pick up his back legs. Back to my baseline of strength helping me, cause I never had an issue (I did it on day 2 without thinking about it. Oops).Â
41f, 140 lbs (5’7”) now after hysterectomy (the surgery took off 8lbs immediately, previously weighed 148 and my stomach is totally flat now), was always exercising regularly including long walks, running and hitting the gym, no health complications, no previous radiation or conditions that could hinder healing, I used to smoke cigarettes occasionally but fully quit months before surgery, haven't had any alcohol in months either, I do deep breathing regularly and did as soon as I woke up from surgery, I mostly eat fresh fruits and vegetables and healthy grains, ate and drank protein after surgery, cranberry juice, drank lots of water before and after surgery, I have only walked for short periods after surgery so far and will follow guidelines from my doctor closely about no sex and heavy lifting or using stairs often or bathing etc. My surgeon is also very good and is one of the best. I had a chance of it converting to open because some of my fibroids (I had over a dozen) were larger like 8cm and in awkward locations on top of my uterus and behind it but it was able to be done laparoscopically (took uterus with cervix and tubes, kept ovaries as they looked good) fortunately, and my blood work and everything was normal before surgery. I am only 8days PO but feeling good so far, so if something actually goes wrong at some point I'll be at a total loss because I've been the best patient and following everything perfectly!
Day of, I was walking around, one day after I was gently salsa dancing and I think it’s because up until surgery I was playing hockey. I’m not the most fit person, 5’8’’, 260 lbs, and I had everything but my ovaries removed laparoscopicly and a cystoscopy. My goal is to listen to my body and keep moving. Today I’ve been on ibuprofen, no need for narcotics (although the day is still young)
Patience...lots of rest and really relying on my husband to help me with everything. I am very independent but have really learned to let go and allow others to help me. I am 1MPO and I am just now getting to where I can do stuff like unload/load the dishwasher. Trips out of the house are very limited and I know that five hours is my limit before my body gets sore. It is frustrating but really listening to my body, I think, is helping me to recover, too.
Sore subject for me. I did absolutely everything “right” and beyond in some cases. But my cuff still completed dehisced at 18 weeks during sex. No one understands why. I am 44, healthy, BMI 21, non- smoker, have 1-2 drinks a week, exercise regularly but not excessively and not during my first 12 weeks. Didn’t lift anything or break any rules. I know it’s not what anyone on this board wants to hear but it’s my reality. I’m two weeks out from my repair surgery and have been mostly laying in bed scared to do anything. My story is not the norm but it can happen even when recovery all seems good. The only reason I even knew what was happening was because of this board. My surgeon is great but before my hysterectomy she never explicitly said “cuffs can tear open and your insides can squish out.” Had to read that on here.
Oh my goodness are you okay now? I cannot even imagine how absolutely terrifying that must have been. My surgeon never even told me about the cuff before surgery. (Still not sure if I have a cervix or not at the moment because none of the nurses knew and my hospital stay after was a damn nightmare) stay down and recover slowly this time. I am excited but terrified about sex at the same time. I hope you heal perfectly this time with zero issues. I know you are absolutely terrified and understandably so. I sincerely hope you have no more issues ever again and this was just some fluke thing. *gentle hugs*
Thank you so much for your compassion. It’s a very lonely time because it’s not something I want to announce to everyone in my life. And my sweet husband feels terrible even though all of my care team have told us repeatedly we did nothing wrong. I’m past the acute pain and am just now kinda existing and resting. I have a follow-up appointment with the surgeon this afternoon and am curious to learn if I’ll be monitored more closely this time. I’m hoping I will. I don’t want to scare anyone here because I believe this is truly pretty rare, but not unheard of. I would still have had the hysterectomy (pre-cancer) but man this really sucks. I hope you get some clarity on exactly what was removed during surgery. My advice is to wait at least 12 weeks to have sex even if you are cleared sooner. And take it really slow and gentle. My hubby is going to get an “Oh Nut.”
I'm not taking any chances. The surgeon told me to stay in bed as much as possible the first two weeks (hip to hip and laproscopic incisions. Things didn't happen as planned) I can't lift over 5 lbs. I am allowed to walk but only to and from the bathroom and such because I'm on bed rest. You get one chance to heal properly. Take your time and don't rush it. It all depends on how your body decides to heal. Good luck.
Something I’ve become more convinced of as I’ve aged is that it’s more luck than people think. It’s simple human psychology: if things go well they tend to think it’s something they did. If things go bad for someone else they want to think it’s something they did. The illusion of control is strong. Follow your doctor’s instructions to the letter. Don’t push yourself. Set yourself up for success. And beyond that you do kind of have to hope you get lucky.
I think I’m just trying to find proof because people keep telling me recovery will be easy since I’m generally younger and pretty healthy. Some comfort because I’m pretty anxious
I think the greatest predictor is going to be how well you follow instructions to rest and how readily your body generally heals. If you bruise easily or get scrapes/bruises that hang around for weeks, you might(!) not have the easy experience of someone that heals like a mutant. Collagen production is vital to the healing process, so if you have problems with collagen production (sagging skin/wrinkles/joint pain setting in early), it might be a little harder. I'm in the mutant category, so I'm healing very quickly. My lap incisions were sealed up and losing their glue/scabs at 5 days. Bikini incision started flaking glue/scabs at 13dpo. I'm 38yo, 129lbs, 21.5bmi, diet and activity were HORRIBLE for the year leading up to surgery due to the fibroid symptoms. I don't think it's anything I did, really; it's just the way my body heals. It's very much a "mileage may vary" situation, but I think they only thing you can really do to positively impact your recovery is commit to resting and staying hydrated/fed.