Hysterectomy Day and After - diary

Hi MarmiteFan59. It might be an idea to check with your insurer's re driving. I did with mine and was told the Doctor had to sign me off. I was ok to drive at 6 weeks although I felt fine earlier. 

It's just we knows in the small print what insurers will do to avoid payout.

Hugs, Barb xx

I think you may be comfortable driving but it if you need to do an emergency stop it may cause problems, I think wait at least 4 weeks.  But everyone is different, I think it was 5 weeks before my husband would let me try driving.

Hi Maggie, I appreciate that you mean well but I’ve been fortunate and my recovery has thankfully been super and, as you will see from my previous posts I’ve been walking up to an hour a day for several days, and am in no discomfort at all. I’ve not needed any pain relief since the day I came home from hospital. I could get in and out of the car without any pain/discomfort/pulling after 3-4 days, and could easily depress and release the clutch (on the driveway) after 7 days. The local woods are 200 yards up the quiet road in which I live - the odds of needing to do an emergency stop are minimal plus I’m confident I could do so.  My consultant is happy for me to drive and that’s good enough for me. Plus, I appreciate that all marriages are different, but my husband knows I’m the best judge of how I am, and wouldn’t dream of telling me what I can and can’t do (nor I him). 4-6 weeks is a guide, and people should wait if they need to, but it’s not a magical time period - the rate of healing is what’s important and some heal quicker than others. I’ve been careful, sensible and cautious throughout, but also measured, and I’d encourage anyone to do the same. 

Hi Barb, my consultant has no issue with me driving so no worries! The insurers would only be concerned if I was on any pain meds which could affect my perception/performance, or if I’d been told I can’t drive, which I haven’t (bar the first 48 hours when the anaesthetic and pain relief is still in the system). Don’t worry, though I’m being proactive I am still being sensible!

Hope I don’t offend anyone by chipping in but it is so interesting how different surgeons have  different views on recovery The day after surgery one of the first things he said was not to take any notice re lifting a kettle etc Obviously avoid heavy lifting but ti listen to your body and be as active as possible He said all activities were ok even swimming and flying and bending and stretching could help prevent adhesions developing I was laparoscopic Regarding driving he thought about two weeks but to check with insurers I did not have anticoagulant injections and was told to remove any dressings before showering and only cover if weeping I think he feels the quicker you are able to return to normality the better physically and mentally My recovery was really quick Incidently I declined pelvic radiotherapy which was offered as I was upgraded post op to stage 3A grade 3 adenocarcinoma with no LVSI and clear lymph nodes He is Australian so perhaps they have different ideas there He is the lead gynae/one surgeon for my area and I trust him completely He has given me almost eight years this summer of excellent health

wishing you all the very best of health

love and best wishes petronellaxx

Hi Petronella, for me, the main advice from the consultant, CNS nurses and ward nurses was “Listen to your body” and that’s what has been my guide. I had an emergency Caesarean section 32 years ago with my first child and remembered a lot of the recovery advice from that. It amuses me that that a hysterectomy you’re told not to lift this or that, not do this or that, yet when you have a caesarean, the incision is across the lower tummy, so a major deal, yet when you go home you’re not told to pick up your baby, who is likely to be heavier than a kettle! From 32 years ago I can remember those of us new mums who’d had a section being shouted at by one midwife from down the corridor “stand up straight” as the tendency is to hunch forward. I got shouted at, I heard others get shouted at, and though I’m not justifying the shouting approach, it did have the effect of making me remember! We were all told to get walking, be active, and we’d do the rounds of the corridors several times a day. So with my laparoscopic hysterectomy, which, though still major, is less invasive, as soon as my catheter was out I was on my feet, walking round the ward, along the corridor back and forth to the nursing station. And standing up straight. I walked 5 mins to the car when I was discharged rather than my husband going for the car and me waiting, and I walked round a 5 min block when I got home, because I wanted to. I listened to my body then, and every day - increasing to 10 mins when I felt like it and then to 15 etc. I agree that we shouldn’t overdo things - but you don’t really know that you’ve overdone it till you’ve overdone it! That’s why listening to your body is important. If I did something that even slightly made me feel a bit “whoa”, I stopped it. And tried again the next day till It worked for me.

I had one injection the evening of my op, but refused the leg cuffs, and refused the 28 days of injections. When I went to my appointment two days ago, I asked if I could stop wearing the stockings - to which the reply was “Oh! Are you still wearing them?” and then chuckles and “if you’re walking an hour a day you don’t need them” - very different to the “must wear for 28 days” I’d been told before my op. I think they’re advocated in a kind of “one size fits all” way as they can’t assume everyone will be active and have to play safe and cover those who don’t or can’t or won’t move much. They probably don’t have time to do advice tailored for each patient and also can’t afford to assume people will do what they need to. 

For your interest, as you’re comparing, when I came round from the op I had no dressings on my incisions and it stayed that way, the aim being for them to get plenty of air and dry out. One of my incisions started weeping a bit, and a day later ejected a solid piece of glue which was quite pointy, but when I phone the ward they just told me to keep it clean with a little cooled boiled salt water and not to cover it, so I used a disposable paper flannel as a pad between me and my pants until it dried up. 

My lymph nodes weren’t resectioned during my op so I don’t know if they’re clear which is why I think I need to accept.

Bless you and all the best for your future health.

Amanda 

Hello Amanda Thank you for your interesting reply It’s amazing how post op advice has changed when my mum had her babies in a private nursing home she was told she mustn’t put afoot over the side of the bed for Two weeks and rested in bed for four weeks which she was very happy to do This was to prevent a DVT !! when I had my appendix removed aged Seven I was not allowed out of bed for two weeks not easy at that age I must admit my surgeon  much as I love him is a bit over enthusiastic re post op activity I think he would have liked to have had me running on the downs soon after

I wish you the same good recovery and future good health that I have been lucky enough to have Keep doing what you feel is best for you

very kind regards petronella xx

Just to say that I’m aware I can be a bit direct, blunt even, and hope I haven’t offended anyone, but I do feel strongly that, though of course it’s nice and a good thing to be looked after, I don’t think we do ourselves any favours mentally or physically by letting people treat us (post-hysterectomy) like delicate flowers. 

Day 17 - following my wobble this morning and my good chat with one of my CNS nurses, I decided to try going to Tesco! A quiet 5 minute gentle drive and I was there, Picked a trolley type which wasn’t deep, and then proceeded to play the “I can buy it if it’s light enough for me to pick up” game! Used a self service check out, and decided it would be easier to just put things on the counter loose rather than packing them into bags which would then get heavy. More labour-intensive but safer for me. I then packed them back into the trolley and wheeled the trolley back to my car and then loaded the individual items straight into my boot. It was so good to be able to do a shop again, albeit a small one! 

Day 23 - re my laparoscopic incisions, two of them have ends of a stitch sticking out, which is normal. I was told that the ends would eventually drop off as the internal ones dissolved, Well, last night after my (shallow) bath, I noticed that both ends had got a little bit longer so I did wonder if they were working themselves out - and I woke to find that my belly button one is out completely! So another bit of progress! I’m driving but still only very locally and on quiet roads - just short distances to the shops or to the woods with the dog. I’m still being careful over lifting, and especially not bending to lift. Bowels and bladder seemed to have returned to normal - there was some slowness in peeing for a while, but that seems to have caught up now. All in all I’m delighted with my recovery but will continue to be careful and to listen to my body, as I know that things may be more likely to happen when you feel more normal and yourself.