Womb cancer - full hysterectomy date 7/8/24

Hi Larn86

Welcome to the Womb group.

I am sorry to hear of your diagnosis of womb cancer but am pleased that it seems to have been caught at an early stage. 

I also felt nervous before the surgery and this is very natural. However I did find the surgery was straight forward, I had little pain and recovered quickly. It was a case of resting up and listening to my body. No lifting. I went home the day after my surgery.

Recovery was ok. I was able to walk around the bed within a couple of hours. The next morning I was walking up and down the ward- slowly but comfortably. I was walking around my garden the following day and then started short walks daily. I didn't need any pain relief other than paracetamol for the first day home. 

I just felt relieved to be honest that the cancer had been removed. It was a bit worrying waiting for the post op pathology to come back and mine came back at around 3 1/2 weeks. 

I think the thing to remember is that although it is a massive thing for us, for the hospital it is a very routine and safe surgery and they do them all the time. They would not be doing it if they did not feel it was the best thing to do.

If talking things through would help, then please do give the Support Line a call- the details are below.

In the meantime if there is anything you would like to ask, please do so.

Jane.

Thank you so much for your reply. 

I’m very lucky it was found so early and I am truly grateful to my gynaecologist for actually listening to me and not fobbing me off with the usual line of your just overweight loose weight and it will get better. Just like 3 gynaecologists before him told me. 

the bit I’m worried about really is the recovery. I have a little boy who is constantly on the go and doesn’t really understand why mommy won’t be able to do as much as normal. Yes he’s 7 so can do a lot for him self but still what 7 year old gets mommy’s got to have an operation to remove cancer. Not that I have told him it’s cancer me and my husband didn’t want to scare him. 

reading your reply has made me feel a little less anxious about it though so thank you for that I really appreciate it. 

I realise everyone has a slightly different experience after hysterectomy and I'm quite new to this. I'm over 60 and had mine on Tuesday and home the next day. I could potter along to the hospital toilet before I came home and am walking a little way a couple of times a day. I was very anxious beforehand but felt better for sharing that I was in a state!  I've found this forum great. No question too trivial and great support. 

I would expect your recovery to go smoothly as you are younger than a lot of the ladies on here. It can be hard for younger children to understand and they are normally full of beans when they are 7. Have you got friends with children who can take him for a few hours if needed- to give you a chance to rest- or take him to the park to let off steam perhaps?

I am sure he will be fine and will understand that Mum needs to take it easy- and it may be this summer that things are a little different but it wont be for ever. Within a week I would have been ok to walk to the local park and sit while my nephew played- if that helps. Maybe you would be able to meet up with school friends and Mums. Maybe also do things when your husband is home so he can take over if you find it too tiring or need to rest. Movie nights with pop corn etc could happen during the day so you are doing something together that he would enjoy but not too strenuous for you. 

I did find after the op I was emotional for a while- I don't know how much was from the anaesthetic, the surgery or just from processing it all. So you may find your feel a bit all over the place for a few days- but again- this is normal. 

Jane

Thank you Jane. I think just talking about it helps and knowing I’m not the only one who’s been through this. 
yeah I have a really good support system in place family and friends who will happily have my little one for a few hours I am very lucky. 
inwill try and do as much as I can as I don’t want him to miss out on fun with mommy as my job is full on when I’m back and fully fit I’m going to treasure this time off with him.

Alana x

Sounds like you have lots of support. Good Luck for Wednesday- I am sure you will be well looked after. My hospital were brilliant. 

My recovery from my hysterectomy was MUCH easier than I'd feared.

I had it done by robotic laparoscopy and I spent one night in hospital. This was at the end of May this year.

I was very scared before the operation but I think that's normal. I took the time before the op to treat myself to some new baggy clothes, books, audio books, puzzle books and colouring supplies. I didn't use all of them in my recovery but it was nice to feel like I had some activities I'd be able to do pretty much straight away. I prepared for all eventualities with a fluffy hot water bottle and a portable fan. 

After the op they made me stay in bed for a few hours, and once I'd had a rest and something to eat and drink they helped me up so I could walk to the toilet. That first day and night it was a bit difficult to sit up and move around comfortably. 

I had some pain in the few days after the operation but it was perfectly manageable with paracetamol, and after a week or so I wasn't taking anything (the hospital sent me home with codeine in case I needed it but I never touched it).

Dressings came off after a couple of days, stitches dissolved over the course of a week or two, and the incisions have given me no trouble at all. 

For four weeks after discharge I had to wear compression stockings and inject myself with blood thinners twice a day. The injections were daunting but the nurse at the hospital showed me how to do them and once I'd done a couple it was fine.

The first week or two after the operation I mostly stayed in, took lots of naps and the occasional potter around the garden. It's important both to move when you can and to let your body rest when it needs to. 

I took 6 weeks off work and then my work have arranged a phased return which I'm still going through, building up my hours each week. If push came to shove and I had to go straight back full time then I think I could manage it, but the cancer and the operation on top of other health problems I've had this year mean that I'm struggling a lot with fatigue so it's helping me to gradually build up some resilience.

I got my results about 3 weeks after the op - grade 1, stage 1 a. Then I started HRT shortly after that. Menopause-wise I've had hot flushes but no other symptoms really and the HRT is helping with that.

All in all, it's been a scary time but it was the right thing to do and it's all gone about as well as it could have done.

I hope yours goes as smoothly as mine did! 

Thank you for your reply. 

glad to hear your operation all went well and recovery was better than you expected. 

im not good with the doing nothing and letting people do things for me but I’m going tO try my best. As much as I can anyway. 

nice to know you where able to move about with out the need for string painkillers abs your now back on your way to work and normality. 

thank you again just packing my bag for operation tomorrow abs trying to stay calm. 

xx

I had my op on a Saturday lunchtime, was in recovery 3.30-4.30, then up on the ward after that. I had some pain which I believed it was from the catheter but was told it was more likely to be bladder discomfort from the op. I was offered pain relief - but when I found out it was morphine I refused. I managed on paracetamol for the night - had my catheter removed at 6am, hopped out of bed, started walking around and didn’t go back to bed at all! Nor did I need any more pain relief from then on. When I went home (lunchtime Sunday) I went for a 5 min walk, took paracetamol at bedtime “just in case” but didn’t need it. Didn’t need any pain relief the next day, took paracetamol that night, but didn’t take any more after that. Will be thinking of you tomorrow! 

That’s amazing you were up and about so soon. Fingers crossed I’m the same. 

thank you that’s kind if you

hope the test if your recovery goes well.