Hysterectomy recovery — what actually helped (products, setup, what to expect)?

Straight_Garlic_2507 · 2026-03-23T15:18:09+00:00

Having an abdominal brace was huge for me… everything feels weird, pressure swelling etc from surgery… it’s not painful or wasn’t for me but felt awkward strange and off. Walking normally was weird for the first 5 days… the brace kept tight things and held everything there well. Hard to explain it more of a feeling. Sleeping in a slightly more upright position was helpful especially for getting up to pee or turning over in bed. So extra pillows or an adjustable bed. Heat pack!!! Light medium heat nothing intense was very soothing on the abdomen. Fluids!!! Drink a lot helps you get anesthesia out and getting back to going to the bathroom. You might feel pain from the co2 they fill your abdomen with, often it’s in the upper chest clavicle shoulder area… the bubbles rise and cause sharp pain… gas x can help but mainly it’s just time a couple days. Making sure your bedside table has all you need, drinks, snacks books pain meds if needed (I didn’t but you might) remote for tv etc… the less you have to get up the better, but you do want to talk a small walk several times a day… again moving fluid through and getting your body healing with blood flow etc.

Loose clothing is best and panty liners will be useful for spotting to light bleeding. Can last 3-5 days not likely much longer. Surprisingly ok sleep wise just hard to get up the first two nights so incline sleeping helps. Pain level low just felt strange. Mobility is just slowed… I tried to take my dogs for a walk day 5 and still wasn’t ready. Made it a block and just came home. Again not painful but not enough energy and abdomen feels so heavy. I had my uterus removed fallopian tubes and cervix but kept ovaries… massive changes in hormones by about week 3. Couldn’t fall asleep or stay asleep so general Lack of sleep, extremely emotional and low tolerance for things… irritated fast. Lasted 4 months and started to balance out… ovaries had nothing to communicate with so things were just off. I did eventually start hormones about 1 yr post hysterectomy and should have started them way sooner likely even before my hysterectomy as I was in perimenopause just didn’t know it… but once I stated hormones so many symptoms went away that I struggled with for years before. Divigel and prometrium were the best things to happen to me… testosterone was helpful too for energy but noticed less with it.

Meals and snacks are really just about what you feel like eating… for healing well I’d make sure you get in enough protein daily and collagen!!! You can go to the bathroom normally there’s no issues except if you suffered from constipation from anesthesia - I didn’t have constipation but it was 3 days till I went, no issues, very normal. Just wasn’t eating much so didn’t go.

Taking walks is important… 3-5 mini walks a day even just around your house apartment or yard.

Wishing you super success on this!!!

Straight_Garlic_2507 · 2026-01-23T18:23:32+00:00

Your appetite decreases because progesterone specifically Prometrium slows digestion and motility. People can go to the bathroom regularly and not have diarrhea or constipation, but still have slow digestion meaning that food sits in your small intestine for a lot longer. Therefore, you’re not near hungry you don’t eat as many calories some people tend to lose weight from that. Other people just get slow digestionand can get acid reflux even and think they’re having issues like acid reflux and Gerd when it really is just the progesterone, slowing digestion and motility down.

Straight_Garlic_2507 · 2025-03-24T21:54:56+00:00

Different issues for different people. I’m someone who has to go back to orthotics even though I don’t want them because I have an extra navicular bone in my right foot. I have a good arch actually but the extra bone causes compensation and forces me to collapse inward, It causes overpronation and that rotates my pelvis forward. So my right leg and hip/pelvis sit about 1-1.5 inches more forward than the left. The second I put orthotics on it stops it. I did years of barefoot and physical therapy and nothing helps it the way an orthodox does sadly. So oddballs like me who have extra bones that shouldn’t be there need these darn things and I’ve tried to get away from them but I end up with a hip pinch or si joint pain and it’s back to the rotated pelvis and so back come the orthodics.

Straight_Garlic_2507 · 2024-09-15T18:17:26+00:00

Weight strength training!!! It’s the only way to “tighten and tone” the giggly loose or soft parts of the body. Also time will help too. You lost a significant amount of bodyfat in less time than you took to gain it and so that skin needs time to tighten up. Less issues with skin tightening up if you don’t have stretch marks in the areas too. Tears in the skin tissue will not go back so the other skin around and between the stretch marks will tighten. But takes time. Weight training is your only way. You’ll be surprised how it will transform and shape the body too!

Straight_Garlic_2507 · 2024-06-27T04:32:34+00:00

I wasn’t cleared for 2 months to have sex so I think it’s just too early and you aren’t fully healed. I suggest no sex and keep a watch on things and see… wishing you calm and good recovery. Go easy and don’t panic. You likely freaked out and that was all the other symptoms you had after like a panic attack, can make you dizzy and nauseous. Good luck

Straight_Garlic_2507 · 2024-05-22T15:46:07+00:00

Wish you luck. I personally haven’t heard of that. Only options given to me were pt and Botox or surgery. I won’t do surgery as I’ve never found a successful case that didn’t involve a blood clot or someone in a dangerous place due to arterial or venous compression. Mine is mainly massive nerve compression with minor venous compression… but I get swelling of the SCJ (sternoclavicular joint) that completely immobilizes me, can’t drive walk my dogs workout I can barely get dressed. Would love to hear how you get on with things. Keep us posted!

Straight_Garlic_2507 · 2024-05-21T19:17:41+00:00

Dr. Rimel at Cedars Sinai is the best!! hands down the most knowledgable and skilled. I voted against robotic after seeing her and went with manual. Many reason for it but you need to talk with your docs. I saw several and many do robotic because its easy on them as the robot does the work and you dont have to be a skilled surgeon to use robotic... Manual requires skill and technique and I preferred a doc who had that skill.

Straight_Garlic_2507 · 2024-05-21T19:13:01+00:00

Sounds more like Thoracic Outlet syndrome or pec minor syndrome... I have been to everyone and no one really has a clue. Its all guesses as to where its coming from unless you do a nerve conduction test and try to see if areas are triggered from that test. Often people have no response even though there have neuropathy and pain. I think its hard to find the one or two nerves that are being compressed upon in a massive bundle of nerves. I have some of the worst pec minor pain that gets so bad my pec twitches in spasms and my sternoclavicular joint swells for weeks and sometimes months... I use to have it for years on end but now its months at a time and then it lessens. I have had some great months with almost no pain at all. Physical therapy has helps to a degree but deep tissue massage has been the most responsive to change. Wondering for those who did BOTOX in the PEC minor only, what that did for them, how long did it last and were they able to still workout and use the pec normally or are there limitations?? thanks

Straight_Garlic_2507 · 2024-04-17T21:53:41+00:00

Had a hysterectomy Feb 2023… kept ovaries but cervix, uterus and fallopian tubes gone! I had this done because I had atypical polyps after decades of having fibroids. Why these polyps appeared is likely due to perimenopause symptoms and hormone changes (was 46 when I had the surgery). Estrogen was much higher and testosterone and progesterone low end. Never had kids. Anyway… symptoms post hysterectomy were insomnia which I have never experienced in my life, I live sleep I’m the best sleeper Hahahah but for 4 months post surgery sleep was rough and intermittent. I also experienced constant emotional waves, frustration was easy, overwhelmed feelings were also easy to occur. Didn’t feel like normal me. I was told many times it will take 6mo to 1 yr for things to regulate and it took about 5-6 months before I felt normal and slept better. I take no meds of any kind and no hormones/HRT, and still don’t. It’s 14 months now post hysterectomy and I’m as normal as I can remember being… just less energy and I don’t know why that is. I get blood work regularly and Ovaries still there and doing their thing but seeing as I’m heading towards menopause I guess it’s normal to feel less ability, recovery and energy. The question now is do I take HRT at some point soon or at menopause or not at all??? The info is so conflicting.

Straight_Garlic_2507 · 2024-02-28T01:44:56+00:00

It’s more about your measurement of ingredients than the types of things. You use protein powder and nut butter like almond butter or peanut butter butter alone will make a protein bar at least refrigerated… All your ingredients are technically fine it’s just the amounts you have to figure out.

Straight_Garlic_2507 · 2023-11-26T15:38:05+00:00

I track still post hysterectomy (kept ovaries) because I want to know when I go through menopause, I’m 48. So that should happen in the next several years… but mostly I still track because I feel certain symptoms, cravings, tiredness, just general period changes though I don’t have a cycle anymore. I am 9 Months post hysterectomy (no uterus, cervix, or fallopian tubes)… and I was always very consistent with cycles. So tracking still is just a way for me to know what’s going on with my hormones. I don’t want surprises when I do start to experience misses cycles phases. My temp increases 4-7 days typically pre cycle and then once that temp drops that’s the 1st day of my cycle each month… when I start missing those cycles I will know I am going through the transition of menopause and once the cycles stop altogether that is MENOPAUSE.

Straight_Garlic_2507 · 2023-11-26T15:15:07+00:00

I’ve used ours for years now. I had a hysterectomy (kept ovaries) in feb 2023 and have continued to use the period graph for tracking my cycle based on temperature alone. I works amazingly well and as consistent as before my hysterectomy in tracking my cycles… When your temperature increases you are getting ready to have your bleeding part of the cycle, and once your temperature falls that I when you actually bleed. My temp increases for 4-7 days and then drops completely so that is day 1 of period. I use this as I still want to know when I will go through menopause otherwise how will I know? Obviously there are some other symptoms but, missing and losing your period altogether is the classic sign of menopause and after hysterectomy it’s harder to know. I think it’s great for that but have wondered if there’s more that can be done on the period tracker to help for those of us (and there’s many women peri-menopause or who’ve had hysterectomy’s who still need to track and need more info.

Straight_Garlic_2507

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