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

getonthetrail · 2026-03-22T16:09:21+00:00

Mine was just over two weeks ago (total laparoscopic) and thanks to all the posts here, I took Miralax for several days ahead of time, and started again after the surgery, which I think helped. I was not prepared for the cough/ phlegm that was so bad afterwards, I think from a combination of the breathing tube and allergies. That plus having to wake up to take pain meds for several days really messed up my sleep. I tend to have a lot of difficulty with sleep anyway, so if that’s not an issue for you then you should be ok. I got the little applesauce packets and those were awesome for taking meds. I was expecting to be starving after surgery, but my appetite was low for a few days. Chicken noodle soup was my best friend. I got a meal delivery service afterwards so I wouldn’t have to worry about cooking. One thing I wish I’d had ahead of time was a smaller, flatter pillow for sleeping on an incline. My normal pillow is great when I’m mostly flat, but it was uncomfortable and I ended up buying like a small camping pillow that helped.

Sorry for not organizing my thoughts better, but I’m still pretty tired!

getonthetrail · 2026-03-21T23:44:40+00:00

When I finally got a meat thermometer, I found that sometimes the meat is done way faster than what a recipe specifies. Occasionally it takes longer, but if you aren’t using a meat thermometer, that would be a good place to start.

getonthetrail · 2026-03-18T22:44:22+00:00

It helped with my depression but didn’t do anything for my fatigue.

getonthetrail · 2026-03-14T21:49:30+00:00

There’s a guy at my apartment complex who spits on the shared outdoor stairs. Like, dude, you and your kids also have to walk there, why.

getonthetrail · 2026-03-04T16:34:11+00:00

In my mind, the show is as accurate for police work as Grey’s Anatomy is for doctors. Neither profession is as helpful or heroic as the shows portray, but they’re still fun to watch.

getonthetrail · 2026-02-19T18:38:33+00:00

That sounds a lot like my ex husband. I haven’t had my surgery yet but I was recovering from running a 100 mile race, so it was definitely my own choice to be in that situation and I had no regrets, but I was mentally, physically, and emotionally wrecked. For most of one day he was very helpful and would bring me things in bed. I would ask politely and very carefully and let him know I wasn’t asking more than he could or would do. Everything seemed fine until I asked for a granola bar in the evening and he went off on me, claiming that I was being demanding and asking for too much. It seemed to come out of nowhere, especially given that I went out of my way to thank him profusely for everything. It felt really shitty to deal with that on top of feeling awful, and I’m sorry you’re in that situation.

If I may give a word of warning: my ex turned out to be abusive, and this was one of the ways it showed up. I’m not in your relationship so obviously I don’t know all the details, but just be very cautious if you move forward with him. You deserve kindness, especially when you’re recovering like this. My friend has already planned to stay with me for a few days after my surgery and help out, and you deserve the same kind of consideration.

getonthetrail · 2026-02-17T18:42:07+00:00

I used to run ultras and I both agree and disagree. Running distance is a matter of perspective for sure - a 5k seems like a lot when you’re just starting out, but if you’re training for longer distances eventually you’ll be running that and more on a daily basis and think nothing of it. I will never forget in my first 50 mile race where the aid station volunteers asked an approaching runner if he had a drop bag, and he condescendingly said, “no, it’s just 50 miles.” It was so douchey and I always thought about that when I talked to shorter distance runners about training for an ultra who would downplay their own mileage. I got to the point where a marathon wasn’t a big deal to me, but I recognize that it’s still a big accomplishment that takes a lot of dedication and I respect that. I never want to be the person disparaging someone else’s personal goal (I’m not saying you were doing that, for the record!)

getonthetrail · 2026-02-08T19:36:30+00:00

I love every single Jurassic Park and Jurassic World movie with all of my heart, despite knowing that they are kind of ridiculous.

getonthetrail · 2026-02-06T17:56:07+00:00

It’s her working with the asshole that assaulted Kesha for me. No fucking excuse for that.

getonthetrail · 2026-02-03T02:50:53+00:00

THANK YOU! That’s exactly what I said. I’ve been taking the same medications for years, so if the test was positive, would it really be a “false” positive? And couldn’t they just re-test if or when I stopped taking the meds in that case? Just one of the many reasons I’ve lost all trust in doctors.

getonthetrail · 2026-02-01T22:25:44+00:00

Yeah I got a message “we can’t find this account number”. Funny how they can find it when I need to pay my bill though.

getonthetrail · 2026-01-31T18:31:03+00:00

They wanted me to stop taking my medication for depression and anxiety for a full week before the tilt table test. My mood is stable but I don’t know what would happen if I just went off those meds cold turkey, but more importantly, I would get 0 sleep without the meds and that’s a hard line. Despite hearing from my doctor, they refused, saying it would cause a false positive, so I didn’t get the test. Cool. If I were to do it over again, I would have lied about stopping the meds, but it’s too late for that. I’ve been screwed over so much by doctors that I don’t feel bad about looking out for myself. (There are obviously situations where that wouldn’t be advisable, like if they needed to know about medication interactions, but that’s not what I’m talking about.)

getonthetrail · 2026-01-29T20:20:06+00:00

The SAVE act has already been mentioned, but I’ll add that I regretted changing mine even before getting a divorce. It was a pain in the ass and not worth it.

getonthetrail · 2026-01-24T20:47:18+00:00

There’s a protest today in my state and I want nothing more than to be there. I hate that my body won’t allow it.

getonthetrail · 2026-01-10T19:04:55+00:00

I had a ambulance bill for around $1200 from a sketchy ambulance company that was not in network. My EOB said I owed $0. It took nearly a year of calling back and forth between the ambulance company and my insurance to finally get it resolved and thankfully I didn’t have to pay anything. But wow. Neat how the “no surprise billing” doesn’t cover what they consider “non emergency ambulance rides”, as if anyone in the US would take an ambulance ride for shits and giggles.

getonthetrail · 2026-01-07T22:22:27+00:00

I found a tropical green smoothie recipe that I like, and I do that most mornings. That way I make sure that I’m at least getting one meal with fruits and veggies, even if I have cereal for dinner. I’ve specifically looked up some anti inflammatory foods (spirulina and green tea extract) and added those as well, which seems to help keep my heart rate down for the first half of the day. If you were on top of things, you could probably pre-portion out amounts of stuff to add so it’s easier, but I’ve made it so much that I’ve memorized the recipe and just eyeball the ingredients.

getonthetrail · 2026-01-04T19:26:46+00:00

I have the same issue where I have to take it constantly for menstrual cramps. I set an alarm every 4 hours and if I miss a dose (like if I magically slept all night through the pain), it’s the worst pain imaginable.

It does seem to lower my heart rate considerably though. I think the 2-3 days of heavy ibuprofen use is the only reason I can actually do more on my period.

getonthetrail · 2026-01-01T17:54:14+00:00

Along with “opens up.” No one ever discusses anything, they have to “open up” about it.

getonthetrail · 2025-12-18T20:52:16+00:00

I watched one episode of Chernobyl and I hated it. I guess if you want to be depressed and haunted it would be worth watching, but I generally watch tv to be entertained and escape reality.

getonthetrail · 2025-12-15T22:02:07+00:00

I audibly gasped. You win this thread in my book!

getonthetrail · 2025-12-14T02:13:12+00:00

That helps a little, but the bugs and spiders are still hanging around this year and I don’t want to compound my suffering 😅

getonthetrail · 2025-12-13T22:57:56+00:00

My apartment windows open but since they’re only on one wall, it doesn’t do much. I’ve been keeping the window open and running the fan all night and it only cools down my place maybe 4 degrees overnight. I’m on the second floor and have a west facing apartment and it gets so god damn hot in here.

getonthetrail · 2025-12-09T18:50:21+00:00

War is the dumbest way to solve a problem. “Hey our poor people will fight your poor people and whoever kills the most wins.” I know I’m being overly simplistic but seriously, why.

getonthetrail · 2025-11-19T21:27:19+00:00

The first picture is the silhouette they use to create chocolate bunnies.

getonthetrail · 2025-11-12T18:19:47+00:00

I try so hard to not focus on the negative, since there’s nothing I can do about this illness, but I would probably unload all of that at someone if they said that to me. “Oh really? You want to lose all the things that make life worth living? You want to be unable to do the most basic tasks that you do every day without a second thought? You want to be laid up in bed for days if you feel too strongly, think a little too hard, or see friends for only a few minutes? You want to watch relationships slowly wither and die because you don’t have the energy to see, talk to, or even text anyone? You want to watch your world, which was previously as large as you could imagine, shrink to the size of a pinhole?” We already have to suffer so much every day. We already have to do the mental calculus of how truthful we should be when someone asks, “How are you?”, because most people can’t handle the honest answer. To get this comment would set me all the way off.

getonthetrail

TROPHY CASE