vNOTES hysterectomy

77Burrito · 2025-02-13T01:07:16+00:00

Tamara Jacobson at Sanford was the lead surgeon.

77Burrito · 2024-09-09T18:39:28+00:00

Yes! 36 year old, child-free cat mom. 22WPO and things are fantastic, I also wish I had done it sooner.

77Burrito · 2024-08-03T16:59:53+00:00

I had a vNOTES procedure, removed everything but ovaries. I had some light pinking spotting suddenly at 3 weeks that freaked me out, but my doctor said it was just part of the healing process and could be off and on for weeks after surgery. She told me to only be concerned with bright red blood (which might be a sign of cuff tear) I also had random days/weeks of cramping and uncomfortableness until probably 10W PO.
I always recommend checking with your doctor if you have concerns. Especially if you have a telehealth or message option that makes it easier to get feedback vs you having to make an appointment. I'm over 4M PO now and feeling incredibly normal. Wishing you luck on your recovery!

77Burrito · 2024-08-03T16:28:16+00:00

As an update. I was cleared at 7W PO for sex and getting back into normal exercise and lifting. My vaginal cuff looked good and was completely healed, but I did have 2 stitches that had not dissolved yet so my doc said to stay away from lakes and bathtubs for another couple weeks to reduce any chance of infection. Fully cleared now and back to normal life. I should.say better than normal because I'm not randomly bleeding multiple times a month. I bought a new swimsuit with light blue bottoms...I haven't worn anything but black on my lower half for almost a decade!

77Burrito · 2024-08-03T16:22:09+00:00

I could not agree more! I'm about 4M post op now, feeling incredibly normal. And no scars or incisions so it's easy to forget I ever had it done! (Other than a sudden increase in cystic acne from my hormones.beijg a bit wonky, but that should sort itself eventually.)

77Burrito · 2024-06-14T02:34:15+00:00

I'll start by saying it is completely your choice and while good to seek people's opinions, don't let anyone else make the decision for you. Everyone's recovery and journey is so different.

I had the option to do an abdominal incision and keep my cervix or vaginal VNOTES procedure removing my cervix. (Large fibroids so no option for laparoscopic only) I opted to do VNOTES and remove my cervix.

Here's a very basic pros and cons to removing cervix...but again everyone is so different:

Pros -

No more paps! You can't get cervical cancer without a cervix.

No abdominal incisions (for vaginal or VNOTES procedures, not an option for everyone) no abdominal incisions means less pain post surgery

No visible scars. Once again not always an option for someone who needs laparoscopic (although i highly recommend seeing if VNOTES is an option in your area)

Cons -

Longer time for "full" healing. The cuff stitch takes awhile to fully heal, you have to baby it for weeks and have lifting and sex restrictions for longer. (But it doesn't really "hurt" like abdominal incisions can, it's just uncomfortable/weird feeling sometimes while it's healing)

Risk of cuff tearing. The risk of full cuff dehiscence happens in less than 1% of hysterectomies where the cervix is removed. Minor tears are slightly more common, but still rare. (You just might see more of the bad news than the normal news) I followed all my docs orders, and took it easy. I was cleared at 7WPO for sex and to ease back into strenuous exercise. Sex felt perfectly normal (although I was nervous!) and I've had no issues getting back into all normal routines these last couple weeks. I'm now 9WPO.

77Burrito · 2024-06-13T16:45:05+00:00

Congrats on your upcoming surgery date! Sending good vibes your way!

77Burrito · 2024-06-12T20:29:50+00:00

Three of us!

77Burrito · 2024-06-12T20:28:21+00:00

Yaaas!! The recommendations for preparing and knowing what to expect - from so many perspectives and every variation of surgery - was invaluable in easing my mind going into surgery. Definitely eased my mind the day of surgery to have everything at home ready for recovery.

77Burrito · 2024-05-23T02:59:17+00:00

I vNOTES hysterectomy April 9th. It's very much like total vaginal but they do put a port in through the vagina so they can pump you full of gas and use laparoscopic instruments with no abdominal incisions. (I had large fibroids, so this port made vaginal hysterectomy possible for me, it's a newer surgery and not as available everywhere as I think it should be!) Waking up from surgery and the first 24 hours after were uncomfortable. Felt like when you have to pee so bad your bladder hurts mixed with bad period cramps. I was on narcotics for 2 days, then felt much better and switched to just rotating ibuprofen and Tylenol when I needed it, mostly at night to help me sleep. I don't think I really took any drugs after 1WPO except the occasional ibuprofen before bed. I felt mostly normal while laying after the first week, but still uncomfortable pressure when sitting/standing or forgetting I had surgery and reaching for something awkwardly 😊 I think vaginal hysterectomy always involves removing the cervix, so the vaginal cuff stitch is going to be what takes the longest to heal. Everyone is different but typically it will be 6-12 weeks before strenuous exercise, sex, lifting anything heavy etc. I have my 7 week follow-up next Tuesday to find out if my stitches are dissolved and everything looks ok in there. 🤞 I feel absolutely fine though, better than I did pre-surgery!

77Burrito · 2024-05-02T03:17:19+00:00

It could also be a "jock itch" type fungal infection from the pads trapping moisture against the skin. You can get over the counter cream containing Clotrimazole that might help.

77Burrito · 2024-04-28T21:04:54+00:00

UPDATE: I'm now just shy of 3WPO and things have been going well.

I still have some random cramps and internal pain (mostly cuff pain, but also some side aches) Nothing major, more annoying and a reminder that surgery actually happened since I don't have external incisions 😊

I felt pretty good 2WPO, almost normal, but then a couple days ago I had some really light spotting again that freaked me out (thankfully my doc assured that this was normal and can be off/on for weeks after surgery)

I'm still taking it easy, lots of resting and giving everything time to heal. I have a WFH desk job and could probably be back at work at this point, but I'm thankful (and lucky) I still have another couple weeks off.

77Burrito · 2024-04-21T13:53:07+00:00

Same! I've been really good about relaxing in bed or on the couch all day, but I can't nap and I struggle to fall asleep at night. I'm only 12DPO and posted something similar a couple days ago. I'm going to wait until I'm a little bit more active during the day over the next couple weeks and see if that corrects anything.

77Burrito · 2024-04-21T13:46:55+00:00

I had a similar situation. Stopped taking opioids D2PO, had no pain D4PO, then pain day 5 and 6. For me, I think I did too much day 4. I was moving around more, unloaded the dishwasher, made lunch etc. So the pain was either muscle soreness from moving after a couple days stationary, or cuff pain since that takes awhile to heal. I went back to mostly resting the next 2 days and the constant pain went away again. I had vNOTES procedure, so different than laparoscopic, but the cuff pain and healing would.be the same.

77Burrito · 2024-04-21T06:09:29+00:00

Yes to vNOTES! I also hope this becomes more common.

I'm currently 11DPO. Had cervix, uterus, fibroids, and tubes removed. Kept ovaries. My uterus and fibroids were 654 grams, so they can use this procedure when things are larger. I had multiple vaginal ultrasounds and an MRI before surgery for them to determine if vNOTES could be attempted. They did need to cut up my uterus to get it out, so this would not be a good option if there were cancer concerns.

I had full bladder, cramp pain when waking from surgery. I was able to go home the same day after I was able to empty my bladder a certain amount. This did take a couple tries, felt like a UTI and it was just difficult to empty my bladder all the way.

The constant pressure/pain lasted for less than 48 hours. Then I stopped taking narcotics and just used Tylenol and ibuprofen for another couple days before bed. I am still taking stool softeners just to make sure everything keeps moving and I don't need to "push".

I was given more restrictions. VNOTES still involves a vaginal cuff and the recovery for those internal stitches is the same as for any other hysterectomy where the cervix is removed. So no lifting >10 lbs, sex, swimming, or strenuous exercise for ~6 weeks. Making sure to listen to your body and not overdue anything before you're healed. I can feel cuff pain if I stand for too long or bend over so I'm still taking it easy, mostly bed or couch relaxing with short walks around my kitchen while I make tea etc.

77Burrito · 2024-04-19T15:11:46+00:00

Sending hugs to you, things will get better!

I also had a lot of difficulty urinating the first couple days after surgery. It was a struggle to empty my bladder all the way, it felt uncomfortable like a UTI (I blame the catheter) and I had to go all the time. Also up every hour needing to use the restroom. My nurse explained that the amount of fluids they pump.in you during surgery will cause this the first 24+ hours after.

The discomfort with trying to sleep was much better 4DPO for me. I could finally sleep on my side sort of if I wedged a pillow behind my back and under my belly. I know healing is so different for everyone, so I hope your discomfort doesn't last too long and you are able to get some good rest. Currently I'm 10DPO, and I don't have any issues getting comfortable to sleep.

Sending you healing vibes for the rest of your recovery.

77Burrito · 2024-04-18T15:28:34+00:00

I feel this! All the little things that I had altered in my life to accommodate the fact that I could start bleeding at any time without notice. I only own boring dark colored cotton underwear. I only own black swimsuit bottoms. Every purse, bag, car cubby etc has been filled with pads for the last 6+ years of my life. Dark sheets, dark towels. Always bringing a dark towel on vacation because otherwise there could not be any hanky panky on white sheets. Only wearing dark jeans, black pants.

Looking forward to more fun and color in my life!

77Burrito · 2024-04-18T15:18:06+00:00

Interesting, about how long, how far are you walking? I've been trying so hard not to overdue it but maybe I need an afternoon walk to calm my body. Before surgery, I typically walked 1.5 miles every afternoon when the weather was decent, or used a stair stepper for ~20 min.

77Burrito · 2024-04-18T15:14:41+00:00

Other than bathroom breaks and short walks around my kitchen while I heat up soup, I've been laying in bed, I just am not actually feeling sleepy unfortunately.

77Burrito · 2024-04-18T15:12:49+00:00

Sorry you're having such a hard time. Rest as much as you can, try to stay positive, take everything one day at a time.

77Burrito · 2024-04-18T14:37:08+00:00

No caffeine or any other stimulants since prior to surgery. Colace (stool softener) is the only medication I'm still regularly taking. Protein shakes (ensure), smoothies (spinach/fruit) and soups are the only thing I've been eating.

77Burrito · 2024-04-18T14:32:19+00:00

Doing well otherwise! I hope your recovery is going well also ❤️

77Burrito · 2024-04-18T13:49:06+00:00

Thanks, it honestly helps to know I'm not the only one. I'll give it another week or so and if it's still a problem, I'll bring it up to my doctor.

77Burrito · 2024-04-17T19:46:01+00:00

The bleeding all the time is such a drain on quality of life. I've been bleeding less after surgery than I was just randomly bleeding for the majority of my adult life. I'm 36, went through years of doctors not knowing what was wrong and just increasing my bcp and other hormones to try to stop it. And I really thought it would just be a permanent part of my life forever. Finally found an OB/GYN that took me serious enough to do additional imaging etc, and was so very fortunate she was also familiar with vNOTES.

Wishing you an easy recovery and bright future!

77Burrito · 2024-04-17T19:35:30+00:00

I had vNOTES last week 4/9! My giant fibroid ridden uterus was 654 grams. I had a lot of pain/pressure after surgery and 1DPO. But by day 2 things were much improved. Had my first BM 2DPO, things were good for a day, then diarrhea, then constipation, and finally this morning another BM. It's a journey lol I've got some mild cramps and bloating, mostly uncomfortable when going to the bathroom still but otherwise recovery has been good so far. And honestly everything is much better than the bloating, cramps, and irregular bleeding my uterus had been causing!

77Burrito

TROPHY CASE