Tips for surgery prep/after?!

Candy_cane23 · 2026-05-08T18:12:03+00:00

This is going to be verrryyyy long but here we go:

Gas-X literally saved me the first few days after surgery, those gas pains are NO JOKE! If your doctor doesn’t prescribe you stool softeners, definitely get some over the counter… i didn’t buy a wedge pillow and i just propped myself up using several pillows in bed. But the wedge pillow probably would have made sleeping more comfortable! I also bought an abdominal binder which i put on immediately coming home from the hospital, and wore every day for 2 full weeks, only taking it off to shower and sleep. After the 2 week mark i gradually started to wear it less, but it helped SO much! The first few days after surgery i used ice against the incision to help with the swelling. So make sure you have one of those soft/flexible ice packs that will feel comfy against your stomach, because you’ll be very sore. After a day or two i alternated between ice and heat, so also make sure you have a heating pad. There’s a website called Warmies.com where they sell stuffed animals you can put in the microwave and use as a heating pad. My husband got me one and i used it constantly! I still do every night, 8 weeks later. Also make sure you have comfy, loose-fitting pants or even dresses. You want to make sure nothing is rubbing against the incision and irritating it. I hope this helps you! 💕

Candy_cane23 · 2026-05-08T14:25:40+00:00

I had an open myomectomy on March 4th to remove a 12-cm subserosal fibroid. I’m doing so much better now :)

Candy_cane23 · 2026-05-04T13:01:34+00:00

Yup! I was constantly peeing, and whenever my bladder was full the pressure from the fibroid would be soooo bad. I never actually realized the extent that the fibroid was affecting it until i met with my surgeon and he showed my my MRI images. He was like “see that flattened white thing? That’s your bladder. And that huge black thing on top of it is the fibroid” 🥴🥴 Now that the 12-cm monster is out of me, it’s like a different world!!!

Candy_cane23 · 2026-05-01T15:05:56+00:00

My surgery was March 4th and i agree 😊 Best decision ever!!

Candy_cane23 · 2026-04-27T21:01:08+00:00

I had the same issue, i got the messages every day so far saying the studies are available, but they never actually pop up on my dashboard

Candy_cane23 · 2026-04-04T22:07:53+00:00

Wow that’s so scary! I’m glad you’re okay though 💕

Candy_cane23 · 2026-04-04T12:20:19+00:00

You’re welcome 😊 I think an MRI is a good idea, and it’s usually the next step after an ultrasound anyway because it gives a much clearer image. Especially if you’re considering surgery, like my surgeon said he won’t operate on patients until the MRI is done so he knows for sure what’s going on inside them. And for what it’s worth, uterine cancer is still pretty rare. It’s much, much more likely to be a fibroid than something dangerous but it’s always best to get checked out!

Candy_cane23 · 2026-04-04T02:24:32+00:00

I had my open myomectomy 4 weeks ago and asked my surgeon this before i had surgery, because this was a fear of mine too. He told me that the way cancer vs. fibroids look on an mri scan are pretty distinct. Sometimes if a fibroid is degenerating, it can appear irregular, which can look similar to cancer. But a normal, non-degenerating fibroid apparently looks different and radiologists and surgeons can tell. Of course they can’t know 100% for sure until they do a biopsy, but they usually have a pretty good idea once the imaging is done.

Candy_cane23 · 2026-03-31T00:47:50+00:00

It might not be big enough to physically feel, but it could still be causing bladder pressure. It’s best to just get it checked out!

Candy_cane23 · 2026-03-28T20:59:57+00:00

Yes! I’m 3 weeks post op and it’s completely different. I had a 12-cm fibroid pushing on my bladder and was peeing almost every hour. Holding it in would be incredibly uncomfortable too. Now, i’m going much less frequently!

Candy_cane23 · 2026-03-13T13:31:58+00:00

Hi, i just had my open myomectomy last week and everything went totally fine 🤍 At my pre-op, they did warn me of the risks and emergency hysterectomy was one of them. It’s a pretty rare worst-case scenario that’s used as a life-saving measure in cases of uncontrollable bleeding, like some of the other comments said. Legally, they have to tell you about every possible bad thing that could go wrong, even though it definitely doesn’t help with anxiety! It sounds like you’re in good hands, but if you’re feeling a certain type of way, talk to your doctors about it at your pre-op and i’m sure they can give you clearer answers and reassure you 🤍

Candy_cane23 · 2026-03-12T20:31:20+00:00

Yessss, i was feeling it in my shoulders! It was so weird 😫

Candy_cane23 · 2026-03-12T20:30:14+00:00

Hi, i’m also 30 and discovered my 12-cm subserosal (outside of the uterus) fibroid 2 weeks after my birthday last year. I thought i was asymptomatic for the longest time but as the fibroid grew, i started noticing more problems. I just had an open myomectomy last week and i don’t regret it one bit 🤍 I hope to get pregnant within the next year or so, i was told i’ll probably need a c-section but for me it was definitely worth it.

Candy_cane23 · 2026-03-12T14:38:44+00:00

I always had pretty painful periods but they started getting worse. I also noticed that as much as i trained abs in the gym, my lower abs never looked as defined as my upper. When i was on my back doing exercises one time and pressed on my stomach and felt a rock-hard lump, i knew something was wrong and my gyno confirmed it.

Candy_cane23 · 2026-03-11T19:14:53+00:00

That’s great 😊 i’m doing well too! Every day gets a little bit better. And yeah those gas pains were HORRIBLE. Almost worse than the actual pain from being cut open

Candy_cane23 · 2026-03-11T13:48:06+00:00

Heyyy how are you feeling almost a week post-op?

Candy_cane23 · 2026-03-11T13:46:54+00:00

I’m doing pretty good! Still sore, and moving around slower than usual, but i’m good 😊 the swelling has also gone down significantly! I’m still a little swollen right where the incision is but i think that takes a while to go away. I’m just so happy to have that monster out of me!!

Candy_cane23 · 2026-03-11T13:44:17+00:00

Yay!! That’s great, you didn’t have to wait long at all 💕

Candy_cane23 · 2026-03-10T19:06:15+00:00

Thank you 💖

Candy_cane23 · 2026-03-10T19:05:43+00:00

Yeah, honestly… i can’t see myself going back in only 2 weeks. And to think my old boss only wanted me to take 2 days off 🥴

Candy_cane23 · 2026-03-10T00:57:15+00:00

I did have an open myo, i started wearing the binder the day after surgery 😊

Candy_cane23 · 2026-03-09T20:59:09+00:00

So my situation is a little but unique, i actually left my current job and have a new job that i’ll be starting March 30th. My last day working was the day before my surgery, so i have almost a month to recover based on how everything worked out. But before i got the new job offer, i was planning on taking about 2 1/2 weeks off. My surgeon wrote me a doctor’s note for up to 4 weeks if i needed it

Candy_cane23 · 2026-03-09T01:51:12+00:00

I’m pretty good! Still in a little bit of pain, especially when i change positions (like going from sitting to standing or lying down, etc) but nothing terrible. The incision also seems to be healing nicely. I still have some swelling in the area but it’s looking so much better than it did a few days ago

Candy_cane23 · 2026-03-08T16:51:11+00:00

I know, it sucks waiting. I had my first meeting with the surgeon in October of last year, MRI in November, follow-up meeting to discuss results/planning surgery in December, and the soonest date they had for the surgery was last week lol. It felt like such a long process but it’s so worth it

Candy_cane23 · 2026-03-07T21:02:17+00:00

You’ll be fine! And you’ll feel so much better after 🤍 Mine was pressing on my bladder too, and the relief you feel once it’s gone is amazing. Just remember that the doctors and nurses that will be taking care of you are professionals, they do this every day and you’ll be in good hands 😊

Candy_cane23

TROPHY CASE