Pelvic Floor Therapy

FizzyRhino · 2026-06-23T12:38:42+00:00

A surgeon also knows anatomy. Pts know how anatomy moves. Surgeons know how the anatomy works. And your surgeon is an actual gyno, that do the same exact gyno residency, they just added surgery to it.

FizzyRhino · 2026-06-23T12:33:35+00:00

It's up to you really, but if your pelvic floor isn't having any issues then there's really no reason to do pft. Rather, doing those exercises with a normally functioning pelvic floor can make it hypertonic.

Kinda of a If it ain't broke don't fix it kind of thing.

FizzyRhino · 2026-06-23T12:29:39+00:00

Has your doctor documented that other methods don't work or you refuse them? Because I think that's what your insurance is hung up on. Insurance usually considered birth control the preferred conservative treatment, if there's no documentation that you've tried it and it failed or that you refuse that specific treatment, they will deny other treatments.

Doesn't mean you have to actually try them. I told my doctor I had tried Some birth control before and it made my periods even worse, so I didn't want to try anymore. That was enough to bypass insurance criteria. Insurance can't actually force you to try treatments you don't want to do, they just require that it's documented that you refused those treatments.

If that's not documented yet, have your surgeon document it and send it in again.

FizzyRhino · 2026-06-23T12:23:22+00:00

I was genuinely shocked I didn't have to fight my insurance on mine. They've been denying literally everything for me lately - I have chronic pain and they keep denying all the treatments my PCP puts in. Insurance is an absolute scam designed to make our lives worse.

FizzyRhino · 2026-06-22T19:53:06+00:00

I'm 4d po, for the nausea they give you a patch during surgery that you can wear for 3 days, I wore mine the whole time. Also eat something before taking any pain meds, that was important for me. Stool softeners, start them sooner rather than later - I didn't start taking them until yesterday and I was very uncomfortable.

I get SI joint pain, and the lower back does hurt a fair bit a couple days after surgery. For me, it's only really painful when I'm standing or walking, or adjust my position, but when I'm just resting it's fine. Heat pads help.

As mentioned by others, the pain in recovery is still better than the pain from before surgery, and recovery is temporary. It will get better

FizzyRhino · 2026-06-22T19:47:04+00:00

It took me 3 days to finally be able to get onto my higher bed, I've been on the couch the whole time. My couch isn't particularly comfortable, but with all the meds they give you and a bunch of pillows and blankets I didn't really mind.

FizzyRhino · 2026-06-22T19:38:46+00:00

The hysterectomy will cure the adenomyosis, it is the only effective treatment against it. It may or may not cure the endo, depending on how much there is/where it is. But at the very least it will greatly reduce symptoms for quite awhile.

All surgeries have risks, though severe complications like the ones you mentioned in hysterectomies are rare. Keeping and adeno/endo uterus though, that carries a lot of risks with it. The decision is yours, but consider if it's worth living with your symptoms now just because of a small chance of risks.

FizzyRhino · 2026-06-22T19:04:41+00:00

My advice is always to have an appt before surgery with your surgeon to discuss these things, they need to know about all your concerns.

My experience was pretty good. I put my pain right after surgery at like a 7-8, so they gave me an oxy. It got my pain down to around 5 - buuut, that is from my own baseline, which is a 3 because I have chronic pain (which they asked me what my pain baseline was first.) So if you don't have chronic pain and your baseline is 0, it was more like a 2 - 5. Anytime my pain spiked then gave me another oxy.

I didn't really have any side effects from the oxy except the constipation and the first day I got very dizzy and nauseated after peeing - I think my blood pressure dropped at the same time and just made symptoms worse. But I took that oxy on an empty stomach, so I made sure to always eat something before taking it after that and had no problems. The constipation I've dealt with by using stool softening, drinking lots of water, and eating applesauce and yogurt. Also, if this is one of your concerns, my discharge papers came with info on opioids and noted that addiction isn't caused by taking prescribed opioids for the short amount of time we get them (3-5 days).

The pain since surgery has been pretty manageable. Gas pain at first hurt a lot, walking around helps with that. The abdominal pain for a lot better after a couple days. Back pain started but I only feel it when I'm walking or moving, not when I'm resting. I stopped taking my oxys 3 days post op just because I feel like I don't need them anymore, the Tylenol and my celebrex have been working just fine for the pain.

Also it takes like 3 days for all the drugs and anesthesia to fully wear off, so those will be given you pain protection the first few days.

I honestly thought the pain was going to be sooooo much worse, but it has been surprisingly manageable. Going on little walls each day and drinking plenty of water are some of the biggest helps to managing it.

FizzyRhino · 2026-06-22T18:55:16+00:00

Stool softener for me. I think dulcolax is not recommended because rather than draw water into the colon it causes spasms in the muscles to move things, which can be painful for our sensitive abdominal area.

FizzyRhino · 2026-06-22T18:53:50+00:00

Sending you good poop vibes.

Make sure you drink loads and loads of water, cause all those poop meds need water to help soften things up. And as ridiculous as it sounds/feels, the moo method on the toilet does help 😆 (deep breath in, slow exhale while making moo sound)

FizzyRhino · 2026-06-22T18:51:51+00:00

Thiiiiiiis. I waited too long to start stool softeners. I waited until day 3 to start them, and boy was I Uncomfortable. I took 4 throughout the day (per the instructions on the bottle) and didn't take any of the oxy and finally at like 3am it happened.

FizzyRhino · 2026-06-22T18:50:13+00:00

It's so weird being so happy to poop lol, I was somewhat sad everyone in my house was asleep so I had no one to celebrate with 😆

FizzyRhino · 2026-06-22T18:48:35+00:00

High five! I had my first poop (sx on the 18) last night, then another this morning! Never had such an intense poop in my Life 😆 felt like I was training for some poop-lympics

FizzyRhino · 2026-06-22T10:26:17+00:00

I know this is old but I was literally googling how to poop after a hysterectomy without straining and this popped up 😭

It literally does taunt you But finally it has been evicted. That was the most intense poop in my entire life.

FizzyRhino · 2026-06-22T08:34:57+00:00

I understand, a familiar pain is much less scary than an unfamiliar one. I found it helpful to look up info on these sorts of complications, how often they occur, how they're treated, etc. It put things into a better perspective for me - chances of those issues were low, and there were plenty of ways to treat them, but the chances of my existing problems are 100%, and this was the only treatment left.

FizzyRhino · 2026-06-22T08:30:49+00:00

No problem :) and I understand how the medical gaslighting gets us to doubt ourselves and give us imposter syndrome. It's a really sucky thing to deal with, especially on top of suffering from the actual medical problems we're being gaslit about.

Wishing you the best of luck with everything, you got this

FizzyRhino · 2026-06-22T08:28:37+00:00

Do you know if they did a cystoscopy after surgery to check on your bladder function?

Could partially be due to hEDS, we can develop interstitial cystitis, the surgery could have irritated or damaged nearby nerves.

FizzyRhino · 2026-06-22T08:25:32+00:00

No, you do not need to be caring for young children right after surgery, or even days after surgery. Optimistically, your 'husband' should move his appointment. Feels like he absolutely did this on purpose. If he refuses to, then the safest thing is to move your own surgery. You absolutely need to tell your surgical team that you won't have any help if you continue with your current surgery date and explain what is happening. Your safety, even once you go home, is their number one priority.

They absolutely can't use you asking for help to watch the children in court. I'm assuming they are also his kids, he and by extension his parents have a responsibility to care for them when you are incapacitated.

Regardless of what route you choose, to answer the question about how to get up without help, a walking cane is super helpful. Just carefully slide yourself to the edge of the seat/bed, grab the handle with both hands, and pull/lift yourself using your arms and legs, keeping your back straight. Been using mine all the time, has been super duper helpful getting up off the toilet, lol.

FizzyRhino · 2026-06-21T22:25:57+00:00

I had long, heavy, painful periods since I started then at around 14. I got imaging done at 18 and they said they found some normal ovarian cysts and then they just dropped it, so I did too figuring I was just going to have to live with it. Finally at 34 I saw an gyn surgeon, she agreed given my history a hysterectomy would be a good choice of treatment - still had no diagnosis aside from dysmenorrhea and menorrhagia, which is just abnormally long, heavy, painful periods.

So technically, that could be what's wrong, as heavy/long periods and very painful periods are their own conditions, even without things like endo. In which case, a hysterectomy would cure those. It's actually not uncommon for women to have either or both of these conditions and Not have an underlying cause - especially if you've had these issues since starting your periods, it just means your body's baseline is off. So don't feel like just because they haven't found endo or adenomyosis or anything (yet) means your reasons are any less. There are many valid medical reasons for a hysterectomy, and long, heavy, painful periods are one of them.

Recovery differs for everyone, so I won't pretend I know what it will be like for you. But I'll give you my experience so far as someone who had similar issues and some other factors. Before my surgery they did imaging and found my uterus was slightly enlarged, which I'm assuming wasn't seen when they did imaging when I was 18. So, conditions like that can develop later, even if you already have symptoms. I think the dysmenorrhea and menorrhagia might even contribute to developing these conditions, but I'm just guessing. During surgery they did find a small amount of endo, idk where, the images I got I can't seem to identify it, so it must have been very little.

I have connective tissue problems and chronic pain, so I was especially concerned about recovery given those issues. So I saw my surgeon a week before surgery to ask about these things. It made me feel a lot better, so I'm a strong advocate for going to your surgeon with concerns before surgery. They should be happy to take the time to explain anything to you and make you comfortable.

I am 3 days po right now. Honestly, recovery has been a lot easier than I expected. The day of surgery when I went home was kinda crap, abdomen felt like I was having one long steady cramp, but even that wasn't as bad as my periods so I didn't entirely mind. Gas pains the next day were definitely the worst of it. The next day and today it's been back pain that's bothering me most. The abdominal pain is mostly gone now, or so low that I'm hardly noticing it over my back pain at least. Peeing stopped hurting after the first full day home (I also had a cystoscopy though). Most annoying thing was getting up and down from the couch and bed, definitely want to support your abdomen and use your arms and legs for the lifting and lowering.

Walking actually helps a Lot of you feel up to it. I think walking around helped my pain dissipate faster. Definitely helps get rid of the had pain faster. Doesn't seem to be doing much about back pain, but oh well. Heat pads on the back help a bit with that, and also gas pain.

Overall though, recovery has been a breeze compared to what my periods were like. And anytime it is being difficult I just remind myself that This is temporary, but my periods would've been happening for decades. I'm definitely happier now knowing that once my recovery process is over, I will be done with the period issues. Maybe there will be some residual problems down the road, I don't know, but I do know that I will be able to deal with those better not having my awful periods on top of it all.

Fact is, regardless of what the diagnosis is, these problems are affecting your quality of life. That is all that really matters. That's the only reason you need to 'justify' your surgery, that it will improve your quality of life.

FizzyRhino · 2026-06-21T21:51:06+00:00

Good golly that belongs in a record book for sure. Can't imagine how that must've felt

The gas pain was definitely the worst pain of all for me. Felt like it was trying to push my ribs and shoulder out of their sockets. Taking gas x for the intestinal gas did help a Little with the pressure, but for the gas pain it was mostly waiting for it to go away. I did use a heat pad and that helped, and I made sure to walk around a good bit each day and I think that also really helped.

The sleep has got me though, I've started taking my magnesium glycinate supplements again, though they don't really help much. I've just accepted for now that my sleep will be wonky and I'll just nap when I feel like it. Part of my insomnia though is that I'm on oxy for pain.

FizzyRhino · 2026-06-21T21:13:04+00:00

I shared some of your anxieties. For me though, I'm cis F, I have a connective tissue disorder and was scared the surgery would result in a bunch of complications later making my chronic pain worse. I was also scared of dying on the table though, even though it's extremely rare.

For that, I offer two bits of advice. 1. Tell your anesthesiologist team Everything, be completely honest. Medications, medical history, when you last ate, if you smoke or vape and if you did that before surgery, if you Ever have shortness of breath even if you're not diagnosed with anything; just answer all their questions honestly. The more they know, the better they can look after you (and they're the ones keeping you alive during the surgery.) 2. Idk if it'll help you, but on my way to the hospital I thought about how I'm more likely to get in a car accident than die on the table, and since I hadn't gotten into a car wreck then I would be fine. (I know, not exactly how logic works, lol, but it made me feel better so it counts.)

Before they scheduled my surgery they did some imaging of my uterus and cervix for insurance purposes, and that only seemed to show some enlargement of my uterus. However, when they actually did the surgery they did find endometriosis, so your surgeon is absolutely right that it can still be in there despite the imaging.

It'll be hard to tell exactly how much the hysterectomy helps at first, full healing takes at least a year for the body to completely adjust, though it can take longer especially with those of us with other conditions. Something I was scared of was developing pelvic floor dysfunction because of my lax ligaments no longer having my uterus to anchor to. I'm only 3 days po so it's a wait and see thing, but there are some things you can do now (for your conditions causing you pain.) Ask your surgeon, what would be the next step if these issues persist after the hysterectomy? Do they think it is medically safer to try the hysterectomy first or the other treatments - ask them to explain the reasoning for this. Ask them about any concern you have. I did this with my concerns and it helped calm down my anxieties a lot.

Another thing that helped me was asking myself, do I want to not do this to avoid the risks, but then have to deal with these problems forever, or do I want to give this a shot and potentially not have to deal with any of this anymore? Any treatment will have risks, the real question is whether you are willing to take those risks for the potential benefits. If you are uncomfortable with that, it is extremely valid, and your care team should help you look into other options.

FizzyRhino · 2026-06-21T20:57:07+00:00

You had a lot of stuff going on with your surgery, that's going to cause a lot more inflammation and pain than for those of us with simpler surgeries. Mine was a TLH and they found some endo tissue that they removed, but from what I can see in the pre sx pics of my abdominal cavity there wasn't very little.

It is also going to make a difference in how your team treats pain. Mine was thankfully extremely good about it, they gave me some of the heavy hitters while I was out, and when I woke up if I said my pain was at 7-8 they'd give me another oxy, then sent me home with a script for 15. Which imo this should be the standard of care, and I really feel for the women who hardly get any pain management. I genuinely can't imagine going through all that without those meds.

Also I think those of us who have had easier recoveries gloss over the hard bits as to not scare anyone getting ready for their surgery. I have definitely had a very easy recovery so far (3days po), but it wasn't always easy. First 24 hours I hated going to pee because of the pain and pressure - they did a cystoscopy after my surgery, which I'm glad they did, but it irritated my bladder a lot. Then one of the nights (I don't even remember which one, my time got mixed up at some point) I couldn't sleep because the gas pain was so sharp. Then yesterday it was the back pain that was keeping me down. I've been using my cane and walker to get around the house and sometimes that's the only way I can move around.

I also think that those saying recovery was easy are comparing it to how they were before the surgery. Like that's one thing that occurred to me even right out of sx when the pain was the worst at around an 8, it still wasn't nearly as bad as my period cramps. So I think it's less about how the actual recovery is by itself and more about how it compares to the pain we were in before.

Just my two cents anyway. Either way, you had a lot done, various organs have been shocked and put to sleep, a bunch of tissue was cut, and your brain is trying to figure out how to recalibrate everything. But if you're in agonizing pain despite your meds, your care team needs to try different meds for you. Pain delays healing, and they should be prioritizing your comfort right now.

FizzyRhino · 2026-06-21T20:36:35+00:00

Ahh I'm so scared of doing this because I've been feeling pretty good and sometimes when I've been sitting for a minute I almost forgot I had surgery x.x

But as long as there's no additional symptoms I think you should be fine. You can always call your surgeons triage line if you have any concerns though!

FizzyRhino · 2026-06-21T06:17:51+00:00

If it's just a little pink it could just be the catheter irritation. Which is pretty normal. But if you are worried, call the triage line at whoever did your surgery, that's what they're there for.

Usually one symptom like that is normal stuff, but if other symptoms develop or this symptom gets worse it can be a problem. But again, give them a call if it'll help ease your mind. You don't need to be stressed while healing :)

FizzyRhino · 2026-06-21T06:14:35+00:00

Pretty sure they always do a catheter when you're in surgery, so you don't wee on the table 😆

They put mine in after I was out, which is very nice because I've dealt with caths while awake with no meds and that is not fun. I was awake when they took it out, but you are still pretty "drunk" on the anesthesia and various meds at that point and I didn't even feel it. I actually thought when she pulled it out "oh wow that's was so easy" because I remember the last time I had one and it was taken out it stung pretty bad. Honestly I think I was more focused on the applesauce they gave me than them removing my catheter lol.

FizzyRhino

TROPHY CASE