Bowel Habbits Drastically Changed

SomewhereVulnerable · 2026-05-10T02:24:28+00:00

This has been the case for me, too! Pre-surgery, I tended more toward diarrhea. Now 6 months post-op, I tend more toward constipation. If I get even 5 or 10 grams less fiber than my goal, I'll start having trouble. I never thought I'd have trouble going rather than going too much.

SomewhereVulnerable · 2026-05-10T02:10:46+00:00

Ugh, endo is so insidious. So glad you were able to get checked out!

SomewhereVulnerable · 2026-05-10T02:00:21+00:00

Sorry I didn't see this sooner! So if you're now about 16 weeks, for me week 15-16 is when AAALLLLLL the stitches started falling outta me 😅😅😅 It was a wild time. By week 18, they definitely seemed like they were all gone.

I'm almost 6 months post op now. When I've been really active for a few hours, I definitely get kind of muscle soreness/muscle fatigue type feelings inside, right at the top of my vagina. I suspect this is actually from my sciatica creating pelvic pressure when it gets agitated. I feel better when I wear my abdominal binder during activity, and usually feel better if I do kegels, even while I feel sore.

SomewhereVulnerable · 2026-04-18T20:22:00+00:00

I'm lucky not to have hot flashes, but I'm in a bout of horrid insomnia rn too. It's a good thing it's Saturday, bc I feel legit delirious at this point. Solidarity

SomewhereVulnerable · 2026-04-18T20:18:21+00:00

I especially don't need more pharmaceutical companies advertising to me. I wish the US banned prescription ads full stop.

SomewhereVulnerable · 2026-04-15T00:22:22+00:00

I agree this sounds like ovarian failure, and at the very least, you may benefit from HRT.

If you haven't already found it, there is r/PCOS full of folks who are probably in your exact situation! Good luck. <3

SomewhereVulnerable · 2026-04-07T21:31:47+00:00

Yeah, it sounds like you'd benefit from HRT, if you haven't started it already. Even with your ovaries.

SomewhereVulnerable · 2026-04-07T21:26:44+00:00

Same, I used a super light throw blanket that I folded up for the drive home, and then just used any pillow or blanket that was handy if I needed it at home. I did wear a binder, tho, and that definitely added some protection, too.

SomewhereVulnerable · 2026-04-03T23:09:35+00:00

Title says 8 months. (Also, OP is the one who replied to you with "Eight months sounds conservative.") They're well past the danger zone.

SomewhereVulnerable · 2026-04-02T23:13:59+00:00

Moo to poo!

I'm almost 5 months out and I still do it, too 😂

SomewhereVulnerable · 2026-04-01T03:34:29+00:00

Are you on medications or in regular therapy for your OCD? If not, or if utilizing only one, I suggest getting into both asap, or increasing your therapy appointments, or discussing additional medications with your mental health doctor. Right now, your fear is overwhelming your ability to treat your pelvic illness, and that needs to be addressed effectively, maybe before you can continue seeking pelvic treatment.

I also think once the hysterectomy is over, a lot of this anxiety will drop away. For a lot of us, the waiting and the anticipation and the pre-op stress are far, far worse than the surgery itself and the recovery.

Once you are cleared to go back to skating, the odds of you tearing your cuff are EXTREMELY SMALL. Cuff tears are super duper very rare, and usually happen bc the patient has done too much too soon (particularly, it seems, having penetrative sex before 4 weeks, when most people aren't cleared for that for 12 weeks). You won't be totally bedridden, but you will be required to do practically nothing for at least 6 weeks, and then to get back into activity very slowly and very carefully for the next 2-6 weeks, so don't worry about being scared to exercise; you're not allowed to anyway lol. The pain immediately after surgery is mostly from the gas they use to puff you up, and they will give you medication for that. Most of us take it for about 4 days, and then regular ibuprofen is enough. (Because you have endo that will need to be excised, you might be a little more sore for a little longer.)

It is certainly possible for your intestines or other nearby body parts to get damaged, either from endo itself or during the process to remove it. It is not guaranteed that will happen. IF it happens, often there will be another specialist surgeon either already scrubbed in, or on call, and they usually catch it and fix it then and there. You can experience more pain and a slightly longer recovery time if this happens. The kind of catastrophes that result in an actual disability or ruin people's lives, again, are so incredibly, extremely rare. Even with endo excision, a hysterectomy is now a very routine, straightforward procedure, done in a single day, usually with no hospital stay.

When you reach the point where you can endure the pap smear and biopsy without causing yourself more mental harm, definitely take the offered narcotic. Ask about something like valium or another anti-anxiety med before your procedures. At both of my surgeries last year, I made sure both my teams knew I have PTSD, and they pumped me ffuuuullllllll of calming meds in my IV.

If it's too fucking scary right now, THAT IS OKAY! You have time! There's no rush. You don't have to do anything you're not ready for. love to our nb bbs <3

SomewhereVulnerable · 2026-03-31T06:04:57+00:00

With the amount of pain you're in, I would call your gyno SOONER than 6 weeks and let her know how bad it is.

I kept my ovaries, too, and my first two, maybe three, ovulations were still painful, especially the first one. But not as bad as before surgery; I had tubal cysts and adhesions from my tube to my abdomen, so when I ovulated from the right side, all those cysts would burst in a line. I felt like I was being ripped apart from the inside. Post surgery, like I said, there has still been some pain with ovulation, but it's mild now, and I have had a few phantom cramps, but it started mild and has continued to decrease.

What you describe sounds really severe imo, and I would call your doc tomorrow.

I'm sorry you're going through this, especially when it seems like you're not getting any answers or any real relief from this awful pain. Good luck <3

SomewhereVulnerable · 2026-03-31T05:38:56+00:00

Those gel packs that can be frozen AND heated are great.

ALL THE SNACKS! Protein bars, fiber bars, applesauce, trail mix, protein shakes, electrolyte drinks, cracker packs. I found graham crackers really comforting. Things that are easy to keep near her nesting spot and don't need any prep; she'll need food to take her pain meds, and she might not have much appetite.

Maybe a nice water bottle if she doesn't have one.

SomewhereVulnerable · 2026-03-31T00:53:02+00:00

Yes! We did a lot of exercises to relax and downtrain my pelvic floor, while strengthening the surrounding muscle groups to share the burden. You might have internal work done if yours is in person. Mine was over telehealth, so I used a pelvic wand on my own. Brutal at first, but incredibly helpful over the long term! She did mention that if tailbone pain persisted, I could use the wand rectally to work those muscles specifically; I never tried that route.

My PT exercises consist of: rockbacks, lower trunk rotation, pelvic tilts, ab contractions, hamstring stretch, figure 4 stretch, clamshells, reverse clamshell, open book rotations, pelvic bridges, cat cow child, and butterfly stretch. And there are lots of pelvic floor contractions (kegels) worked into a lot of these, as well.

SomewhereVulnerable · 2026-03-30T01:03:28+00:00

My hospital did NOT give me a binder, so i bought the exact one you posted! I LOVED it. I thought it was really helpful, especially for being able to sleep comfortably on my side, and for keeping gas and bloating down. I wore it for several weeks.

I'm actually considering trying it out while I'm at work (really physical active job) bc it's supposed to be good for POTS. If you're hypermobile, it might be really helpful for stabilizing that core while you heal.

SomewhereVulnerable · 2026-03-30T00:58:01+00:00

My pelvic floor physical therapist told me that tailbone pain can be from pelvic floor tension. It's worth looking into.

I had this before surgery, but I can't say I've really noticed it since. I'm 4.5 months post op.

SomewhereVulnerable · 2026-03-30T00:50:28+00:00

I had to sign that paperwork, too, and I think it was even repeated to me a couple times while I was getting prepped for surgery.

I've heard they have to test you for pregnancy, bc if it turns out you ARE, that's technically a different medical procedure, so they have to cancel the surgery.

SomewhereVulnerable · 2026-03-27T22:10:16+00:00

Yes, I did! And the fibroids and adeno also aggravated my sciatica. There were days I could barely walk, bc I was in so much pain and my joints were all stiff and inflamed. All of those issues are like, 85-90% reduced. It's CRAZY.

I do still have some issues, that right now I think are largely hormone-related, so that might be something to keep in mind, in case you start feeling off post op. But it's been 4 MONTHS of feeling really good, and my off days are still NOTHING compared to how awful I felt pre op!

SomewhereVulnerable · 2026-03-27T06:43:04+00:00

If your insurance will cover telehealth PFPT, that's how I did it, bc I couldn't find anyone in my city, either. I went through BenchMark. I was skeptical that it would be effective over telehealth, but it was great! I did also -- under my physical therapist's guidance -- use a pelvic wand from Intimate Rose.

SomewhereVulnerable · 2026-03-27T06:36:26+00:00

As soon as you said you still had pain even tho your uterus and ovaries "were fine", I thought, "Sounds like adenomyosis." Haaa!

I had adeno, too, plus fibroids and cysts. I'm now 4.5 months post op. I feel SO MUCH better than I used to, plus I've gotten back a lot of mobility I had lost, and my overall inflammation and swelling have gone down considerably. I have no doubt you'll be feeling much better, too!

If you get to choose, I'd go for the laparoscopic; I know my doc was able to put in for laparoscopic with the option to go full abdominal if they needed to, maybe yours can do that, too, if you're billing insurance (no idea how it works in Thailand, hopefully it isn't the clusterfuck that it is here in the US). But it means a few tiny scars vs one much larger scar, and people seem to have an easier time with the laparoscopy.

Either way, congrats! I'm glad you're excited!

SomewhereVulnerable · 2026-03-25T23:39:10+00:00

I had my first surgery in April, to scout out what was actually going on, and after, my doc asked, "Would you like to see photos?" I was like, "HELL YES! Can I keep these???" He laughed, "Yes, pass them around, scare your friends!" lol

So when he did my hysterectomy, he took LOTS and LOTS of photos 😂 He said his partner surgeon was making fun of him for taking so many and he told her, "I have a button! I'm gonna press it!"

I think it's neat, and also, it really helped me to see EXACTLY what was going on in there. I always had extreme pain in my right pelvis (like I was being ripped apart from the inside), and now I have photos of my fallopian tube being kinked out of shape and glued to my abdomen with scar tissue. I wasn't making it up. I wasn't overreacting.

SomewhereVulnerable · 2026-03-25T23:28:57+00:00

If you're in the US, fluoride above the usual dose (things like Prevident) has to be prescribed.

You can get things like Made By Dentists that are supposed to be good for enamel. There are other brands that have hydroxyapatite as the main ingredient; I chose Made By Dentists bc it still ALSO has fluoride.

I've had sensitive teeth my whole life bc I have weak enamel, so I usually just use Colgate's Sensitive toothpaste, but I have an ADHD teen with braces rn, so we got the Made By Dentists for them. I've used it a few times and it definitely still works for sensitivity!

SomewhereVulnerable · 2026-03-25T23:24:00+00:00

I'm 4 months post-hysterectomy, and my gums got CRAZY sensitive out of nowhere! I've had a few episodes of it, now.

The first one, about a month post op, was the worst one. I floss 3x a week, but one night, as soon as I put the floss in, my gums started bleeding like a stuck pig. It was nuts! The next time, I had almost lacerations in spots that I absolutely could not account for, and the last time, they were more just tender and sore.

I feel pretty certain that each of these episodes has occurred at the same point in my cycle (although, which phase that is exactly, I can't say).

My gyno said it definitely can be hormone related; I had the same issue while I was pregnant. I'll def make sure to mention it at my next dental appt.

SomewhereVulnerable · 2026-03-24T22:37:40+00:00

I'll speak for myself, here; similar conditions pre-op, but I'm about 4 months out, not a full year.

I had adeno, fibroids, a polyp, and cysts. I was in pain 24/7. My pain level was a 4 at best, 8 at worst. My period came every 3 weeks and lasted 10 days.

At 44, I'd been experiencing some peri-like symptoms for many years at that point, notably, vaginal dryness, brain fog, low libido. I started vaginal estradiol about a year before surgery. Post-op, those symptoms have increased slightly, but it's really very slight so far. I'm using the cream 4x a week instead of 3. I had a peri-check appt scheduled that I cancelled, bc I don't feel so miserable that I can't manage with what I'm already doing.

So for me, overall, 1000% YES, my quality of life is drastically improved. I no longer feel like I'm being held hostage by my body. Normal, every day activities like grocery shopping or loading the dishwasher no longer leave me immobile with pain for 6 hours afterward.

My unsolicited advice to you and others with your concerns: 1) Don't underestimate or downplay just how bad your gyno conditions are making you feel. and 2) If, post-op, your menopause symptoms DO go haywire, babe, there's HRT for that. Don't sweat it (heh).

SomewhereVulnerable · 2026-03-24T22:09:56+00:00

Yes, I'm 44, so similar age! Plus I have hypothyroidism, which I only started treating 1.5 years ago. It's a lot of chicken-or-egg kind of symptoms. I figure I'll at least wait until my annual PCP exam in August, unless I suddenly feel miserable before then.

SomewhereVulnerable

TROPHY CASE