Hysterectomy Recovery No No’s

A hysterectomy is a major surgery that requires a lot of healing time during your recovery. Sometimes women get impatient and start doing too much too soon, only to tear something or get an infection and set back the entire healing process.

To avoid such setbacks, the following activities are off limits until your doctor gives you the green light:

Vacuuming, sweeping, or mopping:
You may not feel it when you’re healthy, but these activities all strain your abdominal region—the very region that needs to rest and heal right now.

Carrying laundry:
You shouldn’t be lifting anything heavier than a jug of milk. Plus, carrying cumbersome loads can be a tripping hazard.

Driving:
This requires more physical strength than you realize!

Going shopping:
You may feel fine when you leave for the store, but you will likely find yourself tiring very rapidly once you get there.

Steering a shopping cart:
This is another one of those activities that requires more abdominal strength than you know.

Opening stubborn windows:
Struggling with a window can create a lot of strain for your abdominal muscles.

Yard work:
Whether this means planting a flower or mowing the lawn, there are simply too many ways to strain your healing muscles and overwork yourself in the yard.

Lifting, bending, reaching:
This should cover any other activities that would be detrimental to the healing process.

Lying/sitting around the house all day:
Even though your activities are limited, it’s still important that you get up and walk around frequently.

Doing it alone:
There is no need to go through recovery alone when a huge support network is only a click away. Come join us at HysterSisters.com to “check-in” and tell us how you are doing and get tips from other sisters.

This content was written by staff of HysterSisters.com by non-medical professionals based on discussions, resources and input from other patients for the purpose of patient-to-patient support. Hysterectomy Recovery No No’s.