Tricia’s Laparoscopic Hysterectomy

I had been diagnosed with pcos at 20. Have had irregular and nonexistent periods most of my life. Couldn’t have children and went back on birth control at 30 because I was having a period that lasted for two weeks and then two weeks later would have another.

I thought about having it all removed around 30 but decided birth control would be easiest. Ten years later continuous use thankfully made my periods only come twice a year. Last year I had one that started late and when it ended, a week later I passed two large blood clots. It scared me and when I went to my doctor I asked what my chances were of just having it all gone. Took about a year to get in with my gyno and the ball just started rolling from there. Went to see her in may and had surgery in August.

I was surprisingly relaxed the morning of my surgery. Went and got admitted. Got taken back to the pre op room and changed into a gown and got an iv. Got taken to the holding room and got asked so many questions. Talked to the surgeon and anesthesiologist. Got taken into the or and was out in minutes.

When I woke up all I could think was I had to pee so bad! I knew my bladder was empty from the catheter but I had to pee! They wheeled me into my room and somehow got me to my bed. I had my eyes closed the whole time so I’m not sure how they did it. I felt an inflatable mattress blow up and then I was in bed. Super weird. Right away I told the nurses I had to pee and they helped me into a toilet seat that they moved to the bathroom because I couldn’t walk. Also a lot of nausea. I did pee! Then back into bed and a visit from my husband.

The nausea lasted a couple hours maybe. My throat was so dry so I had some popsicles and then it was fine. I peed so much! I would say every half hour the first day. Pain was not great but not as bad as I thought it would be. Maybe around a 5 or 6. I did not ever feel my incisions on my belly.

The first night was bad. In the middle of the night I had the worst gas pain and the pain made me cry it was so bad. I decided I needed another night there so I stayed one more. In the morning the surgeon came to do rounds and said everything went perfectly. I had stopped bleeding at some time that day or night.

The second day was much better. I had started farting but had to bare down really hard to do so. I had bruised the back of my thighs I was pushing so hard lol! I started to do walks around the ward I was on.

The next morning after rounds I was discharged and came home. The ride home was awful! We have an suv that rides like a truck and all the jiggling hurt so bad!

When I came home I felt really good. I started pooping that day and farted a lot too. The first week I had naps every 3-4 hours. I have insomnia so I didn’t actually sleep but I would go lay in bed and turn on a tv show really quiet and doze while it played. I think once or twice I actually slept. I started doing little walks around the house.

The second week I started continuously spotting. Not enough to need a panty liner but definitely there when I wiped. I called the surgeon Monday and got an appointment on Friday. Turns out I had an infection at the top of my vagina and needed antibiotics. I hadn’t felt sick. No smell no discharge that would suggest anything was wrong. A day after taking the meds I felt it. By then I had stopped taking all pain meds. No Tylenol or Advil. After 5 days on meds the aches came back and it terrified me the antibiotics weren’t working. I’m a hypochondriac so I made an appointment with my gp and he said it’s most likely gas pain from the surgery. 3 weeks later!

At three weeks I started walking every morning. The continuous bleeding didn’t stop so I was at the surgeon again and she ordered an ultrasound to check for a clot. When I went back it was all clear and by then the spotting had started to come and go. That was four weeks. I was basically back to doing everything I had before but nothing strenuous.

Two weeks later I went for my 6 week appointment and wasn’t cleared which I expected. She gave me two more weeks. I stopped walking daily and the spotting finally stopped!

At seven weeks I had a sharp pain followed by actual blood that looked like my period. It was a weekend so I called the after hours number and they said to go to emergency. By the time I got there the bleeding stopped. The doctor said it was probably a stitch that pulled or released or something like that.

Week eight I had my regular appointment and I was still spotting off and on. She poked around in there and said I was healing abnormally slow. She gave me 4 more weeks! It was at that point that I decided no walking. No shopping. Stay home and just veg on the couch. Also I had started counting calories before my surgery and went back to it at two weeks post op. I realized it was probably hindering my healing and have been eating high protein and at maintenance since. Right now I’m 9 1/2 weeks out and have two more weeks before my 12 week appointment where I’m really hoping I will be cleared.

My health is fine. It’s about the same as I was before. I did stop birth control at about three weeks. I’m not sure if I have regular cycles or not but I am finding the sore back every few weeks so maybe?

Other than this terrible recovery I am glad I did it. I will be so glad once I’m cleared and can get back to exercising and counting calories.

When they say bleeding that is abnormal is soaking a pad in an hour or smelly discharge, it’s not just that! I would say any actual blood. Bright red that looks like a period is concerning. Ask your doctor. Continuous spotting no matter how light, if it doesn’t stop at all that’s concerning. If I didn’t ask I could have been really sick from an infection. Do less than you feel you can do. Nap when you need to.