Two / three-ish months ago I underwent a partial hysterectomy due to suspected endometrioses. I shared about my struggles that led to this surgery prior to going under the knife in this post, A Love Letter to My Gyno. Since then, my mind has been blown by so many things that I felt compelled to come back and write a follow up post.

First, it’s absolutely bonkers to me that it takes an invasive surgery to truly understand what is happening inside a woman’s body. It wasn’t until after surgery that my suspected endometrioses was FO SHO endometrioses. My post-operative diagnosis was Stage 4 with various findings that included widespread inflammatory adhesions, multiple ruptured cysts, fibroids, my uterus connecting itself to my other organs (primarily my colon) and it being swollen to roughly twice it’s normal size. My biggest take away from all of this was, again, I wasn’t crazy…something wasn’t right. However, as lovely as it feels to be validated in such a dramatic way, it still boggles my mind that we weren’t really sure until it was over.

My surgery was robotic-assisted laparoscopic so despite feeling like I was hit by a truck, I only had four tee tiny incisions across my stomach. After a week or two and with a little vitamin E oil, those little scars healed nicely…which tricked me into thinking I was healing faster than anticipated. As many times as I was told that I would need to take it really slowly and easily for at least six weeks following the surgery, I probably had the hardest time doing so…because my body looked healed! I would try to push myself a little farther each day with things like housework or actual work…when in reality, I should have taken advantage of the down time. At the end of the day, I would essentially melt into the bed because I was physically just DONE.

At the same time, I’m very glad I pushed myself to take a walk each day. That low impact exercise really helped my mind as well as my body feel so much better. At my six weeks post-op appointment, I was jazzed to be cleared to start full blown exercising again…with the caveat to stay away from squats and planks for a while due to some of my internal stitches not being fully healed yet. I could definitely still feel a little tug towards the top of my core until just recently. Around eight weeks post-op, I started a four week Peloton strength program but I kept the weights light and switched out the core exercises for some more focused on building up the deep core/pelvic floor (i.e. glute bridges, dead bugs, bird dogs, etc.). I *think* I’m ready to step it up with heavier weights and dare I say…running?!?! So it took almost 12 weeks to get here, which is double what I thought it would take…but I’m thankful nonetheless.

Another fun tidbit I learned through this process is that there is no cure for endometrioses. Because of course there isn’t. And, since I still have one ovary working double time to supply my body with the estrogen it needs to stay sane, it’s also supplying the estrogen that endometrioses needs to stick around. Despite not having an actual period, I’m still very aware of my hormonal cycle and still have cramps each month, though both are much more manageable than before. My surgeon mentioned at our last appointment that several women opt to go back under the knife to have the remaining ovary removed if the pain gets worse and they can’t imagine powering through until menopause.

Despite all of this, the thing that has blown my mind the most remains how average, normal, and run of the mill my experiences are amongst so many of the women I know. After sharing my last blog post on social media, I was shocked by the number of women that responded with similar stories or worse. Absolutely gut-wrenching stories that simultaneously broke my heart and pissed me off. I have no idea what to do with this revelation except to continue talking about all of these uncomfortable topics until they are no longer uncomfortable but mere common place. I am so thankful for all of the advice and tips I received prior to my surgery and will absolutely do the same for others now that I’m on the other side of the road.

No one asked but below are a few links to things I felt were super helpful after my surgery as well as some other tips. These aren’t affiliate links because four of you read my blog posts, so don’t worry about any of that! 😉

  • Hysterectomy Pillow (incredibly clutch for shock absorption. I’m actually still using it!)
  • Night Gown (this one from Wal Mart feels like butter AND has pockets…so score)
  • Dresses (these are my very favorite dresses and I cannot recommend them enough. The loose fitting / flowiness is perfect for when you are still bloated or just want to be comfortable! Plus they are $9!)
  • I used a cane that I found at an estate sale for the first week to get around safely. It was helpful but I also felt pretty cool using it.
  • That first week I had myself propped up with all the pillows so I didn’t have to use my core as much so make sure you have ample pillows!
  • Water, Water, and more Water…and also stool softeners. Don’t be scared. I don’t love how pain medications make me feel so I opted for the stronger Ibuprofen for during the day and honestly, it was enough. The pain meds did help at night though, especially when I was trying to relax. But because of this, let me say again…stool softeners.
  • Make sure you have plenty of books, movies, or shows to occupy your mind because if you are like me, boredom is not great and will push you to do things before you are ready.
  • Absolutely do as much core/pelvic floor exercises as you can leading up to the surgery. It definitely helped my recovery!

I’m sure I’m forgetting something so if you are looking forward to saying goodbye to your uterus soon and have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask! I’m not by any means a medical professional but I’m happy to share my experiences!

One thought on “Road to Recovery: Post Op Follow Up”

  1. I wish I would have taken advantage of a longer recovery period. I went back to work 2.5 weeks later. The pathology said I had andomyosis which is where the endometrial layer was being absorbed by my uterus and the only cure is a hysterectomy. I didn’t realize how bad I felt until my lady bits were mostly gone. I still have my ovaries.

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