Nadia’s Abdominal Hysterectomy
Abdominal Hysterectomy
Age at Surgery 42
Location: Atlanta/GA/USA
I had my procedure because my uterus was enlarged with fibroids and my periods were horrible. I decided I wanted to have my uterus out because I was tired of periods and didn’t want kids anyway. I did not get a second opinion because I am very comfortable and trusting of my GYN, she’s one of the best in her field.
My hospital experience was my first and it was great. The hospital was small and personal so I think that helped a lot too. I went in for surgery on a Friday and went home on Sunday. My doctor kept me a day longer than the hospital wanted to discharge me, because my bowels hadn’t woken up just yet. I didn’t take any opioids during recovery I requested Motrin only. The magic number for my pain was 800, Motrin 800.
The first few days were hard, learning how to get in and out of bed and moving without engaging my abdominal muscles was the big challenge. Once I mastered that, everything was much easier. My recovery was easy, I was up and about once I got home. I started driving after 2 weeks and working out again after 5 weeks. My only worry is getting my body back to the way it was. I still get swelly belly and still have some numbness, but that is going away little by little. I’ve heard different stories about having a TAH, some say they still have a pooch, some say they went back to having a flat stomach. I would like my flat tummy back…I see progress but not there just yet. My sex life is great and it still feels great. My hubby has ditched the condoms, the only difference is once we are done, that semen is coming right out. It has no where to go now but out and I did notice the difference with that right away.
I am happy I did my procedure, wished I did it sooner. I’ve noticed my hair is even growing a lot more than usual. It’s great not having a period, I wear what I want and stop planning around my period. For me the only thing that makes me know I had a procedure is the swelly belly, numbness at incision site and not having a period of course…otherwise all is well.
My advice is, know your options and figure out what works for you. Ask about risks and what are the expected results and what you’ll be left with once done for each procedure. I didn’t know that I could possibly be left with a pooch after a TAH…that may have changed the method I decided on if I knew the total possible outcome. Also talk to other women about what you’re going thru. I found that most of the women I knew had hysterectomies but I had no clue. The women that went thru it are the best asset, they have so much to share and those tips helped me the most.
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