Hey all,
Feel like I may be on the road to crazy! I am 6.5 WPO
1 week PO was admitted to hospital with sepsis on IV antibiotics also had incontinence and UTI
2 weeks PO returned home and encountered a week of extreme diarrhea probably due to antibiotics for over a week
3 WPO went doctors had UTI antibiotics for 5 days
4 WPO began to swell in my abdomen this has progressively gotten worse over 2 weeks. It is so uncomfortable abdomen is very swollen and hard and feels like pressure all over.
No constipation or diarrhea
No sickness
Swelling seems pretty constant whether I eat/don’t eat, exercise or rest
I don’t have constant pain but do get pains and it always very uncomfortable.
GP referred to hospital on last friday and they found another uti so have more antibiotics and they referred me for ultrasound on tues (24th) to explore cause of swelling but its driving me crazy I want to know what is causing it?
Has anyone experienced this at all post hysterectomy?
I have googled and nearest thing I can find that seems to fit is ascites/fluid on abdomen
(When I was ct scanned when admitted for sepsis they did say there was small amount of fluid in abdomen so my concern is that has continued and caused the swelling?)
Thanks
Positive vibes to all in your journeys
xx
Hi CCBlue
I had significant urinary retention following my RH and had to self catheterise. Have you had a bladder scan to check you’re emptying your bladder properly?
x
Hey Jazza I have considered if it’s linked to a bladder issue, I had problems in first two weeks and have had small leakage enough to wear Tena pads all the time since then. Iv obviously had ongoing uti and blood in urine. Hopefully Tuesday scan will bring some answers
What did they do to resolve your bladder retention? Did you have abdominal swelling?
X
Hi CCBlue
My case was fairly unusual in that I had total urinary retention (couldn’t pee a drop) during the first 4 WPO (2017); failed 2 or 3 TWOCs (trial without catheter) and had an indwelling catheter. After that I was taught to self catheterise with instructions that I shouldn’t allow my bladder to hold more than 500ml otherwise the bladder muscle can get overstretched. On a few occasions I mis-timed self catherising and had about 800ml urine in my bladder and then I noticed I had a bit of abdominal swelling.
Either 2 or 4 weeks (can’t remember which) PO I was prescribed with Bethanechol to try and ‘kickstart’ my bladder into action but it had no effect on me. My bladder gradually improved naturally over the course of a year and I was able to reduce the frequency of self cathing. By this time I retained 100-200ml urine and continued to self catheterise regularly until last year when a new Urologist advised me to trial not self cathing. This year I decided to self cath occasionally just to monitor my retention and luckily it seems stable so far. As I said, my case of PO urinary retention is unusual.
I suggest keeping a bladder diary noting volumes of fluid intake and urine volumes against times.
x
It could also be a resistant bacteria that’s causing the infections. Please look into taking D-Mannose. It’s actually a type of natural sugar that attaches to bacteria in your bladder and helps flush it out. It’s very safe to take, I would highly suggest looking into it and finding the dosage right for you and your situation online.
Hi @CCBlue, sorry to hear all you have been through. I do not have any answers I’m afraid as I am having some issues too.
I had my radical hysterectomy a week ago and went back yesterday to have my catheter removed. As soon as it came out I had a really full balloon like tummy! The doctors said it felt soft to touch but to me it felt extremely bloated. I was then supposed to drink and wee but only tiny drops came out! Over the few hours I got extremely uncomfortable in my back due to retaining urine so had the catheter put back in. I have to try again next week but don’t want that swolen tummy or back pain again! It all went away once the catheter went back in!
I hope you can get to the bottom of what is happening to you and get some relief! Sending positive vibesx
sorry to hear you went through all this! Hope you are doing better now x
Hey all thanks for your replies. Finally the stomach bloating seems to have decreased I started taking Bimuno and it seems to have helped, GP also gave me a medicine for IBS I am taking this but not sure if its helping or not. The relief from the bloating is very welcome as it was so uncomfortable. I still get pains several times a day unsure if these are gas pains or adhesion pains?
Lower abdomen is still bloated and firmer to some degree but this could be residual swelling from op although I am nearing 8 weeks out now so you would think things would be resolving.
Its tiring to constantly have niggly things I want to feel like me again and not have anything wrong!
I know I will get there but have to look at going back to work soon to a fairly taxing job emotionally and physically and that feels like a very scary thought at the moment!
Take care all and wishing us smoother and faster recoveries! xx
Hi CCBlue
I was advised that post RH swelling can take 3 months to resolve. It might not feel like it but 8 weeks post op is very early days; where possible make the most of now to care for yourself.
I had a full time demanding job when I was diagnosed and can empathise with wondering how getting back is going to be. I found Macmillan very helpful with work related issues:
https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/impacts-of-cancer/work-and-cancer/cancer-and-employment-rights
My bladder improved (very gradually) over time - not perfect but good enough, thanks for asking.
x
