I have had my pre op for my radical hysterectomy but still have no date for surgery.
would love to hear from anyone who has been through it!
i have to follow a low-residue diet for the day before the op, and take medicine that will make me 'go'. A lot. Then apparently I will have a catheter, drain and oxygen for 48 hours, and l need to wear gorgeous stockings, and will have to self inject for a month! I can hardly wait!!!! And then the menopause will kick in ss apparently my oncologist does not like to give out HRT!
PLEASE can anyone share some experiences that will make this seem less terrifying?
also, any tips on what to bring with me, like what worked well for the delightful wind issue? Any herbal stuff that was good for the hormones?
Molly
thank you in advance and thanks to those of you that have already done some reassuring! Xxx
Hi Molly. Try peppermint chewing gum for the wind or mints. Worked wonders for me! I took cheap nighties, toiletries that I don't normally use so that I could chuck them on my way out and not be reminded of hospitals whilst at home! I also took loads of trashy mags as I was told it's hard to concentrate on anything more and they were right! I got a exercise ball for when I got home, just for sitting I. And making small movements to help build my core which worked a treat as I was walking several miles a day by 4 weeks! Plenty of rest when you get home! It will be over and done with before you know it, and it's always better than you think it will be!
Lol, I have already packed eye mask and ear plugs too! But last time I was in the only thing that even got me a doze was watching a film that I'd already seen with the headphones on! And sound down Low!
Hi Molly, I can't help with the hysterectomy but would like to add that you might find charcoal capsules helpful for wind. I suffer from bad nausea which can give me wind which in turn makes the nausea worse & I've found charcoal to be great at relieving this. Several supplements are good for menopausal symptoms. I take evening primrose, magnesium in the morning & calcium in the evening. Black Cohoosh is good for relieving hot flushes as is Wild Yam. I've also found Agnus Castus good for balancing hormones. I wousub suggest however that you check with your doctor before taking anything although I've found most doctors knowledge of herbal medicine is scant. I hope that you do not have too long to wait for your appointment & send you all best wishes & hugs. Xx
Thank you! I think you're right, I ought to pop to GP before going in. Mind, I do find, as you say, that GPs tend to poo poo the herbal stuff. But I've had great success with the herbal route before, so I absolutely want to try it!
I'm laid in hospital right now waiting to go home. Loss of appetite has been huge and that mixed with medications and wind makes you feel very sick. I don't normally wear nighties so took pjs too. The nurses were more than happy to let me wear the bag style catheter on my leg so I felt more comfortable. I needed to keep mine in 4 daya due to the op being done keyhole. the best advice I can give based on how I feel right now is don't underestimate the recovery, it slow and hard but we will all get there in the end.
Im 36 and key items were pjs, hairbrush, moisturiser, peppermint tea bags and as much positive energy as I can muster every day. Good luck to you and let us know how you get on x
Hi Victoria! Thank you for your reply, so glad to hear you're doing ok. I am a pjs girl too, I have packed nighties that have bottoms to match in the hopes of slipping the bottoms on too despite catheter! I think one of the things keeping me awake last time was thinking my bum was going to be revealed to the ward if I moved in my sleep!!!!
I'm a PJ's girl but found nighties to be more comfortable. Big knickers! And in the next size up as my tummy was swollen. Peppermint tea for the wind and bloating, it really works. I took my portable CD player with meditation and calming cd's to help me relax - used them a lot in the run up to the op too.
I'm sat waiting to go now, dressed so I hope so x The leg bad makes it much easier to move around too. The surgeon has just been and seems very happy, checked I had no bleeding. I haven't and must admit was surprised when he said he wouldn't expect to see any! That's something to feel happy about. My bum hasn't been covered with full knickers in a long time so just bought some cheap seamless full knickers from primark to throw away later. I've really struggled with eating after and have found very plain food best like white boiled rice, plain jacket and branflakes (dry) lots of hot water. I think milky drinks make the wind worse x
It's not as bad as you think, it's fear of the unknown that makes it worse, i had a total hysterectomy last Nov, they discovered afterwards that i had stage 1B1 cervical cancer that they hadn't known about at the time, despite having smears yearly since 2008 as was diagnosed with stage 1A1 then, NHS failed to diagnose my cancer, so 7wks after hysterectomy underwent another operation, to remove fatty tissue where cervix had been, lymph nodes 7 vaginal cuff, so i had radical hysterectomy in 2 operations, i was just getting back on my feet from one op then boom another one, just don't over do it when you come home, plenty of rest & your body will heal quicker, obviously you'll be sore & uncomfortable, i was giving myself the injections to stop blood clots for a month & i wore the sexy stockings for a good 6 weeks, don't expect to wear jeans for a long time afterwards, i'm 9 month post op & mine are still uncomfortable & buy bridget jones knickers lol, anything for comfort. good luck hun, you'll be fine
There is trapped wind, painful; and noisy wind, embarrassing. To get rid of the painful trapped wind you have to let it out, noisy and embarrassing, but heaps better than the pain of it trapped in there. The operation causes your intestines to stop functioning in the normal way for a while and to get them working again you need to walk as soon as is practical after the op. In my ward when anyone ever let out a ripper they got a round of applause because it showed they were on the road to recovery. My intestines took an absolute age to start functioning normally again and during that time, loss of appetite and nausea were really distressing. I hope you have a better time than I did.
Do take nighties, and enormous pants. Nothing that will make you laugh too hard and knowing you, nothing you can use to access Google! I used Google a lot but our circumstances are very different! I also found hot Marmite drinks and instant chamomile tea for babies very useful, but perhaps that was because I couldn't eat for such a long time.
Flimsy harem trousers are good.
When you get home, don't lift anything and lounge around reading and sleeping. Gentle exercise walking on the level to begin with. Don't push yourself.
Brilliant tips girls, and so good to hear from people who have been there. Tivoli, I am loving the idea of a round of applause for trumping! I am a teacher and still at the age of 42 cannot keep a straight face when the kids let rip after lunch time!
i have the biggest overnight bag now that you could possibly imagine And am toying with the idea of a second bag containing non essential comfort things like fleece blanket! Am bit concerned that the book I have decided to go for on audible is a comedy!
Hi Mollz, hi everyone, Mollz, thanks for your good wishes before now. Great tips here too, I feel a bit weepy reading them, I am heading this route and will find out ont he 4th of November. Have all the results back except the PET - all the tests confirm what they thought at the start - early tumour, hasn't been graded officially, that comes with the PET results on the 4th. Even though my bladder isbe clear and the consultant happy, I still won't feel easy until the PET results. Can't belive I'm here at this stage so fast, was only diagnosed on the 22nd of September - hard to get my head around it. Mollz, you'll do great, I'll be watching for your posts with interest to see how you are doing and let me know what tips are good or if you find new ones...
its the waiting that's hard, isn't it. I will not rest easy until histology is back from the hysterectomy. I am convinced that 'it' will have got into lymph and will, as I type, be settling in to the nodes. The longer I wait the more convinced I become. I am not normally a hypochondriac, but when you have been diagnosed with the big c you start to feel that anything could happen!
I have a bag packed which is getting bigger by the day, I shove anything in that I think might make me feel better! Now have lots of minty stuff and wind tablets, huge pants, nighties, book, phone prepped with audible, etc!!!!!
All that said, most of the time I'm just carrying on with life! Christmas sorted! Kitchen nearly decorated!
i hope things go well on the 4th, do let us know, and message me any time with questions.
