If you’re like me, you’ll probably research a lot about your surgery before it happens. It’s always better to go into something prepared. As I told my mom, I’d rather have things I don’t need and return them than not have them and need them. We all heal differently, but almost every woman can agree that these items will help with the recovery of a hysterectomy.
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General Tips
1. Hydrate: I was lucky to be told I could hydrate up to two hours before surgery. In fact, I was given a special pre-surgery drink from Ensure that is supposed to help with recovery. I looked into this because I thought it was just a marketing scheme, but there are actual medical studies on how this drink helps patients recover. One thing I was told and believed to be true was that the more hydrated I am, the better my recovery will be. In my mind, I rolled my eyes. However, it was true. Leading up to my surgery, I made sure to drink at least 60 ounces of water every day. After surgery, I drank at least 120 ounces in the hospital in 48 hours. I peed like I’ve never peed before, but that’s a good thing (we’ll talk about catheters later). During recovery, my days were a hit-and-miss. On days I didn’t drink enough, the next day was rough. On days when I drank plenty of fluids, I felt unstoppable the next day. Stay hydrated!
2. Walk A Lot: You’ll want to lie around in the hospital bed and/or at home a lot. It’s natural. Everything hurts. However, the more you walk, the better you’ll feel. Walking not only helps with muscle inflammation and rebuilding, but it also helps move the surgical gas through your body. The use of surgical gas is one of the worst parts of this procedure (see below). The faster you get it out of your system, the better you’ll feel. When you walk more, the gas moves around, helping it escape. Walking also helps the bowels function, preventing constipation (details coming later). Lastly, walking helps reduce the possibility of blood clots.
3. TAP Block: I was lucky to have them give me a TAP Block during surgery. Even with that, though, I woke up from anesthesia in severe pain (see below). After waking up, they offered me a second TAP Block. TAP Blocks are similar to epidurals but are administered in the front of the body to block the nerves of the lower limbs. It was an uncomfortable shot, but it was well worth it considering the pain you’ll have when you first wake up. It will help with recovery and lessen the pain, in turn lessening the need for pain meds.
4. Rest: You’ll want to return to normal activities. Don’t let your body fool you. You’ll have some great recovery days, but if you overdo it, it can cause more damage to the site. You’ll want to test as much as you can to ensure you heal properly so you won’t have secondary effects. No matter how ready you feel, do not lift things!
5. Have Someone to Help: If you live alone, make sure to have a plan for someone to help you. In the first few days, you’ll be unable to do anything. Don’t try to force it. Having someone to help do laundry, dishes, get food, etc., is helpful. You’ll not want to risk injuring yourself during recovery.
6. Prepare for Waking Up: Waking up from anesthesia will be the worst you’ve ever felt in your life. I felt myself tossing around in the hospital bed, crying in pain. No one talks about those first 10 minutes, but it is the worst. It’s like you’re waking up in the middle of the surgery itself. Luckily, if you have good nurses, they’ll notice it and handle your pain meds immediately. After you get over the first two hours of anesthesia wearing off, you are golden! Nothing will compare to the feeling of just waking up, though.
7. Have Things to Do: You’ll get bored incredibly quickly after the surgery. There is only so much you can do on your phone, including games. It may become hard to focus on audiobooks and reading because of the medication. You won’t be able to lift anything, so you’ll have to be careful about what activities you choose to do. You won’t be able to eat anything either. I personally used this time to learn how to crochet and expand my interest in writing. Hide the credit card because it will be so easy to just shop from your phone all the time!
8. Have Easy Meals: Whether you stock up on frozen dinners or whether you have pre-made meals, it’s important to have meals that are easy to reheat/heat. Coming out of surgery, you’re not going to be able to stand over a stove or oven trying to cook something. You’re also not going to want to do a ton of dishes afterward, either. I personally bought quite a few ready soups. Because I knew a liquid diet would be beneficial for moving my bowels. However, I did get some other frozen dinners to make up for days when I felt like I needed solid food or protein.
9. Prepare Mentally: Aside from the physical pain, the emotional/mental side of this surgery is tough, especially if you’re fairly independent. You will need support, good friends/family to check in on you and help you, and you’ll need distractors for things you can no longer do or pain.
Must-Have Items to Buy
1. Gas-X, Miralax, and Stool Softeners: The gas is extraordinarily painful. The gas you’ll have will build up in your intestines and in your body, around your shoulders, rib cage, back, etc. The faster you can relieve this gas, the better you’ll feel. On the same token, the pain medication will/can cause constipation. You don’t want to be constipated because it can cause damage to the surgical site. The easier your bowel movements are, the faster you will heal. You’ll want to take Stool Softeners and Miralax to help get things moving. If you haven’t gone in a week, you need to contact your doctor. It is also recommended to perform an enema if no bowel movement has occurred. Once you have diarrhea, though, back off the Miralax. Diarrhea is equally as bad as constipation when it comes to the healing process. Generic brands are fine.
2. Heating Pads & Ice Packs: Heating pads help not only with pain and swelling but also help in moving the gas around. The gas is often the worst part of the surgery, so the faster you move it and release it from your body, the better you’ll feel. Ice also helps reduce inflammation and swelling after surgery. My personal favorite heating device is the electric portable one. I can take it with me to work, drive, etc. It lies flat on my site, ensuring constant contact. A regular heating pad works well at home. Similar to the heating pad, I enjoy the clay ice packs with the Velcro enclosure. It allows me to keep the ice pack flat and apply pressure to the site. At home, the large or extra-large ice pack would be great.
3. Belly Binder: Most of the time, the hospital will provide one for you through your insurance. However, if they don’t, or if you want to be prepared, I would suggest getting a belly binder. It doesn’t have to be fancy or detailed, but a bigger one for the whole abdominal area will help. After surgery, your other organs are fighting for the open space. Add that to the rawness and swelling of the surgery, and it’ll feel like cinderblocks are attached to you. Pulling yourself up, getting out of a seated position, lying down, and even using the bathroom are all painful after surgery, so this will help create a tight feeling to make them more tolerable. It feels like someone is hugging your abdominal muscles all day. It truly feels amazing! I was lucky to get one through my insurance, but Amazon has a belly binder similar to it. You can get them in all sizes.
4. Loose Clothing (Nightgowns/Dresses), Including Underwear: With the swelling and inflammation, you’ll want to have your clothes barely touching you. It’s really recommended to wear nightgowns and/or dresses to have no pressure on your incision sites. It will also allow your incisions to breathe. You’ll relieve so much pain just by going up a size for this surgery. I bought my nightgowns from Walmart. Their nightgowns were soft and cool. I got it one size larger than I needed for comfort and swelling.
5. Apple Juice & Cranberry Juice: Apple juice will help with bowel movements, and cranberry juice will help prevent urinary tract infections. During surgery, you’ll be given a catheter. Depending on how the surgery goes, it may come out immediately. It may be left in. It’s no surprise that peeing after a catheter feels like a gas-fed fire. It’s incredibly painful. The more hydrated you are, the faster that pain will go away. Cranberry juice helps fight a potential infection. These pills can be taken to help as well, but they are not necessary if you maintain hydration and regular urination.
6. Ibuprofen & Tylenol: Your doctor will only prescribe a few pain pills. The goal is to keep you off of them to ensure you don’t get constipated and to avoid possible addiction. They will tell you to begin taking the highest possible doses of Tylenol and Ibuprofen between pain meds to help the body adjust. Once you’re out of pain meds, it’s unlikely your doctor will prescribe more.
Recommended, but Not Necessary
1. Shower Stool/Shower Handles: Lifting your leg and standing for long periods will be difficult. It will exhaust all the energy you have. Standing up straight will feel impossible for the first few days. By using a shower stool, you’ll be able to take a good shower without experiencing too much pain from swelling or from the tightness of standing. If you know someone who had one, I would go that route. The hospital may also be able to get one approved through your insurance.
2. AVO Urinary Tract Infection (Cranberry) Pills: As mentioned previously, there is an increased risk of infection due to having the catheter. You’ll struggle to urinate the first few days as well, which can increase the risk of infection. To prevent that, you’ll want to stay hydrated. These pills can reduce the risk of a urinary tract infection in the meantime.
3. Pillows: If you can afford nice wedge pillows, I would suggest that. However, cheap Walmart pillows will do as well. You’ll want one to protect your stomach, especially if you have pets or young kids. You may also buy a small one for driving to protect from the seat belt. You may want a pillow to prop your legs up. The first few days will be hard to straighten your legs. You may use it in between your legs as well if you’re a side sleeper. I bought four new pillows to help prop up different parts of my body. I probably didn’t need that much, but it was good to have them!
4. Seat Belt Protector: This is a must-have, but there are other options out there. The seat belt protector protects your surgical site from seat belt pressure. It also allows you to place an ice pack or heating pack in there for additional comfort. Although you won’t necessarily be driving, even as a passenger, you’ll want the relief. The one I bought from Amazon has an ice/heat compartment. It’s soft and washable!
5. Abdominal Massager/Heat Pad: Although a basic heating pad would work, these machines do a great job of putting the perfect pressure on the abdomen. They provide a soothing light massage that won’t be too hard on your surgical site. It’s more of a vibration than anything else. What I like most about it, though, is that it sits perfectly around your abdomen, unlike a heating pad that doesn’t have enough pressure to stay in place on your stomach. Some brands are much louder and vibrate more than others, so make sure you read the reviews. I linked my favorite to the heating/ice post.
Post-Surgery Recommendations
1. Cooling Blanket: Once your hormones start acting up, you’re going to start having hot flashes. To help prevent this, a cooling blanket is helpful. It’s a thin blanket that absorbs your heat and turns it into cool air. They usually have running deals on these. I highly recommend that you get one while on sale. My cooling blanket is fairly thin, but it does a great job of dissipating heat.
2. Tower Fan: Along with the hot flashes. I would also recommend getting a tower fan. You may not have hot flashes all the time. That tower fan will be extremely beneficial in cooling you off. The technology behind these fans has advanced significantly, and you can now get one with Wi-Fi. You’ll want one with good running time, height, and strong power.
3. Neck Ice Rope/Fan: I would recommend getting both the ice rope and a neck fan. Both of these will help cool you during a hot flash. I personally prefer the ice rope because it is colder, but the neck fan is also incredibly helpful for circulating air around your face. I got mine off Temu because I had enough notice. However, Amazon also has neck ropes and neck fans!
4. Grabber Claw: If you live alone, I feel like this is essential to have, especially within the first week of surgery. You may end up dropping things during your time, either because you’re fatigued or because it happens. Bending over is incredibly hard, and even bending at the knees hurts. A grabber will help you pick up anything that you may drop. I personally did not use one, but I can see why it would be beneficial.
5. Squatty Potty: I would recommend this even without surgery. I feel like having this will make your bowel movements so much easier. Especially with being on pain medication. Another way around this is to buy yoga blocks to elevate your legs and create the perfect angle for your bowels.
6. Menstrual Underwear/Panty Liners/Adult Diapers: I don’t feel like this one is as necessary unless you had a tough procedure, In which case, the doctor will likely tell you that it was a tough procedure. You will have some spotting after surgery, which is totally normal. How long it lasts depends on how well the procedure goes and how well you take care of yourself during recovery. I personally only have spotting for about twenty-four hours, and then one time after that for very light spotting. I personally only used a panty liner, but I’ve heard many women say they did and found it beneficial.
7. Throat Lozenges: After intubation through the breathing tube, you’re going to have irritation of your throat. It is important that you handle it with cough drops, throat lozenges, or tea. The feeling eventually goes away, but it will be a rough couple of days on top of your abdomen being in pain.
Overall
Recovery isn’t terrible for most patients, especially for those who do it through laparoscopic incisions. If they have made a long incision, recovery will take longer and be more difficult.
The first week is the most challenging. After the first week, things begin to settle, and you start to feel semi-normal. By the end of week two, you feel more like yourself and want to challenge yourself to do more. Remember, you are still recovering. Despite how strong you may feel, it’s important to relax and recover.
