Tips on getting ready for Hysterectomy/oopherectomy ?

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trigeek
trigeek Member Posts: 916
edited June 2014 in Life After Breast Cancer

Hey gals,

Did not know where to post this. My ovaries, uterus seemed to have gone bonkers ( I think the tamox fueled the weirdness) there are complex cysts on both ovaries, enlarged / thickened uterus, endometriosis,fibroid.. you get the picture.

Went to a oncology gynecologist who said he did not think it was cancer but definitely said we should take all out, hopefully laparoscopically ( robotic assisted).  If he does not like what he sees he will need to open up doing regular surgery yikes !!!

So my questions are:

1 - How do I prepare for hysterectomy, in case I do have abdominal incision ? For after the surgery..

2 - Any suggestions on what to take after surgery ? I heard that due to the growth hormone increase for recovery it is important to take some antiinflammatories to prevent mets if something bad is indeed there ?

Overall any heads up on hysterectomy ? I went so prepared to my bilateral mastectomy but am having a hard time finding info on this.

Thanks in advance !  

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  • yellowrose
    yellowrose Member Posts: 886
    edited April 2009

    I had the Lap assisted hysterectomy with oophrectomy.  Thankfully able to avoid the abdominal incision.  You might want to check out www.hystersisters.com as I got alot of valuable info there including what to expect before surgery and during recovery.  You will find a lot of good information there with articles and forums.

    I do know that my surgeon had me stop tamoxifen 2 weeks prior to surgery due to blood clotting risks.  They also gave me shots before and after surgery(heparin??) to minimize risk of blood clots. 

    The tamox also fueled my issues but thankfully was just cysts, fibroids and endometriosis, plus one adhered ovary.  It was still scary though before I had the path back.  I was off work one month but recovery for abdominal is longer.  Timelines for recovery and limitation are also available at hystersisters.

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited October 2008

    I agree with yellowrose - hystersisters is an excellent resource - they have some checklists which were really helpful for me ...   what to expect,  restrictions lists for various timeframes post-op, etc. There's a tremendous amount of information there - and forums if you want to ask questions/read about others' experiences. 

    I hope your gyn onc will be able to do your surgery laproscopically - the recovery is much easier - you'll feel much better than you should - make sure you follow the restrictions - as you'll feel like you shouldn't have any restrictions after a week or so. 

    Doreen 

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  • djd
    djd Member Posts: 866
    edited October 2008

    I had a LAVH-BSO 3 years ago.  The hystersisters site was a great source of information (although not nearly as "communal" as we are on this site).

    What I did wrong was I did NOT realize that even though I felt totally fine a few days after the operation, my INSIDES were full of stitches.  I did stuff that they told me not to, because I felt perfectly fine - ie., driving, walking fast, picking up the cat (not supposed to pick up anything heavier than a gallon of milk) and pushing a shopping cart too soon after surgery.  I ended up hemorraging and landed in the ER (a bizarre and humiliating scene) and had to stay in bed for 4 straight weeks.

    The biggest surprise to me about the surgery itself is that when I woke up the night of the surgery, I was already having a hot flash!  That was freaky.

    Good luck - and don't over-do!

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited October 2008

    I had a TAH/BSO 3.5 years ago after large ruptured ovarian cysts. If you end up with the abdominal surgery, the main things I would recommend are : If possible, have someone around to help you out the first week or 2, don't lift anything heavy or overdo--rest whenever you feel tired, drink plenty of fluids, take colace and senekot to prevent constipation, and do a little walking--increase it a little bit each day, limit any stairclimbing to only once a day. ( I was out of work for 8 weeks since I have to do heavy lifting as a PT).  Take your pain meds before you actually need them, so you aren't "chasing the pain"--it's harder to control if you wait till you're already in pain. Try to get good sleep and eat healthy--it helps the healing process. But I really hope you end up with the LAVH--much easier and quicker recovery. (my gyn did not have me stop my tamox, but theoretically he probably should have.)

    Anne

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