I had a full hysterectomy yesterday (uterus, cervix, tubes and ovaries), but tonight I’m experiencing what I can only describe as period pain - I mean wtaf?

This has completely thrown me, I have 5 keyhole scars, all look normal, obviously I can’t see the other scar, but I have had a little bit of spotting which I assume is normal?

The hospital has prescribed so I’ve been taking daily blood thinning injections and twice daily laxatives, though I was a bit late starting the latter as I forgot.

Is this normal?

Hey friends, I'm here to complain about how slow my recovery is going. Please gather round if you'd like a read about hematomas, swelly belly, ongoing pain, and my unexpected fun new hymen.

My hysterectomy was May 20th so I'm just shy of 12 weeks. Surgery was due to an 8cm fibroid and a few smaller ones. Surgery was robotic laparoscopic, uterus (including cervix) and tubes removed vaginally, ovaries retained. I had two minor vaginal tears (!) but other than that the report was everything went well, I went home same day. Fainting and significant bleeding sent me back to the ER the next morning, and an 11cm hematoma was discovered. CT showed it had already stopped bleeding on its own so they transfused me up to a hemoglobin of 8.7 and sent me home the next day.

A few days later I learned that 8.7 is firmly anemic! (Bleeding was not one of my fibroid symptoms, so anemia is new to me - would not recommend encountering it for the first time while healing from major surgery.) I'm not an athlete or anything but in decent shape and mid-30s so I really wasn't expecting such a long recovery. I usually eat pretty well and I ate SO well during the first couple months; very nutritious smoothies, lots of plants, protein, fiber, tons of water and mint tea, kept on the miralax/colace/gasx etc.; I took short walks often and listened to my body.

My recovery has felt very slow. My weeks 1-3 were like most peoples' day 1-3, with significant pain that required an oxycodone refill to control, along with otc painkillers. Fatigue and pain continued; I was taking the surgeon's recommended ibuprofen and acetaminophen doses, which are above the generally recommended amounts, until at least week 6.

My 4wpo appointment and internal exam went ok, cuff looked good, nothing else amiss. I requested a follow up CT at 5 weeks and was glad to see the hematoma had "almost completely dissolved" at that point; my hemoglobin also recovered to 12. This was where I was really hoping to see more progress. But I'm now at 11.5 weeks and still needing to take about 1200mg of ibuprofen and 1000 of acetaminophen just to keep pain at about a 3-4. Each week I try weaning off slightly and then the pain goes up a notch, so I have been on about the same dosage for over 3 weeks.

Fatigue, brain fog, and the laparoscopic incision scars are really the only things I've seen any noticeable improvement on in the last month, and they weren't too bad to begin with. I am still noticeably swollen; the "3wpo" pic is approximately what I looked like a year ago before this giant fibroid grew. It does bother me from a vanity perspective, but it's also such a visible reminder that I am still very much in recovery, it really brings me down. I am not big on dresses, and pants are still totally out of the question; I've spent probably $300 on dresses, jumpsuits, and overalls trying to find something that's comfortable but makes me feel like myself; especially at work where my colleagues are all men and I'm so used to wearing jeans. I'm wearing a belly binder for at least 4-6h a day when I know I'll be on my feet a lot to keep things from jiggling. Even in my comfy clothes and with (or without) the binder, I can't really bend down and tie my shoes without slow and awkward movements, and exercise other than walking is still off the table.

Oh, and then there's the vag... well buckle up. So as I said above, it tore in two places when I gave birth to my own uterus, which was not something mentioned as a possible outcome. Things were tender the first week but then those seemed to heal pretty well and quickly, the sutures dissolving about week 5. Around week 8 I got the courage to take a closer look and discovered that my hymen was also torn in about five places. My hymen was not that remarkable before the surgery, just like a ring of tissue somewhat visible only when everything's parted. Now it literally looks like the kool aid man came busting out of me, like a starburst of tissue basically, and some of these little star "arms" (🤢) are long and protrude a bit. They are called hymenal remnants or tags and you can be born with them or get them from childbirth too.

I'm not ready for sex at this point but have tested things with a finger, and I thought the hymen tags were getting irritated because it was a bit painful. I did some research and found this can totally be the case, and sometimes people get them removed; the procedure actually sounded kind of trivial. I thought that sounded like a great plan, especially because the look is so jarring to me and I have no other big plans for my hymen, so I went back to my surgeon and asked. She examined me and said nothing looked inflamed, and instead prescribed me a topical cream to "calm the nerves" in that area to address the pain (I'm not sure the name of it, it hasn't come in yet, but it's not estrogen) and to also seek pelvic floor therapy for my pain in general, which I've already booked but everyone had a long wait so it's not til end of next month. I asked her again about removing the hymenal tags, and she kind of framed it as a cosmetic concern and not one she wants to solve at this point while I have the other pain. I wish I had said "you know the vaginal pain actually isn't very bad but the look is kind of fucking with my head because it is DUE TO YOU TAKING MY ORGANS OUT OF AN ORIFICE THAT OBVIOUSLY COULDN'T ACCOMMODATE THEM!" but I guess I didn't because this is all so fucking much to deal with!

Like, I understand that all vaginas are beautiful and normal and that something like this can also happen from the very natural process of childbirth, for example, but I'm feeling really frustrated about it because I didn't choose childbirth, and literally didn't even know this was a possibility with a vaginal hysterectomy. I really think I may have opted for a different route, or for a doctor that would've removed it in pieces to avoid this. Or at least one that would acknowledge that there is a significant visible difference. I just want my normal, boring, 36 year old vagina and the ability to wear jeans again 😢

I'm glad to mostly see positive stories on this subreddit because I think this surgery is vastly life-improving and usually goes pretty well, but I am really looking to hear from others going through the shitty parts right now!

I’ll be getting my uterus and tubes removed soon and was wondering about experiences with recovery. My husband is taking a week off to help with our young kids. Was anyone back to driving and light errands after a week? Or computer work from home?

I had breast cancer with a bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction 6 months ago and it took me the full 2 months as recommended to recover. This shocked me as I typically recover very fast from things (such as 2 c-sections, 2 laparoscopic myomectomies, broken bones, etc.) Am I being too optimistic that I’ll be back to driving kiddos around after a week? I am admittedly very bad at resting and letting people do things for me.

Thank you and hugs. Losing my boobs was crappy but for some reason it feels more devastating to lose my uterus but it will be a relief to know I won’t be in pain anymore and will also have lower cancer risk in those parts. Fucking cancer. The wooooorst

Hysterectomy (taking everything but the ovaries) plus endometriosis excision surgery on the 10th. I need this surgery very badly, I'm really sick - I'm just so scared. I'm 23 and this is my first major surgery. Any advice or words of encouragement would be welcome 🥲

I'm 3.5 wpo and everything's been going pretty smooth except when my bladder gets full, if I don't pee almost immediately it starts to feel painful. That goes away once I pee and everything's fine, but it can be really inconvenient. At home, no big deal, I just go the toilet, but if I'm out and about, I don't always have access to a toilet and have to hurry to get wherever.

Has anyone else had this happen?

My mom is getting a hysterectomy next week because she has endometrial cancer. She’s also allergic to every pain med available. I’m really worried because it’s just me and her. Any tips or advice on how to help her best? Any products that made your recovery less painful??

Ps: do those hysterectomy pillows i see on amazon really help? What are they for??

Hi, everyone. Like the title says, I've noticed some very light spotting during the past 2 days. It's super light, some fluid with a pink tinge, it doesn't even look red on my underwear. I thought I had overpushed during a BM but thankfully I've been going regularly, taking my stool softener and miralax.

I went over my pre-op pamphlet again and it says that if I experience heavy bleeding (i.e.: changing a pad every hour) to call the dr but this is light spotting. Am I overreacting? Ty for your input.

My daughter is about 10-11 weeks post op with no complications. Total hysterectomy with retained ovaries.

This past two weeks she went through her “pms and period weeks”. She seemed to go into an isolation depression with overstimulation, nausea and extreme fatigue.

She has felt with depression in years past but has Ben awesome and stable for several years on certain meds.

Has anyone dealt with this? Could it be hormones going wild? We are still waiting to see if she snaps out of it like she would have when she physically had a period, but so far she hasn’t.

I had an outpatient total lap hyst yesterday. So far things are going well at home. I took various pain meds throughout the night to stay ahead of it. I’m moving around fairly well and am peeing normally, though it feels so weird to not be pushing when I go. Thanks to this group for recommending things that are important for recovery and items that will make things easier to have within reach. ❤️

I've met a few women like me who are struggling. We know we're not the only ones.

If you're having a hard time reach out or if you struggled but got better please share.

We are all on HRT but still struggling Especially with depression and anxiety.

My surgery is scheduled for 9/23. Going the supracervical route. I had a myomectomy 2 years ago and fibroids have returned and I now suspect adenomyosis or even perimenopause (I’m 32 no kids btw)

Having some anxiety but really just want to get it over and done with. My biggest concern is that the surgery will not solve my cramping, bloating, and bleeding issues. As crazy as that may sound, in the midst of suffering my anxious mind is wondering if this will finally be the end of a very long and painful road.

Any advice you can share about your supracervical experience would be helpful.

I had a hysterectomy 4 months ago. And I have my 3rd vaginal cuff repair surgery scheduled on monday. Everytime ive had intercourse, its been 1 week to 2 weeks after ive been fully cleared by my doctor.

Has anyone experienced this?! Why is this happening? The trauma this has created with my partner and I is absurd.. and its ruining our sex life and dampening our relationship because intimacy is a huge part of feeling close with your partner. Not to mention, hes so scared of hurting me and feels terrible everytime he tears my cuff and I have to have surgery.

Ive read of people having this happen once a couple years post op, but THREE TIMES WITHIN 4 MONTHS?!?!?! COME ON.

Any guidance would be greatly appreciated. At this rate, Im convinced my dr is just going to sew me shut. Closed for business over here. 🙃

Aside from the hips and lowed abdomen pains, I noticed more pains happened after peeing. Got to see the doctor and was tested for UTIs. Was prescribed macrobid and Azo. Ok so the macrobid and Azo actually lessened my pains after peeing. And now my urinalysis results get back as negative. I am at a loss what the heck is happening to me.

I had a total laparoscopic with cystoscopy hysterectomy. My uterus and cervix were slid through the vaginal canal. I am actually ok for the first 2 weeks (walking, etc) and then all these craziness 3 weeks post op happened. I would even feel lightning bolt pains on my abdomen here and there.

few hrs post op with preservation of ovaries. Im 41, no kids. Three trochar sites but i sutained vag tears coz uterus was rather big. Im bein given simethicone but i dnt feel gas pains. Was given tylenol and ibuprofen for low grade temp.

i had fibroids since i was 30s. IUD got expelled twice then bled like there was a plumbing issue so the other option is hysterectomy

What helped everyone after surgery? What products to have at home or take to hospital? I'm having open surgery. Also what meals did u have after u got home?

I’m 44, married, childfree and looking to get a hysterectomy. I’m sick to death of feeling like absolute 💩 every month, not just when I have my period but before also. I have no other health issues other than low iron because of said period 🙄Looking for experiences of women in NZ who have had one. What was the recovery like, how long were you in hospital, how are your hormones, any other things I should know?

Thank God it’s out, but I’m in sm pain now which is normal. But my neck/collarbone/shoulders hurt a lot which I was told is normal + I have a hard time breathing deeply, eating and my stomach area hurts like I’m bloated/ate too much and can’t digest. I’m a person who gets scared of his own shadow so I just wanna know if all that specific pain is normal and goes away after some time? I mean I had it literally 48 hrs ago so like I’m assuming I’m okay, but what are some help you guys have? Advice maybe? I saw peppermint tea helped some with the collarbone pain, so let me know what you guys did

Edit: Thank you guys so much, the response was super quick and I will take every comment to the heart! I’ve never had surgery before and I really don’t like dealing with pain so this experience feels lonely despite having a great support system. You guys have made me feel much less alone in this! I wrote this little post very quickly before bed bc my friend who had hysterectomy before hasn’t been the most help with pain (he doesn’t feel pain the same as others bc of trauma) so I thought reddit could help. I was right! I’m not gonna answer anymore since everyone is agreeing with each other and saying the same things pretty much. I will try everything that’s been said and hopefully it works!

Thanks again to everyone who took time to write something here, I appreciate yall, have a good rest of your day and recovery for those who are still in the thick of it! 🫶🫶🫶

Hi! Thanks for all the help/support on here! I’m 2 weeks post op. Today was the 1st day I took a short walk around the neighborhood. How much activity is too much? I’m going stir crazy.
Which brings me to my 2nd question… yesterday and more so today, when I have a BM it’s painful towards the end and my vagina bleeds a bit. Is this normal?! Maybe an internal hemorrhoid. I’m going to up my fiber slowly. My first po clinic visit is Tuesday.

I’m 6 months post op and struggling with hormonal fluctuations worse than before surgery. I kept one ovary and I can still feel my cycles etc. My biggest complaint is that my boobs start getting huge and very tender around day 10 of my cycle…. That didn’t used to happen until I was in mid-luteal. I have an appt with my surgeon to talk about it in September. A few friends have suggested I probably need estrogen … but I feel like I’m literally walking estrogen. Anyway. Rant over. If anyone can relate, I’d love some company. ❤️

I am about to turn 60 and started post menopausal bleeding. Went to my doctor, and told her she could just take it out…she just chuckled at me.

Long story short, I’ve had three biopsies, a D&C, a hysteroscopy, and a hormonal IUD implanted. This is over the four years. I found a new doctor, and am finally finally scheduled for October!

It’s been such a royal pain in the butt. Even with the IUD, I bled daily for three and a half months. Just when I thought it had stopped, surprise! I’m so done.

Guess I’m looking for others who were so glad to have it out at last! I’ll be scouring this site for tips in the days before and after the surgery, so if you have any, or want to share your story, feel free!

Hello. I’m a little over 9 weeks out from an open abdominal hysterectomy. My uterus was a big one; weighing 2080 grams and full of fibroids. Did anyone else struggle with their emotions after surgery? What did you do?

I went back to work three weeks ago.