A little advice from women who've had a hysterectomy?

[zanne]

My sister is scheduled for a hysterectomy on Sept.29th. I'll be staying at her house for awhile to help her out when she gets out of the hospital. I don't know what to expect, so do you have any tips
on the kind of help she'll be needing? I plan to cook, do the laundry, clean and fetch for her, but are there things other than that I should be thinking about to help her? How long does the bad pain usually last and how long was it before you were able to get out of bed and walk around the house?

I'm afraid both my sister and I will be newbies at this. She's never had surgery and I've never nursed a woman who's had a hysterectomy.

[Warpy]

1. First, don't love her to death

She's going to need to get out of bed and take walks. This is necessary after surgery to prevent complications like blood clots and pneumonia. We generally get people out of bed and walking within 12 hours after they get off the operating table. Yes it will hurt. It will help if you walk with her.

Second, her main limitation will be lifting. She will be told to avoid lifting anything that weighs more than five to ten pounds. That means things like spaghetti pots full of water, the dog, a kid.

Third, recognize that even if she hurts, she needs to move, stretch, bend, and reach. Encourage her to take whatever pain meds she can get because they help the pain settle down once she settles down.

The worst post op pain occurs 24-48 hours after surgery when the anesthesia has completely worn off. She should be on the mend but still hurting when she gets home. She'll complain nonstop, but this is one time people get to be whining crybabies. I sure was after my appendectomy.

[mopinko]

2. had other surgery, and

nursed hubby and kids through a couple. the bit of advise that i have is that there are a lot of good natural drinks out there like odwalla. if she likes them, they are really good for post-surgical, don't really want to eat, don't want to make my intestines work to hard, nourishment.
me, i demanded milkshakes! instant breakfast works, too.

good luck. she shouldn't be out for too long. the shit they do these days is crazy.

[MadMaddie]

3. Warpy has pretty much summed it up..

I had my Hysterectomy about 5 years ago. Life if good now and I am not anemic anymore.

I hope they are leaving her ovaries because that will delay menopause if they stay in.

Follow the Dr's orders about not lifting etc.

Several hrs after the surgery, they will get your sister up and start her walking short distances. Apparantly the mobility helps the healing process, seemed to work for me.

The only thing I can think of for you both to really pay attention to is if she gets a fever or if the wound doesn't seem to be healing properly.

Tell your sister short term it sucks but her life will definitily be better, I know mine is.
:hi:

[Liberty Belle]

4. tell her not to do too much, too fast. I kept popping stitches;

walked and tripped on stairs, lifted something too heavy another time. This is a major surgery, and you need to allow ample time to stay off your feet and heel up.

it took me a few weeks longer than the doctor said to feel better, though the surgery was well worth the effort. I had several endometriosis and was doubled over in pain before.

keep feet propped up as much as possible, and stay off stairs. Don't let her drive.

After her stitches come out, it's good to have scar patches to put on that prevent scarring.
Good news is this worked amazingly well - I don't have a scar left at all from my hysterectomy, despite an incision several inches long!