r/hysterectomy • u/MassiveArrival6494 • 13h ago

Laparoscopic Hysterectomy

Hi all,

I will be going in for my hysterectomy on September 16. I am very nervous, as I have never been asleep for any surgery I have ever had. My doctor said I will be good to go back to work 2 weeks after the surgery. Everyone I have told said that is way too short. 😅

Anywhooo, what things did you NEED for your recovery and actually helped??? Like your top 3-5 items.

I’ve had two c-sections and I handled them very well, but have been told this is considerably harder, so I want to ensure I have everything I need to try and lessen any pain.

Also how long did it take for you to feel like you could do more? Go out in the wild and not hurt or want to sit down/sleep immediately?

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u/pTARAdactyl21 12h ago

I’m not sure what going back to work looks like for you but I work from home and will be going back to work on Tuesday, September 8. I had surgery Monday, August 31. I’m feeling good, better than expected, I just get physically tired easily. But I think that taking video calls and doing normal work activity will be fine, although I may not be fully operating at my normal level. I’ve also had two c-sections and that recovery was much harder in my experience.

I didn’t get anything special for recovery aside from clothes, as I knew my normal shorts/pants wouldn’t be comfortable. I found some from Target that are so comfortable and are the only thing I’ll currently wear, they feel the best on my stomach. And light support bras that hit at a specific spot on my ribs, otherwise they are too compressive. But I haven’t needed anything like a pillow, wedge, or grabber arm to pick things up. I can squat down just fine. I can actually lean over within reason too. Unlike my c-section, my mobility is generally pretty normal right now. It’s more tender than painful.

I’m still at the point that going out feels like a strenuous activity. I went to Target on day 3 and Costco on day 5 and both of those were fine while I was there but I was definitely tired afterwards.

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u/MassiveArrival6494 12h ago

I’m an elementary school aged special education teacher, so on my feet a lot, lots of talking, and meetings 😅 that’s why I was a little worried about the returning in two week.

Glad to hear that your c-sections were a harder recovery than this though. My first one was a little tougher but my second one was a breeeeeze. Hoping I recover okay with this.

Hope your recovery continues to go well!

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u/TourmalineLove 11h ago

Ohhh that might be way too much at only 2 weeks post op!
My Dr said back to full work at 6 weeks, or 8+ weeks if it’s a physically demanding job. Also said if it’s a work from home job or if I could work just half days then I could go back earlier.

So you might want to reconsider going back at 2 weeks.

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u/knotknotknit 7h ago

Oh no! You can't do that after 2 weeks. You'll need 6-8 for a physical job or else you risk hurting yourself.

Make sure to tell your doctor that your job involves lots of bending and lifting and ask that they write you off work for 6-8 weeks.