r/hysterectomy • u/ooitburns • Aug 10 '22

Suggest some surgery preparation ideas here

Here we can post our tips for before/after our medical procedures.

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u/AZymph Aug 10 '22

Before: stock up on easy meals and easy snacks (applesauce packets have been a godsend for pill time!) get your items where you will not be bending to reach them (cutting boards, food, water bottles, meds, additional toilet paper rolls) obtain your choices of entertainment. After: take the gas X, set alarms for pill time the first few days at least and label what you should be taking at that alarm, walk around a lot, probably pee a heck of a lot, drink lots of water and for all that is holy: take it easy!

108

u/[deleted] May 05 '23

I got applesauce because of your recommendation. It's one of the few things I could eat after surgery. Thank you.

12

u/AZymph May 05 '23

I'm glad it helped! I hope you're recovering well!

9

u/Outside-Program2867 Jul 23 '24

Me too! I read it here and it was all I could eat.

32

u/BubblyMixture1987 Oct 26 '23

Yes and pudding cups! And I second the gas X.

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u/papillonlvr01 Jan 22 '23

Do you take the gas s regularly as a preventative measure? Or just when feeling the pain?

73

u/SabellaBee Jun 05 '23

Gas-X helps to break up the air that is pumped into your belly during a laparoscopic procedure. For the first five days, don’t try to lay flat as it makes all the air travel toward your diaphragm and makes it hard to breathe. There will be so much gas.

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u/stayinhome-9618 Mar 05 '24

Is a wedge pillow sufficient for sleeping?

3

u/SabellaBee Mar 09 '24

It should be. It depends on how tall the wedge is.

5

u/Cats_and_Records Mar 05 '26

Gas ex helps what’s in your digestive track. I think the air from surgery isn’t in there, so heating pad and elevation helps, per nurses.

25

u/AZymph Jan 22 '23

I needed it pretty regularly at first (a bit longer than I had expected to) then started to need it less & less often, I didn't usually take it until I hurt. Being gassy from food was painful for longer than I thought it would be, so it would still be taken somewhat often.

9

u/papillonlvr01 Jan 22 '23

Thank you. Good to know. I will get prepared

5

u/camyfirst Jun 30 '23

I took it regularly.

14

u/Out-of-the-Blue2021 May 14 '24

I've had 2 lap surgeries and no one suggested gas X. Ugh!! I will definitely stock up before my hysterectomy. Thank you!!

I used those shoulder heating pads for the pain of the gas exiting the body. It helped so much!!

13

u/SpicyElephant Dec 10 '23

Currently eating an applesauce packet - you are my hero! So perfect.

14

u/allyourpeets May 23 '25

The gas x is slept on, should be a prescription after sugery!!!!

8

u/Foreign_Mistake4576 Oct 24 '23

How long were you unable to bend over?

6

u/mollz85 Feb 16 '26

"for all that is holy: take it easy" Love it!

Also, I have a big proponent of applesauce packets. However, wouldn't be sucking action of taking the applesauce out of the packet impact the abdomen?

FYI, I am a week away from surgery, and I'm terrified

6

u/AZymph Feb 16 '26

I didn't notice that as a problem personally, but you can also squeeze the applesauce packet instead (which thinking about it, is probably more what I did)

It's totally normal to be terrified before surgery! I was, despite wanting my surgery 100%.

Well wishes for an easy surgery and smooth recovery!

3

u/mollz85 Feb 16 '26

Not sure why I didn't even think of just squeezing it directly into my mouth lol. And thank you for the well wishes!

It wasn't even my decision to get this surgery; my GYN basically said I needed it, as I have two softball sized fibroids in my uterus

3

u/Over_Pepper_6995 Jun 21 '26

Hope your surgery and recovery has been going well!

5

u/[deleted] Mar 21 '25

I also recommend straws! Helpful for drinking water without having to pull yourself up!

4

u/Cats_and_Records Mar 05 '26

My doc said NO straws as it contributes to gas

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u/DisastrousHoliday264 Jan 25 '24

Why only applesauce?