If you’re preparing for a hysterectomy or are in recovery, here are some practical, comforting tips that helped me personally. You’re not alone, and healing takes time. This is my personal story of recovering after a hysterectomy, with tips and products that helped me through.
A few years ago, I checked into the hospital for a scheduled surgery I never wanted to have: a full hysterectomy.
At 51 years old, my days of wanting babies were long over, so that wasn’t the issue. But I did desperately want to avoid the inevitable pain and possible complications that come with any major surgery.
But after months (years) of constant pain from ovarian cysts, it was no longer an avoidable procedure.
I’m in no way a medical professional, and the following is NOT written with any medical expertise. However, so many ladies have graciously shared their hysterectomy recovery tips with me, so I wanted to pass them along to you, too!
After Hysterectomy Recovery Tips & Products that Helped
What’s a hysterectomy?
If you’re not sure what a hysterectomy is, here’s how an article in Women’s Health defines it:
“A hysterectomy is a surgery to remove a woman’s uterus (also known as the womb). The uterus is where a baby grows when a woman is pregnant. During the surgery the whole uterus is usually removed. Your doctor may also remove your fallopian tubes and ovaries. After a hysterectomy, you no longer have menstrual periods and cannot become pregnant.”
In my situation, I had a full hysterectomy that removed everything, including the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and uterus. I also had one very large fluid-filled cyst and a small endometrial cyst removed, and those were the culprits behind all kinds of pain!!
How long does it take to recover from a hysterectomy?
Recovery time varies wildly from woman to woman. My surgeon told me not to expect to work under any circumstances for the first 3 weeks, and up to 6 to 8 weeks. Some women say they felt so much better after 2 weeks, while others took much longer to feel better.
All I can say with certainty is my own story. At 2 weeks post-op, I was still moving slowly and feeling sore. But each new day brought a little more healing, and I’m beyond grateful for that. In fact, I felt good enough to write the post below to pass along the tips that were helpful to me at the time.
Hysterectomy Recovery Tips
I shared about my hysterectomy on Instagram and received an incredible response of support, advice, and helpful tips. My followers have become my personal support group during this recovery, and I want to pass along the tips they shared that have helped me so much.
- Stay on top of your pain meds. Missing a dose can mean a lot of extra pain, especially the first few days. I made a list of when I needed to take each medication. If you need to, set a timer.
- Listen to your doctor’s advice about laxatives. Pain medicine slows your bowels, and they may need a little coaxing to wake up after surgery, the whole time you’re taking pain meds.
- Drink LOTS of water. Water helps everything in your body work better, and laxatives need plenty of it to do their job.
- Juices like cranberry and grape make powdered laxatives taste great.
- Lying down in bed may be painful at first. Sleeping upright in my La-Z-Boy was the only way I could get decent sleep the first week. In week 2, I graduated to the couch with lots of pillows to prop me up.
- Walk slowly as much as you can, but rest, too. You have to keep a close watch on yourself here. Walking is good for you, but if you overdo it, extra pain will follow.
- Plan something to look forward to each day. I found evenings hard, so I started planning a movie night every night. I pick an old movie and enjoy watching it.
- Keep meals in the freezer, or find help getting meals. Thankfully, my husband is very capable in the kitchen, so meals haven’t been a real problem. But if I had to make them all myself, it would be. If possible, I’d recommend making freezer meals ahead of time. My stamina wasn’t very high in the cooking department.
- Avoid lifting and pushing or pulling anything over 10 pounds (like a milk jug). You’ll need to pay close attention, because you might do it without thinking. Get extra help with cleaning the house while you recover.
- Blow-drying my hair was a challenge. I really like a shower every morning (the hot water feels heavenly on my aching back muscles!), but I couldn’t hold up the blow dryer long enough to get my hair done. Bless my husband’s heart, he holds the dryer for me, and I just use a round brush to finish.
Products that have helped after hysterectomy recovery
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links for your shopping convenience. If items are purchased using these links, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to the purchaser.
I’ve tried a few recommendations people gave me, and they’ve helped so much during this post-surgery recovery time.
- A pretty nightgown (like this one): A few ladies mentioned they just couldn’t stand anything touching the incision site for the first while, so they loved having a nightgown to sleep in.
- Large, oversized sweatpants (similar to mine). I didn’t realize it’s normal for your stomach to swell A LOT after surgery. Thankfully, I bought these sweatpants two sizes too big for my normal size. They fit perfectly loose right now.
- The hospital had disposable underwear for after surgery that I loved.
- Slip-on shoes. I wore these to the hospital and used them as slippers there, too. I can also slip them on easily when I want to take a short walk outside.
- Belly band. This has been an absolute lifesaver for me! It holds everything in and supports my back, which is working overtime trying to support those tender stomach muscles.
- Licorice tea. Someone mentioned this tea helped her when she was suffering terribly with constipation. I have trouble in that department, too, so I’ve been drinking a cup a day. Even though I really don’t like black licorice, I sure do like the tea!
- Lap desk. We picked up a simple fold-up lap desk before surgery, and I’m so glad we did. I use it multiple times a day, including right now, as I type this post on my iPad mini while sitting on the couch! ;)
- Shawls & scarves. With everything else I have to deal with each day, wrestling myself into a bra just isn’t going to happen. A lovely, strategically placed scarf or shawl keeps everything appropriately covered. ;)
- Comfortable camisoles. Instead of a bra, I simply wear a comfy camisole (similar to this) under my shirts and sweaters.
- I enjoy reading, so I made sure I had a stack of Christmas romance novels (my favorite kind of book) on hand. Here are a few of my favorites: A Tailor-Made Bride Bradford Sisters Series The Silent Governess
Fun Gifts to Give to a Friend Having Surgery
If you have a friend facing an upcoming surgery and you’d like to bless her with a gift of love, here are some things that blessed my socks off!
- Text messages asking how I’m doing.
- A fun delivery of macarons from New York!
- A meal in disposable containers (so I don’t have to remember to return the containers).
- My daughter-in-law came over and painted my toenails! (I couldn’t wear any nail polish during surgery.)
- A gift bag full of little treats, with instructions to open one gift a day. It’s something fun to look forward to! My friend wrote that it had everything from the ridiculous to the sublime. :) Here’s what was in it: A cute seasonal dish towel chocolates Sudoku puzzle book stickers & pen baby wipes nice-smelling bar of soap lip balm mulling spices wood slice coasters paperback book fridge magnet pretty Spring napkins a mini teapot a matching teacup for the teapot travel cosmetic bags
Do you have any hysterectomy recovery tips?
I grew up with a mom and both grandmas who had hysterectomies. But talking about that topic just wasn’t done back then. Now they’re all in Heaven, and I wish I could ask them questions. Instead, I’ve opened up the topic with anyone who’d like to talk about it.
I’ve found a wealth of information and helpful resources just by talking about it. Have you had a hysterectomy? Do you have any advice or tips you’d like to add to this list? If so, leave them in the comments below. So many people will appreciate it and learn from it!
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