Hello all,

I have a pre-surgery appt tomorrow with my surgeon, and I want to make sure I go in prepared with everything I want to communicated to her and know for myself. Here's my list:

* Ask surgeon to remove gas (i read on here that if you ask your surgeon to remove as much of the gas as possible before closing up, it can help with gas pain - can anyone confirm?)

* Ask for a binder

* Ask to give consent to any necessary change in procedure because my mom is driving from ND and I wont be able to reschedule this

* Make sure that my surgeon has it in her notes that no medical information is to be shared with my mother at any time, post-op instructions are delivered to me without her in the room unless I otherwise consent post-surgery - will this information also be provided via MyChart?

Can you think of anything else that would be helpful to know?

I'm nervous, surgery is next week, so it's feeling more real now. Classes start tomorrow. I've reached out to my professors and will be able to attend lectures online for a couple weeks, and they're all great about giving assignment information well ahead of due dates, so I should be able to stay on track. I don't have a regular job, but I am a research assistant and will need to continue that work through recovery as well. It's just feeling like a lot all of a sudden, and I'm not sure how to handle it. Four classes, all with group work, and 10 hours a week of coding survey responses.

I've had two other laparoscopic gynecological surgeries--endometrioma removal and then removal of the offending ovary a year later. My recoveries were extremely easy, but they were 6 and 7 years ago when I was still basically a professional athlete (circus performer). I'm in shape, honestly probably a lot healthier than I was then, but I'm 38 now and it feels different.

It feels like I should be blase about this, I'm going back to class, not hanging upside down by one hand 50 feet from the ground. But I'm worried that I'm overestimating my post surgery abilities.

I was single for those earlier surgeries, so I could just hang out alone in my room without worrying about anyone fussing over me or worrying about feeling responsible for another person's wellbeing. We're both neurodivergent. When I don't feel well I don't want to be perceived. My partner knows this, but I know that he's going to have feelings about me wanting to be ignored that are going to be hard for me to deal with. It's ridiculous and he's great, but I don't want to deal with his disapproval of me not wanting any of his electrolytes drinks or spending a lot of time on the couch with him. He's going to try to do all the great partner things, but I'm going to feel like it's an intrusion. The way it was scheduled, he would have been able to pick me up from the hospital after work, but he scheduled the full day off anyways, and that just makes me anticipate the feeling of intrusion. But like, he's just being a good and helpful partner.

And I'm just nervous in general.

I guess I'm just venting

Hi everyone,

Following on from the title, I would like to make clear my intentions for writing the blog; being to give back in someway to these communities on Reddit, that have given me comfort, a sense of safety and validation, in what has been a wild ride over the past 2 years due to Endometriosis and Adenomyosis. (My symptoms started around 11 years old, but in the past 2 years became unbearable).

I had my hysterectomy 3 weeks ago, and go on this group everyday, I genuinely don't know what I would do without it.

My idea is to share my hysterectomy journey, with one blog post per day, detailing how I feel mentally and physically and looking to end the daily blog post after my 1 year hysterectomy anniversary.

For some background, I'm 33 years old and had a radical hysterectomy (although managed to keep my right ovary), after having two surgeries in 2025 for endometriosis and PID. My journey is a little unique in that my two surgeries last year were in China, as I was living there and have some stories about my experience there.

I could be totally off the mark here, and my inner critic is like 'wtf do I have to add to this conversation' but since the first surgery, I've had a lot of time to reflect and made some huge life changes due to being chronically ill and (what I believe to be a factor for me personally) spending most of my life in chronic stress, being a people pleaser and generally being walked all over.

Overall, I feel as though having a hysterectomy and being chronically ill, is part of a wider conversation around misogyny in medicine, navigating being childfree in an increasingly misogynistic world with violence against women rising (I'm thinking the tradwife trend online) and in general how fucking hard it is to be a woman.

I'm waffling, but yeah I am thinking about writing the blog, but I only want to do it, if it would add value to this community. Goodness knows there is enough rubbish online.

Please let me know your thoughts, it would be greatly appreciated x

I 36f am scheduled for my hysterectomy on October 20th. I could have had it sooner but October 20th was earlier in the week, and my boyfriend 40m (together 2 years), can only spend time with me on the front half of the week because he has his daughter on the back half of the week, so I wanted to have the surgery as early in the week as possible.

Best case scenario, he will take me to surgery, bring me home, and stay with me for 2 ish days until he has to go pick his daughter up from school, and then I will be on my own until she goes back to her mom's a few days later as we do not live together. But lately he hasn't been around much regardless of his parenting schedule, and I am terrified of recovering alone. My parents will be out of the country as they often are, my son is a pilot and isnt home much, and my daughter is only 11 so she can't help with a whole lot. I live in a 3rd floor walk-up, the laundry room is on the ground floor of another building, and i dont have the means for a cleaning lady or anything. It feels more and more likely that I will be recovering mostly alone.

Will I be okay or should I maybe cancel the surgery? Im not nearly as bad off as some women. I have endometriosis but its mainly just daily blinding pain--i dont have cancer or anything and I dont bleed for 100 years straight. I dont have any crazy adhesions, my bladder hasn't melted to my butthole or anything like that, its just pain that is more or less constant. I feel like surgery is kind of a dramatic step in my case anyway. I dont know what im hoping for here. Maybe just some advice from those who did end up recovering alone?

TLDR; it is likely that I will be recovering from my total hysterectomy mostly alone and I am scared and wondering if I should cancel.

Hi everyone! I’m getting ready for my upcoming robotic laparoscopic full hysterectomy September 21st and I’m starting to think about what I’ll actually need for recovery. 😊

For those of you who have already been through it, what were the things and essentials you found for the first few days/weeks?

I’m especially wondering about support pillows like a wedge pillow, body pillow, abdominal pillow, etc. Were there any that you found particularly helpful or that you couldn’t have done without?

And what other little things made recovery more comfortable or easier?

I’d love to hear your “I’m SO glad I had this” items, as well as anything you bought that ended up being completely unnecessary. 😂

Thanks in advance! ❤️

Hopping on here to share that since I’ve started tracking my symptoms, I’ve stopped gaslighting myself.

I’m scheduled for a hysterectomy later this year and it’s been difficult for me to admit that it’s necessary. I think when you live with chronic pain it’s easy to tell yourself that what you’re feeling is normal or not that bad.

That being said, hysterectomy is the only way they can perform necessary pathology and treat my symptoms. I’ve had two failed biopsies, because of challenging anatomy and have suspected adeno and endo, yet I still question everything.

Anyways, my whole point is that I started tracking symptoms daily in my notes app. I’m talking cramps, bloating, GI symptoms, migraines, anything that keeps me from feeling like I’m thriving and when I start doubting the direction I’m heading, I reference that list of symptoms. It’s been a good tool to help me recognize all that my body deals with and acknowledge that I deserve a better health outcome.

Thought I’d share, in case others are struggling with their situation.

I got diagnosed with a complex, solid, ovarian mass back in June. It’s growing. It’s doubled in size in 10 weeks. It’s secreting hormones. To the point that my blood pressure skyrockets, I feel like I’ve had 6 cups of coffee, and the feminine rage emanating from me would likely kill a man. For months I said something was off, before they found it. My husband said I was just over exaggerating. He FAFO’d.

Had repeat imaging, it grew again. Has its own vascular flow. O-RADS now a 4. This free loading bastard is good chance of malignant AF. It’s going to have to come out. And now, the doctor says safest bet is to take it all out. All the lady bits. Cause it could be aggressive, and the uterus be thicc, so it might be malignant too. Won’t know til they take it all out and do the final pathologies.

And here I am, just now realizing I’m a woman in my mid 40’s, with no children. I spent my life adamantly not wanting to give birth, or to raise another human. And while I think I stand by that decision, I’m now recognizing I never can. And it’s hitting me…hardddd. I’m crying into my feral dinner over babies I’ve never had, never wanted, but will now never even have the ability to have. I feel unbelievably inadequate and sterile. Like we’re all born as inherent mothers, and I’m losing that part. And also terrified of chemo taking my hair. Nor do I do well mentally with several weeks of downtime. Staying busy and outdoor exercise is what keeps me sane.

Anyways, I’d like to name the mass and the thicc uterus, before we yeeterus. Thoughts?

Going on 11 days now lol. How long did you give it before you started going back to normal life? How many days did you spend in bed doing sweet FA? Just started a 13 season show so I could be here for the long haul 😅

35f. 9wpo - had everything removed but the ovaries. Went private as I was told I’d get nowhere with the NHS. Had my first GP appointment post surgery today and prefaced it by saying I’d had a hysterectomy which could be contributing to my symptoms for the issue I was there for.

You’d think I’d committed the most awful of sins!!

His face just dropped and I got a barrage of questions…

You had a what done?
On the NHS?
Then what provider?
Why?
What were your symptoms?
What did they take?
How many children do you have?
What do you mean you have no children?
Have you been pregnant?
Do you have a history of issues with the uterus in your family?
What were your symptoms again?
Have you been pregnant?
You have, but you have no children?
Do you understand it’s a major organ?
And you don’t have children?

Dear lord! God forbid women have bodily autonomy. I said I am very, very happy with my decision and went on to discuss what I was actually there for. Hoping I don’t have to go through this every time I have an appointment now…

Around 10k 😵‍💫 Plus 4 other medical staff assisting the surgery, separate charges, few thousand each. Crazy...

Im 36. Had a hysterectomy last October. Left both ovaries. Ever since, I have been trying to discuss changes in my body with my ob and every time I got dismissed. In June, I went for my annual. And again, I tried to have a conversation. I told her I am hot all the time, I dont sleep well, Im tired all the time, Ive gained 30 pounds despite eating well and being more active than Ive ever been. My hair is falling out by the handful. My legs are restless and itchy. Im cranky and blah and just generally dont feel myself. I asked her about the possibility of trying hrt. She noped me immediately. Said I was young and had my ovaries and it's impossible that they've failed at my age. Its impossible, thats just not how that works. Then she doubled down and told me if I wasnt happy with my weight I should eat less. I thought she had to be joking and I laughed, but she was dead serious. I brought a whole body and mind problem to my doctor and she told me to eat less. End of conversation. I left feeling humiliated and crazy. Last week I decided to make an appointment with my primary. She listened. Shared some personal experiences and recommended a supplement that might help in the meantime/alongside hrt if thats an appropriate avenue. She doesnt really practice women's health so she researched what all labs should be done and ordered all of them. All the basics- vitamin b and d, ferritin, metabolics- came back normal range. Lutienizing hormone came back WAY high, which points to ovarian insufficiency or surgical menopause. Still waiting on the rest of the hormone panel to come back to confirm. Seeing that so high was really bittersweet. Im glad we can move forward treating it and I can feel better. But it sucks that it could've been solved way earlier, and it really sucks to be treated nonchalantly. Maybe one day we will be able to walk into our doctor's appointments confident we will be taken seriously!

And yes I'm in a lot of pain now from sitting to draw. It's probably worth it

has been playing nonstop in my head. doo doodoo doo, doodoo doot doodoo…

surgery is tomorrow!!!!!!

I have been so excited and so looking forward to this but also so full of anxious energy and I haven’t been sure why because I am not specifically afraid of surgery

and then I realized it’s because the last time I spent any real time in a hospital, especially with IVs and beeping machines and wheely beds and all that, was nearly two years ago when I was the hospice caretaker for my mom :((

ugh I can’t wait for this to be overrrrr

sorry, I just had to get this off my chest

I have a surgical consult for hysterectomy due to fibroids. I feel like I should have questions for the appt but I don’t know what to ask. Are there any questions you wish you had asked at the consult? I feel educated and aware of what post op might look like from this sub so I feel like a lot of questions I would have are answered. Thanks in advance!

Leaving the house in 10 mins to be at the hospital for 5:30 am check in and 7:30 surgery time. I'm the first patient of the day. Beyond ready for relief and to feel like a person again. Thanks for all the advice and good vibes leading up to today! About to join the hysterectomy sister ranks!

Hey I’m 3 weeks post op today and I’m unsure if I’m meant to be doing any pelvic exercise before I see the PFT after 6 weeks clearance. I tried the other day just to do the squeeze which I’ve always been able to do no worries but my gosh I could not do it! Just spasmed and felt like a pulsating sensation🫠 Was I wrong to try this early?

Hi everyone,

I will be 5 wpo this Thursday. I had laparoscopic and open abdominal, idk if I’m even putting that together correctly but you get what I’m saying.

Last week I had a one time thing where some puss like substance came out of my abdominal incision (no smell) and I cleaned it up. Then I started to have a clear liquid coming out of my abdominal incision, called Dr.’s office and was told that if is doesn’t smell, not green etc etc (we know the drill) that I don’t have much to worry about - of course if certain symptoms pop up then to call back and as always “take it easy”, even though that’s all I have been doing 😩 oh, I forgot to mention I also sent a picture of my incision and they said it looks good. It eventually stopped and I was like yessss!

Today I moved more than I have the whole entire time because frankly I’m tired of taking it easy and lying down. I didn’t do anything crazy just some things in the house. My body started to signal I needed to wrap up what I was doing, just like an ache if that makes sense. I went to the restroom - I checked my incision and it had the clear liquid coming out again and this very faint smell - it just was like stinky but it was SO subtle.

I immediately called the Dr.’s office again and I’m like this thing is still leaking this clear liquid and now it smells but it is subtle. I’m like idk if I need an antibiotic or what but this is starting to cause me anxiety cause why is this still happening…. That was early afternoon and I did not get a call back today. Idk if I should call them first thing in the am or wait? Clearly they aren’t worried 😂

I wouldn’t say I’m in “pain” but I do feel sore most of the time. Dr.’s office is always saying “you had major open surgery, healing takes time” but this liquid situation is giving me major anxiety and I’m already feeling so restricted, I can’t just keep laying horizontal for weeks on end when technically it’s been over a MONTH, this doesn’t seem right to me but maybe I am wrong? I’m willing to be wrong. Also, I know there is a name for this liquid but can’t remember it in this moment. One last thing, I do get up frequently to use restroom and just move my body in general that’s why I’m so confused why I am still so sore.

Is there light at the end of the tunnel? 🤣 It feels like there is not and yes I’m being dramatic, and I know this will be a distant memory at some point but the reality for me is the present moment. I am really just trying to see if ANYONE on this earth has gone through this? Should I demand to be seen and an antibiotic? Am I big baby and I just need to chill? 🤣 what is it? 😩

Thanks for reading this if you made it this far!

I have my hysterectomy and a couple other repairs in about 2.5 weeks. 2 weeks after that my oldest son has homecoming for marching band at his university, a parade and halftime show. It’s the best time to see his hard work all season, and it’s also my niece’s last season with the band. I think I’m decently prepared for those activities with a decent chair for both and downtime built in.

But I just read a post lamenting how hard car rides were that early. It’s almost 2.5 hours to his university. Am I going to be okay? Any tips to make it more comfortable?

Any advice how to make a longish day out doable? We’ll have a hotel room but I may have to get comfy in the car at times between activities as getting back to the room may prove hard.

Hi all. I am very set on getting a hysto, and will offically be asking my doctor tomorrow about putting me on the waitlist (Public Healthcare - If I go on the Public Waitlist, my surgery will be fully covered under Medicare. Australia). We have vaguely discussed it as a possible option due to my heavy, long and painful periods (Thanks, PMOS /s), and a hysto would also fall under Gender Affirming Care for me. Two birds with one stone situation.

My main worry is what to do with my ovaries. It's generally advised for folk my age to keep them - otherwise you'd either go through early menopause and/or have to be on some form of HRT for the rest of your life. I do intend on staying on Testosterone permanently, but especially with anti-trans legislation being passed globally, you never know what will happen, I could lose access to it. Or, I could be in a situation where I do not have enough money to afford Testosterone, or even Estrogen. But also, I don't think I'd be able to produce estrogen without them anyway, so would I end up having to take a low dose of estrogen alongside my testosterone? That's just more money. I am not made of money.

But also, my ovaries are a huge source of my period pains and even pain outside my period window. Yes, I am still getting periods, I have not yet been lucky enough for Testosterone to stop my periods or even lessen them, PMOS probably is to thank for that... again. I've heard that pain from the ovaries does not go away even if your uterus is gone, because cysts can still burst, ovulation technically still happens, etc.

I'm just wondering how to decide whether to keep them or not. The pain is awful. But I also don't want to risk my health generally by removing them. Are there alternative ways to have my ovaries not hate my guts so that I can keep them for the health benefits? Or do I just have to accept I was dealt a horrible hand at birth with my PMOS and remove them anyway? Advice from people who have had their ovaries removed and people who did not but still have ovary issues may help the most but anyone is free to give advice.

I’m 4 months post op, everything but ovaries was taken, but for I want to say the last 3-4 weeks I haven’t been able to ”feel” my boyfriend inside me, like no feeling at all besides a little bit here and there. Not like I normally do, even my clit I can’t feel any pleasure from. I do get wet, but I don’t truly know how when I don’t have any feeling or pleasure from being touched , the stimulation he does I can’t feel but somehow I get wet. some times I can feel him other times I can’t. I figured this is normal as I’m still healing and everything. I would hope it was but I do have an appointment with my OB coming up so I’m clearly going to ask her but has this or Is this happening to anyone else? Will the feeling come back?!

How long and how much did you bleed? I'm having an abdominal hysterectomy in 2 weeks and was thinking about the last few menstrual pads i need to get for myself in this life

Supracervical robot assisted lap today. Thankful for the advice from this sub! Just struggling with the gas pain right now. Trying to stay on top of meds and move. I think the anticipation of laying back down after getting up is the worst. Feel like I can’t take a full breath, and did some torturous ab workout. Any secret tips besides time and walking a bit?

I am 4 weeks and a couple of days post op for a robotic-assisted laparoscopic hysterectomy sparing both ovaries. My initial recovery was amazing. I had stopped bleeding post-op within 48 hours and was up and walking a mile or more within a week. At my two-week post-op appointment, I told her I felt amazing and asked what more I could do physically, since I was getting a little bored and I'm used to heavy weight lifting for workouts. She warned me not to get ahead of myself because she was glad I was feeling great but didn't want to see that derail. The day after my two-week appointment was one of the worst days I had up to that point post-recovery. Awful body pain, terrible fatigue, cramping, and incision pain I hadn't had previously. That lasted about 2-3 days, and then I rebounded again. I was feeling amazing, and this last week, my 3rd week going into my 4th week post-op, I increased my activity again. I was walking about 3 miles a day and was doing some light body stretching. Fast forward to the last 72 hours. I've been terribly fatigued, cramping, highly emotional, sleeping more than normal, and in the last 24 hours I've had new spotting when I haven't had any bleeding for weeks. To get to my point.

Has this Rollercoaster been normal for anyone else? I keep getting to a point where I feel amazing and then hit a new "milestone" and feel like garbage again. When I reached out to my OB about my latest symptoms, I was told the spotting is normal at this point with the cuff suture dissolving, to keep an eye on it, and that I was possibly overdoing it on activity and to dial back for a while. I'm just looking to see if anyone has had an experience like this because the yo-yo feelings have me going insane. Maybe it's my fault for overdoing it on activity and causing my own low points, but weirdly, the plateaus have been coming in 2-week cycles instead of more immediate body feedback. I haven't had any issues during my workouts or even later in the day or the next day. It's like everything is building and then drops in these week cycles. Is this just me, or has someone else had a similar experience? Sorry for the long-winded explanation; I was trying to provide as much information as possible.