Problems After Hysterectomy: Abdominal Pain & Cramps

I had a radical hysterectomy (robotic laparascopic) at Mayo on August 6 this year. I was diagnosed with endometrial cancer (endometrioid adenocarinoma, Early Stage Ia). My post-operative visit with my surgeon is scheduled for September 16. While I knew that I would have post-surgical fatigue and I'm following all discharge instructions in which walking is my only form of exercise and not lifting anything heavier than 15 pounds, I was hoping the fatigue would start to wane. I'm still very tired and listening to my body, I do rest for a few hours most afternoons. I'm 67 years old and active although I have osteoarthritis in a hip and that has limited activity for the past year (scheduled for a total hip replacement at Mayo in the future). What are your experiences after hysterectomy? How long did it take for you to get back to your prior level of energy?

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Hi, @naturegirl5 - I also thought that @cherelle @gingerw and @veronicat may have some thoughts on the fatigue you've experienced post-radical hysterectomy.

Also, I wanted to mention a couple of things: 1) Not all surgeries — even hysterectomies — can be compared apples to apples. Sometimes there is a difference in technique, personal health, complications one experiences, etc. So, please offer yourself some grace if your experience doesn't look like the post-op for anyone else (i.e., if your recovery appears to be taking longer). 2) I had a hysterectomy (leaving my ovaries) along with a prolapse (both kinds) repair about 7.5 years ago. So, my surgery would have some similarities to and some differences from yours. But, I thought you'd like to know that the very biggest factor I had to overcome to resume my normal life and feel better was fatigue. I had immense fatigue after my surgery, for quite some time — far longer than I'd expected. I had the surgery the end of January, and it was not till May that I did not have to take a nap every single day to get through it (naps are highly unusual for me). I had to extend the time I had daycare for my preschool age children (I was a stay-at-home mom then) cause I just wasn't ready to take care of two little children all day every day at the end of 6 weeks, which is what we originally targeted for daycare time.

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I had a radical hysterectomy (robotic laparascopic) at Mayo on August 6 this year. I was diagnosed with endometrial cancer (endometrioid adenocarinoma, Early Stage Ia). My post-operative visit with my surgeon is scheduled for September 16. While I knew that I would have post-surgical fatigue and I'm following all discharge instructions in which walking is my only form of exercise and not lifting anything heavier than 15 pounds, I was hoping the fatigue would start to wane. I'm still very tired and listening to my body, I do rest for a few hours most afternoons. I'm 67 years old and active although I have osteoarthritis in a hip and that has limited activity for the past year (scheduled for a total hip replacement at Mayo in the future). What are your experiences after hysterectomy? How long did it take for you to get back to your prior level of energy?

Jump to this post

Hi, @naturegirl5 - I also thought that @cherelle @gingerw and @veronicat may have some thoughts on the fatigue you've experienced post-radical hysterectomy.

Also, I wanted to mention a couple of things: 1) Not all surgeries — even hysterectomies — can be compared apples to apples. Sometimes there is a difference in technique, personal health, complications one experiences, etc. So, please offer yourself some grace if your experience doesn't look like the post-op for anyone else (i.e., if your recovery appears to be taking longer). 2) I had a hysterectomy (leaving my ovaries) along with a prolapse (both kinds) repair about 7.5 years ago. So, my surgery would have some similarities to and some differences from yours. But, I thought you'd like to know that the very biggest factor I had to overcome to resume my normal life and feel better was fatigue. I had immense fatigue after my surgery, for quite some time — far longer than I'd expected. I had the surgery the end of January, and it was not till May that I did not have to take a nap every single day to get through it (naps are highly unusual for me). I had to extend the time I had daycare for my preschool age children (I was a stay-at-home mom then) cause I just wasn't ready to take care of two little children all day every day at the end of 6 weeks, which is what we originally targeted for daycare time.

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Sorry to hear you are struggling so much with fatigue, I am 4 months post op, still not back to normal, tired, fatigue, loss of stamina, is very hard, and frustrating, I’ve changed my diet, to high alkaline, trying to eat very healthy, drink only water, I hop you feel better soon.

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@lisalucier Thank you for tagging me into this conversation.
@naturegirl I had my hysterectomy in Jan 1999, due to fibroid tumors. They delivered about 10 pounds of tumors. Like Lisa said, each person is different as they recover, and a hysterectomy is considered major surgery. Also, remember that at our age the recovery can be a slower process. When I had my surgery, I was up the same day, but it took me a full eight weeks to fully recover. Also factor in other medical issues, and your diet. Eat healthy, get gentle exercise, get fresh air. Journal your way back to health. Hope this helps. We care.
Ginger

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Thank you, Ginger, for sharing and for your support. Like I wrote to tinakoprek, I'm going to focus on diet more. I walk most days and did a little more walking today with our dog. Good for both of us in beautiful weather with plenty of fresh air up north in Michigan.

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Thank you, Ginger, for sharing and for your support. Like I wrote to tinakoprek, I'm going to focus on diet more. I walk most days and did a little more walking today with our dog. Good for both of us in beautiful weather with plenty of fresh air up north in Michigan.

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Good morning, Lisa. I've noticed that the last two days, my energy level is much better. I did not get fatigued in the afternoon. Maybe I've turned a corner on the fatigue but I realize that my symptoms will wax and wane over time. Also, the abdominal discomfort has been less so I've decreased the dosages of ibuprofen and acetaminophen. And now that I think about it, that's about the same time my energy got better. Thank you for caring and asking about me.

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