Hysterectomy Recovery with Small Children

I had a similar surgery done Oct 27 last year. I decided not to do the hysterectomy & opted for a large fibroid tumor to be removed instead. We didn't know if the robot surgery was going to be an option due to the size but the Dr was able to do it with 4 cuts in my abdomen & it took 4 1/2 hours. I also have 4 children my youngest were 2, 4, & 5, but all vaginal deliveries. The pain wasn't too bad but I would say you need a minimum straight 2-3 weeks of absolutely nothing. Then after that it has to be super light duty. Doing laparascopic surgery made me feel like I could do more, so I did & about hemorrhaged. The people who say it's no big deal & you only need a few days are wrong, this is major abdominal surgery & should be treated accordingly. If you don't take the time to heal properly you could do major damage internally, something your young children shouldn't have to endure. Best of luck

You've gotten some great answers & I just want to add another source of good information, the web site hystersisters.com. I found it to be a great source for answers about what to expect for surgery & during the recovery process. Good luck!

This really does depend on how invasive the surgery is. If it is an abdominal hysterectomy, then you'll need help that is similar to when you have had c-sections. A laparoscopically surgery is less invasive, but depending on the amount of stuff they do inside will also affect your recovery time.
I really would plan for a couple of weeks of help. Your children are young and will be needy.
I'm sorry you have to have a hysterectomy so young. Have you asked for any 2nd opinions? Is it something that can wait a while until your children are a little older? I have 5 children and I can imagine how stressful it would be on me and my family for me to be out of commission.
Good luck to you!

I had an abdominal complete hysterectomy in 2001. It was the BEST thing I ever did. My daughter was in 1st grade at the time.

A lot of recovery depends on you. I was and am in good physical shape, not overweight and good attidude regarding recovery. I am not one for sitting around wanting someone to care for me.

I had 1 bad day of pain at the hospital and everything from that point was uphill. The week following surgery was the worst but not unbearable. I did lay around most of that week. I could not drive for 2 weeks which was a bummer. You know that you would not be lifting children, etc right afterwards. The Dr. put an abdominal binder on me just after surgery. I wore that thing faithfully becuase it helped with the pain and I swore I would not have the swelly belly...I'd recoup my flat belly. I did just that.

The worst part of the entire process was the LONG wait until the day of surgery and the uncertainty that goes along with those worries.

At 4 weeks I was at a track field watching daughter run track.

I've been on HRT patch ever since, no side effects except for my perky 34C's boobs are now perky 34DD's boobs and I love that. My energy level is higher and I look and feel better than ever. The "freedom" of not worrying about pregnancy made my sex drive sky rocket and it has stayed that way and I love not having my monthly visitor. I never had any menapausal symptoms. I had a patch on the day of surgery.

I believe my positive recovery had a lot to do with my positive attitude and willingness to follow Dr. orders to achieve the goals I set for myself after surgery.

I got a lot of great advice/insight from the website hystersisters.com. It is a lot of TMI for some people but lot of info.

Best wishes to you....

I just had surgery 2 weeks ago, I didn't have a hysterectomy, but I did have a large solid mass and my left ovary removed. I have had 2 previous c sections. the doctor said I had alot of scar tissue and bled more than usual. I was supposed to be out patient but they ended up keeping me. anyway, I have a 2 year old boy and a 9 year old girl. I am still sore 2 weeks later, but at least I can function now. It was hard to chase my 2 year old around last week, i had help the first week, then not much after that. take the help for as long as you can get it and rest as much as you can, you will recover faster..Best of Luck to you.

I have 3 kids and I had 2 c-sections. My second c-sections took more time to heal. I would see if some people could bring over food for a couple of days. If you could get a sitter to come to the house and watch the kids with a relative. I had a high school student come to the house when my youngest was born. Just normal recovering from a baby I think hurts. Good luck.

If you have a vaginal hysterectomy, it is not a big deal at all. As long as you go in and come out with a healthy hemoglobin (a low one leave you tired); you will recover in just a few days. (Not knowing if there are leaving your ovaries or not, but I think hormones are a bigger deal later than the procedure). I would just take it easy with no cooking or cleaning and not a lot of lifting. Now if you end up needing an abdominal hysterectomy; it is VERY similar to your c-section surgery. You will need a little more help. So depending how the recoveries went is how this one will go. With an ABDOMINAL one, there is NO DRIVING for 2 weeks, no lifting more than 10 pounds, no exercise or laundry. You for sure should get someone to do meals or be smart and do them over the next few days. NO LIFTING that toddler either! So VERY VERY similar to your c-section; just without the responsibility of feeding and caring for a baby! Whatever you do, get a good nights sleep the night before surgery. Do not try to be Superwoman and stay up cleaning getting your family "ready". Your hubby will just have to pitch in. He will have to do the baths of the kids for a couple of weeks after an abdominal one.
So here is wishing you a speedy recovery and that surgery happens without complications and that the procedure can be sone as simple as possible. Feel better soon. This procedure when done to someone your age is more of an emotional drain than a physical one. Just realize that you have been blessed with 4 beautiful children, which are 4 more than many women who are in the desire of just 1. Well wishes to you!

i'd say just a little more painful than a c-section. i've had both, and it was pretty much the same, just a little more tender. keep on top of the pain meds, dont get constipated, and you'll do fine! it'll be the same recovery time and assistance needed as a c-section.

My mom is a tough old bird. Had 7 children and lived on a farm her entire youth. She was in terrible pain. I don't think she really wanted to move the first three days. They would make her in the hospital. Then for about 2 weeks after that she was in alot of visible pain. She hated the drains the most I think though.

Now my sister got HPV, a very aggressive form, which developed into cancer stage 3 and she got a radical hysterectomy. Again a tough girl and she was a charge nurse. I went and saw her four days after the surgery and she looked as if she'd died. She barely moved and just kinda sat there. It was terrible to see her that way.

So from what I've seen you are going to need help and contrary to what people say if a 29 year old and a woman in their fifties have visible issues I'd say you are going to need help.

I think it depends on your level of pain tolerance. Mine is very low, so when I had an appendectomy laparoscopically, it was extremely painful for several days following the surgery and I think I was immobile for 3 days after coming home. I can imagine that a hysterectomy would be quite a bit more painful. But that is just me. I hope you have a high pain tolerance and find the recovery easy!

i had mine done 11 yrs ago..tell them to do it vaginally..just like giving birth to a baby-recovery is real fast-i had zero pain-it was great-really i wanted to go home as soon as i woke up from the drugs-but had to stay 3 days.i will tell you by about day 4-5 your body will go thru a hormone shock phase..it will last a few days-hot flashes,extreme emotions,lack of appetite..its all normal-drink lots of water,keep yourself hydrated you will heal quicker-are you going to take a hormone pill??....if so take it at the same time everyday-im still taking a low dose.
you just have to go slow an easy-take it day by day...i was scared witless-and it all turned out just fine-good luck

I've had two c-sections and this past June I had a tubal ligation done laparoscopically. Since neither of my c-sections had been that bad for recovery, I was surprised at how tender I was and for how long. I had it done on Friday and my husband planned to go back to work Tuesday. I ended up having my mom come over to help because I really wasn't back up to speed until the following week! I know you're having a much more intense surgery than I had, so I would plan at least a week of meals and assistance with your four children!

Best of luck!