Hysterectomy Post-Op Update

Hello Friends!  

I wanted to give you a more thourough update on my hysterectomy recovery since my last update.  

Day 4

Started pushing medication dosing times further apart.  Went 15 hours in between Percocet and 10 hours between Toradol.  Alot more alert today and moving around more.  However, ovaries must be waking up because Im having alot of emotional outbursts.    Random spirts of crying over nothing.  haha Walked by and saw my family and stared crying.  Its great fun! ha

The doctor gave me a prescription for Progesterone but I didnt want to take any hormones so that I could just push through this part and get regulated again.  

One piece of advice I have for you…dont cough.  Just try to clear your throat with whimpy baby coughs.  The jarring is uncomfortable!  

Day 5

Starting to have trouble sleeping on the recliner; not getting good deep sleep.  

Ventured into town for the first time today.  Getting into our high truck was a bit of a stretch and required assitance to make sure I didnt loose my footing.  I wore leggings –they count as pants–I wasnt ready to wear jeans quite yet.  We went to eat lunch and sitting straight up in a booth was not pleasant.  We didnt do much else, but by the time I got home I was exhausted and took a nap; this time in my bed!  It was a pretty pleasant experience so that night I slept in the bed –HEAVENLY! 

Day 6

Still not getting full deep sleep.  Every movement I make wakes me up because Im worried that I’ll pull or stretch wrong.  
Emptying bladder is painful.  Apparently this is very common after a hysterectomy and it eventually goes away.  (This lasted for about a week where it was really uncomfortable and then it dies off and you dont even realize its not happening anymore!)
My back is becoming sore from overcompensating for the core muscles not working as much.  

Day 7

Today is Black Friday!  While I didnt go do any real shopping, we did go into town that evening and I wore jeans, but by the end of the night they were irritating my incision sites a bit.  We went and ate dinner and walked around Lowes.  I used a basket just for some extra support and so I didnt have to carry my purse, but it went well and I wasnt exhausted.  

Day 8

No pain pills at all!  Im forgetting that I even had surgery!

Day 9

Felt amazing today.  Even made lunch and dinner!  Wore pants and went shopping and didnt have any issues.  I even did a tiny sit-up/crunch in the bed on accident but it wasnt painful like it had been.  

Day 10

I drove today with little issues.  I was really nervous but the only issue I had was turning to check my blindspot the first couple times.  After that it was fine.  However I did start spotting today; which is common when the healing starts happening and the stitches start disentegrating.  

Day 12

My abdomen incision sites are completely healed!  
Im feeling so great and have been in a cleaning/organizing frenzy.   Had to shampoo the carpets today — one of our dogs got sick in the kids bedroom.  {face palm} 

Day 14

The day started off great.  I cleaned and tried on tons of clothes and got ready to go out to a s0ft opening in OKC.  
The night ended with me taking a ride in an ambulance to Mercy’s ER.  On the way home from our event, we stopped at Wal-Mart at 11:30 pm and I felt like I had to go to the bathroom; but when I stood up I started gushing blood out.  I was in major disbelief and didnt understand what was going on.  I looked at my husband and started crying; screaming that something was wrong-really wrong.  {Im a little dramatic-ha}
I called my best friend who lived right down the road from where we were and she quickly came to meet us.  After a few mintues I really thought everything was okay, and was thinking I could even go home.  But the hubster was adamant that we were not going home and that he would be calling an ambulance.  When they got there and saw me up; talking, and even joking around they said that we could drive ourselves if we wanted.  But as soon as they saw my pants they took that statement back and said I had lost way too much blood and would be riding with them.  Two IVs and 30 minutes later we arrived at the ER and I was wheeled in, bladder about to burst, to the room.  The whole time I was bleeding and passing giant clots.  It was really quite terrifying.  Id never seen anything like it and didnt know that this was possible or even why it had happened.  
The ER doc packed me with gauze and that pressure packing helped stop the bleeding.  So at 4 am we were discharged home with instructions to rest and take it easy for 48 hours, and the continue with post op discharge instructions. 

Day 15-17

Taking it easy and resting.  Just having some spotting still and some minor aches, but feeling pretty great overall.  My nerves are a little shot.  I cant quit replaying the other nights events over and over in my head. 

Week 3

Things are going great still.  Still spotting, though the doctor says that all is well, and that if it doesnt stop by 6 weeks that he will stop the bleeding with silver nitrate when I come in for my post-op visit.  

I am still not lifting anything over 10lbs and am careful to not overdo it.  Hormones are still hit and miss sometimes with things bothering me more than they normally would, but I bounce back quick.  

I still have lots of questions/theories as to why I popped a stitch at my 2 week mark when I wasnt doing anything at that time that could have caused it.  I still wonder if I just did to much with the house cleaning, or if it just was going to happen no matter what I did or didnt do.   Despite this terrifying set back, I feel like my recovery has been amazing and nothing like what I expected.