u/HistoricalCompany703

did something very very stupid and now worrying my brains out!

well to narrate here in short: just before bed time i wanted to scroll aimlessly and while laying on my back, put the mac on my folded thighs. usually i support it with my hands but somehow it slipped and fell on my tummy. edge of the laptop hit the part just below navel. i could feel mild impact and went to sleep. but since morning i could feel heaviness and tightness around that area. no pain. by evening could feel definite pain along with the swelling and tightness. pain is not significant but its there. i am hoping its temporary impact and will subside on its own. but part of me is very very worried about possible incisional hernia and been checking my tummy for bulges every other hour. does hernia come with symptoms? how long before the bulge shows up? i am terrified.

Just over one month post-op from robotic total hysterectomy with bilateral salpingectomy. My ovaries were preserved.

I was introduced to this reddit group by my brother while I was researching whether to go ahead with TLH. Since then, I've spent countless hours reading your stories. Some honestly terrified me, but far more gave me the courage to proceed with the surgery.

So, thank you, all of you - for the honest posts and for being here.

Until two months ago, I lived a life which barely needed any medical intervention - never broken a bone, needed stitches or undergone any significant medical procedure. Only problem I faced was heavy bleeding during periods. No pain or cramps ever. I assumed this was how every woman bled and moved on with my life. And tbh, periods never slowed me down - travelled extensively for work, trekking and hiking, played sports, exercised regularly and thought everything was "normal".

Everything changed after a routine blood test on 2nd June.

My ferritin was under 7 and haemoglobin was 6 g/dL.

Further evaluation showed multiple large fibroids and a massively enlarged, distorted uterus (size of a 24 week pregnancy) pressing on my bladder. Despite functioning normally on the outside, my body had been silently losing blood for years. My iron stores were almost completely exhausted and my bone marrow no longer had enough iron to produce healthy red blood cells fast enough to replace what I was losing.

And out of nowhere, I was being told I needed major surgery and will have to lose a major body organ (4 actually - uterus, cervix and both tubes).

I was terrified. The thought of losing a big chunk of my anatomy and the fear of surgery felt devastating. I spent days in denial, then weeks researching every possible alternative. Every path eventually led back to the same conclusion: hysterectomy was the safest and most definitive solution. I understood that it was necessary to go through the process to ensure quality and longevity of my life. But accepting it wasn't easy. Even if I was never inclined on bearing babies (always wanted to adopt instead), it was more about the vague thought of feeling inadequate in some ways. Worst was, I didn't even know how would I feel about it! So much was unknown.

So surgery date was fixed for 29th June - two days after my birthday. I also had two 1gm iron infusions done before the surgery to bring my Ferritin and Hemoglobin to acceptable standards. Surgery lasted six hours, followed by two hours in recovery. Although my blood loss during surgery was minimal, I still required one unit of blood afterward because of the severity of my pre-existing anemia.

Now about recovery.

I had almost no pain from first day itself, only some discomfort. They made 4 robotic incisions and one for draining the fluid. So 5 incisions in total. I think they have been healing fine superficially. I started scar management from 20th day....still have scabs so will see how this evolves. I had one massive setback on day 11 when i suffered from something called fecal impaction, despite consuming prune juice and stool softners. and had to strain 10x hard (i tried not to strain but could not help). And from next day I started to spot/bleed - would find blood stain everytime i urinated and wiped. Not enough to soak or even need a pad and no foul smell or pain or fever etc so decided to wait it out. This lasted for almost 20 days. and only since last 2 days I am seeing some reduction in spotting. Also i can feel end of a suture or stitch near my perineum - Need to ask the surgeon about it during my 6 weeks post-op. Also my bladder takes more concentration to empty completely, my abdomen still feels tight and swollen, my perineum remains tender when sitting or straining, and every week my incisions seem to change as stitches slowly dissolve and work their way out. I have been walking 15 mins post every meal and also doing 30-45 mins walk in the park next to my house every evening. In terms of diet - I am vegetarian, so being super conscious of protein intake and balancing it with fibre, probiotics and lots of hydration (coconut water is my personal hero!)

Perhaps the biggest surprise has been the emotional recovery.

I've cried over my scars and over the sudden weight loss. I've convinced myself my belly button would never look normal again. I've worried about every tiny swelling, every pull inside my abdomen, every change in my skin, my hairfall and even the veins on my hands. I've worried over returning to "normalcy". Baiscally - I've questioned whether I am healing "correctly" almost every single day in last 30 days. And while I understand its not ideal, but I am not beating myself over this. I will experience this fear and overcome.

At the same time, I've become incredibly grateful for what my body is doing.

I'm walking comfortably again. I'm eating well and nourishing my body instead of simply surviving the day. Every week, I notice something that's just a little better than the week before.

If this journey has taught me anything, it's that recovery isn't just physical. It's a daily lesson in patience, trust and accepting that healing is rarely linear.

If you're reading this because you're terrified of your upcoming hysterectomy, I completely understand. Be scared if you need to be.

But also know that our bodies are remarkably resilient.

I'm still healing and far from the finish line. But one month later, I finally feel like I'm moving forward instead of just getting through each day. And I am grateful.

i am 25 days post op - had a robotic hysterectomy with ovaries preserved. Did not have any spotting first 10 days. But 11th day i had to strain very hard for passing stool (despite being very careful and taking laxatives) and since then been having mild but continuous bleeding. I can see blood on tissue paper every time i pee and wipe. it does not soak a pad or panty liner and there is no pain or fever but the fact that it has been constantly bleeding for last 15 days is worrying me. And this is fresh bright red blood. My surgeon is not reachable directly and his office thinks its regular spotting and has asked me to only visit after 30 days. I am extremely stressed and freaking out. Anyone else faced this continued bleeding thing?

I got my uterus removed along with fallopian tubes and cervix (kept the ovaries). had zero to insignificant spotting the first week of surgery but it started in week 2 around day 12 of surgery and today on day 21 i am still staining panty liners. there is no pain or fever. i have read this could be normal but still wanted to check in here if anyone else also having/had similar symptoms? My post-op visit with surgeon is only due in week5. Pls share your experience.

Hello, I had a robotic (Da Vinci) laproscopy surgery for removal of my uterus, fallopian tubes and cervix due to multiple large fibroids. Today I am on POD15 of my recovery and creating this post to share my experience so far and have few questions answered.

First, about my experience - immediate post surgery pain was 3-4 on a scale of 10. I had 5 incisions - one inside my navel and two smaller incisions on right side of navel. one bigger incision (this was used for morcellation of the uterus and fibroids) towards left side of navel and one more on the left side of waist which was used as a drainage port. My immediate biggest discomfort were - getting in and out of bed, feeling pain while breathing in and mild discomfort while urinating (because of the Foley urinary catheter which was inserted during the procedure). that apart i have been alright so far.

Now, my concerns and questions:

1. the area around my navel continues to be mildly swollen and feels numb. Is that normal? How long does it stay like that?

2. I barely had any spotting immediately after surgery. but now in week2 i am noticing spotting on a daily basis. Again, is this normal and how long does it last?

3. So far, my surgeon prescribed T-Bact ointment to be applied on the wounds. From tomorrow she has suggested to use HexiLack Ultra Gel for scar management and for leveling the skin. However, she made this suggestion over texts and i feel my wounds still need to dry out bit more for me to start scar-management. I want to know when did you start to use gel/ointment for dealing with the scars?

4. The stitches inside my navel was made in a way where it appears like making my navel look little lopsided and i am worried it will stay like that. Did anyone have similar experience?

I am asking these here to understand experience of those who actually went through the process and what worked for them.

Thank you.