u/JMPTexas

Wanted to share my experience because I had a hard time finding first hand stories of an open abdominal vertical incision hysterectomy due to a large fibroid. I am 3 dpo and doing great. My incision starts just below my belly button and goes down. Day of surgery had a hard time getting pain under control right when I woke up but once we did it has been manageable. The doctor removed a 5lb fibroid from my uterus. I am still swollen from surgery but my stomach already looks flatter than before surgery. I feel better already! Spent 2 nights in the hospital which was nice. Hardest thing is getting up and down because you don’t realize how much you use your core throughout the day. I am home now and slept great on a wedge pillow in my bed. Getting up and walking often feels good and I am tired but not as exhausted as I thought I would be. Stringent bad and seems to be easy if my feet are elevated. I was in good shape prior to surgery and I believe that makes all the difference. Keep exercising right until the procedure. I can tell I am using leg and arm muscles that I am glad I have as if I didn’t have strength, the recovery would be a lot worse. Overall the surgery was not as bad as I anticipated and I can tell it was totally worth it! No more horrible symptoms and hard mass in my stomach!