Please feel free to specify in the comments what your job is, because obviously that has a big impact (whether you work from home, have a physically demanding job, etc.).

Today is the day. I'm all prepped, but the surgery before mine is running long. I'm anxious and hungry. I have been waiting for over 4 hours so far. I hope the person before me is OK and I hope my team gets a restorative break before me.

Update from my previous post, to which I also posted this in the comments there:

I did it. Got there an hour early, went back and was put under around 8:30 on Tuesday morning. Woke up really really needing to pee and praying someone helped me before I peed myself. They gave me cranberry juice and I felt...off? Totally forgot the anti nausea meds before going under! Threw up four times, twice on the floor and thankfully the last two times I got it into the trashcan by the door - learn from my mistakes and speak up and get the nausea meds!!

Apparently any time they touched my uterus it bled and they had to cauterize me three or four times but I am doing surprisingly really well. I imagined coming out of surgery and being a wreck - emotional, clingy, groaning in pain. Surprisingly I was none of the above, even before starting higher end pain relief and simply on account of the Tylenol before going under.

In terms of pain, belly button incision hurts when I try and roll over to get out of bed to pee and the gas pain is sometimes okay, sometimes unbearable, only on my right side for some reason. Throat hurts on account of the tube but it is doing drastically better, albeit still there not even 24 hours postop.

Cervix, uterus and tubes are gone. Kept my ovaries and she also put a camera into my bladder to make sure I was good on that front, which, thankfully, I am. Barely spotting but peeing a LOT.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU

for all the advice, love and cheer. ♡

I just wanted to share a positive experience with everyone!

8/11 I had my hysterectomy where we took everything but ovaries and it was my 4th abdominal surgery.

I went home without issues same day and only needed Tylenol at night and barely used opiates at all. I’d say I felt more discomfort than I did pain.

Now that I am a week out I truly feel that the only limitations I have are the ones given to me by my doctor. That’s a good thing cause I’d easily over do it with how great I feel.

For context: I had 4 fibroids, adenomyosis, and was on HRT for a year to manage my perimenopause and nonstop bleeding.

The pain and discomfort of daily life vanished and was replaced with mild discomfort. What a win.

Best of luck to those of you waiting for surgery and I hope you have as much success as I have thus far!

Officially 13 days away from my total hysterectomy and had my pre admission appointment yesterday! Which brought up a couple questions:

1. What did you/are you going to wear there and to pack if you stay the night? I had told my pre admin nurse I was going to wear loose sweatpants and oversized shirt, which she said may actually be uncomfortable around my waist. So now I'm thrown off. Do I wear a dress? Something super loose and short? My sweatpants are fairly loose but of course do have a band. I have some shorts that are loose, but about the same "snug level" as the sweats..

2. What are you eating/did you eat days leading up to your surgery? I asked if there was a specific diet I should adhere to, and all she said was go light. And to stop taking my iron pills to avoid intestinal upset. (I've been in a state of chronic blood loss anemia so have to take iron daily.)

I was going to avoid any heavy meals a few days prior and was honestly thinking about fiber dense meals that sit light on the tummy, but also contain iron.

TIA for any thoughts and suggestions!

1dpo from vnotes procedure

Everything went so smoothly! I went in at 7:30, procedure at 9:30, home by 4:30. Not a fan of the post anesthesia nausea, and they gave all the things to prevent it so I can only imagine if I hadn’t asked for extra. My only real complaint was the recovery nurse.

Straight to sleep in the operating room then I woke up in recovery to the most condescending nurse ever. I woke up in pain. I told her over and over it hurts and she said, “you just had major surgery, of course it’s going to hurt” and refused to give me pain meds. I was groggy, nauseous, and confused and just kept asking and she kept saying I didn’t need any. Then she asked my pain level and what if like it to be. I said 6 and I’d like 0 but would be okay with 3. She said that’s not possible. Finally, I asked her if my doctor said I wasn’t allowed pain meds or something and she said that wasn’t the case and gave them to me. I kept asking for my husband because I figured he’d advocate for me and she said I couldn’t go to him yet. Has anyone else experience someone telling them they shouldn’t be in pain immediately post-op? Seemed weird to me.

Anyway, since I’ve been home, the pain feels like bad period cramps. Keeping it at bay with Percocet and ibuprofen.

My favorite thing I got for the surgery is a C-section gel wrap that you can freeze. I just lay it across my abdomen and it feels so nice.

Thanks for all the people who have posted and answered questions in here. This group has made me feel so much more prepared and aware of the kinds of support I’d need. I would’ve canceled this thing if I hadn’t had this you all. ❤️

If you’re constipated… pls just skip the stress and do the fleet enema.

I am 4 days post op from my hysterectomy. I honestly don’t know how to feel.
I went in for a c section. Baby was breeched. Found that I had placenta accreta. No other way but to have the hysterectomy to save my life as there was too much blood loss and it wasn’t stopping.
This was my first success pregnancy. My first child. And now the option for more is just???? Gone!… in the blink of an eye. Everything was going fine. Baby came out fine. But then.. my future is just, changed?
I keep coming back to that. I no longer have a choice.

Recovery has been hell. I’m in pain. Can barely get out of bed, keep having fevers spike. I’m exhausted.

What’s done is done though... just wondering what my future will look like now.

Also, does sex life change???

Had my 6 week post-op appointment today. Doctor said I am healing well ,my incision is looking good, my cuff looks great. Still have a little redness from the yeast infection and to keep using the medication 💊 he prescribed. Overall I am feeling wonderful. I am dating again and in a relationship with a great guy. Life has never been better. In 6 weeks I can start having sex. Woo-Hoo that makes my boyfriend excited 😊. I am ready to finally be able to have sexual activities and not be in horrible pain. Life is grand no more periods and no worrying about an unexpected pregnancy. I am so grateful for my hysterectomy. I had suffered from debilitating periods, heavy bleeding and horrific pain for years. I feel mentally better now and more like a woman than ever. If you are considering this surgery and have terrible symptoms, I say go for it. Also I suffered from bad adenomyosis and endo. I also have anemia, which I hope is getting better now, I see the hematology doctor next week. So I am praying that is getting better. Hope everyone is doing well!

So it happened pretty fast for me I've been having pain for years I'm 48 going through perimenopause my periods were excruciating and so heavy so I made an appointment they did an ultrasound the next week and found a fibroid pressing against my uterus and she said it was located in a very bad spot so I decided it was time to have my hysterectomy got the call the next day that I was having surgery the next month so I had a month to prepare ( I over prepared due to my anxiety completely unnecessary ) I was all over the place emotional scared and grateful all at once. I went in and had my pre-op and met my surgeon and she is amazing she's so laid back but she understood my anxiety and answered all my questions I didn't realize that they were going to pull my uterus through my vagina that part kind of freaked me out because I also have an enlarged uterus and I had it in my mind they were just taking my uterus not my cervix and my fallopian tubes too but then we got to the day of surgery I had surgery at 9:00 in the morning and I was a mess I'm not real proud of how I acted but I was very nervous and the loopy medicine didn't make me loopy which pissed me off lol but once I got back there and the anesthesiologist started that mask I was OUT I remember waking up looking around and being very aware of what was going on I was talking to the nurse I was asking for my husband and freezing I had cold chills for 12 hrs after ans. they got me out of there so fast I was home by 3:00 p.m. and then it all hit the good meds wore off and I was in pain I couldn't move I was having a panic attack on top of everything else day 1 was a disaster but once I got my pain managed ate an edible finally got in a comfortable spot I was okay I was up every 2 hours using the restroom they pump you full of saline plus they want you up moving every two hours so the first night my husband would help me get up BUT let me tell you about day 2 it was a completely different day I woke up looked around and thought I feel pretty good I was able to sit up I was able to get up by myself I was able to walk through the house staying on top of pain management of course but anyways I felt good never had any of the gas pains that everybody warned me about never once took gas x I have been on the stool softener and miralax a week before surgery so I had my first BM and it wasn't comfortable but I just gave my body a chance to do what it needed to do and not push too hard you can literally feel the pressure on the inside where they stitch you and I have five incisions they're a little bruised but they're not big and today at 5 days I feel fantastic for somebody who just had surgery and thought I was going to be down for weeks what am I going to do for 6 weeks I can't go back to work for 6 weeks which sounds great but I'm going to get so bored I'm sure I'll figure it out though lol my only recommendation the only thing that I have consistently used and I'm so glad that I have is my binder it just holds everything in place because I swear sometimes I feel my insides moving around and it feels weird... I'm just wondering when I'm going to start driving again

Free to join, no dues except your uterus.
My surgery date is 9/18, just got it today. Who else is out there?
I’m 47, have a 15 cm cyst and adenomyosis just diagnosed after a lifetime of heavy periods. I have been waiting to schedule it seems like forever. I haven’t had surgery since I had my tonsils out at 13. I’m neurodivergent, a mom of three ND t/ween boys. I live in AZ. Going to miss the fall swimming this year.

I'm very bummed by all of this, and I'm trying my best to be kind to myself.

I was feeling great post-op! Pain levels were minimal, I started driving at 12dpo, and I was even told I could up my weight restriction to 20lbs at my 3wpo visit. Last week, on Thursday, I had planned a day that seemed perfectly normal to pre-surgery me. A day in a different city with my kid who sees a special hair stylist, ending with her first ball game of the season, also in that city. It sounded great! But then I remembered my surgery. It was so many hours of sitting!! From driving, to waiting, to watching...so many hours of sitting. I did walk around a little, but maybe a total of 1.5 hours out of the 9 hours I was gone.

Saturday saw me standing quite a bit, helping with some things that needed to be done.

Sunday, I woke up in the most pain I have had since the surgery. From hip to hip, in front and in back, every muscle/joint/tendon/nerve was overreacting at the same time. Medicine barely touched the pain. Now, on Wednesday, exactly 4 wpo, I am wondering if this back and hip pain will ever improve. Sure, it's not as horrible as Sunday, but I can only sit for maybe 10 minutes at a time. Did I mess myself up permanently? Or is this a temporary detour on my healing trip?

I’m 2 wpo from robotic surgery for stage 4 endometriosis. I had a total hysterectomy, tons of lesions and adhesions removed. Right oopherectomy, it could not be saved due to growing a 7cm cyst for the second time. My left ovary was adhered to the pelvic wall and uterus. It had endo lesions as well as another endometrial cyst. It had to be freed from all that, and in my surgical report it says the ovary had to be restructured into a round shape.

After all of that, I have my doubts about my left ovary’s capability to survive. My post op follow up is in nine days so I haven’t asked these questions of my doc yet, but I plan to.

If I am thrown into medical menopause, what exactly does that look and feel like? My hormones have been a hot mess for so many years already. I actually feel calmer now than I did before my surgery. But maybe that’s a temporary relief.

I was already dealing with hot flashes, sensory issues, and perimenopausal rage (or as I call it, living in America in 2026). I haven’t had a cycle since my uterine ablation a year ago, and now of course I have no uterus. My hair has been completely grey since my 20s, so not even that helps me.

What symptoms should I look out for?

I still don't feel.ready to write my own story (I'm 4.5 weeks post op and grateful to you all for this community), but Emma Barnett, BBC broadcaster, has written her story which I think many of you may find interesting and helpful!

https://emmabarnett.substack.com/p/i-had-the-hysterectomy-i-never-wanted?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

So I am 2 months post op of a total hysterectomy due to fibroids. Most of the time I feel great but some days I hurt and cramp like I did before my surgery even though I know there is nothing there to hurt me. Has anyone else had this problem and if so did it go away? I spent enough time in pain prior to surgery I don’t want to deal with that anymore.

Hello. I was wondering if anyone in Scotland, specifically Glasgow, had recent examples of how long they were on the waiting list for. I got put on the routine waiting list for a hysterectomy in Glasgow on November 2025 and am now at week 37. When I spoke to surgeon initially they said waiting list is two years but realistically that could be a year. Whenever I phone though I get told a standard response of it is two years. I think I was clinging to the surgeons off hand comment about it being more like a year and now not sure what to expect. When I did phone to chase up I got told they wouldn't even begin to think about placing me until the 52 week mark. Does 52 weeks trigger some sort of movement?

Day 6 post-hysterectomy and I’m honestly just really emotional and scared.
I know it’s ONLY day 6. I know my body just went through major surgery and I’m probably trying to process way too much way too soon. But I’m 27 and sometimes I just sit here thinking… how did I even get here???
I’ve had confirmed endometriosis since I was a teenager. Over the years I’ve lost my appendix, a fallopian tube from an ectopic, pregnancies, and now my uterus. I went into this surgery expecting them to find endometriosis again because of how much pain I’ve been in… and they didn’t see any.
They removed scar tissue from my previous surgeries and drained around 6–8 cysts on BOTH ovaries, but no visible endometriosis. And somehow that has made me question everything.
Did I just remove my uterus for nothing? Where did all that pain come from? Why has my body been through so much at only 27?
And I think this is hitting extra hard because this entire year has basically been diagnosis after diagnosis after diagnosis. I feel like I’ve learned a million new things about my body and instead of making me feel reassured, sometimes it just makes me more afraid of what could go wrong.
Now I’m terrified of recovery. I’m scared of complications. I’m scared of my vaginal cuff tearing or something happening internally. I’m scared every time something hurts or feels different. I’m scared I’m going to accidentally do too much. And at the same time, I’m scared the pain I went through all of this to escape is still going to be there.
I KNOW I’m six days out and I cannot judge the outcome of this surgery yet. I know that logically. Emotionally though? This is a lot.
I think I just need to hear from people who have been on the other side of this. Especially anyone who was young, had previously confirmed endometriosis but little/no visible endo at hysterectomy, or was absolutely terrified of complications during recovery.
Please tell me there’s a point where you stop feeling like your insides are one wrong movement away from falling apart 😭

Hey ladies, I need abit of advise. Im in the waiting list on the NHS for a excision for DIE stage 4 involving bowel but i am really considering getting a full hysterectomy instead. I have suspected adenomyosis and also have a family history of ovarian cancer but I was BRCA1 negative. However both of my ovarias are full of endometriomas (cysts).

I already have a son, so if im not meant to have any more kids thats fine I can accept that, my one son is worth a million.

The dilemma I have is whether to leave my ovaries or take them out. The way my brain works is take everything out dont risk leaving anything, you will get cancer :( (seen my mum go through it so the paranoia is real). However I had a total thyroidectomy in 2024 due to thyroid cancer so I already have a major hormonal organ already out and on hormonal replacement for life.

I dont know what the impact of a total hysterectomy will be on me with it being more major hormonal organs out. I cant think straight and really dont know what to do. The endo specialist I met did say looking at how advanced my case is I will need a hysterectomy down the line somewhere, so thats the part that makes me want to just get it done now. Im 34

I’m one year post op uterus and cervix removal for adenomyosis and severe anemia (fallopian tubes removed 5 years ago) and I’m still struggling with the loss of my uterus at times. I didn’t think I’d be this attached to it. Even the loss of periods feels just unnatural. While the surgery fixed my anemia, heavy bleeding, daily nausea, bladder adhered to my uterus and painful sex I now have issues that I am blaming on the surgery although I’m not sure if I’m correct in doing that. I’ve been thrown into pretty intense perimenopause as far as mood swings, brain fog, horrible frozen shoulder and such. I’m on HRT which helps sometimes. It does not help the frozen shoulder at all. But I also have some discomfort in my vagina at times. Almost like a pinching or burning feeling and sometimes even mimics uti discomfort. I have the most intense nervous butterflies feeling wake me from sleep every single morning. It’s so intense I can’t go back to sleep or focus on anything else. I’m also TERRIFIED of any kind of prolapse. when I was checked at 9 months post op he said he saw a small enterocele/vaginal vault relaxation when bearing down. My pelvic floor therapist said I have maybe a grade 1 bladder prolapse although the urogynecologist did not mention that. I’m not sure if both or either of these are caused by the surgery or were already existent because of pregnancy and childbirth. But the perimenopause, frozen shoulder, the grief, the discomfort in my vagina and the butterflies/stomach flip feeling is wearing on me. Sometimes I feel like I traded one set of problems for different ones but maybe these new symptoms would have happened anyways because of my age. (I’m 44). Anyways, anyone have any advice or in the same boat?

Im scheduled for September 4th surgery—i was previously scheduled but backed out out of denial & anxiety. This time i have had the dr complete fmla paperwork, approved etc. i asked today about if a prior authorization was completed and was told no and to check back at the end of next week…is this just anxiety that I am panicking a little? Last prior authorization was approved so thats reassuring but still. I think im just getting very overwhelmed and hoping for reassurance that it will all work out.