women's health question

[emilyf]

My sil (38) was rushed to the hospital last night for an emergency hysterectomy. She went in to the doctor for a routine procedure-I'm still not totally clear what-and they had some trouble with bleeding and rushed her in. She is doing fine this morning, but I'm wondering if anyone knows what the recovery or long term health implications might be. She has 3 young boys (4,6,8) and is a sahm. We live about an hour away, and although we are not that close I would like to help out if I can. I know this is fairly serious surgery but was wondering if anyone had any experience/insight on this- Also, suggestions for what to do to help-
Emily \r\nmom of Charlie born 11/02

[MommytoDylan]

Emily,

I'm so glad your SIL got the help she needed! I don't know much about the surgery other than what my mom experienced when I was in H.S. I remember it being much like a c-section recovery and she couldn't drive for at least two weeks and had to keep up on her meds.

HTH,
Meredith

[khakismom]

When my mother had hers 1.5 years ago--and she had the full hysterectomy, taking the ovaries/fallopian tubes too, because her insides were covered with cancer--she was not able to pick up anything heavier than 5 pounds for 6 weeks. She also could not drive for 2 weeks. No showering for 2 weeks until the wound started to heal (just sponge baths), and just basic recovering from surgery (hard to get out of bed, go to the bathroom, etc).

I hope your SIL is doing better, but she's going to be very sore for a while. I'm sure that any help or assistance you can give her and her family is going to be very appreciated.

[chrissyhowie]

Emily,

I am so sorry to hear that your sister and family had to go through such a scary event! It's great to hear that she is doing well this morning.

Since it sounds like your SIL is otherwise young and healthy, she will likely recover from this surgery well, although it will take time for her to regain her usual strength. Since it was done because of excessive bleeding, her blood count may also be low, which can cause some additional fatigue while it naturally builds itself up again.

The uterus's main biological function in a woman's body is to bear children. But the ovaries are the true workhorse in that they produce the majority of female hormones (namely estrogen and progesterone). Chances are that since this was done as an emergency, she likely still has her ovaries so she will not have to go through immediate menopausal symptoms (ie: hot flashes) that would occur when someone does have their ovaries removed prior to natural menopause. So hopefully, after recovering from her abdominal incision she won't feel too much different from before, except that she will no longer get her periods. Everyone is different, but usually it takes about 4-8 weeks to recover from an abdominal operation.

I think giving her help at home would be the best help you could give her since her energy and mobility won't be 100% for a while. Since you live kind of far away, maybe prepare some meals that could be frozen or arrange a cleaning service for her house while she recovers? Just knowing you are relatively nearby and willing to help will I am sure be a huge comfort to both her and your brother :).

HTH,