She expects to be off work 4-6 weeks... I've already told her to take the 6 and not hurry back. ;)
Thanks!
You can find more of this week's #MicroblogMondays posts here.
Monday, January 23, 2017
#MicroblogMondays: Advice, please...
She expects to be off work 4-6 weeks... I've already told her to take the 6 and not hurry back. ;)
Thanks!
You can find more of this week's #MicroblogMondays posts here.
My hysterectomy was a laparoscopy, and I was told to take six weeks off, but it takes even longer if she has a laparotomy.
ReplyDeleteMy surgeon said to me that he can always tell those who don't follow his orders and do too much too soon. It delays recovery, can cause bleeding, etc. When they say take it easy, they mean it.
No heavy lifting, no climbing stairs (which was impossible for me, with four flights in this house, but you can limit them), no vacuuming, no driving.
Cooking will be difficult, simply because standing for any period of time is hard (and not recommended), and lifting heavy pots etc is not allowed.
She should ask them about bending. My dr didn't say to avoid bending, but I found it recommended against in some websites.
Showers washing over you, no excessive cleaning, no baths.
She needs to have books and box-sets/streaming organised, and settle in for the long haul.
Um, can't remember much more, but HysterSisters is a good support website and community for those first six weeks, and worth checking out.
One of my friends almost bled to death at about 6 weeks when she pulled an internal stitch -- so yeah, take the 6 weeks off and be serious about it. In general, from friends who have had them, recovery seems to be way more draining that their doctors made it out to be.
ReplyDelete(PS this is Sharah, but blogger won't let me comment as myself for whatever reason.)
I have not had one, but a friend had one as a preventative measure and was real sad about it (and it did take longer to recover than expected). I made her a basket for when she was down for the count -- some oceany candles, a funny book (my favorite go-to is "Let's Pretend This Never Happened" by Jenny Lawson, but it does have one chapter with recurrent miscarriages so that is a consideration), a magazine I thought she'd like, a yummy treat, and a fuzzy blanket. Someone made me a basket like this when I was going through my divorce, and it's an awesome care package. I loved it and so did she! That's all I got. Good luck to your friend!
ReplyDeleteAgree with Jess. Some have a really hard with this (I totally would) and a care package of comfy things sounds like it would be a great idea.
ReplyDeleteMy sis had one and had major complications from it (needed major blood transfusion, after they didn't suture something properly). So she might be scared if she's read around. Obviously the hormonal aftermath is worrying - they left my sis's ovaries in but she still went into menopause and it threw up lots of stuff about no longer being fertile (she has one kid, but...). My sis still comments on who was good/who wasn't when she had hers - I think mostly she appreciated messages of support, texts; also friends bringing round food, books & films etc.
ReplyDeleteNo experience with the surgery, but if you live close by, you could do a library run for her once a week. She can search online what she wants, and you can do pick up/drop off. And then when you drop off, you can stay to enjoy an at-home movie date.
ReplyDeleteObviously my surgery wasn't the same in terms of invasiveness or recovery time, but one thing I found helpful was texts and emails from friends. I preferred these to calls because I could respond at my leisure if/when I wanted to, but it was also nice to know that they were checking in on me. A friend sent me a gift basket of munchies and that was really nice to have once hubs went back to work (since, at least for the first few days after he went back, I couldn't really stand or lift to cook). I also found that a small pillow to put over my abdomen was helpful too.
ReplyDeleteFingers crossed for your friend. I hope that all goes well!
Sorry about the late comment…. 1 week away on holidays and then another week hosting visiting overseas friends and I’ll be spending the next week playing catchup..
ReplyDeleteOne of my friends had a hysterectomy about 6 years ago, with about 6 weeks off work. She only lives about 45mins away but at least once a week I would drive over with a large cooked lunch (lots of leftovers) and we’d spend the day together. We’d chat, or I’d help with the toddler if he wasn’t at his grandmother’s, help with washing on/off the line or whatever else was needed since her movement was limited.
She was grateful mostly for a visit and conversation.