9 weeks post op

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I realised this week that I am now 9 weeks post-op and that I am only 3 weeks away from being able to run again. The recommendations by my doctor and physio were that no heavy exercise for at least 3 months after my total abdominal hysterectomy. I am in my 3rd week back at work and what a 3 weeks it has been.

In my first week back, I had a “phased” return, which only saw me working 4 hours a day. In that week I re-started an evening class (cake decoration),  I was sedated at the dentist and my Gran was taken into hospital, which meant that one day and I had to go straight from work (in Manchester) to the hospital (Whiston, Merseyside).

My second week back, I went back to full-time hours with a 6:30am alarm. In that week, I had a 2 day trip to London to watch Strictly Come Dancing and we had a slight family drama, which involved a late night and an early morning.

My third week back has been slightly calmer, but last night I think everything just caught up with me, as I fell asleep on the couch  at around 19:00. I woke up at around 20:00 and just took myself to bed – I was shattered. I then slept almost unbroken until 06:00 and by the time my alarm went off at 6:30, I was wide awake and ready to get up.

The thing about having the hysterectomy that is unseen, is the toll it takes on your whole body. I don’t think I had any real concept of what “Major Surgery” meant. Of course, I understand English, so I know what the words meant, but I had no idea what it would mean for me. I remember questioning why on earth I would need 6-8 weeks off work and I couldn’t even imagine why anyone would need 3 months off sick!!! But now I realise that it’s a slow process of recovery and that you don’t just snap back into normal life, it all takes time.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t feel ill at all and the pain for me was relatively minimal. After the first week to 10 days at home after the op, I stopped taking pain killers altogether. It was bad at first, I’m not going to lie, but after that, it was no more than an ache, and only if I did too much in one day – certainly no worse that the period pains I had been experiencing beforehand

The thing that has taken the longest to go for me (and as predicted by my consultant), is the tiredness. I guess my body is still healing itself which means that my energy levels are not back to what they were before the operation. I wonder if some of the sluggish feeling is because I am not allowed to run and things? Who knows, but what I do know is that being tired is a small price to pay for no more periods, no more period pains, no emotional roller coast and no more “feeling sad” a couple of times a month.

I think this whole thing will turn out to be one of the best decisions I ever made. xx

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