4 weeks post open myomectomy experience and some questions

Hi,

I just wanted to share my experience following on from my open myomectomy I had on the 27th Feb 2023 for anyone who has this surgery upcoming to see if it puts your mind at ease.

Firstly, I have never had any type of surgery or anesthetic so really didn't know what to expect but the NHS staff were absolutely amazing.

On the morning of arrival (7:30am) I was visited by my consultant preforming the procedure and the head anesthetist.

At 10am I was taken to theatre and given a spinal block and a general anesthetic. 4 hours late I was woken up in the recovery room, given plenty of pain relief and taken back to the ward with catheter and compression machines on my legs. The rest of the day was a blur but the nurses did observations initially every 30 minutes, then each hour then every 4 hours.

The following day I had my catheter and the drain from my abdomen removed. This wasn't pleasant but it was over and done with in 2 seconds. I was then encouraged to get up and walk to the chair for breakfast. Again, this wasn't very easy or comfortable but getting up got easier each time.

The pain was ok because I was still on strong pain medication. I was encouraged to drink a lot of water to keep hydrated as my blood pressure kept dropping but this also meant I had no choice but to get up for the loo.

I was visited by my consultant in the morning who let me know all went well, I had 2 large fibroids removed that were approximate the sizes of grapefruits, a medium sized one, similar to the size of a lemon and lots of tiny pea sized fibroids removed. He said I can contact his secretary if needs be and I'll have an appointment with him in the coming months (end of march)

I think everyone's experience in the hospital is different but mine was very positive, I had no bleeding after surgery but had pads on hand in case.

When I was home I was very emotional and spent the first couple of days in bed along with pottering around the house to get a drink etc, by day 4 of being home I walked to the shop which is about a quarter of a mile away. Don't get me wrong, my stomach felt very heavy and like i'd done a million sit ups and I needed a rest when I got home but each day I've done a bit more walking to the point now, 4 weeks on I'm walking about 8 - 10k steps a day. My stomach does still feel tender and definitely still swollen but the recovery hasn't been as bad as I had expected. I think a positive can do attitude and listening to my body, resting when required helped much better for me than dwelling on the fact I'd just had major abdominal surgery.

I still feel fatigued and I haven't had much of an apitite since being home so just snacking on little bits here and there.

Some of my stitches didn't fully dissolve so my gp removed them last week which opened my wound slightly but a couple of days of keeping it covered, it has started to heal on its own.

I hope this helps anyone else with up coming surgery 💖

My only questions if anyone can suggest what to do / share their experience is

1. When might I be likely to get my period? I had 7 3.6mg zoladex injections with my last one being on 14th feb and I've got no signs of period cramps etc (I'm 33 so not nearing menopausal age)

2. When will the bloody night sweats stop? besides the absent periods, that's the only other side effect of the Zoladex I'm still having

3. Although I'm swollen still, I've seen a lot online about having a "shelf" after a bikini incision. I'm not one for wearing low rise trousers or bikinis however is there anything that can be done to reduce the "shelf"? massages?

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