Open myomectomy - 3 months post surgery and still recovering
Posted , 11 users are following.
Hoping to get other women's experiences of their recovery post open myomectomy surgeries...
A little bit of background on my experience, I had an open myomectomy on 15th March 2019, 4 days after turning 30 and a large 10 inch pedunculated fibroid (attached to the uterus by an unusually large stalk) was removed. My symptoms from before the surgery have thank god disappeared as these were preventing me from living my normal day to day life (extreme fatigue to the point where I couldn't sit up without assistance let alone get out of the bed, abdominal pain, cramps, localised pain on the right side, nausea, headaches, loss of appetite, bloating) but I am still not recovered from the surgery itself, everything I have googled has suggested recovery takes about 6-8 weeks but I am now at week 12 and I definitely do not feel 100% better yet...
I haven't recovered as fast as expected according to my consultant, due to my age, size and general good health he thought I would recover quickly and has been surprised by my slower than average recovery. I left the hospital after 3 days in an insane amount of discomfort, barely able to shuffle let alone walk. I got home and don't think I left my home for another week, after this I tried going out but just making it to the steps outside was always too much and the stabbing pains would start, which I knew then meant I needed to lie down for a good hour or two. Walking more than 50 steps was really hard but this all gradually improved, it was really slow going, I didn't notice improvement day to day, only week to week I would be able to say 'ah this time last week I couldn't do that!'
At week 7 I gradually started to walk properly again and now walk on average about 6 miles per day, which is what I did before all of this started. I have also started running again (not very much, 2 miles maximum in one go) but think I might have over done it because I am feeling worse now than I did at week 8. After my last run, the next day I started to feel a mild discomfort on the right hand side where the fibroid was, then later in the day when I went for a walk I started to experience that stabbing pain inside and all over the front over my lower abdomen which I haven't had for at least 6 weeks (the kind which takes your breath away because its so sharp). In addition to this I now can just feel a constant discomfort on the right hand side which hasn't gone away 48 hours later. It is uncomfortable again to lie on my front, go to the loo, walk properly, cross my legs etc.
Has anyone else experienced this suddenly at this stage?
I am also still bloated and don't fit into any tight clothing and am starting to panic as I thought this would have gone down by now and have had to delay the date of my measurements for my wedding dress to later in the summer (getting married in 6 months time!). Does anyone have any advice for me to get back into shape, loose the 10lbs I have gained since surgery and get a non bloated tummy again without overdoing it?
I guess my main questions are:
- Has anyone else experienced these pains nearly 3 months post surgery?
- Has anyone else experienced bloating still at week 12?
- How long has it taken others to get back to 100% normality? 2 months, 3 months, 6 months, a year?
- Does anyone have any tips to help with the process?
My consultant acted like this surgery was not a big deal at all, I now understand however, what he actually meant was that, for him it was a simple procedure but I did not grasp the enormity of the effect it would have on my life and the time it would take to recover. I wish I had been given some more guidance on what to expect before embarking on this journey.
I'd love to hear other womens experiences so I know I am not alone!
Thanks
2 likes, 7 replies
sarah81110 kerri1989
Posted
hello kerri
first of all my heart goes out to you. stay strong and believe in yourself. thank you for reaching out..
i am 4 months post myomectomy surgury back in february this year, i have not experienced so much these symptoms, as you - i have bloated tummy occasionally during the month, my periods i cannot and never understand now. they have changed big time since february - more vibrant, colourful, perhaps murderous! honestly its like l have killed someone. The clots are bigger, 25 fibriods were removed, only GOD KNOWS how long they have been with me, but i know my uterus needs to heal on its own and with time. seek and push your doctor to check your blood counts, iron levels and BP - very important for us, as i discovered. i am now anemic - i had two blood transfusions. stay strong !!!
Eeka3 kerri1989
Posted
Hello, I had my myomectomy in Dec and I would say I still experience bloating as well throughout the month depending on when my period is coming. I also got married 4/19/19 with my first dress fitting in February. I didn't have time to work out and I slightly went on the keto diet but I just went ahead with however my body was; but I definitely understand wanting to fit into that perfect dress for the big day. I've started working out on and off since May and now more consistent since schools out. At 6 months post op, I'm probably 99% back to "normal". You just have to know your body and also allow yourself time to heal at the same time.
yg1932 kerri1989
Posted
Hi! Hope you feel better now! i had a robotic myomectomy in late October and removed one fibroid. Two months after the surgery, Im still bleeding every other day and sometimes with a random blood clot. my doctor also said its normal. I tend to feel more bloated when i wear tight jeans. ugh i wonder how long does it really take for fully recovery. I was on Lupron Depot 11.25 in Aug, so the nurse told me what im having now could also be a side effect of that injection which i think is total BS. Dont know where is all the blood coming from and whether im healing properly inside... this really sucks
XellossMChan kerri1989
Posted
I had an open myomectomy in December of 2018. I can tell you that the recovery process was NOT easy for me. It sucks, but you need to be patient with your body. It will probably take you about six months until you start to feel completely back to yourself. There are also some spots that will continue to hurt until about a year after your surgery.
pinelopi14554 kerri1989
Posted
Hi Kerri,
Ive had something similar to what your feeling.I had a large fibroid pendunculated the size of a grapefruit sitting on top of my bowel that caused me extreme pain i got it removed in July 2020. My recovery was hard i couldn't walk for weeks.Months later i am still have pain bloating pressure cramps in my lower abdomen top of my pelvis.Shooting pain down there .I went to my naturopath and she said from the surgery everything is still inflamed . I also started seeing a pelvic floor therapist cuz they said i have a hypertonic pelvic floor muscles.My dr also made the surgery seem like it was no big deal.But from other womens experiences it said it takes about 6 months to a year to fully heal.So maybe try and see a naturopath and a pelvic floor therapist hopefully it helps
alicia1015 kerri1989
Edited
It takes a full 6 months to a year for ur uterus to completely heal.
crystian67702 kerri1989
Posted
Hello Kerri,
I had a myomectomy June 29th where I had 6 fibroids removed and the largest was 13cm. It's been 3 months and I'm still swollen, my lower belly is still numb, clothes are still uncomfortable and I am getting these sharp pains in my stomach. I just had an ultrasound done because my doctor said I shouldn't be having these pains after 3 months. I thought I would be ok but I'm not. I just took a leave from work because I was in pain daily and standing and moving around too much, I'm a teacher. I've been told that it does take 6 months to a year for bodies to get back to normal. I hope this helps.