5 must have items to ease your recovery after hospital
A hysterectomy is a major surgery and like any surgery has side effects on various systems in the body. Not least the effect on the bowel!! You will also be in a certain amount of initial pain/discomfort and setting yourself up with a few key items can really help your comfort in the first couple of weeks. These items are the top things to buy before your op which can really help expedite and make more bearable your recovery.
5. PREGNANCY PILLOW
Sometimes also called a horseshoe pillow for its long U shape. After your surgery you’ll have incisions in your lower abdomen. Your insides will also have hundreds of stitches. Sleeping, especially on your side can be super uncomfortable for many women and disturb your sleep. As sleep is vital for a good recovery you want to maximise your comfort. Spending £20-£30 on one of those pillows is well worth it. It will support your tummy when you sleep on your side and allow you to move side to side without having to bring multiple pillows with you. It will literally act as a supportive hug. You can also use it to prop you up in the day when you are resting.
4. CONSTIPATION RELIEF!
This is a must buy. Any surgery has a risk of bunging you up because you’ll be on pain relief for a while afterwards. This on it’s own can cause a sluggish bowel. But an abdominal surgery, where your bowel and bladder are moved out of the way so the surgeon can access your uterus safely can cause some ‘shyness’ from the organs. Meaning it can take days for you to poop again! Add the discomfort of abdominal distension from the air they blow into your tummy so they can see during the op, known as swelly belly… and not having a bowel movement for a few days can get pretty uncomfortable fast. In the interest of getting things going fast I threw everything at my shy bowel and managed to get it moving on day 2 post op and kept it moving. These are the things we know help constipation post surgery. You can use them all simultaneously as I did, or start with one or two and add if you’re not getting quick enough results:
a) Coffee - It can be normal or decaf, but to has to be coffee specifically not a different type of caffeine as it’s not the caffeine but the coffee compound itself which helps bowel motility.
b) Dulcoease - This is a stool softener, so it’s will make things easier to pass after not going for at least 1, if not 2 or more days.
c) Biscadol - This constipation relief tablet is designed to stimulate bowel motility. Lactoluse solution does similar and they may send you home with some from hospital.
d) Prune juice. I don’t think i need to explain this one!! ;-)
e) Green smoothie. Green fruits and vegetables will contain fibre which will provide roughage to help you go. In this instance a smoothie is better than a juice as a juice removes the fibrous part.
f) Gentle stomach massage. Now you’ll need to go carefully here as you’ll be avoiding your lower tummy where your incisions are, but gently massaging around the colon and large intestine, which sits under the rib cage at the top and down the lateral side of the abdominals can stimulate gut movement.
3. LOOSE DRESSES AND JOGGING BOTTOMS/SWEAT PANTS.
Sorry Catwalk lovers, but the next few weeks are going to be on the low fashion side! Your incision sites are going to sit exactly where the waist band of a skirt or trousers usually stop. For a few weeks you are going to want to avoid anything rubbing there, so loose dresses, baggy joggers, soft leggings with a turn down waist band and a loose nightdress rather than pyjamas are going to be your friends clothes wise. And whilst we are on it, granny pants rather than thongs are likely going to be your most comfortable bet undergarment wise. No one wants a G-String up their lady bits whilst it’s recovering from having a womb pulled out of it and the top sown up…just saying! You should be able to start going back to your normal wardrobe by week 3, but this varies woman to woman. Let your body be your guide… if it rubs or hurts, it’s not ready for the particular outfit yet.
Make your recovery as comfortable as possible!
A pregnancy or back pain pillow supports the tummy so you can lie on your side whilst sleeping or resting post surgery.
2. VEGETABLES, FRUIT & LEAN PROTEIN
Okay, so you probably were’t expecting food to be on the must have items list, but seriously, it’s so important to get your nutrition right when recovering from surgery. It can accelerate your progress hugely. Your body has been through a trauma. it is using extra nutrients to heal. Feeding it chocolate and ice cream might feel like the reward you are owed for going though it, but they are going to hinder progress if you don’t get some good stuff in to. Whilst surgical recovery is not a time to be calorie deficit as your body needs to be in recovery mode, not weight loss mode… getting enough protein in as well as a wide variety of plant based foods with mean you have a plethora of vitamins and minerals as well as good macro nutrients for your body to utilise in mending you. Aim for around 1.2kg protein per kg of body weight and try and get it from mixed sources, including plant proteins such as beans, legumes and pulses as they are easy to digest for most people. Protein is our muscle making nutrient and right now you are trying to heal muscle, so it’s pretty important. Enjoy a few treats too… I’m not a total meany!
1. PROBIOTICS
A probiotic after any surgery is pretty essential as you will be given a heavy dose of anti biotic before your General Anaesthetic. It's to stop you getting a bacterial infection whilst under or directly after, so it’s necessary but it will wipe out all your friendly gut microbes in the process. As a large percentage of our immune system can be found in our gut and our teeny tiny gut microbe friends, you are going to need to repopulate them as quickly as possible. The fastest way to do this is with a quality probiotic. I used a brand called Symprove which was recommended to me by a consultant at hospital. It’s pricey but very good. Other brands are available and no, I’m not part of an affiliate scheme, I just like it. Generally it’s suggested to take a probiotic for 3 months after a surgery as it takes a while for your mates to come back upto previous numbers. Eating lots of plant based and fermented foods will speed things up too. Generally the more fibre, or the more fermented the better it is for our microbe world. If you want to learn more, I suggest buying Eat Yourself Healthy by Meghan Rossi - The Gut Doctor. This great book also contains a load of gut boosting recipes which are yummy.
So, there you are. 5 key items which should help to make you more comfortable and speed up your recovery after your hysterectomy, so you can get back to normal faster.