8 Weeks Post Surgery
How am I feeling 8 weeks after my hysterectomy and oophorectomy? I just thought I would share how things are going. So many of you have been so kind and reached out with amazing words of encouragement and I can’t thank you enough. Not going to lie, recovery isn’t the easiest or most fun thing in the world. I was sore for awhile and my energy was really low, which was all to be expected. I was depressed from not moving around and also the mental aspects of what I went through. I am definitely better. I still have my moments though. Occasional tears also mixed with overwhelming thankfulness.
Now that I am not extremely anemic, like I had been for the past 2 years, I notice a huge difference in my energy. I don’t wake up feeling completely exhausted every morning. I am back to running, low mileage, but I’ll take it. At the gym I can’t lift heavy weights, but doing anything physical feels fantastic, so I am happy about that. Little Monkey and I ran/walked a 5k together at 7 weeks post surgery and the next day I ran/walked a 10k, which was exhausting, but still fun. The amount of energy it took me to do that though felt like a full marathon. All part of the recovery process though. With the stress the surgery took on my body, plus hormones, I have quite a bit to recover from still.
When my uterus was sent to pathology they actually found a bigger underlying cause for my extreme pain and extremely heavy bleeding. Adenomyosis is a condition in which the inner lining of the uterus (the endometrium) breaks through the muscle wall of the uterus (the myometrium). This is why it felt like I was literally in labor every month because I kind of was. The uterine muscles would contract and try to get rid of the big blood clots. My surgeon told me that there is very little they can do to diagnose this other than a hysterectomy and no medication could help it, so it was a good thing I had the hysterectomy.
Now that I don’t have a uterus it is kind of amazing how many pregnant women I see and little babies that look so perfect. All my life I had always thought 2-3 kids was what I wanted. I have one amazing and beautiful daughter that I am so thankful for, but still occasionally feel sad with the finality that a hysterectomy represents. And you know what? That is a normal thing to grieve, so if you are going through this same process just know you are not alone.
This past year has really shown me who my tribe is. I am surrounded by amazing people. It is quite possible that I am the luckiest girl in the world. The best part too is that as a mom your top priority is you child and my amazing tribe didn’t even skip a beat with help for my Little Monkey. My dance mom friends are incredible, who we affectionately call each other sister wives because we all care for each others kids as if they are our own. All the food they brought, carpools they organized, and help with weekend dance events was more than I could’ve imagined. My mom came into town and stayed with us for 6 weeks. I am so grateful for all her support. I could always count on a certain bestie to message me and make me laugh when I needed it, all while planning our next crazy adventure. I would get flowers, chocolates, and messages from all these special people who brought smiles to my face. My husband was so patient, listening to me cry and yell and dealt with all the emotions I threw at him. Life is all about the people who you surround yourself with and I am so happy I have the best people in the world in mine.