How I'm Feeling - Recovery Day 1

"I'm glad I read that advice of having a pillow to hug to my body, and especially if you have to cough or laugh or anything that involves your stomach muscles, it's really good to have that pressure there when you're doing it. " — Emily, 1 Day Since Uterus Eviction Day

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In This Episode:

• I'm back! The surgery is over and I'm back to recording. And I'm ready to talk about it!

• So far I've had some trouble sleeping and spent the night processing the surgery and recovery pain and discomfort.

• I'm managing pain with a combination of ibuprofen and Tylenol every three hours. I also have Oxycodone, but both Mark and I discovered it causes mood changes like making me angry and snappy.

• I'm experiencing some trouble sleeping, but then again is that related to whatever "sleep" occurs during surgery? My focus is also all over the place.

• "All I have to do now is focus on recovery." YES!

• I have a sore throat from the breathing tube used during surgery. But what surprised me (and what I'm glad I was warned about beforehand) was the discomfort due to the gas used during the procedure. It gets trapped in the weirdest locations, like in the shoulders! Movement and gas relief medicine (simethicone) seem to help. I'm also using deep breathing to help move the gas through my body.

• The abdominal pain is very similar to an intense ab workout like after using the ab roller wheel of the

• '90s. I'm glad my doctor warned me of this so I knew what to expect. I've found holding a pillow to my stomach while coughing or laughing helps relieve some of the pain and pressure.

• Mark this as the day I, a world-class podcast editor, intentionally left a burp in a show I worked on. Simply because in this particular episode, that burp is pure relief.

• If my breathing gets a little heavy, it's because I'm currently taking one of my four daily 10-minute walks as advised by my doctor.

• Currently there's some gas pain and hip discomfort, especially when sleeping. But I've found found using pillows to support me helps, as well as some heat. But I definitely don't need to put the healing pad as high as I used to!

• Surprisingly, the incisions don't really hurt! I'm actually surprised at what hurts and what doesn't hurt so much.

• I'm trying hard not to overdo it on the physical activity, even though I feel like I could increase my walking pretty quickly. It's also difficult to stay in bed all day so I'm glad I have the excuse for the frequent walks.

• It's also nice that I already had my heating pads set up in locations around the house I frequently tend to hang out.

• My cats are adjusting to the changes in our routine. They know something's up, especially the larger one who likes to jump up onto the sink with my help most days. But since he's beyond the weight limit I'm supposed to lift, I haven't been able to help him or even explain to him why I can't. Poor Little Man!

• Comparing the post-surgery pain to "regular" Adenomyosis/Period pain, I would say it's a few notches up but in a different way.

• Don't worry. I'll discuss plenty of my post-surgery reactions in the coming episodes! Take care :)

Note from Future-Emily:

No notes :) Just kidding! I'm so happy to be back editing Season 3, especially since this is the start of a fantastic recovery and when I started to feel like I was getting my life back after years of dealing with the pain and discomfort caused by Adenomyosis.

Additional Links and Resources:

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• Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic

• Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic

• Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager

• Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook

• Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4

• HysterSisters — Hysterectomy Support & Stories

• Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopatholgical finding — PubMed

• Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed

Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about.

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