Thanks Lisa. One more question...."swelly belly". Any problems with this?

Any suggestions on pre or post op things to make it easier is most welcomed.

I'd sure rather not cause myself problems, if there's anything I can do to help it.

I think I'm having LAVH. I thought it was going to be abdominal, but have sense heard differently, happily. The only thing that is suppose to be being removed is my uterus.

Did you notice your energy level changing any?

During recovery or after healing?

I really haven't noticed anything too freaky. I mean I'm 48. I have a bit of pooch that will never go away (in fact, I had the same pooch when I weighed 130) So in my case--nothing that bothers me (OK it bothers me a little and I would love to have it sucked out--but for now....)

My energy levels pretty much stayed the same. No, I take that back--my energy levels increased dramatically because I wasn't bleeding like a stuck pig anymore and my blood counts returned to normal.

Thanks Lisa.

I had a hyserectomy in 99, a vaginal one, and a bladder lift to. I had to have both, the uterus fell and toook my bladder down and it broke through the vaginal wall, Had that rebuid and after surgery 8 days, I ended up with a blood clot. I kept my ovaries.

My doctor is recommending a hysterectomy because of fibroids, but at age 52 I really don't have strong symptoms (a day of flooding, some bladder pressure). At the moment, maybe on this WOE, or because I'm in perimenopause, the symptoms are much less. I'm not going to do the surgery unless I have to -- mostly because I can't get the recovery time off of work. The insurance will pay for some, but I'll also have heavy out-of-pocket costs. It's a money versus inconvenience issue. If symptoms were worse, I might decide to do it.

I had some cancer so I had everything removed. Recovery was hard. I had to work at it. As a side effect of surgery I suddenly needed thyroid and metformin [for insulin resistance.] I had a real hard time losing weight. Armour thyroid did not work for me so it took a while to sort that out. The Dr i saw for nutritional support had me off of all grains. Most womens cancers are carb dependent. I had a high protein diet and a personal trainer and lots of vitamins plus instant menopause. I worked very hard and when it was over I just walked away from it. It took a whole year. This was over 10 years ago.
My belly will never be flat. I had a bikini cut but it is not the same. I still take thyroid and metformin. I learned it is important to touch the scar as that helps integrate things physically and emotionally. Skin brushing really helped me. Brush your skin all over with a soft dry brush. This helps with flabby skin too.
I like the guided imagery for successful surgery. Health Journeys.

Since writing in this thread, I don't believe I need to worry about having a hysterectomy. Someone told me that flax seed helped reduce fibroid tumors (the reason my doctor wanted me to have a hysterectomy), so I've been eating it every day (2-4Tablespoons per day). Well, my symptoms are pretty much gone and I'm pretty sure the tumors have shrunk away. So at the moment, I'm not on the road to hysterectomy and I'm dropping my doctor.

In 2005 at the age of 53 I had experienced long term bleeding and heavy periods. Diagnosed with endometriosis with no fibroid I was facing a hysterectomy. Asked about a microwave technique for solution and was offered a uterine ablation. Under anesthetic a balloon is inserted into the uterus, filled with saline solution which is super heated and as it takes on the internal shape of the uterus is "burns" the lining. It is deflated and removed and that is it. No more periods. No scars. No bleeding for 4 months! If there are no fibroids or disastrous other conditions I would recommend this!!