Good morning all. I feel that I am recovering well but really had not appreciated how long this recovery was going to take ! I was an active, well person before the surgery walking 10 miles or so regularly, going to the gym, cycling and swimming. At the moment
I am only just managing a couple of miles twice a day before I am experiencing low dragging pains in my "under carriage" 😊. Is this normal? Has anyone else experienced this? Am I still over doing it? Does anyone have any advice?
I have Physio booked for next Thursday morning and my 6 week checkup with the surgeon in the afternoon. My "Fit for Work" note runs out next Friday and I am not sure if I should be thinking about requesting more time off of work to recover - help - any input would be helpful - I'm feeling stressed thinking about this 🤔.
Just would like to add without this site and all the invaluable information you all add I would definitely not have got on so well with the recovery thus far - thank you all X
I am 5 weeks and 1 day after pelvic floor repair and SSF. Like you I was very active pre surgery and am lucky to be able to continue. I can walk 3/4 miles no problem but everyone tells me that's too mich! Think I'll listen to my body!
If you feel a low dragging feeling it means you need to rest and you could be overdoing the walking a bit. Personally I don't think you should be returning to work yet
I think you are doing amazingly well especially 2 miles a day twice a day! I have a long complex history of gynae surgeries spanning almost 20 yrs and for the anterior repair in my opinion you are ahead of track and you will ache down there for some time, a few months at least. Don't forget everything has to be held up in there and gravity takes over so make sure to rest and relax the lady bits as well as strengthen them. I am just 4 wks post op for a complex vault suspension and anterior repair and am only just managing to potter about, still have major pain but I know from experience that I'm doing ok. I intend to have at least 12 weeks off work as I am a PE teacher! Keep up the good work.
Hi Annette, your so right about this site bring invaluable source of info, you can Coreley everyone's experience and work put what is generally the norm and what may be something to worry about and of course matrons advice is so great to have.
Similar to you I an building up my walking distance and at same time building up household chores , sometimes difficult to know which has areas we are overdoing get things in.
In my work last autumn I was building up extra shifts 2 and a half years post op from last surgery, and most of the extra shifts were on my feet . So although we gave to watch weight bearing issues it's just as important that we be careful how long we are on out feet too!
They do say that heavy dragging feeling is telling us we have overdone it .
It's so hard to get a balance, take it easy and slow down for day or two and see hos it goes.
Phyl xx
Phyl
Agree with your advice Terri,
Phyl xx
Hi Annette. I felt exactly as you did at the same time. I held off returning to work until eight weeks post op. It's amazing how much I improved in the extra few weeks. I also got that dragging sensation whenever I overdid the walking so I knew when I had. Give yourself some more time off. An extra few weeks makes all the difference. All the best.
Agree with all the other comments. matron advised me that if you get that dragging or ache feeling in your vulva you are overdoing it. Very impressed by the way with your 2m twice a day - how do you find the time? I also agree that the recovery is linear. Slow at start and I found really improves after week 7/8. I tried return to full time work at 6 weeks but too hard utterely exhausted mixture of back log of work and sitting on my bottom for so long. So I talked to my boss and did the rest of the week at graduated half day return. Up to 6hrs now, coping better. Good luck
Hi, I've only just found this forum so I'm new to all this. I had an anterior repair & hysterectomy 3 years ago I went back to my part time desk job 4 weeks after surgery & was very careful not to lift etc but I would say it was 7 - 9 months before I felt better. You really do need to take it easy which I know is frustrating but my prolapse has returned (not as bad) and I now also need a posterior repair at some point too. If I have more surgery I will take the full 6 weeks off and rest, rest, rest! Good luck.
Luv your forum name made me LOL
It's true I'm really not a doctor 😉 Glad it made you smile. X
Thank you all for your responses which are vey helpful as usual 😊. I will try and take it easy but it is hard I think we all probably expect to "bounce" back too soon. I'm thinking that I should try and get my Fit Note extended but that's easier said than done it takes 2 weeks to get even a telephone appointment at my doctors surgery let alone an actual physical appointment to see a GP!
I think part of my frustration is caused by the fact that I had a total abdominal hysterectomy in 2013 and had thought that life had just got back on track and have now had to have this prolapse repair!
Take it easy ladies and thank you all once again 😊 xxxx
Tilly I found out that my store sacks people off twice a year , so thus counts as one and if I go back to early and find I can't cope and am forced to go of again it will count as 2 and it is likely I'll be sacked so do not want to take that chance now!
Phyl xx
Hi I'm not doctor,
Similar situation to me , I am really suprised it did not last longer being that you are in a desk job , I am constantly lamenting that it would be easier if at a desk. I was an office junior then a clerical assistant in telecommunications when I left school/college. After I had by 1st three kids found it impossible to get back into office work had to do other thinks and always ended up long hours on my feet. So I probably just as well to keep going with current job as trying to switch to office will potable not make any difference anyway.
Phyl xx
Sorry damp text predictor always thinks it knows better!
Isn't there some employment law about being unable to sack employees for being off sick? I'm sure there is. I remember on another forum someone from HR mentioning it.
My eldest daughter has degree in accounts and covered some of the business law , but her friend is trained in HR and is in the know with regards to occupational health, but she will not see her for advice till Monday.
I am starting to hear some awful stories with regard to my employer. Don't want to fallout with them or gave hassle when I get back eventually so don't really want to rock the boat any more than I already have by refusing to allow submission of report I don't agree with!
But will look into that, thanks matron!
Phyl xx☺☺
I can imagine how difficult it is for you and you are right you don't want to cause any problems but I'm a nurse and if you were my patient I would be concerned about how all this pressure is affecting your recovery which is something that woman in OH obviously has no understanding or awareness of. Stress affects how the body heals and recovers following any surgery or illness come to that. You are at the stage where you should be relaxing and slowly getting back to full health. If the woman in OH had been a nurse she would have understood that and would have had no need to google pelvic floor surgery just before your appointment.
Right I will get off my soap box now 😘
Know what you mean about stress was pretty tense for a couple of days and you forger to do PF exercises , to tense to do them properly and was sitting on edge of sear which eventually caused lower back pain and that heavy feeling down below. But have got passed that, and submitted GPs declarat ions of not fit to work line. So waiting to see how that goes, as Go says there is nothing they can do now, would like to go back as soon as I know I can cope with sitting for 5 hours or being on feet up to 3/4 hours , will have to wait and see.
On a positive note my hubby says I am walking much better when pottering around the house, can get up from chair much easier ( we have one of those cushion back pillow sofa, not really good for you and difficult at best it times to get out off), when I go for daily walk though I start out quite spritly but by the time I'm on way back I have slowed down an can hardly walk , think I'm just working unused muscles, as long as I don't overdo time 20/25 mins then I'm fine, upping by 5 mins per week (so 2x25 mins this week). Managed to dust /tidy living room, clean kitchen sufaces and recycling, and clean toilet, bug not the floor. All in two hours this morning and no lower back pain just a little irritated feeling down below, but I suppose the wounds will be rather dry and still a bit swollen inside. So having my afternoon rest as missed it over last few days with all appointments at (OH and GP).
So feeling more positive for now. It helps to being on the forum and hearing others tell of there experiences .you don't feel so alone and it helps to focus on others.
Many thanks to everyone and hope all goes well !!☺☺☺