There are many things you can do to help nature take it’s course, because in some cases you won’t be allowed out of hospital until you have been to the loo completely.  What about prune juice, extra fruit, drinking water and peppermint tea – all these have been shown to help the body move waste products out of it’s system a little quicker.

Why not ask your surgeon if it is possible to bring in your own CD or even an iPod.  At the very least, having music to listen to after surgery would be a great way to relax and allow the body to start it’s healing journey.

According to a study on the effects of music on Parkinson’s Patients at the Cleveland Clinic music actually helps to slow down what are called neuronal firings deep within the brain allowing the body to relax and calm down.

However, do be aware of hospital policy which may prevent you from taking anything expensive in, just in case it is stolen. 101 Handy Hints for a Happy Hysterectomy talks about many other things can help to soothe and relax you while you are recovering.

• Hot flushes (flashes)
• Increase or decrease in headaches
• Palpitations or irregular heart beat
• Dry vagina, which can cause pain when you have sex
• Difficulty concentrating
• Itchy skin – could feel like crawling
• Breast tenderness
• Muscle tension
• Depression
• Weight gain
• Feeling light headed or dizziness
• Tingling in the arms and legs
• Burning sensation in the mouth
• Changes in skin texture and tone
• Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
• Increased facial hair growth
• Your breasts may shrink slightly
• Night Sweats
• Insomnia, difficulty sleeping
• Mood swings
• Tiredness (over and above the normal post surgical tiredness)
• Memory lapses
• Urinary incontinence
• Aching muscles, joints and tendons
• Gastrointestinal upsets, such as diahorrhea, wind, bloating,
• flatulence
• Increase in allergies
• Thinning hair
• Change in body odour
• Increase in bleeding gums
• Changes in fingernails
• Loss of interest in sex
• Feelings of unspecific fear and dread
• Severe anxiety/panic attacks
• Vaginal walls become thinner and more susceptible to infection

As you can see there are a lot of possible symptoms, and it is highly unlikely that you will experience all of them, at least not on one day:-). Those that you do have may change as time goes on, some may disappear and others may become worse.

Not only do we still have our favourite forums, but we also have a brand new directory area which is currently being populated with links to organisations, groups, professionals and resources that can help you with your long term health and recovery.  Incidentally, if you are a professional offering services to women with Gynaecological problems, then you may want to consider advertising in our Directory too.

The shop has undergone a makeover too and the lovely fresh, floral and very feminine theme is a far cry from the dark, official look of the old site.   We’ve also managed to integrate our social networks as well and there is more to come ……

Future plans include a members only section with lots of extra free goodies and services, specialist telephone helplines to provide more focused support and regular workshops and events around the UK.

“I am researching an article for the Daily Mail newspaper about women who are in their late teens or twenties (or early 30s…) and who are unable to have children. I am particularly looking to speak to women who are single and how this issue has affected their lives.
I realise this is a very sensitive article so all copy will be read back to you to ensure you are happy with it. You would be one of several women contributing to it. There is a payment on publication for your time. For more details please email alison@featureworld.co.uk or ring me on 01727 84181811″

The Hysterectomy Association began life as a piece of research for a Masters degree back in 1995.  The research was looking at the information needs of women undergoing a hysterectomy and whether these needs were being met.  As a result of that research the first website was produced and our original booklet was created.

However, over the years much of our anecdotal evidence from your emails and phone calls suggests that possibly not much has changed, that the need is still there and it’s still not being met in the ways you would like it to be.  Therefore, we decided that we would re-do the original research to see whether what (if anything) has changed.

We would be very grateful if you would consider completing our online questionnaire IF YOU HAVE ALREADY HAD A HYSTERECTOMY to tell us about your experience.

You can find the questionnaire at: http://www.hysterectomy-association.org.uk/index.php/2008/03/14/survey/

With an abdominal incision a woman will be in hospital for around 3 – 5 days and then spend up to 13 weeks recovering.   SILS would mean a much shorter stay in hospital with a quicker recovery time due to the lack of major abdominal wound.  With SILS only a single small incision in the belly button is made that allows for the insertion of surgical instruments, once cut, the entire hysterectomy is performed through this incision.

For those who are less squeamish, a video is below that shows the procedure taking place.