1. What are realistic expectations for light housework? Should I coordinate to have someone come clean/vacuum and for how long will i need this assistance?
It all depends on what procedure you have done, which you will find out soon. My GYN surgeon used the Da Vinci robotic system, so I only had five smallish puncture type wounds across my lower abdomen. What you are able to do will depend on the protocol they choose to use. I was given specific instructions on lifting/doing housework based on the robotic procedure I had done, and wouldn't apply to someone who has a straight line incision (yes, I had the full hysterectomy, including cervix)
2. How long before I'm able to lift a bag of groceries up a flight of stairs?
Again, will depend on which approach they use, and they will be pretty specific about what you can and cannot do... for instance, I think I was told not to lift anything heavier a gallon of milk for the first couple of weeks. A whole bag going upstairs? That will be a few weeks. When you're cleared to do so, have groceries packed in smaller bags that hold less and go up and down the stairs a couple of times with less weight.
3. Should I advocate to stay in the hospital overnight? 2 days even? I have nobody that I can call on to stay with me where I live. I do have friends but they all live about 2-24 hours away.
They will likely tell you how long your insurance will allow you to stay based on your coverage and your procedure. I was admitted as a 24-hour recovery patient and went home the next morning after they removed my catheter. But if you tell them you have no one at home (and you should tell them this multiple times well BEFORE your surgery) to stay with you, hopefully they will let you stay overnight at least. And tell them you have stairs to climb when you do get home.
4. About how long before I feel normal enough that I can start exercising again? By that I mean walking a few miles? Swimming for an hour? Weightlifting (nothing more than 20 lbs)?
If you manage an overnight stay, while you're still in the hospital, get out and walk around the hallways, starting with a lap at a time; you'll be groggy and want to sleep, but moving is so important. Once I got home, I continued to walk, holding a pillow across my abdomen for support. We had a short path right next to our house that was a 1/3 mile around, and I think the second day home, I walked it once, the third day twice, and fourth day three times. It was really, really slow, but I was moving. By the time I went in for my two-week check up, I was walking almost two miles a day, and by six weeks, was walking three miles a day. My pace also obviously increased over that time as I was comfortable and able. Because I was walking so much at my two-week check up, my surgeon gave me conditional permission to return to water aerobics with the understanding that I would take it REALLY easy and not push anything at all. It was mostly about being in the water and moving my joints. My instructor knew I was recovering from surgery. I had just returned to lifting some small weights when I developed a complication not related to lifting the weights.
5. How bad does the sudden drop in hormones affect us after a full hysterectomy?
Within three days I was having horrible hot flashes that majorly interferred with my sleep. But not everyone is like me. I think you've asked about HRT before, and I shared my views then. They remain the same - I am on HRT, recognizing it's a lifestyle choice - I don't want the risks associated with osteoporosis, cardiac health, cognitive decline, etc., to name a few.
6. Not that it's even remotely on the horizon right now, but will sex feel the same? Honestly, when I found out I had to have my hysterectomy due to cancer, and I knew the surgery would cure me, if there was a difference in sex afterwards, it was so minimal that it didn't matter to me because my cancer was gone.
7. Talk to me anout the pain! How bad is it initially after surgery and how fast does it fade?
Again, depends on how they perform your procedure; I think I took Tramadol for two days, then switched to extra-strentgh Tylenol for another few days. Opiods will slow down your gut and lead to constipation, so use them as little as possible. It's uncomfortable, and sometimes hard to find a way to sit and lay (or move around), but if you take things slowly and listen to your pain and not overdo it, it's not that bad.
My recovery at my six-week check up was remarkable because I rested, but also kept moving as able. And not to scare you (I was an anomally) but I had a very serious complication at seven weeks (had just been cleared a week earlier at my six-week check up) and ended up in the hospital for five nights. My recovery from that set me back waaaay more than my surgery had... that was a several months recovery.
8. Besides putting meals in the freezer and having a fridge full of groceries, what else do I need to prepare in advance? Line up what you want to watch on TV, or books you want to read. Before your surgery, put the number of your medical insurance's 24-hour on call nurse, especially since you'll be alone. If you have questions in the middle of the night and are wishy-washy about not wanting to wake someone up in the middle of the night, you can call this nurse, she will triage you and tell you whether it's worth waking up your doctor, waiting until morning (or as in my case, it was this nurse who told me to get to the ER within two hours - it was midnight when I called her with symptoms at seven weeks post-op that didn't seem related to the surgery, but ultimately ended up being so). She probably saved my life. At seven weeks post-op, I wasn't sure which doctor I should call... my GYN surgeon, or my internist - she said neither, get to the ER.
