{"id":15267,"date":"2025-10-14T16:55:17","date_gmt":"2025-10-14T09:55:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=15267"},"modified":"2025-10-14T16:55:17","modified_gmt":"2025-10-14T09:55:17","slug":"recovering-from-uterine-prolapse-surgery-an-honest-unfiltered-account","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=15267","title":{"rendered":"Recovering from Uterine Prolapse Surgery: An Honest, Unfiltered Account"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p data-start=\"586\" data-end=\"660\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-317108 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/fitbottomedgirls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/shutterstock_2640458363-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1782\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-317108 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/fitbottomedgirls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/shutterstock_2640458363-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1782\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fitbottomedgirls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/shutterstock_2640458363-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/fitbottomedgirls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/shutterstock_2640458363-300x209.jpg 300w, https:\/\/fitbottomedgirls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/shutterstock_2640458363-1024x713.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/fitbottomedgirls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/shutterstock_2640458363-768x535.jpg 768w, https:\/\/fitbottomedgirls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/shutterstock_2640458363-1536x1069.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/fitbottomedgirls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/shutterstock_2640458363-2048x1425.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/fitbottomedgirls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/shutterstock_2640458363-150x104.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\"\/><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"586\" data-end=\"660\"><em><strong data-start=\"277\" data-end=\"295\">Editor\u2019s Note:<\/strong> This is Part 2 of Lara\u2019s story about her experience with uterine prolapse surgery. If you missed it, read Part 1:<a href=\"https:\/\/fitbottomedgirls.com\/2025\/10\/preparing-for-uterine-prolapse-surgery\/\">Preparing for Uterine Prolapse Surgery: What I Wish I Knew Beforehand<\/a> for her journey leading up to the big day. Today\u2019s post picks up the story with her waking up after surgery.<\/em><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p data-start=\"586\" data-end=\"660\">I\u2019d read the line everywhere: <em data-start=\"616\" data-end=\"658\">\u201cRecovery will take six to eight weeks.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"662\" data-end=\"843\">But what does that actually mean? Six to eight weeks of what, exactly? Six to eight weeks of lying flat? Of pain? Of not walking my dog or sneezing or sitting comfortably ?<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"845\" data-end=\"1080\">The truth is, no one tells you what those weeks really feel like. So here\u2019s my story\u2014unedited, occasionally messy, and very human\u2014of what happened once I woke up from uterine prolapse surgery and started the long walk back to myself.<\/p>\n<h2 data-start=\"1087\" data-end=\"1112\">Waking Up in Post-Op<\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"1114\" data-end=\"1341\">When I came to, the world was noise and fluorescent light. Post-op sounded like chaos\u2014a dozen TVs on different channels, every patient starring in their own show. I heard crying, moaning, random declarations of love and rage.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1343\" data-end=\"1683\">Coming out of anesthesia is like being peeled\u2014slowly\u2014out of a dream where you still feel everything but can\u2019t name it yet. I remember flashes: the nurse\u2019s kind face, the taste of metal, the weight of the blanket that wasn\u2019t quite enough. I remember thinking, <em data-start=\"1602\" data-end=\"1681\">I am so glad they\u2019re done cutting me open\u2014and holy hell, what did I agree to?<\/em><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1685\" data-end=\"1794\">When I was lucid enough, they told me I could go home. Relief washed over me\u2014right up until I tried to sit.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1796\" data-end=\"2121\">No one warns you that sitting is the most painful position after pelvic surgery. Standing? Fine. Lying down? Manageable. Sitting? Torture. I had brought a pillow, but it wasn\u2019t the right one. Every bump of the car ride home felt like punishment. I cried the whole way, gripping the door handle and muttering, <em data-start=\"2105\" data-end=\"2119\">Never again.<\/em><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2123\" data-end=\"2280\">If you remember nothing else from this story, remember this: bring all the pillows. Accept the pain meds before you leave. There is no medal for suffering.<\/p>\n<h2 data-start=\"2287\" data-end=\"2340\">The First 72 Hours: Pain, Poop, and Perseverance<\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"2342\" data-end=\"2478\">The first three days are about survival. You live in four-hour increments\u2014pain, bowel movements, hygiene, comfort\u2014in that exact order.<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"2480\" data-end=\"2490\">Pain<\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"2492\" data-end=\"2660\">I\u2019d had a 4 cm tumor removed and a stage-three prolapse corrected. Translation: everything down there hurt. I\u2019d made one good decision before surgery and one bad one.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2662\" data-end=\"2883\">The good: I worked out a medication schedule with my surgeon ahead of time. Tylenol and Advil, alternating, even in the middle of the night. I set alarms for 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. When I stuck to it, the pain was tolerable.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2885\" data-end=\"3266\">The bad: I declined the prescription for stronger meds. I\u2019d read too much about addiction and thought I\u2019d tough it out. The moment the anesthesia wore off, I regretted it. Within hours, I was shaking with pain, bargaining with my body to just let me sleep. The next morning, I asked for the prescription. I never ended up taking it\u2014but having it in the cabinet made me feel safe.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3268\" data-end=\"3621\">Also: ice and heat. I bought <a href=\"https:\/\/nyssacare.com\" class=\"external\" rel=\"nofollow\">Nyssa postpartum underwear<\/a> with reusable gel packs that could be frozen or heated. Pro tip\u2014buy <em data-start=\"3392\" data-end=\"3399\">three<\/em>, not two. While one\u2019s in use and one\u2019s thawing, you\u2019ll want a third ready. The gentle pressure of those cold packs was magic the first few days. By day three, I\u2019d switched to heat, which felt like a hug from the inside.<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"3623\" data-end=\"3644\">Bowel Movements<\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"3646\" data-end=\"3794\">Every woman who\u2019s been through this knows: the first bowel movement looms like a boss battle. You\u2019re terrified of pushing, but you can\u2019t <em data-start=\"3783\" data-end=\"3788\">not<\/em> go.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3796\" data-end=\"4068\">Thankfully, my pelvic-floor physiotherapist had given me homework weeks before surgery: the right ratio of soluble to insoluble fiber, how much stool softener to take, how to breathe instead of strain, and\u2014yes\u2014a special footstool to change my body\u2019s angle on the toilet.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"4070\" data-end=\"4292\">Even with all that, the first time was brutal. I cried in the bathroom, clutching the counter. But afterward, I felt this ridiculous surge of pride. By day two, I was going without pain. That physiotherapy prep saved me.<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"4294\" data-end=\"4307\">Hygiene<\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"4309\" data-end=\"4573\">When you\u2019ve got stitches in your perineum, toilet paper is not your friend. I had squeeze bottles of distilled water beside the toilet for rinsing and used soft towels to pat dry. It sounds small, but that tiny change made everything feel cleaner and less scary.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"4575\" data-end=\"4931\">The morning after surgery, I shuffled into the shower, moving like a ninety-year-old. My dog\u2014my 50-pound Sheepadoodle shadow\u2014had refused to cuddle me since I came home. Apparently, I smelled like the operating room. The second the warm water hit my skin and I washed away the hospital smell, she jumped back onto the bed beside me. That felt like healing.<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"4933\" data-end=\"4946\">Comfort<\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"4948\" data-end=\"5233\">Thanks to my coach (<a href=\"https:\/\/milestogoathletics.com\/about\/#coach-bios\" class=\"external\" rel=\"nofollow\">Alison Heilig<\/a>), I had spent time before my surgery creating a \u201crecovery nest.\u201d When you can\u2019t do much else, creating comfort becomes an act of control and it eased my anxiety in the days leading up to up to the surgery.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"4948\" data-end=\"5233\">I surrounded my bed with candles and pillows. I had books nearby and signed up for a streaming services with a new array of movies and shows cued up.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"4948\" data-end=\"5233\">I had my medication schedule on prominent display and all the medications readily at hand. I had a cooler full of ice and drinks. I had extension cords to ensure that my phone, iPad, and ear buds were always charged. I purchased a tray table on skis for the bed (a GREAT purchase because I can set my iPad on the table and NOT on my lap) and a special pillow-like-wedge for sitting up in bed.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"4948\" data-end=\"5233\">Thanks to all these preparations, I was generally in a space of comfort.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"4948\" data-end=\"5233\">The most comfortable physical positions are lying down and standing. I found sitting to be really difficult. I\u2019ve had to arrange several different pillows (including the special pillow-like-wedge) in just the right positions to be able to sit.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"4948\" data-end=\"5233\">The first day post-op, I spent mostly lying down. As the days are progressing, I\u2019m able to sit for longer stretches of time. I\u2019d stocked my bedside table like a tiny command center: candles, lip balm, snacks, pain meds, phone chargers, water bottles. I had a wedge pillow for sitting up and a tray table for my iPad. It wasn\u2019t glamorous, but it was my sanctuary.<\/p>\n<h2 data-start=\"5316\" data-end=\"5352\">What Happens When You Get Cocky<\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"5354\" data-end=\"5529\">At seventy-two hours, I thought I was ahead of schedule. The bleeding had stopped, pain was manageable, and I was even feeling a little smug. Then my family ordered takeout.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"5531\" data-end=\"5593\">It smelled so good. I told myself a few bites wouldn\u2019t hurt.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"5595\" data-end=\"5610\">Huge mistake.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"5612\" data-end=\"5923\">That night, I got food poisoning. Not the mild, regret-your-life-choices kind\u2014the sleep-on-the-bathroom-floor, cry-into-a-towel kind. My body did things my surgeon specifically told me <em data-start=\"5797\" data-end=\"5802\">not<\/em> to do. The next morning, I started bleeding again. Not spotting\u2014<em data-start=\"5867\" data-end=\"5877\">bleeding<\/em>. Deep red, with clots the size of quarters.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"5925\" data-end=\"6327\">I was convinced I\u2019d ripped out my stitches. I called the surgeon\u2019s office in tears and saw the physician assistant that afternoon. She was wonderful, but what came next was one of the most painful experiences of my life. She had to manually clear the blood from my uterus to see what was going on. Q-tips didn\u2019t cut it. Fingers wrapped in gauze did. I white-knuckled the exam table, biting back sobs.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"6329\" data-end=\"6576\">When she finished, she stepped out to confer with the surgeon. I lay there, crying\u2014partly from pain, partly from shame, partly from sheer exhaustion. When she came back, she told me something I couldn\u2019t believe: <em data-start=\"6541\" data-end=\"6574\">\u201cWe think this is your period.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"6578\" data-end=\"6877\">Apparently, it\u2019s not uncommon for pelvic surgery to trigger menstruation\u2014even in women like me who are in perimenopause and not having regular periods. <strong>But no one had mentioned that possibility\u2014not in a single brochure, conversation, or Google result.<\/strong> I felt relief, confusion, and a tiny bit of rage. How are women supposed to prepare for what they\u2019re not told might happen?<\/p>\n<h2 data-start=\"6884\" data-end=\"6916\">Back to Square One (Almost)<\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"6918\" data-end=\"7155\">The bleeding slowed over the next few days, but it shook my confidence. I followed every instruction to the letter. I was the model patient. And yet here I was, terrified I\u2019d undone the repair because of a bad batch of takeout noodles.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"7157\" data-end=\"7320\">It was humbling\u2014and honestly, a little funny once I stopped crying. I had survived childbirth, academia, and tenure review. And now my downfall might be takeout.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"7322\" data-end=\"7447\">When I saw my surgeon again the next week, she reassured me I hadn\u2019t ruined anything. My uterus, apparently, was a fighter.<\/p>\n<h2 data-start=\"7454\" data-end=\"7506\">The Emotional Side: Shame, Relief, and Recovery<\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"7508\" data-end=\"7738\">There\u2019s something uniquely vulnerable about surgery \u201cdown there.\u201d I had been embarrassed to even <em data-start=\"7605\" data-end=\"7611\">need<\/em> it. Ashamed that my body\u2014this body I trusted, this body that birthed babies\u2014was failing.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"7740\" data-end=\"8004\">That shame lingered longer than I expected. It wasn\u2019t just physical healing; it was emotional unlearning. My recovery nest, which I\u2019d built for comfort, turned into a cocoon where I could finally let myself feel. I wasn\u2019t weak. I wasn\u2019t broken. I was recovering.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"8006\" data-end=\"8050\">And slowly, I started to reclaim normalcy.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"8006\" data-end=\"8050\">How ridiculous it feels now to remember that I was ashamed of my uterus needing surgery. I wouldn\u2019t have been ashamed if it as a kidney or some other internal organ. But because it was my uterus, I felt ashamed.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"8006\" data-end=\"8050\">I hope you, dear reader, read my experience and realize that you are far from alone and there\u2019s nothing for you to be ashamed of.<\/p>\n<h2 data-start=\"8057\" data-end=\"8095\">Twenty Days Later: The Anticlimax<\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"8097\" data-end=\"8339\">By day twenty, I was almost bored. I\u2019d stopped all pain meds. I could sit for an hour or two if the chair was padded. I\u2019ve even put away my ice\/heating packs. My surgeon confirmed I was healing beautifully.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"8097\" data-end=\"8339\">My strength coach has me walking half a mile twice a day. She also has assigned me some core and pelvic floor breathing exercises and self-myofascial release exercises which has helped me avoid getting too stiff from inactivity.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"8097\" data-end=\"8339\">Since I primarily work from home, I\u2019m planning to go back to work at 50% next week.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"8341\" data-end=\"8492\">After all the anxiety and dread, the end came quietly. No grand finale, no movie moment\u2014just a return to ordinary life. Which, honestly, was perfect.<\/p>\n<h2 data-start=\"8499\" data-end=\"8535\">What I Wish Someone Had Told Me<\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"8537\" data-end=\"9049\">I wish someone had told me that \u201csix to eight weeks\u201d isn\u2019t a sentence\u2014it\u2019s a range and healing won\u2019t be linear.<br data-start=\"8667\" data-end=\"8670\"\/>I wish someone had told me that pain management isn\u2019t weakness, it\u2019s strategy.<br data-start=\"8748\" data-end=\"8751\"\/>I wish someone had told me that pelvic floor physical therapy before surgery makes every part of recovery easier.<br data-start=\"8855\" data-end=\"8858\"\/>I wish someone had told me that it\u2019s normal to feel grief for the body you had before.<br data-start=\"8944\" data-end=\"8947\"\/>And I wish someone had told me that you\u2019re allowed to talk about it\u2014that you <em data-start=\"9024\" data-end=\"9032\">should<\/em> talk about it.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"9051\" data-end=\"9102\">Because silence doesn\u2019t serve us. It isolates us.<\/p>\n<h2 data-start=\"9109\" data-end=\"9130\">Closing Thoughts<\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"9132\" data-end=\"9461\">If you\u2019re facing uterine prolapse surgery, here\u2019s what I can promise: the first days are rough, but they pass. The fear fades faster than you think. You will stand. You will laugh. You will sneeze without crying. And one day, you\u2019ll look back and realize your body didn\u2019t fail you\u2014it just needed help finding its balance again.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"9132\" data-end=\"9461\">I\u2019m deeply grateful to my pelvic floor physio and my strength coach, <a href=\"https:\/\/milestogoathletics.com\/about\/#coach-bios\" class=\"external\" rel=\"nofollow\">Alison Heilig<\/a>, for helping me face and recover from this surgery. Their advice (and my determination to act on their advice) made a HUGE difference.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"9463\" data-end=\"9661\">I bet if I had confided in more friends, colleagues, and family members, I would have had even more support. So, if you are facing this journey, I encourage you to surround yourself with people who can help you. The physical and emotional experience can be greatly improved when you trust others with your truth.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"9463\" data-end=\"9661\"><strong>It\u2019s not the easiest chapter, but it\u2019s survivable. And maybe, if enough of us keep talking about it, the next woman won\u2019t have to Google in the dark at 2 a.m. looking for someone who\u2019s been there.<\/strong> <em>\u2014Lara, Guest Writer<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/fitbottomedgirls.com\/2025\/10\/uterine-prolapse-surgery-recovery\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Editor\u2019s Note: This is Part 2 of Lara\u2019s story about her experience with uterine prolapse surgery. If you missed it, read Part 1:Preparing for Uterine Prolapse Surgery: What I Wish I Knew Beforehand for her journey leading up to the big day. Today\u2019s post picks up the story with her waking up after surgery. I\u2019d &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15267","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fitness"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15267","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15267"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15267\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15267"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15267"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15267"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}