On Hysterectomy: Pre-Surgery Preparations…

I don’t think this blog needs a wobble warning, but I do want you to be aware that my total hysterectomy was treatment for endometrial cancer.

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Neatness, organization, and tidiness are extremely important to me.  In fact, I am calmest when my space is organized and when I have a plan.  So, my uterine cancer diagnosis in December and impending total hysterectomy in February caused me much anxiety.  Because control…  Well, I didn’t have much of it.  So, I went into overdrive preparing for surgery and post-hysterectomy recovery.  Because pre-surgery preparations, cleaning and organizing…  It gave me a tiny sense of control.  And that brought me a tiny bit of comfort.

Knowing that I would be restricted for 6+ weeks–unable to lift anything heavier than 10 pounds, limited on the household chores I could do, advised not to bend, limit stairs, to rest when needed…  Realizing that my husband would be able to take off a few days of work, but then would need to return full-time to our residential building company…  Well, I began pre-surgery preparations a little over a month before surgery.

So, what were my pre-surgery preparations?  Well, here’s what I did to get ready for my post-hysterectomy recovery…

Pre-Surgery Preparations…

Group Text for Easy Updates…

One of the first things I did after being diagnosed with endometrial cancer was put together a group text entitled “Brandi Update.”  Fifteen people were included in this chat.  If you are like me, that sounds like a nightmare, with way too many notifications.  But a group text was (and is) the easiest way to disseminate information quickly.  Sending individual texts was simply too overwhelming for me.  So, I respectfully asked that no one respond within the group, but rather to me individually.  Honestly, it has worked beautifully.

On surgery day, Dane was able to use the group text to send updates.  And I will continue to use it over the next 5 years.  Because though I am currently NED (No Evidence of Disease), I will be monitored closely.  Because as with any cancer, there is a chance of recurrence.

Joined a support group…

Soon after being diagnosed with uterine cancer and learning that I would need a total hysterectomy, a Not So Mommy… fabulous one invited me to join the closed Facebook group, Young Women with Endometrial/Uterine Cancer Support Group.  I encourage you to join a support group as part of your pre-surgery preparations, especially if your hysterectomy is part of cancer treatment.

Prepping Meals…

Cooking dinner is my responsibility, as Dane often gets home from work late.  Despite the fact that he promised he was more than capable of cooking our meals…  (Which I know is true because he is an excellent cook…)  I also knew that he would be working full-time, with added household chores and errands during my recovery.  So, about a month before surgery, I started prepping meals.

When I made creamy pesto, for example, I cooked double chicken and double sauce, freezing half.  When I made burritos, I cooked twice as many as normal, placing part of them in the freezer.  I cooked extra sausage for breakfast, Mexican seasoned hamburger meat for nachos, chili, chicken spaghetti, and more…  In fact, I prepped 15 meals for us, creating a “meal card” for each.

On the meal card, I wrote what was in the freezer (each container was labeled) and listed what else we needed to cook the meal.  For example, with meat nachos, I asked, “Do we have tortilla chips, grated cheese, queso, sour cream, salsa, and tomato?”  That way, the night before, we could check to ensure that we had all needed ingredients.  If we were missing something, Dane could pick it up at the grocery store on his way home from work.

Though my hubby grinned and shook his head over the weeks I did this, we were (and are) both super grateful that I prepared so well once recovery arrived.  Because week one, Dane was about as tired as I was since my hysterectomy was emotional—treatment for endometrial cancer.  And once he went back to work, it was advantageous to have simpler dinners—meals that I could help put together.

Asking for help…

Meals were truly one of my biggest concerns.  So, when my aerial community asked how they could help, I told my sling coach that meals would be very much appreciated.  And she promptly set up a Meal Train for us.

Six of my sling sisters graciously offered to bring home-cooked meals to us during the first three weeks of my recovery.  Not only were the meals appreciated, but it was lovely to have a bit of company since I wasn’t able to leave the house for a while.

I also asked you, fabulous ones, for donations to help Dane and me purchase delivery meals during my recovery.  Several of you donated—from $10 to $100.  Honestly, there were evenings when we were too tired to even put together one of the meals I’d prepped.  Being able to hop on DoorDash or Uber Eats and get something delivered was a blessing.

Stocked up on the essentials…

As I placed Amazon, Norwex, & Attitude Living orders the weeks leading up to my surgery, I ordered extra essential items.  I wanted to ensure that we had plenty of toilet paper, toiletries, laundry detergent, dishwashing soap, etc.  Not only would having back-ups mean fewer trips to the store, but getting packages delivered before my surgery meant I could unpack them (no worries about lifting yet) and deal with the recycling.  Three weeks post-op, and we haven’t needed to place an Amazon order yet!

Grocery Shopping…

Speaking of stocking up, I purchased extra non-perishable items at the grocery store.  The week before my surgery, I went through the meal cards and wrote out a list of items we’d need to fully prepare dinners.  Though Dane needed to go to the grocery store for perishable items like milk, I did a fairly good job getting our pantry stocked with canned goods, tortilla chips, & noodles.

Cleaning…

For several weeks before surgery, I did extra cleaning.  Because I won’t be allowed to vacuum until I’m 6 weeks post-op.  Even things like dusting, cleaning mirrors, and tidying are more difficult, as I run out of energy much quicker and need to limit bending/squatting.  So, I mopped the floors three times, dusted the entire house, cleaned all the bathrooms, scrubbed the toilets, and made sure everything was in its place.  Of course, 2+ weeks post-op and the house needed to be cleaned.  But I ignored it the best I could.  At least it was clean when I arrived home from surgery…

Must-Haves for Post-Hysterectomy Recovery…

In addition to purchasing extra toiletries and back-up groceries, I also bought some items specifically for post-hysterectomy recovery.  These included wedge pillows, a hysterectomy pillow, an oversized nightgown with pockets, and more…  You can read about my suggestions for 13 post-hysterectomy must-haves by clicking here…

Taking Care of Maddie…

An over-zealous Dog Mom, making sure that Maddie is well taken care of is top of my priorities.  Thus, I got her groomed the week before my surgery.  She also needed her yearly wellness exam, plus her monthly Librela shot.  So, I took care of both.  Finally, we boarded Maddie for four nights so that Dane could focus on caring for me post-op.  Also, I knew she wouldn’t understand why she couldn’t crawl all over me.  And I didn’t want to risk getting tripped with her under my feet.  Allowing her to spend a few days at school with her friends ensured she was happy and allowed me to start my recovery.

Taking Care of Myself…

Amidst the cooking and cleaning and grocery shopping, my pre-surgery preparations also included a bit of time to pamper myself—especially the days right before surgery.  Dane and I got a phenomenal couples massage.  I got a mani/pedi (sans polish—you are not allowed to wear polish on your nails when having surgery).  Also, I took an extra long shower the night before surgery—washing my long hair really good, shaving my legs, exfoliating my face…  And I’m so glad that I did.  Because though I was allowed to shower 24 hours after surgery, I wasn’t able to shave my legs for weeks.  And Dane had to help me wash my hair for a days after surgery…

Laundry…

Though I always try to stay caught up on laundry, I wanted the baskets as empty as possible on the day of surgery.  Not only did I do laundry, but I also made back-ups of my homemade laundry sanitizer and ensured that we had plenty of laundry detergent.  Also…

Clean Sheets & Blankets…

I washed all our bed linens, including our quilt and mattress cover.  I also washed all our extra blankets, including the ones in the snug.  I’m so grateful that I did this because I can’t change the bed linens, as I’m not allowed to lift the mattress.  Though I was able to wash them post-op day 16, Dane had to actually put the sheets & blanket back on the bed.  Well over two weeks post-op, I finally somewhat made the bed, pulling the quilt up.  Personally, I cannot wait until I can properly make the bed again—throw pillows & all!

Recycling…

Despite the fact that our county does NOT make recycling easy, Dane and I are committed to recycling cardboard, paper, hard plastic, soft plastic, Styrofoam, and glass.  We have to take our recycling to three different locations about every two weeks.  So, I borrowed Dane’s truck and made sure all the bins were empty before surgery day.  Post-op day 15, he had to take our recycling.  (It’s too heavy for me to lift at this point.)

Family Calendar…

To help keep us organized, I printed a blank calendar and filled in when people were scheduled to bring us meals, when Maddie was going to school, my post-op appointment, etc.  Having this in the kitchen next to all my meds has been very helpful, especially right after surgery when my brain was foggy.  (And so was Dane’s, to be honest.)

The Little Things…

There are so many little things that I do around our home…  So, I tried to take care of as many of those as I could think of before surgery.  Things like filling all the hand soap dispensers, deep cleaning the garbage disposal, cleaning the coffee maker, emptying all the trashcans and dehumidifier, putting out clean hand towels & Norwex cloths, making sure the extra toilet paper was stocked, cleaning Maddie’s potty yard…

Having these little things done helped our household run smoother after my surgery.  And helped me not worry about them, instead focusing on my recovery.

The Morning of Surgery…

We had a very early morning the day of surgery.  Despite this, we woke up even earlier—at 4 AM—so that we could do a few extra chores before leaving the house.  Dane unloaded the dishwasher and took out the trash.  I made sure all the laundry was put away.  I also set up the bed with my wedge pillows and blankets.  Plus, I set out my nightgown and socks that I’d change into after we got home.  (My robotic hysterectomy surgery was outpatient.)

Having the bed ready for me to crawl into when we got home…  Well, if you do no other pre-surgery preparations, please get your bed ready for your arrival home.  I promise you’ll be glad you did!

If anything I wrote resonates with you, fabulous one, please tell us about it in the comments…

Fellow hyster-sisters, what pre-surgery preparations did you do to prepare for post-hysterectomy recovery?

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Featured Photo:  Created by me, using Canva