My experience, in spring 2002, wasn’t quite as good as picunurse’s, but not far off. I was 46, and had a hysterectomy because I’d had breast cancer back in 94, had been on Tamoxifen for 6 years, and about 7 or 8 months after I went off, the periods I hadn’t had in those six years (which made the breast cancer, a minor nuisance otherwise, a great deal I would have willingly signed up for!) all decided to come back at once. Tests showed I had some thickening of the lining of the uterus, a pre-pre-pre-cancerous indication, and my GYN, bless her sweet heart, recommended a hysterectomy. I had an incision which you have to look for now, was out of the hospital the morning after the second night, spent a week or two at home on the couch (stairs were permitted but were supposed to be rather limited), and spent the next four or five weeks with a little lower energy level than usual. Didn’t play any tennis, but then I’m the kind of person who, if I get the urge to exercise (in itself, laughable), lies down until it passes. No problems whatsoever, except that I continue to have the hot flashes I began back in '95, when the mild chemo I had (never lost a hair or my breakfast) threw me into menopause. Since you’re retaining an ovary, Indy, you needed worry about them yet, and they’re not a huge deal as a rule anyway.
Unless you have complications, the worst problem you’re likely to have is post surgical bloating, hence the farting questions to which **Yllaria ** referred. My GYN did require the pre-surgical blood donation, so I gather that’s standard as a precautionary measure. Having had cancer, I am not permitted to donate blood, so it’s not like they can use it for anyone else.
[b/]Ink**, with all the problems you have, I’m surprised your GYN hasn’t offered a hysterectomy as an option already. Of course, there was something of a scandal because they used to do them so routinely that it was obviously something of a cash cow for GYNs, so they are now more conservative about it. But I’m sure that even if your own GYN won’t do it for you (assuming you raise it as an option), you can readily find one who will recommend it, unless there’s some compelling reason I don’t know why they wouldn’t.
Good luck, Indy. I’ve certainly never regretted mine, and I suspect you won’t regret yours at all, especially if it relieves you of chronic pain. Even low grade chronic pain runs you down terribly - I know, having had pretty much constant (usually) low grade headaches since about the age of 7.