Journaling can help you track what’s happening to you both mentally and physically, especially after your hysterectomy.
You can keep it as simple or detailed as you like.
If you have trouble writing down your thoughts, try taking notes with an app or by recording yourself on video or with your smartphone. I always like to include the date, so I refer to it later.
You can record anything from what you ate that day to whether you napped and for how long; how you felt physically (your pain level or lack thereof); how much water you drank; if you exercised; any stressors or non-stressors you experienced; and your weight/measurements. Your journal is yours. Your own, personal story.
I use journals to go back in time when I need to recall how I overcame a challenge, such as post-hysterectomy weight gain.
You can use it to refocus and help you get to where you want to be.
It’s never too late to start journaling, even if it’s weeks, months or years after your hysterectomy. If I miss days in my journal, I pick up where I left off. There’s really no wrong way to journal, as long as you keep going.
Here’s my personal journal showing my hysterectomy journey, starting from day one after my surgery.
I only included the first 60 days here to hopefully, pave the way for you as you track your progress. I used my journal to experiment with what worked and didn’t work and to learn which foods made me sick or feel better. I also used it to manage my weight over time. I wanted to be ready and feeling my best when I returned to my day job.
I hope it inspires you as you journal your way.
Day 1 after the procedure (Wednesday) – I was groggy; had to use the restroom, but they had a catheter in me, which was supposed to be doing the job for me. I was mainly in and out of sleep, but in serious pain. When I finally was able to eat, around 8pm, I didn’t have an appetite. The nurses came in and out of the room to check my vitals regularly. They checked my stomach, where the surgeon had done the procedure, and it hurt. They gave me strong meds to ease the pain. I ended up eating some vegetarian soup, but barely finished it. I also had one asparagus spear, but was unable to finish the other two that came with the meal. I knew I had to eat, so I could to take my medication. I also had a horrible sore throat.
Day 2 (Thursday) – I was still groggy, but finally able to use the bathroom. I wasn’t constipated, but felt extremely bloated. I also had a sharp, shooting pain (hard to the touch) on my belly button. My belly button was red and looked like it was bleeding. One of the doctors later explained they’d put an incision there. I had more meds to feel better. Later that day, I was released from the hospital. Now, I had a lot of gas, but couldn’t get rid of it. When I ate that day, I could hardly swallow. It felt like pins and needles to swallow my eggs and toast for breakfast. I drank water, it would help. For lunch, I had soup and tea, which helped.
Day 3 (Friday) – Constipated and unable to use the bathroom. Still in a lot of pain and taking meds. My daughter helped me manage my medication so I wouldn’t take too much. My plan was to take Motrin as needed and the Oxycodone only twice a day. By day 4, I wanted to reduce the Oxycodone to once a day, and by week’s end, be completely off it. I didn’t want to get addicted to it. I was drinking plenty of water and apple cider vinegar with lemon and honey to get rid of the sore throat.
Day 4 (Saturday) – I took one Oxycodone for the entire day, took Motrin twice, and was in excruciating pain all day. I was also taking a stool softener, drinking plenty of water, and eating fruits, vegetables and bran flakes. That was pretty much my diet.
Day 5 (Sunday) – Still taking meds, but planned to take just one Oxycodone all day. Still in pain, but it’s not as bad. Drinking plenty of water, water/lemon/apple cider vinegar.
Eating anything, other than my regular meals, makes me feel bloated and hurt, so I decided to cut out wheat and go for gluten-free foods for a while. I’ve cut out all dairy and that seems to have helped. It was hard to give up yogurt, but I was finally able to do it!
Day 6 (Monday) – I didn’t sleep well overnight. I was in a lot of pain; woke up and found that I had swelling; wasn’t sure what had caused it. Trying to reduce meds, so I can ease off.
Day 7 (Tuesday) – Still had swelling, but the pain has reduced. My new plan is to get off Oxycodone completely by day 11.
Day 8 (Wednesday) – I felt better than the other days, but the swelling is still there and bothersome. Scabs are beginning to itch a bit. Officially down to 1 Oxycodone a day and 2 Ibuprofens. Drank apple cider vinegar/honey/lemon mixture in the evening, rather than the morning. I think this was a huge mistake for my body.
I’m still trying to understand my body and experiment with what works and doesn’t. I kept running to the bathroom all evening and got up 4 times overnight, which disrupted my sleep.
I was also in a lot of pain with swelling and stinging in my lower abdomen.
I took out the trash (silly me), and the area around my incisions felt as though they were going to come apart after that. I regretted it and won’t be doing that again until the doctor says it’s okay.
Day 9 (Thursday) – I woke up exhausted from getting up through the night to empty my bladder. Still in pain; can’t sleep on my stomach yet. Gently touching the areas around my incisions still hurts. My stomach is still swollen, down to my groin. I haven’t taken my morning meds; have to eat first once I finish exercising.
I did an hour-long morning walk and did deep breathing as I walked to experiment if that would help my swollen stomach through the day. I also pumped my arms forward a few times as I walked about 20 steps and then rested. I then repeated the process after 5 minutes to give my arms some exercise since I can’t lift weights yet.
Showered and was sure to only use antiseptic over the areas from my surgery, rather than the antibacterial that I’d used the day before, to hopefully, eliminate the sting.
I ate 3 boiled eggs and an apple, after which I started having horrible stomach pains and nausea. I was still hungry so made a bowl of oatmeal with almond milk, as I’ve done the past few mornings.
It hurt to walk, but a few minutes after sitting down to finish my oatmeal mixture, I started feeling better. I took my Oxy and Ibuprofen about 4 hours later than usual, which may have caused my increased pain. But about an hour after I finally took them, I started feeling a bit better. I wasn’t really completely pain free all day, but it was more manageable. Still hurts to laugh, sneeze and cough.
Day 10 (Friday) – I took my medicine earlier today around 8am, but just Ibuprofen — no Oxy. I was in pain during the walk. A funny thing happened; had a nosebleed this morning. think I just blew my nose too hard. I can’t recall ever having a nosebleed in the past; maybe I just forgot.
Thankfully, it wasn’t too bad, just a few drops when I wiped my nose. After I took some medicine, my pain level was about a 4/5 out of 10 through the remainder of the morning. Around lunchtime, the pain returned, but it wasn’t time to take my medicine yet. I ate lunch and took a nap. Took more medicine around 4pm instead; so that’s roughly 8 hours after my first medication, and thankfully, no Oxy yet. We’ll see how the night goes.
Day 11 (Saturday) – Started out somewhat okay, with mild pain. Pain level increased throughout the day, however. Not sure if it had to do with me trying to work instead of lying down. Tried to do breathing exercises while I walked, but it was too painful. Was a bit nauseous as well. Finally, by evening, I couldn’t take it any longer and had to lie down. Was in pain most of the night. Took Ibuprofen 3 times today, but no Oxy. Maybe my body is reacting to not having Oxy, but I’m trying not to give into it. I didn’t sleep well overnight; was still in a lot of pain and had to use the bathroom thrice.
Day 12 (Sunday) – I woke up still in pain. Think I’m still a little constipated. Will take a gentle laxative this morning. Feel as though someone punched me several times in the stomach, lower abdomen, lower back and sides. I’m also very nauseous.
I’ll take some Ibuprofen and see how that makes me feel. I wonder if I’m developing food sensitivity to wheat products. Will try removing wheat from my diet to see if that helps. I’ve already removed dairy and sugars from my diet. I’ve been eating tomato soup (will need to check if it has dairy in it).
I took Ibuprofen twice today. By mid-afternoon, started feeling much better than I had in several days. Maybe this pain will eventually go away and I’ll be able to live a normal life after all.
I hope to be able to cook for the first time tomorrow if I’m feeling a bit better.
My pain returned later in the evening, but I didn’t take any more Ibuprofen. Went to bed because I didn’t want to have to eat so late in order to take the medicine.
What I ate that day: Tomato soup, 3 slices bread, cannellini beans, quinoa and spinach frozen pack, strawberries, oatmeal/strawberry for breakfast, orange and apple for dinner. I didn’t drink as much water as I would have liked.
Day 13 (Monday) – I woke up in a bit of pain, but not as much as on day 11, surprisingly. I’ll take some Ibuprofen after breakfast and see if the pain subsides. The pain finally subsided and I started feeling better the rest of the morning.
Uh-oh. The pain has returned with a vengeance (menstrual cramps, back pain, along with sharp pains, although I don’t have a uterus anymore). I don’t understand. I’ll be sure to ask my doctor about this. After taking some Ibuprofen, the pain subsided slightly. Burning when I use the restroom and constipated. Took a laxative to help alleviate the pain. I woke up several times through the night, and the pain eventually decreased. I’m reducing my almonds and pistachios to 1/4 cup for the day.
Day 14 (Tuesday) – Yay, it’s officially two weeks post-surgery today. Swelling went down a bit. We’ll revisit it later in the day. Will continue to drink at least 32 oz of water to see if that alleviates the burning when using the bathroom. That seems to be doing the trick, as long as my urine is clear. Pain has subsided a lot this morning, thankfully.
The pain returned later in the afternoon. Maybe it’s caused by bloating. Had some sharp pains throughout the remaining day. Drank plenty of water but only had to go to the bathroom once overnight.
Day 15 (Wednesday) – The morning wasn’t that great, but not completely unbearable. Woke up a bit later today. Was in quite a bit of pain and planned to take some Ibuprofen after showering. Ate breakfast a bit later, but the pain didn’t get to the point where I’ve had to take Ibuprofen yet. It’s now mid-afternoon, 2:10pm. That’s good.
On the other hand, I didn’t drink my lemon, honey and apple cider mix today, nor water. Need to consume water intake. Hopefully, I’ll continue to feel better.
Day 16 (Thursday) – Today is a new day. Feeling okay for the most part; a little constipated. Plan to drink at least 32 oz water and run very light errands outdoors for the first time since my surgery. Promising myself not to won’t overdo it.
Day 17 (Friday) – The day was both good and bad. Started out well; didn’t drink nearly as much water as I planned. Stayed busy and out of bed in the morning and felt pretty good. As the day wore on, started to hurt a bit and returned to bed. Only took 1 Ibuprofen all day, and I think I paid for it.
Was in pain most of the evening and through the night.
Didn’t eat that much — eggs, cereal in the morning; 2 fruits, almonds and pistachios for a snack; lunch was tomato soup and two slices of bread; dinner was grapes. Didn’t get any veggies in and only about 1/6 of the amount of water I needed to take.
I didn’t take Ibuprofen anymore since I hadn’t eaten for hours; was afraid it’d work against me.
Day 18 (Sunday) – Woke up in pain from not taking Ibuprofen or drinking much water the day before. Was able to use the bathroom okay though. Ate eggs and oatmeal earlier than usual; started drinking water and will take medicine earlier too. See how I feel and will do my hour walk soon.
This ended up being the best day for me, with only a few aches and pains throughout the day.
Day 19 (Monday) – Woke up a little achy, but in general, okay. Had trouble getting into the swing of things with my walking. Had a small, bothersome pain most of the day. Was a little annoyed that I’d missed my follow-up appt and had to reschedule it. They’d have to work me into their schedule the following day, but it’d be a shorter appt than hoped.
Wonder if I’ll have enough time to voice all my questions.
I also got news about work…that my workstation was moving elsewhere and that one of my close co-workers had resigned. I had trouble focusing and felt as though I wasn’t completing tasks as quickly as I should. Plus, the pain returned, so I stayed in bed from late afternoon until the next day.
Day 20 (Tuesday) – It’s a new day; have a follow-up appointment today. Woke up in pain, but am feeling better after my walk. Will see how things go as the day progresses.
My doctor’s appointment went well. The doctor told me that the swelling (both inside and out) was due to everything healing on the inside, but that it would eventually go away. I had a urine test, and don’t have a bladder infection. The constipation was also due to the surgery and would eventually go away. I’ll continue drinking plenty of water to clear it out.
The cramps that feel like menstrual cramps and back pain, along with the sharp pains, are normal too. Those should subside in a week or two. All in all, it went well.
They didn’t refill any of my prescriptions. I can take my 200mg OTC Ibuprofen and follow the instructions on the box.
I took 2 tablets when I returned home, and then 1 tablet before bed. The pain wasn’t too bad through the evening. It got slightly worse overnight, but it’s certainly diminished from the pains that first week.
Oh, another good news is that I was cleared to start my regular exercises (jumping jacks, weights) again. I should just listen to my body if it says it’s too much. I asked if lifting weights might cause pelvic prolapse, and my doctor said it wouldn’t. It might just get vaginal bleeding if I did too much, in which case, I should stop that exercise.
Day 21 (Wednesday) – I woke up with slight pains, but not unbearable. This is exciting. It’s also my wedding anniversary. We’re going to see a movie later. We were going to go out to dinner too, but I’m not sure if my body can handle that yet.
A few weeks ago, I was getting discouraged about possibly never getting better and that the surgery only took away the bleeding, but not the pain. I’m really hopeful now. The rest of my day went pretty smoothly, with some pain here and there.
The most pain I experienced at the movies had to do with how I was sitting. I couldn’t position my body away from my stomach and felt quite a few cramps throughout. By nighttime, it’d worsened.
I took two 200mg Ibuprofens in the morning, two in the afternoon, and one before bedtime.
We didn’t go to dinner. Just ate in. Slept okay once the pain subsided.
It was also my first day of doing weights again.
Day 22 (Thursday) – My pain wasn’t bad at all, except for some occasional cramps. Started getting more cramps later in the morning and took two 200mg Ibuprofens. Doing fine now. All in all, a good day.
Day 23 (Friday) – Rolled around in bed quite a bit, with a little pain here and there. Grew worse in the morning when I got up. Walked for about 30 mins and did weights for exercise. Felt better after my shower. Ate, but haven’t taken painkillers yet. It’s 11:23am. Able to stand up and sit down more easily; still can’t lie on my stomach without issues. Love that I’m getting better.
Day 24 (Saturday) – Woke up with some pain, which got progressively worse because I didn’t work out/walk first thing in the morning. I took 2 200 mg Ibuprofens, which helped, but I wasn’t fully myself most of the morning.
I finally got in a slow 30-40 minute walk late morning and felt slightly better. Ate lunch, but the pain somewhat returned. I was severely constipated, so that didn’t help me any. I took a nap, which helped me to not be so crabby or think about the returning pain.
I finally gave in and took another two 200 mg Ibuprofens. I was able to get a good 45-min workout mid-afternoon while my daughter shopped for groceries for me. I felt so much better and have been feeling better ever since.
It’s now 9:31pm. Heading to bed soon.
Day 25 (Sunday) – Woke up with some aches and pains. Still constipated. After working out and showering, I felt much better. Did weights today, then walked for 15 minutes. I think I still have some swelling in my stomach. My lower abdomen still appears a bit swollen, like I have a pooch.
I recall having a flat stomach when I returned from the hospital, and am now wishing I’d taken some measurements. I’m 135 lbs, 4 lbs more than before my hysterectomy. That’s not bad, though since I was mostly too sick to eat before my hysterectomy.
I return to work tomorrow, but working remotely. I haven’t taken any Ibuprofen this morning. Let’s see how long I can last without it.
Lying in bed appears to make me hurt worse. Trying not to place my laptop directly on my stomach. I still can’t sleep on my stomach, only on my side if I’m careful not to sleep partially on my stomach too. When I sleep on my stomach, it feels as though it’s going to fall out.
Trying to work on some targeted exercises that focus on my hips and thighs, then my lower abdomen once I can do sit-ups again. Still unable to do jumping jacks, run or anything where I’m jumping up and down.
Would love to look into some HIIT training once I’m 100% healed.
Day 26 (Monday) – It’s my first day back at work, but I’m working remotely. Thank God, I chose this option.
I’ve been hurting, surprisingly. Maybe it’s the way I’ve been sitting up in bed for work since I don’t have a real home office, per se.
On a good note, I had a really good workout this morning, with aerobics and focused hip/thigh exercises. I wonder if I overdid it, and that’s why I’m in more pain today. Even my Ibuprofen didn’t really help. Hmm. I’ll have to look into that.
Took 2 200 mg Ibruprofen in the morning, and again this evening. Also took a laxative. It helped my constipation today, but my bowels are still slow. I’ll rinse and repeat taking them each evening.
Day 27 (Tuesday) – I woke up feeling much better and only walked instead of doing a higher-powered routine. I’m looking forward to this day. Following the 80/20 rule: Success is knowing that probably 20% of what I want to do won’t be done each day; 80% will be done.
I was in a lot of pain today — 7/10 level probably because of the angle I was sitting.
I tried to walk between my breaks to alleviate my pain. In the end, went to bed and took 2 more Ibuprofens, as well as a laxative. I’d taken 2 Ibuprofens earlier in the day.
Day 28 (Wednesday) – It’s the 4th of July – yay! Did weights today, but no walking afterward.
Pain continues. Took 2 Ibuprofens and took a nap.
Feel slightly better now and will see if some walking helps.
Took another 2 Ibuprofens later in the afternoon and cooked some food. Most of the day was about the same, except for later on in the evening while we watched fireworks.
Ate more than usual with lots of baked french fries (not fried), wild rice and 2 1/2 servings of nuts. Took 2 laxatives. As I slept, I thought of how I can ease off the Ibuprofen and start reducing it to 1 Ibuprofen every 6 hours. Walked a few times while I watched some TV shows.
Day 29 (Thursday) – Woke up in not as much pain today, thankfully. Have gained 2 lbs. Reducing meds today and will try to ease off laxatives and drink warm water w/lemon and eat at least 3 pieces of fruit today. Plan to not eat more than 1 serving of nuts, 3 boiled eggs total, wild rice w/fish and broccoli, oatmeal and a little bit of cereal — to see if that helps with weight loss.
I’ll walk and do weights today. Reduced Ibuprofen to 2/day. Felt the pain somewhat, but not as much as the previous day.
Day 30 (Friday) – Pain returned, worked remotely, which helped. Felt nausea, but was able to work through it. Much worse as evening approached. Lost the 2 pounds from the previous day, so rinsing and repeating my meals, except eating peas instead of broccoli.
Staying on 1 Ibuprofen 200 mg twice a day.
Went to bed with nausea and pain. Hopefully, it gets better since I return to work (in person) next week. Also stopped taking the laxative and was able to use the restroom by increasing my fruits to 3/day (2 apples, 1 cup strawberries) and adding vegetables.
Day 31 (Saturday) – Still have some pain and nausea, but not as bad. Exercised and drank water with lemon to help my bowels. Still nauseous, but pain has subsided a bit. I’ll take Ibuprofen soon.
Day 32 (Sunday) – Overall, a great day. Didn’t have to take Ibuprofen until around noon, and again until 9, just before bed. Had some sharp pains from sitting upright on the couch most of the day and hunching over my stomach. Ate some light pasta (very small serving), shrimp, asparagus, 3 servings of fruit, drank water but later in the day. Need to hydrate more.
I return to work onsite tomorrow. Didn’t work out, but walked lightly for an hour. A little trouble with bowel movement, but not much.
Day 33 (Monday) – Feeling all right; light pain, but can handle. Will lift weights and walk for exercise today. We’ll see how things go. Work went well; I walked back and forth to the kitchen and bathroom a few times, but probably not enough. Had plenty of water and not much pain at all.
My feet and stomach were a bit swollen by the end of the day. Had a headache most of the day and it won’t go away. It started when I began working out.
Day 34 (Tuesday) – Don’t think I had hardly any pain when I woke up this morning. The day was delightful. Had a regular breakfast and light lunch with snacks in between.
Took medicine twice today, once around 8am and again, around 7:45pm. Drank plenty of water but spaced it out this time. Thinking about drinking apple cider and vinegar with the mother and lemon and water to see if that helps me reduce my bloating. Planning to use it as a diuretic.
The doctor’s office said a natural diuretic like cranberry juice (no sugar, but pure) would work too. May help eliminate my bloating. Things are coming back together, with ovaries, etc., which is what may be causing swelling. Also have some swelling w/tingling in my toes and fingers.
Got a little better — I think because I spread my water intake throughout the day and broke up my meals into smaller portions. Still not in lots of pain. Did grocery shopping, but used Walmart Grocery Pickup. Had a doctor’s appointment scheduled for today, but it was cancelled. Spoke with his assistant, who provided some advice.
Day 35 (Wednesday) – Woke up feeling okay; no pain. Went to the bathroom a few times last night, and went right back to bed almost immediately. The swelling has gone down quite a bit.
I’ll see if I can rinse and repeat what I did yesterday to reduce the swelling. The rest of my day was wonderful, although it was super busy at work. Had some mild pain (nothing crazy), probably from sitting too long.. Drank some water here and there, and finished out the day with apple cider vinegar, lemon and honey.
Had some pain towards the end of the day. Will take some Ibuprofen, 1 tablet 200mg.
Day 36 (Thursday) – I had a great morning, almost pain free. About an hour into work, started feeling worse pains that felt like menstrual cramps. Trying to ignore them along with my low back pain. Ate my regular foods, and the pain (all except for the back pain) eventually subsided.
Ate my regular food and a surprise falafel and pita bread from the kitchen. This made my stomach hurt a little. It must have been fried. Other than some minor pain here and there, I feel okay.
Later in the day and at home, feeling the menstrual cramps again, along with back pain. Already had 2 Ibuprofen (1 in the morning and another in the afternoon), so don’t want to take any more.
I’ll see how things go through the night. Drank some apple cider vinegar mix in the evening.
Day 37 (Friday) – I woke up feeling all right, but with very mild pain. Had no trouble using the bathroom. Have been drinking plenty of water with lemon and still taking medicine. Felt rather nauseous later in the morning, but the feeling finally went away. The pain progressively got a bit worse, even after taking some medicine, but it finally got better.
Other than a few jabs in my belly every now and then, was pretty okay today. Think I only took 1 Ibuprofen all day. Was going to take another one later in the afternoon, but hadn’t really eaten. Considering the fact that I didn’t really take a lot of medicine, this was good.
Day 38 (Saturday) – No pain this morning when I woke up, just a bit later after I drank some water. Haven’t taken any medicine yet. Will see how things progress after I work out. My nausea has returned and stayed around on and off today. I also have back pain and menstrual cramps, as though I’m trying to ovulate.
Pain level is about a 3 out of 10 and has been all day.
Took 1 Ibuprofen this morning and another this evening. Taking Ibuprofen helps with the nausea quite a bit.
Day 39 (Sunday) – No pain this morning again. Nice!
Decided to cook some food while I was feeling well. No nausea yet. Finished making meals for the week around 10:30 and proceeded to work out. Didn’t eat or drink a lot of water earlier in the day since we’re going to see a movie. Slight pain later and nausea this afternoon after lunch; took an Ibuprofen to see if that’ll help. Hopefully, it does.
The pain subsided a bit, but nausea returned, along with a bad headache, which I tried to sleep off.
Day 40 (Monday) – Nausea is still there, along with pain that feels like menstrual cramps and a bad headache that progressively got worse. Taking 1 Ibuprofen early in the day didn’t work, so took 2 Ibuprofen in the afternoon, and it finally started helping with my headache.
The headache was almost completely gone, but returned in the evening. Nausea was there most of the day along with menstrual cramps and backache.
Day 41 (Tuesday) – Woke up feeling better, but with a slight headache. Nausea is gone now, at least temporarily. I have my follow-up appointment with my doctor today and will ask him about it. Thankfully, taking my cider/lemon and honey has been helping with the swelling, and I will continue to use this mixture to empty my bowels.
Constipation is almost gone with me drinking plenty of water. I’ll see how the rest of the day goes.
Had menstrual cramps a bit and felt bloated later in the day. Only had to take 1 Ibuprofen, however. My slight headache continues. Had a doctor’s followup and also my last visit with him. After examining me, he said I was pretty much healed. I asked about the cramps, headache and nausea. He said these would diminish in about 3 weeks.
Day 42 (Wednesday) – Woke up with mild cramps, back pain, and later on, a mild headache. Going to work out today; reduce number of eggs and fruit. Had a bit too many yesterday, which may be why I felt bloated.
I didn’t feel well most of the day and was in quite a bit of pain — menstrual cramps, nausea and back pain. Can’t recall if I took more than one Ibuprofen today.
Day 43 (Thursday) – Still in pain; used the bathroom a few times overnight, which is now usual for me. Woke up with menstrual cramps.
Exercised and drank water and apple cider vinegar mixture. Pain didn’t subside until later in the evening. Took 1 Ibuprofen all day; had more back pain and menstrual cramps and nausea. Finally started feeling better around bedtime.
Day 44 (Friday) – Had a mixture of pain and nausea most of the day. Went out with friends later in the evening and felt okay while there, surprisingly. Didn’t have any more pain after I returned home.
Day 45 (Saturday) – Oh, no. The nausea has returned, along with the menstrual cramps. Why? I hope this goes away completely by the end of the third week following my appointment with my doctor on Tuesday, July 17th. Today is July 21, so that’ll be around August 7th.
Day 46 (Sunday) – I still have a lot of nausea and had it all day. I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong. Seems more prominent after I eat foods with almond milk and nuts. Maybe I should ease off of these and see what happens. I still also have some menstrual cramps and back pain.
The nausea finally diminished after I took a long nap from 4-8pm.
When I woke up, I felt better, but my back pain (similar to the ones I got when I was on my period) was still there.
Day 47 (Monday) – No pain or nausea yet. Great! My plan now is to eliminate nuts, starting Tuesday. I’ll also start re-adding salads into my diet and eliminating my cereal consumption to see if eliminating the almond milk helps with my nausea.
The day has just begun. I wasn’t as nauseous as I’ve been the last few days… Drank a bit less water today, 36 oz water and drank it more slowly. Not that many nuts and no almond milk or cereal.
Still had sharp pains, especially in the afternoon. Only took 2 Ibuprofens in the morning and that was it for the day. Worked overtime today. It was a stressful workday.
Day 48 (Tuesday) – Woke up feeling fine, but started feeling shooting pains early in the morning. Still have a lot of work to do, but trying not to overdo it. May have to work a bit late. The pain continued most of the day, but eventually got better. Also, nausea returned. Ate some bread with hummus. I don’t think something in it agrees with me.
Day 49 (Wednesday) – Woke up feeling fine; no nausea yet. Reduced my fruit consumption and drank water slowly throughout, especially in the morning. Didn’t have any bread and didn’t have any nausea or pain. What? Had gained about 2 lbs from the previous day. I wonder if it’s due to the added bread, stress and lack of sleep. Told myself to get more sleep.
Still worked overtime today.
Drank 16 oz of lemon and water late that night, and the nausea returned almost immediately. Maybe that’s what was causing it. To make things worse, the nausea was so intense for a few minutes that I thought I might throw up. Took things slowly and didn’t drink any more lemon and water, and it finally subsided.
Had about 7 1/2 hours of sleep and feel much better. Hope that continues.
Day 50 (Thursday) – Woke up feeling fine. It’s international food day at work. I’ll have to watch what I eat, so as to not get nauseous or gain the extra weight back. Weighed myself and had lost 1.5 lbs from the previous day.
Reflecting on the day: I was able to watch what I ate at international food day. Didn’t feel nauseous or have a lot of pain.
Day 51 (Friday) – Had quite a few cramps, but I think it was because I didn’t take any Ibuprofen. This is the first day that I’ve gone without my meds all day. Overall, for the fact that I didn’t take any medicine whatsoever, I did pretty well.
Had a slight headache around bedtime, but all in all, felt okay. I didn’t drink as much water as I wanted. Noticed that drinking a lot of warm water with lemon makes me nauseous, so I’m limiting my water intake with lemon.
I’ll continue to drink enough water without lemon and see how I do. Ate a frozen vegetable meal and frozen chickpeas meal at night. Had some fruit in moderation, nuts in moderation and lentils for lunch.
Day 52 (Saturday) – I still feel fine this morning; no nausea. I’ll drink warm water this morning without the lemon and see how I feel. Dropped 1/2 pound, so something’s working. Let’s see how the rest of the day goes.
The remainder of the day was average because I didn’t take any medicine. Still have cramps and a headache that won’t go away. Had a bit of nausea later in the day, maybe because I drank some apple cider vinegar towards the end of the day.
Day 53 (Sunday) – Had a bad headache. I think it’s because I still haven’t taken any medicine; dropped another 1/2 pound or 1 pound; ate a lot of vegetables the previous day. Considering that I haven’t had any medicine, I’m doing pretty well. My headache has reduced quite a bit. I’m hoping to ease off the medicine entirely eventually.
Day 54 (Monday) – Just had minimal, if any, pain. This is my third day of not taking any medicine; thank God. The day went pretty well. My headache has subsided a lot. Think it had to do with sinuses; may need to drink a little more water. I didn’t have a lot of back pain either.
Went to bed pretty early. Ate later in the day before bed. I’ll try not to do that next time, and if i do, make the food minimal.
Day 55 (Tuesday) – So far, so good. Gained a pound. Think it had to do with eating so close to when I went to bed. Otherwise, the day before, I mainly had vegetables, with quite a bit of fruit later in the day.
I’ll need to reduce my sweet fruits and see how I do. No pain so far, thankfully. Still no issues, other than back pain. The sharp pains and nausea I’d experienced before are diminishing a lot. Very mild headache.
Day 56 (Wednesday) – This was a good, pain-free day for me. I went to a fair and stood up for a while (about 1 1/2 hours) and didn’t have back pain, as I would have in the past. Didn’t have pain when I went to bed either. Was just really tired from staying up too late on Tuesday and then getting up so early on Wednesday morning for an emergency work project at 6am in the office.
I had lots of vegetables. Maybe that’s naturally helped me with my headache. Still ate a bit too late; need to work on that.
Day 57 (Thursday) – So far, so good. Still have a slight headache and pain this morning. The rest of my day on Thursday was good, with limited pain.
Oops, I missed a few days… But no big deal. Moving on to day 60.
Day 60 (Sunday) – Wow! It’s now been two months after my surgery. Today, I have a little pain in my abs, but I don’t know if it’s menstrual cramps or not. I didn’t drink a lot of water this morning since I’m heading to a morning meeting and don’t want to keep running to the bathroom.
Things are going well thus far. I had a good day health-wise. Just overate on nuts, but didn’t have a real dinner. First day with a bit of burning urination, probably because I didn’t hydrate enough. Okay, pain worsened and felt like menstrual cramps. Back pain returned later in the day. This all may be attributed to my lack of water intake and increased nut intake.
One-year reflection:
My weight progressively increased from 131 to 153/155. This all happened within 6 months of my hysterectomy. Although most health professionals suggest weighing yourself weekly, I prefer to weigh myself daily, so I can tweak the process and stay ahead of my weight loss.
I experimented with my water intake, eliminated various foods from my diet, and even played with foods that made me nauseous. I also tried various exercises until I found the process that worked for me. This eventually helped me return to a healthy weight.
Today, I still include nuts in my diet, but eat them moderately.
Through experimentation, I found that warm water with lemon and/or apple cider tend to make me nauseous. I also learned that fried foods (prepared with non-healthy fats), refined sugars, dairy (unless cooked into the food in small amounts) and red meats give me serious cramps. These cramps may span several hours or continue for multiple days.
I experimented with becoming a vegetarian, but after two months of battling nausea, I had to re-add chicken, turkey, eggs and shrimp to my diet.
Everyone is certainly different, so find what works for you. Journaling helped me pinpoint what made me sick and learn what worked for my fitness and wellbeing.
