Riding after Hysterectomy

CastlelackSportHorses

CastlelackSportHorses

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Hey everyone,

I had all my winter showjumping all planned out, both mares clipped, fit and ready to crack on and I get a phone call from the Hospital.
I am in Tuesday for Total Abdominal Hysterectomy.

I know the recovery can vary but Consultant said no horses for 6 weeks. :(

Has anyone else went through this? Im a healthy(generally) 36 yr old!
My last 2 Laprascopy i was defo back hacking after 10 days.

Any info greatly appreciated.
 
Don’t push it. 6 weeks is not long. Major abdominal surgery is very different to a laparoscopy.

Surgeons can get a tad peeved if post op patients deliberately overdo things and get rushed back in to hospital. Sticking to the post op advice gives you the best chance of healing quickly and well.

Good luck.

I was back on board the steady horse 6 weeks after an emergency c section. It’s the mounting and dismounting which needs special care. And go easy on the jumping etc until properly healed.
 
Tiddlypom said:
Don’t push it. 6 weeks is not long. Major abdominal surgery is very different to a laparoscopy.

Surgeons can get a tad peeved if post op patients deliberately overdo things and get rushed back in to hospital. Sticking to the post op advice gives you the best chance of healing quickly and well.

Good luck.

I was back on board the steady horse 6 weeks after an emergency c section. It’s the mounting and dismounting which needs special care. And go easy on the jumping etc until properly healed.
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Thanks for this.

I will defo not be getting on a horse for 6 weeks, Hubby would murder me!
I dont know how Ill cope for the time, Ill go mad :(
 
I was told to wait 6 weeks. One uses ones abdominal muscles to support one on the horse and they need to mend really properly post op before you put any strain on them. I waited 7 weeks and dont regret that at all.

When I did go for my first ride/lesson post op I mounted in the school and felt so unsteady in the horse I thought they should send for an ambulance. I walked the lesson mare into the centre of the school and realised that at some point I needed to trot. Dreading this, I put on some leg and she took off in a most delicate canter. My RI said it was one of the loveliest canter transitions she had seen. It didnt jar my tummy or stress me at all. I rode in the school the following week and then next week was back hacking.

My figure has never recovered. This was in 2010, but I am still riding.
 
My friend had a full hysterectomy 9 weeks ago and is really struggling, she isnt back to work yet and is struggling with the bending etc. she is 45.
Just take it easy and dont push yourself.
I was back riding 6 weeks after a c section but that is very different.
Hope all goes well ❤️
 
Skib said:
I was told to wait 6 weeks. One uses ones abdominal muscles to support one on the horse and they need to mend really properly post op before you put any strain on them. I waited 7 weeks and dont regret that at all.

When I did go for my first ride/lesson post op I mounted in the school and felt so unsteady in the horse I thought they should send for an ambulance. I walked the lesson mare into the centre of the school and realised that at some point I needed to trot. Dreading this, I put on some leg and she took off in a most delicate canter. My RI said it was one of the loveliest canter transitions she had seen. It didnt jar my tummy or stress me at all. I rode in the school the following week and then next week was back hacking.

My figure has never recovered. This was in 2010, but I am still riding.
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How do you mean your figure?
 
A c section and hysterectomy are very different in terms of recovery. After an emergency C section i was up and about the next day, healed very quickly. But the hysterectomy was a whole different recovery. I remember being quite shocked as i naively expected it to be the same.
Take your time, let your body heal. 6 weeks isnt long at all, im sure it took me 3 months to get back on, and even then i felt some tugging. Dont plan anything, just see how your body feels and take each day as it comes.
I can wholeheartedly say that the hysterectomy changed my life for the better, my only regret is not having it done sooner.

Hope all goes well

ETA I was 40 and fit and well.
 
I was fine and pottering around the supermarket at the two week point BUT I was very careful not to lift etc. Do NOT get on your horse early as you don’t want to tear anything and end up with a hernia and MORE time off!

Core wise, mine felt as if it had turned to jelly. However it came back 100%. There were also no changes to my figure. Hyst was in 2009. I am now 53 and have a 6 pack…

Don’t worry…it seems like ages at the time but it soon passes and you will get to have NO PERIODS for the rest of your life! :-)
 
CastlelackSportHorses said:
Hey everyone,

I had all my winter showjumping all planned out, both mares clipped, fit and ready to crack on and I get a phone call from the Hospital.
I am in Tuesday for Total Abdominal Hysterectomy.

I know the recovery can vary but Consultant said no horses for 6 weeks. :(

Has anyone else went through this? Im a healthy(generally) 36 yr old!
My last 2 Laprascopy i was defo back hacking after 10 days.

Any info greatly appreciated.

When I got endometrial cancer and had full hysterectomy I was told no hoovering, getting things out washing machine riding or anything for 3 months, it is not worth rushing it. I had keyhole surgery.
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I think it also depends on the type of hysterectomy. I don't know the technical terms but there's one where they remove everything through a cut in the tummy (abdominal) or laparoscopy (sp) where the go in with keyhole surgery .
One affects the stomach muscles more apparently.
X
 
I presume that the post op advice depends on precisely which variant of the op that the OP is having, but I agree that 6 weeks off riding post hysterectomy seems like rather a short time compared to people that I’ve known who’ve had one. More like 12 weeks. But your surgeon is very unlikely to give you the green light to ride too early, they are normally rightly very cautious.

It’s not just the riding. I don’t know who cares for your horses, but I recommend not doing much more than stroking their noses til you are cleared to ride. Not just not mucking out, but no rug changing or leading them in and out of the field, in case one gets spooked and pulls away.

For the mounting when you do ride, ideally use a mounting block that is level with your stirrup so that you can gently get into the saddle with the minimum of stretching and pulling on the incision site. Mounting from the ground is a bad idea.
 
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Tiddlypom said:
I presume that the post op advice depends on precisely which variant of the op that the OP is having, but I agree that 6 weeks off riding post hysterectomy seems like rather a short time compared to people that I’ve known who’ve had one. More like 12 weeks. But your surgeon is very unlikely to give you the green light to ride too early, they are normally rightly very cautious.

It’s not just the riding. I don’t know who cares for your horses, but I recommend not doing much more than stroking their noses til you are cleared to ride. Not just not mucking out, but no rug changing or leading them in and out of the field, in case one gets spooked and pulls away.

For the mounting when you do ride, ideally use a mounting block that is level with your stirrup so that you can gently get into the saddle with the minimum of stretching and pulling on the incision site. Mounting from the ground is a bad idea.
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Thank you for all this. Ill see what surgeon says. Im having robotic surgery, but as doctor said just because the outside wounds look healed doesnt mean the inside is, and Im also having cervix removed so very easy to burst stitches there.

Horses are thankfully going out to grass until the new year, and my in laws run the yard we keep them at so I can get them to help with anything that will need doing(rug changes, hard feeds etc)

Luckily we have a very high concrete mounting block already so when Im able Ill be able to just swing the leg over!
 
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Best of luck for a smooth and speedy recovery.
As tempting as it is to push it, especially if you feel well, just remember that it will take a whole lot longer if you bust a stitch and go backwards with your recovery.
Better 6 weeks of thumb twiddling than 6+ weeks with complications and you kicking yourself!
 
Not had this done myself (unfortunately), but witnessing surgery and healing by being in a medical industry, internal will take longer than external to heal... And you won't realise how many movements affect that area! Be gentle and patient with yourself, echoing others by saying better to be bored with your initial healing and it being uncomplicated, than pushing it and making things go backwards. Wishing you a smooth and speedy recovery
 
I had a total hysterectomy, cervix, the lot. Due to endometrial cancer in December 2020. Surgery cured me, no chemo was needed. I was overweight and not that fit at the time either. Unfortunately I was not allowed HRT so I was straight into surgical menopause. I was surprised how quickly I did recover from the surgery itself however.

Mine was keyhole though I was told that I had over 100 internal stitches so was warned not to overdo things. Believe me, you will know when you have!
I was back at the yard in 6 days though really only to see my girl and to delegate hubby with the stable chores! A fortnight later, I was sneakily poo picking and half filling water buckets. I shouldn't have been doing anything like that of course! I realised the following day that I had overdone things so then just rested.

I got back on about 2 months later. Just a for a pootle about. Wasn't a bad as I thought but felt a bit sore the following day.

Us riders and horse owners have good core strength anyway so I think that massively helps.

Just don't overdo it.

Hope it all goes ok. x
 
I had a total abdominal hysterectomy 17 years ago, I did get back on board after 6 weeks but only hacked quietly for a couple of weeks. I was very careful not to lift or do anything testing in the 6 weeks after the op and I never had any problems at all. I was fit and used to riding a couple of horses a day then so that would have helped me a long. Good luck with the op.
 
They always tell you 6 weeks - but that is really for the very basic level of skin healing. Muscles and other structures take much longer so it is really worth investing that time in yourself. It will mean a more successful outcome. After my spine op I was not even allowed to lift a kettle or a saucepan of water - it is amazing what muscles you use on a daily basis without even thinking about it.

Hope the surgery goes well.
 
I was taken aback at how long it took me to feel ‘right’ again following the op. The hospital booked me in to see a physio post surgery and then when they were happy, for their tailored Pilates classes. Physio was happy for me to get back on a horse after I completed the Pilates course which I’m really glad I did. Made a massive difference to my core. It is a big op, even when keyhole and it may knock you (getting out of bed, sitting up etc) but they should show you how to manage this and you soon mend. Good luck, hope it goes well
 
I remember a friend of mine telling me that after hers she couldn't even lift a cup of tea. You have to think about how many muscles they have to cut through and how long it takes muscles to fully heal. After my hip replacement I was back to what passed for normal within a few weeks but in fact it was more like 9 to 12 months to be really back to normal and forgetting about it.
 
Kaylum said:
My wound opened up after 4 weeks so just make sure you are careful. It was after I had been to the hairdressers leaning slightly backwards. We all heal at different rates.
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Crikey - it's always the innocuous things isn't it! I have an iffy back (bulgy disc) and the two worst incidents (first one I passed out and second I was crawling around on the floor delirious with pain) were caused by 1. going to the loo for a wee, and 2. brushing some crumbs onto the floor for the dog.

Re-opening a surgical wound by going to the hairdresser takes the biscuit though. I hope it didn't set you back too much.
 
Widgeon said:
Crikey - it's always the innocuous things isn't it! I have an iffy back (bulgy disc) and the two worst incidents (first one I passed out and second I was crawling around on the floor delirious with pain) were caused by 1. going to the loo for a wee, and 2. brushing some crumbs onto the floor for the dog.

Re-opening a surgical wound by going to the hairdresser takes the biscuit though. I hope it didn't set you back too much.
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It was a long time ago, but I ended up going to get it packed every 2 days.
 
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