hysterectomy and riding

[kyredhed]

Okay here goes… This is completely off topic. But so many women have had hysterectomies. I would like to know how having a hysterectomy has effected your riding. Do you still ride as much as you did? Are you afraid to ride? Do you feel any different while riding? Did the doctors tell you not to ride? Does riding help the pelvic floor muscles?
I had a hysterectomy back in November. My recovery went well until 11 weeks. I went back to work and started having problems with hormones, back and a aggravating feeling down below(like panties rubbing or something) . Just could be all in my mind because I read too much on the net and I had a LAVH.
Anyway I am riding again, but in the back of my mind I keep thinking about it. Please give me some reassurance that everything will be just fine. I had cervic,uterus, ovaries removed.
I am doing better but still … not 100 percent.
I do alot of trail riding on a rocky mountain.

thanks…

[pj1]

[QUOTE=kyredhed;4412029]
Okay here goes… This is completely off topic. But so many women have had hysterectomies. I would like to know how having a hysterectomy has effected your riding. Do you still ride as much as you did? Are you afraid to ride? Do you feel any different while riding? Did the doctors tell you not to ride? Does riding help the pelvic floor muscles?
I had a hysterectomy back in November. My recovery went well until 11 weeks. I went back to work and started having problems with hormones, back and a aggravating feeling down below(like panties rubbing or something) . Just could be all in my mind because I read too much on the net and I had a LAVH.
Anyway I am riding again, but in the back of my mind I keep thinking about it. Please give me some reassurance that everything will be just fine. I had cervic,uterus, ovaries removed.
I am doing better but still … not 100 percent.
I do alot of trail riding on a rocky mountain.
thanks…[/QUOTE]

Had the same many years ago and felt so much better that I doubled my riding.
They did put me on hormones though and I took those for years.

You need to talk to your doctor if you aren’t feeling 100 percent as you should have been completely over it looooong time ago.

I feel like the surgery was the best thing I ever did for myself.

[Lori]

I was spayed nearly 10 years ago. I was back on my pony within about 3 weeks. Other than what I think was normal healing pain if I overdid things, I don’t remember any troubles with riding. I do have one ovary left, so maybe that made a diffrence.

[equineartworks]

I had mine done 13 years ago at 29. Felt better in recovery than I did when I went it :lol: I don’t think it has had any effect what so ever on riding for me other than giving me the chance to actually leave the house and ride!

[JustTrails]

Had my TAH in 2002. Quick recovery, no problems. I am able to ride more often because I don’t have the problems that kept me from riding any longer:D

At a year out, it seems you should be completely healed. I don’t how much riding strengthens the pelvic floor, Kegel exercises are good for that. It is possible that what you are feeling is nerves reacting to being cut during surgery. Now that I think about it, that was something I felt for quite a while. Perhaps your doctor can advise you better.

[FatCatFarm]

Had it done laparoscopically and robotically back in March but I kept my ovaries and my cervix. First couple of months the hormones were still annoying last couple months, just fine. No discomfort and other than a little extra fatigue here and there, doing great. Sure as hell don’t miss the monthly ordeal!

[luise]

Just FYI–anyone who has a hysterectomy but leaves their ovaries in shouldn’t have any problems with hormones. The ovaries are still functioning normally.

[PRS]

I had mine about 7 years ago and had a very quick physical recovery and was back on my horse in 6 weeks. I felt so much better afterwards! I had so much pain before that I don’t know how I was able to ride at all. Now I feel free to enjoy riding pain free.

Oh, yeah I still have my ovaries and didn’t have an abdominal incision so my recovery was real fast. I was back at work part time in a week! Doc gave me strict instructions to stay out of the barn though

[kyredhed]

You guys are certainly lifting my spirits! thanks. Yeah if you leave your ovaries your hormones should be working great. Thanks for the info about the nerves healing back, that makes since. My back gives me grief, but does not hurt when i ride my horse.
I always fear the worse. I looked on hystersister but some of those women on there are constantly or so it seems are looking for problems.
I was fine until my 9th week. That is when my back went haywire! I went the chiropractor and he adjusted my hips and i seemed to have gotten better. Then a bowel impactment(didn’t even know those existed). then i got better again, went back to work as a school cook and back went out again and hormones haywire.
I have suffered on and off with the back for 17 years after a horse threw me, then was thrown again last sept!
I have since got the hormones right! just dealing with the rubbing feeling and back.
I was really good during my recovery, i didn’t lift anything i was not supose to lift for 6 weeks, did not lift anything over 20 pounds for 12 weeks.
I have not stopped riding, riding is my prozac! I love it!
You all are great! I am feeling better already, you have given me a up lift that is for sure.
My doctor told me riding was like doing kegals! yep that is what he said! I ride a rocky mountain horse. You can find me on youtube. search cathyseals27 and see my videos. Again thanks to all who are posting! Please continue! you all are better than taking hormones!

[SmokenMirrors]

Had a vaginal hysterectomy about 5 and a half years ago, keeping my ovaries only. Because of the internal stitches I wasn’t allowed to ride till my 6 week check up, then only at a walk. No lifting, no dragging for a while till I was healed up internally as well.

I LOVED having a hysterectomy, I had to do so due to health reasons and the first time I wore white panties, I cried! My health greatly improved, I got off of all the medication I was on and am so much more healthier, I would of done it sooner had I known how bad my health really was prior.

[Arab_WBGirl]

I had an abdominal hysterectomy 3/4 years ago. I kept my ovaries. Let me just say that I am THE poster child for hysterectomy. Best thing I have EVER done. I would do it again in a heartbeat. My OB-GYN is a horsewoman herself (used to show arabs and quarterhorses, now has slightly over 100 tennesee walkers!) so she understood that it was important for me to be able to ride. I was back walking 2 miles perday 5 days after my surgery (keep in mind that before surgery I would walk between 8 and 12 miles perday every day for exercise) and back to work in a little over a week. No heavy lifting for 6 weeks for me, and back in the saddle 3 weeks after my surgery. I am very happy I had it done.

[JustTrails]

I wonder if as horsewomen we recover faster and in a better way than non-horsewomen? It is just interesting to me that friends who are not horsey had issues with recovery, while my fellow horsey friends recovered quickly and were back to riding ASAP. Perhaps we use muscles we are unaware of while grooming/saddling/riding that others don’t.

[JustTrails]

I wonder if as horsewomen we recover faster and in a better way than non-horsewomen? It is just interesting to me that friends who are not horsey had issues with recovery, while my fellow horsey friends recovered quickly and were back to riding ASAP. Perhaps we use muscles we are unaware of while grooming/saddling/riding that others don’t.

So happy to have finally gotten my hyster done. And to the OP, I hear you about HysterSisters - some women just get stuck there. Keep moving and riding girlfriend!

[Mach_Two]

A total hysterectomy can leave you with several things that are going to feel different than before. No Uterus means little to no lubrication, which can cause some irritation when riding. You can address that with a dab of KY lubricant or something like that.

And just because a woman in her 40’s still has ovaries after a hysterectomy does NOT mean she has the same hormone levels as before. All the parts ae connected, and you take one part away, you take away some of the blood supply for another. Many women go through an accelerated menopause within a year of a partial hysterectomy.
The good news is, once you get used to the differences, you will be glad to be rid of all that troublesome “junk”.

[kyredhed]

thanks guys! Gosh I love you guys! Horse women are the greatest! It is crazy at the way things are a bit different! It is weird how they say ride your horse but no heavy lifting! something to riding I think helps with the pelvic floor!

[Marci]

I just celebrated my 10 years. I was cut from just below belly button to below hairline. Good thing I don’t like bikinis. LOL
I started riding at 6 weeks out and haven’t looked back. But I did notice that ti took a long time for the nerves to grow back and well sex to feel good again. :winkgrin:
I would do it again in a heartbeat.

[kyredhed]

thanks marci. did you keep your ovaries?

[Aroundtuit]

Good idea to ask your question here, kyredhed. I wondered some of the same things, and didn’t think to ask! I had a hyster 2 yrs ago. Started out laproscopically, but proceeded to open me up - the darn uterus was bigger than they originally thought. Kept my overies, eliminated the cervix.

My doc understood my need to get back to riding, so at 6 weeks, I was released to ride. Rode my new horse first, tentatively, so that if it didn’t go well, my old reliable gelding could just wait a little longer. New horse went very well, so with a sigh, got on reliable gelding. Old reliable threw a bucking fit that had no end. Never bucked before or since. Broke my right ankle on landing - surgery again. Let me tell you, the ankle took a lot longer to rehab than the abdominal surgery.

Back to riding now, good as new. As a nurse, I will tell you that even if you leave your ovaries, the chances of the surgery causing the ovaries to shut down is great. No one really knows why. So your feelings of sluggishness could be from your thyroid, or from estrogen/female hormone changes. Docs have gotten really good at helping get them balanced out again. Don’t put up with feeling like you are fatigued or forgetful.

Keep riding…the physicial exercise will enhance your recovery and we all agree that it helps mentally also!

[Bluehorsesjp]

I had a lathroscopic hyst in April. Left cervix and ovaries. I was back riding in 2 weeks and haven’t looked back. I have no probelms with rubbing, but I will second who ever mentioned dryness. That could certainly be a factor.
Have you been to get your hormone levels checked? That certainly could help.

As for horse women healing quicker I think we do.
We have strong core muscles and a huge motivation to get back to the barn. If a furry muzzle isn’t motivation I don’t know what is. I was super lucky that my doctor is also a horseman. When I went in for my 3 week check he was surprised I had waited so long to get back in the saddle :lol:.

Get yourself checked. It can’t hurt and keep riding.

[horsegeeks]

I had problems but I believe because I’d also stopped riding before the surgery because I felt so rotten. So my muscles were not what they should have been before my surgery.

So the long and the short is. If your pre-operation activities did not limit your riding so that your muscles are affected, you should be just fine.