Well, here I am, just over two weeks since the BIG OP. So far, so good. I am generally pain free but I do have regular moments of discomfort, various aches around my tummy area which change and move day to day. Also in the last few days I'm developing some back ache which I can only attribute to my tremendously slack stomach [non]muscles. I am looking forward to feeling stronger so I can start a regular exercise routine to improve my overall fitness and (hopefully) protect my back.

I drove on Friday which was a big milestone. I was scared shitless that I wouldn't be able to drive for 6 weeks but after getting the go-ahead from my doctor on Tuesday when I had a post-op check up I was hanging out to get behind the wheel. All went well and I'm happy to report I'll be driving myself, and the kidlings, to work (and school) tomorrow.

I have obviously entered menapause as I am experiencing hot flushes in a major way (here's one right now). Mainly they hit at night when I'll wake up feeling very hot and bothered. They are certainly annoying but nothing I can't live with. Summer should be interesting but I guess that's what air conditioning and swimming pools are for. At the moment there are no other symptoms to report.

Apart from the tiredness. It's hard to be specific but I get more tired more quickly than I did before the op. For example, this morning we did the grocery shopping and came home and put everything away. A total of 2 1/2 hours all up. Usually I would then get on with it, doing housework, etc. Today I was stuffed. I really needed to sit down and read the paper and do nothing for a few hours because even the idea of hanging out a load of washing seemed too tough. The tiredness is a well documented symptom of post op recovery and I am hoping it will slowly fade over the next few weeks. It's hard to get through a busy working mum's day when your energy levels are reduced by 75%.

Mum went home on Friday after staying with us since I got out of hospital. While I have been able to do most things myself since coming home mum was really my safety net. I felt comfortable knowing she was here in case something went pear shaped. Having her here was nowhere near as difficult as I feared it would be. I'm not saying we didn't have our moments of pissing each other off, that goes without saying really. But overall we both made an effort to get on and even when sparks flew they were generally extinguished pretty quickly. I am grateful to have my mum still around and healthy enough to be an active part of our lives. Any complaints pale into insignificance next to that important fact.

I'm going to need a quiet September because on Friday 29 August I'm finally going in to have a hysterectomy. This has been in the planning stages for some time because of yet another ovarian cyst (or two) and a gazillion fibroids.

I'm pretty excited to be getting it done and out of the way. As I see it my downstairs girly bits have done absolutely nothing to help me become a mother so their technical purpose has never been utilised. All they have done is cause me almost thirty years of monthly pain and discomfort. I am happy to be getting rid of it all if for no other reason than it will stop my dear husband from saying "Obviously you have your period" when we are disagreeing about something.

The only things that are worrying me right now are the recovery period and the prospect of early menapause. I am not very good at being a patient; I am the one who does stuff, I get things done. It is very difficult for me to accept help and take the back seat. I am very grateful that my mum is going to come and stay with us as long as needed but I am also terrified of how I am going to deal with it. I am fervently hoping that the 6 week recovery period talked about in the informative brochure my gyno gave me is worst case scenario. As far as the menapause side of it, well I guess it's just fear of the unknown. I mean it's just bringing forward the inevitable so it's something I would have to deal with sooner or later. It's just the suddeness of it which will be strange: go to sleep with a body full of estrogen doing its stuff and wake up a dried up old crone. Just joking. I hope. Bring on the HRT.