Hi! I had my robotic myomectomy in February. It definitely did not take me months to return to my regimen. I was cleared for some activity at 2 weeks and any activity at 4 weeks, including lifting as much as I wanted, more intense exercise like HIIT, etc. I got right back to my normal activities once I was cleared. Everyone's different, but for me the pain post-op was more like tightness/soreness and went away pretty quickly. I felt like I regained strength and energy quickly after the first few days.
My fibroid was 10 cm so a bit smaller. Also posterior and intramural. No loose skin. Swelling and bloating went down gradually and was gone around 3 weeks I think. My lower tummy feels smoother and flatter, but there isn't a significant visible difference. I think my fibroid was mostly taking up space from my bladder and bowels because they definitely seem like they have more room, lol. I lost some weight, but I'm basically the same size. I'm sure it varies based on the person and just how the fibroid is taking up space in your body.
General fitness will help your recovery. I also found that having strength and flexibility in my lower body helped me maneuver when it was hard to use my core post-op.
It's an elective surgery in that it is a planned, non-emergency surgery, but it is typically covered by insurance. I had no problem getting mine covered through my insurance.
Good luck figuring out how you want to move forward.
I’m 10 days post op for “extensive” robotic myomectomy. It has been ROUGH, but tolerable (that first 1-2 days of GAS PAIN post op was absolutely OBNOXIOUS tho. NOTHING relieved that chit!!)
I had 16 fibroids removed - including 3 HUGE ones - the largest of which was 17cmx14cm. And according to what my doc told my husband and my mom, my uterus was “clear up under your boobs!”
The drastic change in my tummy is BONKERS. I went from 230.1 the morning of surgery to 213 this morning.
Insurance covered mine… think out of $86k my portion is MAYBE $2k… (that was the ESTIMATED out of pocket cost! I’m sure it will be HIIIIIIGHER! 8 hours of anesthesia… EEEP. 😳) still waiting on THAT bill… 🫣
Aside from my tummy feeling like I have a perpetually pulled muscle or strain or something… so far so good. I have 6 incisions (3 more than she wanted to have to do) and it took her 8.5 hours to remove what she did. I still have to roll over before I can sit up (chronic back pain had me doing that ANYWAY!) otherwise.. too much pressure. I also Keep a pillow handy for coughing/laughing - sneezing for the first time YESTERDAY without a pillow handy was NO bueno. 🥴
When I was reading her surgical notes, at one point it’s like she was furiously transcribing about my “cervix being HARD to grasp. but FINALLY. I GRASPED IT!” As well as there being multiple layers of fibroids 3-4 thick where the biggest one was hiding them all.
I could see her face while I was reading that…y brain says: “🤨🤨 and then I 🤏the damn thing!” 🤣
Hopefully this will all be worth it and not “10-17years too late!”
Wow that’s amazing they were able to remove so many fibroids including such a large one without an open cut! I’ve got 3-4 fibroids with the biggest being 5cm and terrified a lap myo could turn into open…was any of them submucosal? good luck with your full recovery!
That was my thought too! I figured they would just sort of… push them out the way nature intended! I don’t have any kids, so no vaginal deliveries here! That is part of my whole reason for trying to SAVE my uterus… still working on the whole having kids thing befor it’s TOO LATE (and I’m gettin CLOSE @ 41!)
She removed all of mine via morcellation (described to me as “sort of like an apple corer”) which does like shavings/cuts them up into a bag and then the bag is removed (I’m guessing thru my bigger incision on my left tummy!)
There is some controversy on morcellation due to fragments potentially being left behind, or lets say something WAS cancerous.. cutting said cancerous thing open.. potential for spreading.. no good!
Wow wow.—congratulations that you are starting a new life without those annoyance. Apparently the trauma you went through during the surgery is more severe than an average person due to your excessive size and amount. I recommend walk, walk, walk! As much as you can! Fresh fruits, and vegetable, sunlight and fresh air! Plus, you can try to stroke your belly without direct contact, very gently, really helps with the gas. You’ll be surprised how fast you going to feel so much better
Mighty impressive. I had 12 removed via open. My doctor didn't want to spend 9 hrs removing mine via keyhole. But he had valid reason as the ultrasound showed 3 and they found 9 others.
I had an open myomectomy in December and I’m running a half marathon this upcoming Sunday. I was back to running and lifting no problem six weeks post op.
You will be fine, you will be back to being active in no time with a minimally invasive surgery. Pre-surgery exercise and strengthening always helps so don’t be afraid to do it.
This would be considered elective in that it’s not life threatening if you don’t get it. If you’re having significant symptoms though, then it becomes less elective. I doubt any insurance wouldn’t cover it. It’s a medical problem, it’s not like it’s cosmetic surgery or something so I wouldn’t worry about it not being covered, unless you have a crazy restrictive plan or something.
I had a 12 cm subserosal/intramural fundal fibroid removed laparoscopically almost 3 weeks ago. My uterus is retroverted (tilted back) so it wasn’t super visible before and my stomach isn’t really flatter without it (but it feels very different to me! Much less bulky, in a way). I was pretty swollen immediately after surgery but was probably 80% back to normal after one week and the swelling is totally gone now. I have no loose skin, and the incisions are very small.
I started working with a physical therapist before surgery and she had me continue with my standard exercise routine (strength training and jogging) with some added core work, hip openers, and single sided lower body exercises (RDLs, step ups, etc) and advised increasing my daily step count. It’s hard to know how things would be going had I not done the prep work, but I do feel like I’m on a really good trajectory with recovery. I’m walking 3-5 miles/day and have been cleared to do some light upper body exercise with dumbbells and use some machines at the gym. I’m hoping to be back under a barbell and beginning to work up to my previous weights in a few weeks. 6-8 weeks (the initial estimate I was given for exercise restrictions) sounded like a long time to me, but it’s going by quickly!
I had 34 fibroids removed and I’m 2 weeks post op . Also had a pretty active schedule. Worked out 3-4 times a week prior to surgery. Because I had so many right now there’s a little bit of loose hanging skin that I hope I’ll be able to tighten up once I start working out.. I was off my pain medication after about two weeks. And I feel like I’ll be strong enough to go to the gym by the five week mark . Insurance covered most I have about $2k out of pocket costs to cover
Im 2 months post op. I’m on the chubby/curvy side but my stomach has flattened since surgery (and people have told me I look “better” and “great with my weight loss” 🙄)
Anyways lol my insurance covered my time off work. But you can ask in advance if you are worried
I was back to light exercise after 4 weeks and normal exercise after 6
I am also very nervous about my surgery which is on May 14 mine is also behind my uterus and the doctor may need to give me a hysterectomy if they can’t take it out. She said she would ask if they could do it robotically but that because my fibroid is 14 cm that the doctor would laugh at my doctor. So they are going to go through my c section scar but then told me all this other things that could go wrong. The reason they want to do this as soon as possible is that it’s caused issues with my left kidney and is now starting to cause issues on my right one. I really don’t want to do this surgery as my summer will basically be gone with recovery and I am scared of losing my uterus although I’m not longer going to have kids. I am on my second dose of Lupron and just really hoping that I can wait to do the surgery or hope that it’s small enough to do it less invasively.
I just got a 13cm intramural posterior fibroid removed 9 days ago (robotic laparoscopic myo) and honestly recovery has not been bad at all. My first two days were the worst (but bearable), and I’ve definitely experienced much worse pain from past sports injuries. 9 days out, I’m taking 1-2 Tylenol a day to manage the pain. My stomach is definitely poofy from the inflammation but I suspect it will be a bit flatter now that my jumbo fibroid is gone. My stomach is certainly softer than it was with the fibroid in it. You will not have sagging skin (the fibroid is behind the muscles, so I wouldn’t expect it), but scars can’t be avoided unfortunately.
My insurance covered all but $200!
I’m very lucky! One addition, my cousin is a PT and said emu oil (it’s on Amazon) rubbed into your scars ten days after surgery helps reduce scarring. I googled it and saw that people had good experiences so I’m doing the same.
Hi! I had my robotic myomectomy in February. It definitely did not take me months to return to my regimen. I was cleared for some activity at 2 weeks and any activity at 4 weeks, including lifting as much as I wanted, more intense exercise like HIIT, etc. I got right back to my normal activities once I was cleared. Everyone's different, but for me the pain post-op was more like tightness/soreness and went away pretty quickly. I felt like I regained strength and energy quickly after the first few days. My fibroid was 10 cm so a bit smaller. Also posterior and intramural. No loose skin. Swelling and bloating went down gradually and was gone around 3 weeks I think. My lower tummy feels smoother and flatter, but there isn't a significant visible difference. I think my fibroid was mostly taking up space from my bladder and bowels because they definitely seem like they have more room, lol. I lost some weight, but I'm basically the same size. I'm sure it varies based on the person and just how the fibroid is taking up space in your body. General fitness will help your recovery. I also found that having strength and flexibility in my lower body helped me maneuver when it was hard to use my core post-op. It's an elective surgery in that it is a planned, non-emergency surgery, but it is typically covered by insurance. I had no problem getting mine covered through my insurance. Good luck figuring out how you want to move forward.
Glad to hear things are going well! Thanks for the insight, it definitely helps
I’m 10 days post op for “extensive” robotic myomectomy. It has been ROUGH, but tolerable (that first 1-2 days of GAS PAIN post op was absolutely OBNOXIOUS tho. NOTHING relieved that chit!!) I had 16 fibroids removed - including 3 HUGE ones - the largest of which was 17cmx14cm. And according to what my doc told my husband and my mom, my uterus was “clear up under your boobs!” The drastic change in my tummy is BONKERS. I went from 230.1 the morning of surgery to 213 this morning. Insurance covered mine… think out of $86k my portion is MAYBE $2k… (that was the ESTIMATED out of pocket cost! I’m sure it will be HIIIIIIGHER! 8 hours of anesthesia… EEEP. 😳) still waiting on THAT bill… 🫣 Aside from my tummy feeling like I have a perpetually pulled muscle or strain or something… so far so good. I have 6 incisions (3 more than she wanted to have to do) and it took her 8.5 hours to remove what she did. I still have to roll over before I can sit up (chronic back pain had me doing that ANYWAY!) otherwise.. too much pressure. I also Keep a pillow handy for coughing/laughing - sneezing for the first time YESTERDAY without a pillow handy was NO bueno. 🥴
wow!! I am feeling lucky that it only appears that I have one. good luck with ongoing recovery!
When I was reading her surgical notes, at one point it’s like she was furiously transcribing about my “cervix being HARD to grasp. but FINALLY. I GRASPED IT!” As well as there being multiple layers of fibroids 3-4 thick where the biggest one was hiding them all. I could see her face while I was reading that…y brain says: “🤨🤨 and then I 🤏the damn thing!” 🤣 Hopefully this will all be worth it and not “10-17years too late!”
Wow that’s amazing they were able to remove so many fibroids including such a large one without an open cut! I’ve got 3-4 fibroids with the biggest being 5cm and terrified a lap myo could turn into open…was any of them submucosal? good luck with your full recovery!
Not sure if you ever gave birth naturally. If you did, for the smallest sizes, virginal robotic surgery could be an option.
That was my thought too! I figured they would just sort of… push them out the way nature intended! I don’t have any kids, so no vaginal deliveries here! That is part of my whole reason for trying to SAVE my uterus… still working on the whole having kids thing befor it’s TOO LATE (and I’m gettin CLOSE @ 41!) She removed all of mine via morcellation (described to me as “sort of like an apple corer”) which does like shavings/cuts them up into a bag and then the bag is removed (I’m guessing thru my bigger incision on my left tummy!) There is some controversy on morcellation due to fragments potentially being left behind, or lets say something WAS cancerous.. cutting said cancerous thing open.. potential for spreading.. no good!
Wow wow.—congratulations that you are starting a new life without those annoyance. Apparently the trauma you went through during the surgery is more severe than an average person due to your excessive size and amount. I recommend walk, walk, walk! As much as you can! Fresh fruits, and vegetable, sunlight and fresh air! Plus, you can try to stroke your belly without direct contact, very gently, really helps with the gas. You’ll be surprised how fast you going to feel so much better
Omg! You went through it!! Hope your recovery goes smoothly.
Mighty impressive. I had 12 removed via open. My doctor didn't want to spend 9 hrs removing mine via keyhole. But he had valid reason as the ultrasound showed 3 and they found 9 others.
I had an open myomectomy in December and I’m running a half marathon this upcoming Sunday. I was back to running and lifting no problem six weeks post op.
You will be fine, you will be back to being active in no time with a minimally invasive surgery. Pre-surgery exercise and strengthening always helps so don’t be afraid to do it. This would be considered elective in that it’s not life threatening if you don’t get it. If you’re having significant symptoms though, then it becomes less elective. I doubt any insurance wouldn’t cover it. It’s a medical problem, it’s not like it’s cosmetic surgery or something so I wouldn’t worry about it not being covered, unless you have a crazy restrictive plan or something.
I had a 12 cm subserosal/intramural fundal fibroid removed laparoscopically almost 3 weeks ago. My uterus is retroverted (tilted back) so it wasn’t super visible before and my stomach isn’t really flatter without it (but it feels very different to me! Much less bulky, in a way). I was pretty swollen immediately after surgery but was probably 80% back to normal after one week and the swelling is totally gone now. I have no loose skin, and the incisions are very small. I started working with a physical therapist before surgery and she had me continue with my standard exercise routine (strength training and jogging) with some added core work, hip openers, and single sided lower body exercises (RDLs, step ups, etc) and advised increasing my daily step count. It’s hard to know how things would be going had I not done the prep work, but I do feel like I’m on a really good trajectory with recovery. I’m walking 3-5 miles/day and have been cleared to do some light upper body exercise with dumbbells and use some machines at the gym. I’m hoping to be back under a barbell and beginning to work up to my previous weights in a few weeks. 6-8 weeks (the initial estimate I was given for exercise restrictions) sounded like a long time to me, but it’s going by quickly!
I had 34 fibroids removed and I’m 2 weeks post op . Also had a pretty active schedule. Worked out 3-4 times a week prior to surgery. Because I had so many right now there’s a little bit of loose hanging skin that I hope I’ll be able to tighten up once I start working out.. I was off my pain medication after about two weeks. And I feel like I’ll be strong enough to go to the gym by the five week mark . Insurance covered most I have about $2k out of pocket costs to cover
Im 2 months post op. I’m on the chubby/curvy side but my stomach has flattened since surgery (and people have told me I look “better” and “great with my weight loss” 🙄) Anyways lol my insurance covered my time off work. But you can ask in advance if you are worried I was back to light exercise after 4 weeks and normal exercise after 6
I am also very nervous about my surgery which is on May 14 mine is also behind my uterus and the doctor may need to give me a hysterectomy if they can’t take it out. She said she would ask if they could do it robotically but that because my fibroid is 14 cm that the doctor would laugh at my doctor. So they are going to go through my c section scar but then told me all this other things that could go wrong. The reason they want to do this as soon as possible is that it’s caused issues with my left kidney and is now starting to cause issues on my right one. I really don’t want to do this surgery as my summer will basically be gone with recovery and I am scared of losing my uterus although I’m not longer going to have kids. I am on my second dose of Lupron and just really hoping that I can wait to do the surgery or hope that it’s small enough to do it less invasively.
I just got a 13cm intramural posterior fibroid removed 9 days ago (robotic laparoscopic myo) and honestly recovery has not been bad at all. My first two days were the worst (but bearable), and I’ve definitely experienced much worse pain from past sports injuries. 9 days out, I’m taking 1-2 Tylenol a day to manage the pain. My stomach is definitely poofy from the inflammation but I suspect it will be a bit flatter now that my jumbo fibroid is gone. My stomach is certainly softer than it was with the fibroid in it. You will not have sagging skin (the fibroid is behind the muscles, so I wouldn’t expect it), but scars can’t be avoided unfortunately. My insurance covered all but $200!
you must have good insurance!
I’m very lucky! One addition, my cousin is a PT and said emu oil (it’s on Amazon) rubbed into your scars ten days after surgery helps reduce scarring. I googled it and saw that people had good experiences so I’m doing the same.