Almost one week post-op

I was able to have the Da Vinci Hysterectomy. Everything went very smoothly and my recovery was amazing...was released in 24 hours and went home. I am completely amazed at this surgery and the fact that it is so non-invasion and I was up and switching myself without assistance (at least the up part) about 2 hours post-op. I have had a c-section in the past and it is very hard to get up after that. Don't get me wrong, it hurts...but it is nothing like a c-section.

My recovery was going very well until a few days ago when I started having some burning pain in my left thigh, which also went numb from the pain. In the past I have had this and it was circulatory issues (I had a venous ultrasound done in June 2008 which showed no blood clots), so I chalked it up to that. The only difference is this is not resolving. It continues to be a problem, it's at the point where I cannot sleep well at night because when I turn, the pain is so intense it burns and I'm scared to turn. I have to sleep solely on my left side to avoid that pain. I get the same pain on the right upper thigh as well but not as intense or as prolonged. Being the medgeek I am, I looked up "upper thigh pain" and came across something called Meralgia Paresthetica. I also looked up some information and posts on a website called HysterSisters and it is actually quite common after a hysterectomy as a nerve where the surgery is done (or nearby) can end up pinched or worse. I am going to my doctor hopefully tomorrow or sometime this week to discuss this and see what we can do to stop the pain. Now I am concerned about whether this will affect my ability to go back to work...but I know I am jumping the gun so I am trying to remain calm.

Besides that my recovery has been incredibly smooth. I am dealing with pain still, but overall it's not bad at all. I had my first hot flash post-op and it was very bizarre...only on the left side of my face. Now I am on Premarin to help with that (which it does) but I am going to into natural therapies because of the problems with Hormone Replacement Therapy.

More to follow later, and hopefully some good news on the problems in my legs. I am concerned about blood clots too, so hopefully we can rule that out. Hopefully this problem will resolve on its own (and soon!).