One year ago, I had my hysterectomy and as cliche’ as it sounds, it was the best thing I’ve every done.

Some reflections on the past year:

• My scar is still occasionally sore. It doesn’t hurt in an “ouch!” way, but there are times when I still have to gently massage it because it stings a little bit.
• I still can’t wear jeans. The reason is because I don’t have an hourglass body shape; I’m straight up and down, so jeans fit snug around my waist, which constricts the blood flow – causing my scar to feel sore.
• Leggings are awesome. Since I can’t wear jeans, I pretty much only have 2-3 pairs of pants that I can wear. I’ve also started to wear lots of skirts and, when it’s winter, I wear black leggings under them, which are SO incredibly comfy and warm!
• I underestimated how much my period (due to fibroids) controlled my life. Now, I can exercise every week without having to worry about cramps, I don’t think “Did I pack enough supplies?” in my backpack and suitcase whenever I travel, I don’t have to walk down the feminine hygiene aisle looking to see if tampons and pads are on sale, etc.  I seriously feel so liberated!
• I’m learning how to cook and eat better. While I still occasionally get cravings, I know that I ate poorly when I was having my cramps from hell. Now that I don’t have those anymore, I can focus on trying to eat healthier and actually learn how to cook my meals and snacks.
• I understand why ab muscles are called “your core”. After my surgery, any movement I made caused ab pain. That’s when I realize just how important my ab muscles were – whether I was simply turning over onto my side in bed, to moving a pot on the stove…my ab muscles had to be activated.  So now, I’m s-l-o-w-l-y building up my core muscles. I’m doing the babiest of baby ab exercises, but I try to be consistent about it. I can already tell that those exercises (sit ups, side planks, etc.) are getting easier.

Anyways, if some of you are about to have the surgery or if you’ve just had it, it REALLY does get better and you honestly won’t regret it. I’m so glad I had my surgery and I’m really looking forward to the exciting things I’ll get to do without that extra worry.