Beginning Again: My Healthy Life Journey 7 Months Post-Hysterectomy

Seven months ago, I woke up in a hospital room with a quiet I did not recognize. My body had been through a storm of its own, a hysterectomy that I had known was coming, but nothing truly prepares you for what it takes, physically and emotionally.

The doctors told me recovery would be routine. It was not. There were days I could not move without pain. Days I felt like my body no longer belonged to me. And nights when grief hit harder than I expected, not just for what was removed, but for who I used to be before surgery.

Healing is not just physical. It is spiritual, mental, and deeply personal.

Around month three, I realized that getting back to normal was not the goal. Normal was gone. What I wanted was new. A body that felt like mine again. A routine that honored rest and strength in equal measure.

I started walking in the mornings, slow at first. I cooked differently, more vegetables, fewer excuses. I journaled, not to be profound, but to track small victories. Getting out of bed without pain. Laughing again. Making a plan for the next book.

And slowly, life began to feel less like recovery and more like rebirth.

What surprised me most was not how strong I became, it was how soft I had to let myself be. Healing required surrender, not speed. I had to forgive my body for breaking and myself for the pressure I put on it.

Now, seven months later, I feel lighter. Not in pounds, but in purpose. Health looks different now. It is not a finish line, it is a daily conversation between my mind, my spirit, and the body that carries me through both art and ordinary life.

If you are on your own healing journey, here is what I know: it is okay to start over. It is okay to rebuild slow. And it is okay to be proud of the body that saved your life.