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Recovery from a hysterectomy takes TIME.


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A woman generally stays in the hospital for 2 to 4 days following a hysterectomy. A woman who has abdominal surgery generally stays in the hospital 1 to 2 days longer than a woman who has vaginal surgery.

Recovery at home may take 4 to 12 weeks before you can resume your normal routine. One can expect it to take up to full year to completely recover. Hysterectomy is major surgery, and needs to be treated as such.


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Steps of Recovery

Immediately after hysterectomy you may experience these:

  1. Pain in the vagina and/or lower abdomen.
  2. Women who have had an incision may also feel pain or discomfort in the incision area.
  3. You may feel discomfort from the catheter being in the bladder during surgery. The catheter may stay in the bladder for a short time after surgery.
  4. Some women have difficulty urinating for a short period of time after the catheter is removed.
  5. Discomfort while walking for the first few days, although walking is encouraged.
  6. You may suffer from gas pains for the first few days to a week.
  7. You may experience difficulty sleeping.

Women who have general anesthesia during surgery may also experience:

  1. A sore throat and slight discomfort while eating and drinking. This is due to the tube that is placed down your throat during surgery to help you breathe.
  2. Nausea and vomiting from the anesthetic.

Care After Surgery

Most women who have a hysterectomy stay in the hospital for a few days.  You can expect the nurses to provide the following care:

  1. Measure your blood pressure, temperature and heart rate, and also check your breathing. This is usually done every 15 minutes while you are still in the recovery room. And then usually every 4 to 6 hours for the duration of your stay in the hospital.
  2. They will check periodically to see if you are bleeding from the vagina. Most women do bleed some after a hysterectomy. Some women will have a vaginal drain plug in after surgery so that the nurses can measure the amount of bleeding.
  3. They will check your incision (if you have one) and change the dressing if necessary.
  4. They will ask you to do deep breathing exercises to help expand your lungs and to help prevent pneumonia.
  5. They will ask you to move your legs and/or massage your legs to prevent blood clots from forming. Some women will have surgical stockings placed on their legs during surgery.
  6. Most women will be asked to sit up and be encouraged to start walking as soon as possible after surgery.
  7. They will measure how much fluid you take in and how much urine you pass.
  8. You most likely will not be allowed anything other than clear liquids for the first 24 hours after surgery.
  9. You will be given pain medication. Your pain medication may be given through an IV or through a self controlled pump. After that you will generally be given oral pain pills or shots.
  10. If you experience any nausea or vomiting be sure and let the nurses know so that they can give you medication for that as well.

Recovery At Home

After being released from the hospital, you will need to care for yourself at home. The amount of time before you will feel back to your old self again depends on the type of surgery that you had, any complications and your general health before surgery.

During the first 4 weeks you will need to follow these guidelines

  1. Stay home and rest
  2. Drink plenty of liquids, preferably water
  3. Avoid lifting anything over 5 lbs, or putting any type of strain on the abdomen
  4. Avoid tub baths, hot tubs or swimming pools
  5. Avoid sexual intercourse
  6. Avoid putting anything into the vagina without consulting your doctor first
  7. Avoid driving until your doctor says that it is okay, generally 2 to 4 weeks
  8. You may need to take stool softeners to help prevent or relieve constipation
  9. Most women can climb stairs, although moderately
  10. If you had abdominal surgery you may not be able to stand up straight for a week or two after surgery. And you may experience backaches.
  11. You should have an appointment with your doctor for a post op exam generally 2 to 4 weeks after surgery

After your post-op exam you can usually :

  1. GRADUALLY increase your activities to include light housework and driving
  2. Resume sexual relations, your doctor will instruct you as to when you can do this, usually at about 6 weeks post op
  3. Resume tub baths
  4. Your doctor will tell you when you can return to work, usually at 4 to 6 weeks
  5. You will still need to limit heavy lifting and vigorous exercise until your doctor tells you that it is okay


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 REMEMBER

Hysterectomy is MAJOR surgery. Recovery will take time. You will need Lots of Rest. You have only one chance to heal right, so follow your doctor's instructions.


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