Hysterectomy Recovery – What to Expect and Do |

Hysterectomy recovery – how should I manage my crucial recovery time after hysterectomy?

The answer lies partly in the preparations you make BEFORE your hysterectomy and what you do during hysterectomy recovery.

Hysterectomy is usually an inpatient procedure. Be prepared to be away from work and home for a short time. Your stay in the hospital and home will be related to what type of hysterectomy you have and how your surgery goes.

Most doctors recommend a light meal such as a salad or vegetables the night before the hysterectomy procedure.

Remember that the pain medications prescribed with this procedure will probably slow down your bowel activity during the postoperative recovery for hysterectomy.

Eating fiber the day before the procedure is the recommendation of most doctors. Fiber such as vegetables, fruits and whole grains is indispensable in maintaining a healthy colon.

Preparing for a hysterectomy. Before your hysterectomy procedure prepare your bed at home with the following:

• 1- Have several clean sheets (several changes) easily accessible to be changed when necessary.
• 2- Tissues on the night table, for when you need it.
• 3- Several nightgowns or pajamas and slippers.
• 4- For comfort, don’t use tight clothing for a few weeks (loose-fitting clothing) is better, including the day you leave the hospital.
• 5- Don’t take contact lenses to the hospital, wear glasses in the hospital and at home for a few weeks during your hysterectomy recovery.
• 6- Heating pads (perhaps 2 or 3).
• 7- Make a list of important phone numbers, especially emergency phone contacts (friends, family members, doctors and stores where you shop). Make several copies of this list so that family members will have their copy.
• 8- It is a good idea to read and get the postoperative guidelines from your physician relating to your post-operative procedures and recommendations about recovery for hysterectomy.
• 9- Read all the books you want perhaps with kindle books (lots of spicy novels to read) or portable music player with headphones and your favorite music.
Don’t forget a television in your bedroom for your favorite soaps during your recovery time after hysterectomy! Time to relax and enjoy your time off!!

• 10- Avoid as much stress as possible during your recovery time from hysterectomy. Stress produces excess levels of hormones like cortisone which diminishes the activity of your immune system – which is your best defense system against illness.

Before the hysterectomy or uterine fibroid embolization, make sure you…

• Avoid getting stressed and concerned about the procedure, get plenty of sleep, and eat well before the surgery. Ask your doctor if you can have a glass of wine the day before!!!

• Make sure you stay active and exercise to get rid of stress and be fit for the procedure. Your recovery time from hysterectomy will be shorter if you go fit and healthy. To exercise and be in some kind of physical shape before will make your recovering from a hysterectomy easier.

Before the hysterectomy or the uterine fibroid embolization, prepare the refrigerator or pantry to have the following:

• 1- Buy prune juice, prunes and raisins to improve constipation. Avoid constipation!
• 2- Get some laxatives to have at home…just in case, because most pain medications are known to make you constipated. You can read more about eliminating constipation here.
• 3- Limit constipation during your hysterectomy recovery time by avoiding dairy products – buy organic dairy products if you need to have them.
• 4- Buy plenty of tea bags (drinking green tea is great for your metabolism).
• 5- Eat healthy cold-water fish, turkey, chicken, organic bread, soups, broths, salads and vegetables. To eat well and healthy foods before and after your procedure or surgery will help you have improve faster during your recovery from hysterectomy.
• 6- Crushed ice

Make sure the car taking you home after the procedure to begin your hysterectomy recovery has the following:

• 1- Several pillows (you may want to lie down in the back of the car and you may need several pillows to support and make you comfortable).

• 2- Plastic bags (in case of nausea on the ride home),

• 3- Coca-cola – it does a fine job of suppressing nausea only during your recovery after hysterectomy.

• 4- Use loose and very comfortable clothes and slip-on shoes after the procedure or surgery, and during the first two weeks of your hysterectomy recovery time.

• 5- Do not drive yourself – have a relative, friend or neighbor drive you from the hospital to your home.

Generally, you may be kept in bed for 6 to 8 hours after the procedure or surgery. This prevents you from moving your legs or attempting to walk around, giving the catheter insertion site time to clot off.

Herbs for menopause and natural progesterone cream to relieve hormone imbalance after hysterectomy.

Herbs for menopause and natural progesterone cream are the best endocrine support for women after hysterectomy and without side effects.

Herbs for Menopause capsules should be taken daily and they can increase your levels of estrogen, progesterone and testosterone.

Support for the endocrine system with appropriate herbs and natural progesterone cream can help your body make needed hormones as well as balance the undesirable actions of too much estrogen.

Natural progesterone cream contains pharmaceutical-grade USP natural progesterone that is identical to what is made by a woman’s body. Balancing your hormones HAS to happen – sooner or later if you want to deal with hysterectomy menopause symptoms. Might as well be sooner, no?

At the hospital before your hysterectomy recovery time:

• 1- Ask a family member or friend to obtain your prescription for pain relief when you are dropped after the procedure so that you do not have to stop on the way home.

• 2- Do not bring fancy watches, rings and other jewelry into the hospital. Leave them at home.

• 3- Store your list of important phone numbers in a convenient place during the procedure. Be sure you know who to call and for what, specifically, in terms of the procedure and hysterectomy recovery time.

• 4- If your doctor is unavailable following the procedure and during your hysterectomy recovery, ask for the name and number of an alternative physician to call and add it to your phone list.

• 5- If you wear dentures, you may be asked to remove them before surgery.

• 6- Clarify all issues related to the procedure (including key contact information needed for your phone list) the morning prior to your hysterectomy.

Recommendations for home after the hysterectomy as you begin your recovery:

• Your doctor will recommend and prescribe pain relievers, make sure that you take it. Nobody gets addicted to pain killers because of hysterectomy recovery. It is always best to have less pain during your recovery time.

• If necessary, use heating pads. Place one over the section where you have the pain and the other on the opposite area.

It is not recommended to sleep with a heating pad in direct contact with the skin – you don’t want to get burned. Some pads will turn themselves off after a period of time

• Limit your movement. Take it slow, and save all household activity for another time. Limit your bending for a few weeks.

• Ask others to do the lifting for you during your recovery – make sure you don’t pick up heavy items.

• Do not climb stairs or drive a car (ask family and friends to help you).

• Do not prepare your own meals for a few weeks. Ask a friend or family member to do it for you.

• Find assistance from your family or friends and move very slowly when trying to get up into a seated position.

• Don’t drink alcohol during this time, especially when taking medications during your hysterectomy recovery.

• Avoid taking aspirin and drinking or eating dairy products during this time.

• Your body needs healthy nutrients to improve quicker. Make sure you eat plenty of organic vegetables, fruits, whole grains and grass-fed free range meats.

• During and after your hysterectomy recovery, take a good quality daily multiple vitamin, iron supplements, Omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin C as well.

These nutritional supplements should be taken during your hysterectomy recovery, consider this clinically proven multi-vitamin/mineral formula for you.

• Take time to relax, get better and heal fast.

• Don’t forget to drink several glasses a day of good clean filtered water.

During the week following the procedure, watch for the following symptoms:

• You may have to monitor temperatures over 100.6 F (check two or three times a day). If you know you have a fever call the hospital or the doctor for advise.

• It is possible that you may feel some dizziness or the sensation that you are going to fall.

• Swollen in the area of the surgery.

• Bleeding at the catheter insertion site.

• Return of fever or pain after symptoms have subsided.

Some questions to ask your doctor before you decide to do your hysterectomy:

• How many fibroid embolization or hysterectomies have you performed?

• Find out from the doctor what type of treatment or treatments will he/she be providing after the procedure?

• What are the results of your fibroid embolization or hysterectomies so far, and how often have complications occurred?

• If you are going to have laparoscopic surgery…find out how many the doctor has performed? Some physicians perform this procedure without the appropriate training.

• What medications will be used to treat pain, both in the hospital and during the hysterectomy recovery?

• How long should I expect to be released from work to recover from the uterine fibroid embolization or hysterectomy?

• How effective will my hysterectomy or uterine fibroid embolization be in shrinking the types of fibroids I have?

• How long will I be in the hospital?

• What kind of follow-up care during my hysterectomy recovery is typical, and who should I return to or consult with after the procedure for additional care – my gynecologist or you?

• Can you provide names and phone numbers of former patients who might be willing to talk to me about the procedure, recovery and surgery? Real life recovered patients are good source of encouragement to people facing surgery.

Take your time as you plan this important procedure and here is wishing you all the best!!!

Hysterectomy recovery – how should I manage my crucial recovery time after hysterectomy? The answer lies partly in the preparations you make BEFORE your hysterectomy and what you do during hysterectomy recovery.