Hysterectomy is the surgical removal of the uterus. The surgery may be total (also known as complete), when the surgeons remove both cervix and the body of the uterus, or it may be partial hysterectomy, which removes only body of the uterus.
This is a very common gynecological surgical procedure, and it is recommended to women suffering from severe endometriosis, adenomyosis, for serious developmental difficulties and for some reproductive cancers or tumors. Also, doctors may recommend this surgery for the removal of placenta praevia or placenta percreta. Hysterectomy is also recommended for trans men in a gender transition.
Before theSurgery
When your doctor tells you that your need a hysterectomy it can be shocking news. Instead panicking, you should search the Internet and find some support site, like hystersisters.com. The recovery process usually lasts for a month and a half, and you should prepare yourself to be in bed during that time.
Before the actual surgery, it is a good idea to buy everything you might need. Start with pads, because you will need those. Bleeding is a common thing after this surgery and it may last even after you lose the stitches. High rise underwear, about two sizes bigger than you are at the moment is also great. You will need bigger, because your abdomen will be swollen after the surgical procedure, and the high rise won’t hurt the incision site.
You will also need night shirts instead of sleeping pants, because pants might hurt the staples and incision. Sweat pants and t-shirts are also beneficial for weeks after the surgery, because any other usual clothes will be uncomfortable and so close to the body that it may hurt you.
In the car, you will need a belly pillow. It will prevent the hurting from the seat belt. Buy some flat sandals and shoes for walking around too.
A hospital bed and/or a recliner might be good idea, too. It will be very difficult to get in and out of the bed for a few weeks, so rent some of these, at least for the first month of recovery.
Prepare meals for several weeks and froze them, so they will be easily ready when you are hungry. Remember to clean complete house before the surgery, and have someone to help you while recovering, either your partner/family member or hiresomeone.
In theHospital
For the hospital, you will need socks, underwear, robe, toiletries, glasses (if you need them to read, instead contact lenses), small mirror and chap stick and some loose clothes to go home afterwards. Mp3 player is also helpful for manypatients.
Books and magazines should be left at home, for you will be too tired to read anything. Pajamas and cell phone are also not useful while you are in the hospital for the hysterectomy.
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