How long does it take to recover from an abdominal hysterectomy?

Question

I am having an abdominal hysterectomy and would like to know how long the recovery is and how painful and how long you stay in the hosptial. It will be a complete.

Answer 1

OK, this I can answer. I just had one done June 23. I was in the hospital the 23, 24, and 25. I was released the 26. I am not going to lie to you at all, an abdominal hysterectomy is very painful. They will give you an IV to knock you out and when you get to your room they will hook up a line into the IV with fluids that is pain medication and you will have a button to push when you need it, but it will lock out if you push it too often (or at least I got the button and IV pain medicine). After a day or so they will get you up walking which hurts really bad. They have you hold a pillow over the incision site which will be down right where the pubic hair line starts. The pillow is supposed to provide support and help you not be so sore (trust me the pillow didnt help me at all). It will hurt to walk the first week or two of having it done. It will take about 4 weeks to be able to sneeze, cough and laugh without feeling like your inside is being torn open. It took me 6 weeks to be able to do normal stuff like housework because the first 6 you arent allowed to lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk. It took a total of 8 weeks to be able to have sex and that is still painful sometimes. The only good thing about the hysterectomy is no more periods and you wont be on any hormone medicine because they are just taking your cervix and uterus. You will also go home with pain meds to take. You will end up with a red bumpy scar when it starts to heal-dont worry its just trying to repair itself and I was told 3 months after the surgery is done the scar should be flat smooth and barely noticeable. You wont be able to take a tub bath for 2-4 weeks but I would wait until the 6 week check up to do that. Showers do hurt at first. Dont rub at the incision site, you will tear the couple stitches that get put in the ends of the scar the rest will be held together with the butterfly type bandages. If you want to talk or ask any questions please feel free to contact me.

IN A COMPLETE THEY DO NOT TAKE THE OVARIES OUT. ITS JUST THE UTERUS AND CERVIX. HERE IS THE MEDICAL DEFINITION FOR A COMPLETE HYSTERECTOMY AND SOME WEBSITES SO YOU DONT FREAK OUT MORE.

Complete hysterectomy: Complete surgical removal of the uterus and cervix.

There are four types of hysterectomies. The type of hysterectomy performed depends on the problem being treated:

Subtotal hysterectomy (partial) involves removing the body of the uterus, but leaving the cervix in place.
Total hysterectomy involves removing the body of the uterus as well as the cervix.
Total hysterectomy with salipingo-oophorectomy (bilateral if both ovaries are removed) involves removing the body of the uterus, the cervix, as well as the ovaries and Fallopian tubes.
Radical hysterectomy is done specifically in the case of invasive gynaecological cancer, is the same procedure as a total hysterectomy but also involves the removal of the upper part of the vagina as well as the pelvic lymphatic ganglions.
Abdominal hysterectomy . The operation is done through a 10-to-15-centimetre incision in the abdomen. This incision could be horizontal (under the pubic hair line) or vertical (between the pubis and the navel). This procedure allows the surgeon to easily reach the uterus and Fallopian tubes, in particular, in the case of a radical hysterectomy. This also makes it easier to extract a uterus or large fibroma. However, it requires several days' hospital stay and leaves a visible scar.

Answer 2

Have you spoken to your doctor about the possibility of electing to do a laparoscopic hysterectomy? It is less invasive, and the healing time is about 1/3 that of an abdominal hysterectomy.

To answer your question, the average stay is 4 days post-op in the hospital, with another 4-6 weeks at-home care before you can get back to your normal life.
Since you say it a complete hysterectomy do you also mean a "radical" hysterectomy (meaning they will also take your ovaries out) and have you considered hormone replacement therapy? Some women find they don't need it while others suffer severe side effects from total removal. It is another thing to discuss with your surgeon, depending on your age.

I wish you luck. Please do consider alternatives before consenting to a full-abdominal.

Answer 3

I had an abdominal hysterectomy April 8th. I was up walking that afternoon and went home that night. The worst part was the gas that bloated me. Took little pain meds. By day 4, I was out walking 5 miles. 1 week later, walking 12 miles.......by the way I'm 50. My advise is live a healthy life. Eat healthy and make sure you do some kind of cardio activity daily. I do have to give all thanks to Jesus and so many people praying for me.

Answer 4

i had an abdominal hysterectomy along with tubes and ovaries when i was 26 (1981). they kept me in for 6 days. i believe it is now 1-3 days. i could have gone back to work in 3 weeks if i had to, but stayed out for 6 because there was no light duty (i'm a registered nurse). i had a vertical incision from my naval to my pubic bone. the first day i thought i would die, the 2nd day i wished i would die, but by the 3rd day i was feeling better. one bit of advice....take all the drugs they want to give you. in this day
and age, there is no reason for you to be in pain. you don't say
how old you are. good luck, and remember...stand up straight, after the surgery when you walk
also, don't freak out if your hair thins a little . that sometimes happens after anesthesia.

Answer 5

I'm going in for a vaginal hysterectomy. I just read the info sheet I got from the Dr. and it says that it takes about 6 weeks for full recovery from the surgery and 1 year for full recovery from the anesthetic. If you have questions you should be asking the dr. performing the surgury.

Answer 6

I would say it depends on your body. Everyone is different. I have not had to have one as of yet, but have many family members and friends that have. Each was different. Two examples...... One of them was up and running in no time. The other had a very hard time and it took quite a bit of recovery. But she also had to have quite a bit of reconstruction in her abdomen during surgery. I pray for a speedy recovery for you.

Answer 7

When my mom had it done, the recovery time was 6 weeks. She was in the hospital for 3 days. They might kick you out sooner, though. No heavy lifting or strenous activity for 6 weeks. She felt pretty wiped out for the first week, but then started feeling good.