What is Outpatient Hysterectomy?
Most women who are considering hysterectomy are shocked when they find out that hysterectomy can be an outpatient procedure. So what exactly do we mean by outpatient hysterectomy? An outpatient procedure is technically defined as one that requires a hospital stay of 23 hours or less. However, most outpatient procedures begin with an early morning surgery, a recovery that lasts into the afternoon and a return home by bedtime. Because so many women are interested in learning more about outpatient hysterectomy, we asked one of our former patients to tell you about how her outpatient hysterectomy went.
Margaret’s Story About Outpatient Hysterectomy
When I first found out about outpatient hysterectomy, I really couldn’t believe it! Major surgery you just get up and walk away from? I had a hard time getting my head around it at first, because I remember when my grandma had her hysterectomy in the 80s and she was in bed for weeks. I guess things have really changed since then. My husband jokingly called it “drive through surgery.”
My hysterectomy went just as they told me it would… I arrived at 7:30 am to be prepped for surgery and I was in my husband’s car headed home by 4:00 pm. Since my hysterectomy had no complications, we started talking about checking out just a couple hours after I woke up from surgery. The nurses just had to make sure I could drink, go to the bathroom and stand up without feeling faint. My doctor came in to check on me and he said I was doing great and he could discharge me to recover from hysterectomy at home. I was really surprised that it all went so smoothly.
I was also surprised at how good I felt the next day. I know some people have different experiences after hysterectomy, but I felt good all around. The biggest pain I had was pressure in my shoulders from the gas that had been used during surgery. I had 3 incisions on my stomach with little bandages on them, but they really didn’t hurt at all. My belly was swollen and I felt sore… I certainly wasn’t going to the gym any time soon but I felt like I could walk slowly around my house without any issue.
Honestly the hardest part of hysterectomy surgery for me was reminding myself to slow down. I was feeling pretty good but I had to tell myself to take it easy for a few days. I went back to work the next week after my hysterectomy. I was so thankful that I didn’t have to take a ton of time off. I would recommend outpatient hysterectomy to anyone who asked.
Content Sponsored by: MIRI Women – The Minimally Invasive Reproductive Surgery Institute (MIRI) brings together highly skilled, board-certified specialists who are focused on women’s health. Our team of professionals is trained in advanced gynecology, specifically hysterectomy surgery. Philosophically, our partner physicians take a “less is more” approach to health care, by first treating patients with the most conservative therapies. MIRI focuses on physical healing, while emphasizing that a patient’s emotional well-being is just as important.
