The Importance of Health Checks

How to recover from a hysterectomy

22 April 2016 by Roberta Craig

Hysterectomies are quite serious procedures that require you to take it easy afterwards to let your body heal after the trauma caused by the surgery. One way to shorten the time of recovery is to get surgery done with the help of robotic surgery, as this is a less invasive method of surgery. However, you will still need to recover after a surgery like this. In order to do that properly so that you fully heal in the shortest time possible, there are a few things you can think about.

Be careful

The main difference between robotic surgery and ordinary surgery is that the recovery time is quicker, as robotic surgery is more precise and therefore leaves less scarring. However, you still need to be very careful with how you move after the surgery. You should also make sure that you don't have to do any lifting for the first few weeks after the surgery. If you have had an abdominal hysterectomy, the recovery time is longer than for, for example, laparoscopy hysterectomies, and you might also be advised to not walk at all for some time following the surgery. If you have had a less invasive type of hysterectomy, you might only need to avoid heavy lifting. Follow your doctor's instructions carefully.

Eat right

Another thing you should think about when recovering from a hysterectomy is to eat right. It's quite common to not feel hungry after a surgery like this, as it puts strain on the body. Some women also feel quite sad after these procedures and might lose their appetite because of that. However, eating right helps your body recover and can also lift your mood. You should make sure you eat a lot of food containing protein, as protein is needed for wounds to heal. Beans, eggs and meat are all good examples of food containing protein. You should also eat food containing iron, such as fish and eggs, as iron helps produce new blood cells and thus speeds up the healing process. You should also think about avoiding sugary foods, as sugar causes your blood sugar levels to fluctuate rapidly which can make you feel very tired.

Drink a lot

A hysterectomy can come with some complications, where the most common ones include bladder problems. You might experience symptoms of urinary tract infection, in which case you need to drink as much as possible to get the infection out of your body. You also need the fluid as your body might come to develop menopausal symptoms where it's possible that you'll sweat more than usual and need the extra fluid to keep the balance in your body right. 

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