Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Patient Education
ABOUT YOUR SURGERY
Total Vaginal Hysterectomy and Removal
of the Ovaries (Laparoscopic):
After Hospital Care
If you have any
questions or
concerns, please
ask your doctor
or nurse.
The following will provide helpful information to assist you as
you recover from a hysterectomy. Be sure to follow any added
guidelines provided by your doctor or nurse.
Activity
Your activity level is limited by how your body feels. Feeling tired
is expected for 2 to 3 weeks after surgery. Try to get a good night’s
sleep. Taking pain medicine before activity and at bedtime may
be helpful. Rest if you get tired but do not lie down or sit for long
periods of time during the day. This may increase your risk for
blood clots. When sitting, elevate your feet. It is also important get
up and walk every 1 to 2 hours while you are awake.
Slowly increase your activity and the distance you walk each day.
You may climb stairs. For the first 6 weeks, do not lift more than
10 pounds (about the weight of a gallon of milk). Avoid strenuous
physical activity (jogging, sit-ups) for 4 weeks or until you talk with
your doctor at your follow-up visit.
Work
Your surgeon will let you know when you are able to return to work. It will depend on your
work and its demands. Talk with your doctor at your first post-surgery visit.
Sexual Activity
Many people have questions about resuming sexual activity after surgery. Check with your
doctor before resuming sexual activity. Often, after 6 weeks, if you feel good and are well
rested, sexual activity may be resumed. Avoid positions that strain the incision site.
Driving
Do not drive for the first week after surgery. Do not drive if you are taking narcotic pain
medicine.
Diet
You may resume your normal diet. If you are taking narcotic pain medicine, do not drink
any alcohol.
At first your appetite may be poor. Eat small meals with healthy snacks between meals.
Smaller, rather than larger meals will help to relieve any nausea. Foods high in protein
will promote healing. Make sure your diet includes fruits and vegetables. This and
drinking extra fluids help prevent constipation. Follow any guidelines provided by the
dietitian or your doctor.
To avoid nausea, be sure to take pain medicine with food. Contact your doctor if:
■ If nausea and vomiting persist for more than 2 days.
■ You are unable to hold any fluids or food down for more than 8 hours.
Bathing
You may shower but no tub baths. Follow your doctor’s guidelines about when you may
resume taking tub baths.
Incision Care
You will have 3 to 5 small incisions on your abdomen. These incisions may have either:
■ Sutures that will dissolve on their own over the next few weeks. Use a mild soap
to gently clean your incision. Be sure to carefully pat the area dry. Avoid lotions,
creams, or powders near wound.
■ Dermabond® is a skin “glue” that forms a protective barrier that will not loosen
when it get wet. As your skin heals, the Dermabond® dissolves.
Wear cotton panties. There is no need for a dressing.
Vaginal Drainage
You can expect slight spotting for up to 2 to 4 weeks after surgery. This may be pink, red,
or brownish. There should be no offensive odor. You may also see small pieces of black
or blue suture (string). As the incision at the top of your vagina heals, the sutures used
to close that area are expelled. Be sure to report any changes or bleeding more than a
small amount on a panty liner.
It is important not to insert anything into the vagina until you talk with the doctor or
nurse at your 6 week follow-up visit. Do not douche, use tampons or have intercourse.
Medications
It is common to have pain after surgery. You may note discomfort from the incisions,
“gas” pain and muscle aches. Taking a warm shower often helps to relieve pain. Getting
up and moving about can ease some of the discomfort.
2
Most often your doctor will prescribe a narcotic pain medicine. Take this pain medicine
regularly, as directed, for the first few days after surgery. Sometimes, your doctor
may also have you take Motrin® every 6 hours, 2 hours after taking the narcotic pain
medicine. These drugs work together to help relieve pain. As you begin to feel better you
can stop the narcotic and take the Motrin® alone. This should help control your pain,
allow you to be more active and promote healing.
For mild discomfort, you may take plain Tylenol® (acetaminophen). Follow dose
directions, but do not take more than 4,000 mg of acetaminophen in 24 hours. This
includes other medicines that you may be taking.
■ Many medicines including narcotic pain medicines have acetaminophen in them. Be
sure to read labels carefully or check with your pharmacist to be sure. It is important
that you look at your total intake of acetaminophen. Do not take more 4,000 mg of
acetaminophen in 24 hours.
■ Talk with your doctor about 24-hour limits that may be proper for you. Patients who
are fasting/undernourished, have diabetes, are taking isoniazid, or are frequent
alcohol users may need to limit acetaminophen to just 2,000 to 3,000 mg per day – in
divided doses. It is possible your doctor may tell you not to take acetaminophen at all.
Note:
Be sure to tell you doctor if you take a “blood thinning” medicine (warfarin) or
Plavix™. Ibuprofen (Motrin®) may not be taken with these medicines. Once you are
no longer taking your narcotic pain medicine, you doctor may suggest taking overthecounter Tylenol® (acetaminophen) for minor discomfort.
Your pain should lessen each day. If you have severe pain not controlled with
medication, please contact your doctor.
Pain medicine may cause constipation. To help ease these effects, drink plenty of
fluids along with eating fiber or bran. Also, your doctor may prescribe Colace® (a stool
softener) or Metamucil®/Citrucel®. You may buy these over-the-counter medicines at
a drug store. Take it as directed. If constipation persists, Senokot® or Milk of Magnesia
may be taken. After 3 days if you do not have a bowel movement, contact your doctor’s
office.
When to Call Your Doctor
Contact your doctor/clinic nurse if you note any of the following:
■ Oral temperature over 100.4° F.
■ Foul-smelling discharge.
■ Bleeding heavier than a small amount of spotting on a panty liner.
■ Pain which is not helped by pain med.
■ No bowel movement for 3 days.
■ Pain or burning with urination.
■ New signs or symptoms that concern you.
3
Doctor’s Appointments
Follow-up visits are important after you leave the hospital. Your doctor or nurse will tell
you when your first post-surgery visit should be. (It may be as soon as 1 week or up to
4 to 6 weeks later.).
If you do not have an appointment set up at the time of discharge from the hospital – please call your surgeon’s office when you get home.
Questions
If you have any concerns at home, please call your doctor.
Northwestern Medicine – Health Information Resources
For more information, contact Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s Alberto Culver Health Learning
Center (HLC) at [email protected], or by calling 312.926.5465. You may also visit the HLC on the 3rd floor,
Galter Pavilion at 251 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL. Health information professionals can help you find the
information you need and provide you with personal support at no charge.
For more information about Northwestern Medicine, please visit our website at nm.org.
Para asistencia en español, por favor llamar al Departamento de Representantes para Pacientes al 312.926.3112.
The entities that come together as Northwestern Medicine are committed to representing the communities we serve, fostering a culture of inclusion, delivering
culturally competent care, providing access to treatment and programs in a nondiscriminatory manner and eliminating healthcare disparities. For questions, please
call either Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s Patient Representatives Department at 312.926.3112, TDD/TTY 312.926.6363, the Northwestern Lake Forest Patient
Relations manager at 847.535.8282 and/or the Northwestern Medical Group Patient Representatives Department at 312.695.1100, TDD/TTY 312.926.6363.
Developed by: NMH Gynecology/Gynecologic Oncology Nursing with the Department of Gynecology/Gynecologic Oncology
©October 2016 Northwestern Memorial HealthCare
900852 (10/16) Total Vaginal Hysterectomy and Removal of the Ovaries (Laparoscopic): After Hospital Care