Practical Guidelines for Recovery after Surgery :: The Division of Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital

What can you expect when recovering after a laparoscopic hysterectomy?

You will be sore for at least one week in the lower abdomen
It is normal to have mild vaginal bleeding or spotting for up to 6 weeks after surgery
You should feel a little better every day
You will have three or four small incision on your lower abdomen
The incisions are covered with skin glue that will peel of during the first 2-3 weeks after surgery

Activity

You can walk around and up stairs and do daily choirs except as listed below
You should avoid any strenuous activity or heavy lifting for the first 2 weeks, since this may aggravate your pain
You should avoid vaginal intercourse for 6 weeks after surgery
You can drive as long as you are off the narcotics and with minimal pain

Pain control and other medications

Use the Motrin every 6 to 8 hours for the first 5 days after surgery whether your are having pain or not
Use the narcotics on top of that as needed
Try to use the narcotics sparingly, as they can cause constipation, nausea and drowsiness
Use a stool softener (colace) for two weeks following surgery
If you have not had a bowel movement in 4 to 5 days after surgery you can use over the counter dulcolax suppositories (20 mg up to twice daily) to stimulate a bowel movement

Recovery period

The average time to feeling back to normal is about 3 weeks
The last thing to come back is usually a normal level of energy
Some patients return to work in as little as one week and some as late as 6 weeks after surgery
Try to eat healthy and move around as much as possible during your recovery time

Warning signs - call your doctor!