Frequently Asked Questions after Gynecologic Surgery

1. What discomfort is possible after surgery? After surgery, the short term is a more difficult stage, the trauma of the surgery will lead to pain in the wound and in the pelvis, the degree of pain varies from person to person, and the nature of the pain also varies according to the way of surgery. Laparoscopic surgery is usually a small wound, and we usually add local anesthetic to the wound site, so the pain will be better. After surgery on the uterus or ovaries, there will still be trauma on the pelvic peritoneum, so there will still be a little bit of pain in the stomach, which is usually relieved after rest. The other obvious thing about laparoscopic surgery is the peritoneal irritation caused by the abdominal gas. Since carbon dioxide gas will be filled into the abdominal cavity during the surgery, even though it will be released after the surgery, the carbon dioxide absorbed during the surgery will lead to peritoneal and diaphragm irritation in the postoperative period, which will manifest itself in the form of abdominal pain and pain in the shoulder area. After the operation, we usually bring some oral painkillers with us when we leave the hospital. If you feel pain, you can take them, and the duration of pain varies from person to person, the more minimally invasive the operation, the less pain you will feel. Another common reaction after surgery is nausea and vomiting caused by anesthesia, the degree of which varies from person to person. Generally, it will be relieved within 24 hours after surgery as the anesthesia is metabolized. If the reaction is severe after the operation, the doctor can also give some anti-emetic drugs to relieve the symptoms. 2.How long do I need to keep the urinary catheter? Generally, the urinary catheter needs to be kept until the morning of the second day after the operation. If there is gauze in the vagina, the urinary catheter needs to be kept until the gauze is removed from the vagina. If it is open surgery, postoperative epidural tube with painkillers, generally need to retain the urinary catheter for 24 hours. 3.How long should I keep the drainage tube after surgery? After surgery, if a drain is put in, the purpose is usually to drain out the blood left inside the stomach, so as not to accumulate in the body and lead to fever, usually, the drainage flow is less, the body temperature is normal, you can pull out the drain tube, usually the drain tube is fixed with a wire, pulling out a little bit uncomfortable. If it is a vaginal drain, the doctor will need to pull it a little harder. After the tube is removed, if there is blood oozing from the wound where the tube was removed, it is usually good to put pressure on it, and in some cases, if there is more blood and fluid oozing, it may need to be partially sutured. If there is an anastomosis in the body, it is generally necessary to remove the drain after the anastomosis is clear. 4, postoperative venting open surgery is usually in 2-3 days after surgery venting, laparoscopic surgery faster, generally 1-2 days after surgery can be venting. 5.Postoperative diet what need to pay attention to Generally if there is no special, do not have to wait for the exhaust before eating. Our concept is to hope that the patient can resume normal diet as soon as possible. For laparoscopic surgery, we usually allow patients to eat semi-fluid food 6 hours after surgery, and then gradually change from semi-fluid food to general food on the second day after surgery, and adjust the diet according to their own body reaction. The recovery of open surgery is slightly slower, you can’t eat on the day of surgery, you can eat fluids on the 2nd day of surgery, and then gradually go to semi-fluid food and general food. 6.Is it normal to have fever? It is normal to have low-grade fever within one week after the operation. Generally, it is easy to have low-grade fever in the afternoon and evening, and the axillary gauge will not exceed 38.5℃, which is usually related to the absorption of blood clots in the pelvic cavity. 7.How long do I need to be hospitalized? Usually, our minimally invasive surgeries only require 1 day of hospitalization, some hysteroscopic surgeries can be discharged on the same day after surgery, and laparoscopic surgeries are usually discharged early on the 2nd day after surgery. Open surgery is relatively longer hospitalization, usually 3 days to recover a little better can be discharged. 8, what need to pay attention to the activities of the day after surgery, if the situation permits, the anesthesia response can also go down to the ground, if you can not go down to the ground, in order to reduce the formation of venous thrombosis, active or passive stretching activities in bed, is also helpful, generally minimally invasive surgery, the second day down to the ground is usually no obstacle, open abdominal surgery, if the pain of the wounds affects the ground, it is recommended that as far as possible, passive movement in bed, if possible, to the extent that the wound is not a good idea. For those who have undergone open abdominal surgery, if the wound pain affects their ability to get down to the floor, it is recommended that they perform passive movements in bed as much as possible. It is recommended to have someone to assist you when you get down to the floor for the first time. After being discharged from the hospital, it is not necessary to stay in bed every day, and the amount of activity is suitable for those who do not feel tired. 9. What will be the reaction of the wound? The pain of the wound will usually become less and less with time. If necessary, you can also take oral painkillers to relieve the pain, so there is no need to endure it. At present, we usually put a layer of adhesive on the wound, and you can tear off the wound dressing on the 2nd day after the operation, and you can take a shower. If the wound needs to be removed after surgery, laparoscopic wounds can usually be removed 2-3 days after surgery, open surgery is the 6th to 7th day after surgery can be removed, one week after the removal of the wound dressing can be removed, and after 1 week can be dipped in water to take a shower. Starting from 2 weeks after surgery, the wound may be a little itchy, which is a normal reaction. If there is pus or more oozing from the wound, you need to go to the hospital to find a doctor. 10. Why does the vagina bleed? Whether it is hysteroscopic surgery or laparoscopic surgery, vaginal bleeding may occur after the operation, in many cases it is related to the operation in the vagina, such as placing the uterus lifter, this kind of bleeding is usually not too much, and it usually does not last for more than 2 weeks. If there is more bleeding that reaches the amount of menstruation, we will rule out menstruation first, and if it is not a menstruation problem, we need to go to the hospital to seek the doctor’s help. 11.When will my period come? Usually, surgery does not affect menstruation, except for ovarian surgery, if the corpus luteum is removed during the surgery, it may lead to early menstruation. Individuals who have disturbed menstruation are related to the stress of the surgery, so they don’t need to do the treatment in a hurry and observe for a period of time. Many pelvic surgery patients will have a heavier reaction when they have their first period after surgery, which is related to the congestion and inflammation of the pelvic local trauma, usually no special treatment is needed, if the reaction is heavier, you can also take painkillers. 12.How long can I go to work? This is usually different from person to person, many patients after laparoscopic hysteroscopic surgery after one week after surgery to resume normal work, but it must be within the limits of their ability, if there is no discomfort, do not strain, early work can be, hospitals generally open one month after surgery, hysterectomy is a month of sick leave, 6 weeks of sick leave, if necessary, you can come to the clinic to review the time and then extend the leave. 13.How long can I have sex? After hysterectomy, sex should be prohibited for 3 months, other non-uterine surgery, generally in the second month after surgery can resume sex, some ovarian cysts or hysteroscopic surgery, if there is a plan to fight for pregnancy, then the next menstrual period can be resumed after sex. 14.When can I know the pathology results? Generally speaking, if there is no special case, the pathology result after surgery will be available after 1 week. In individual cases, difficult cases may require further immunohistochemistry, which may take longer, and if the immunohistochemistry is required, it may need to pay some additional fees. If the frozen pathology is sent during the operation, a formal paraffin section pathology report will be sent again about 1 week after the operation. In most cases, the two results are consistent, but there are also 5% of cases that are not consistent. If there is any abnormality in the pathology results, we will usually contact you by phone. 15.How long will it take to come back for review? Generally, if you need to follow up within a short period of time, such as after an ectopic pregnancy surgery, you need to come back for weekly checkups, denial of general surgery, the checkup is one month after surgery, and for hysterectomy surgery, the checkup is 6 weeks after surgery. The doctor usually needs to know the general condition of the body, check the wound and the abdomen, and if necessary, may also carry out another ultrasound or blood tests, ultrasound is usually carried out about 3 months after the operation.