A Complete Guide On How To Prepare For Hysterectomy Surgery

Hysterectomy is an aggressive surgical procedure required in cases of serious medical conditions that affect women. The entire uterus is surgically removed from the body because of conditions like cancer, uterine prolapse, abdominal bleeding, and fibroids. After going through a hysterectomy surgery, women can’t get pregnant anymore or continue their menstrual cycles. 

Based on the types of hysterectomy surgery performed, in some cases, the ovaries along with the uterus are removed from the body. Going through this surgery can be anxiety-inducing because it is a big change for anyone’s life. However, there are ways you can properly process your emotions and prepare for the surgery to ensure the optimal surgical outcome. So, let’s explore how to best prepare for hysterectomy and all the things you need to know about it.

How To Prepare For Hysterectomy Surgery?

The preparation for a procedure like this takes a considerable time because there are various steps you have to go through. Do note that all these steps are not just for medical purposes, some of them are to help you understand and come to terms with the changes your body will go through post-surgery. 

So, let’s start a month before the surgery and from there let’s go through the preparation process up until the day of the surgery itself. Remember, it is okay to feel scared and have mixed feelings. Following these steps will help you get into the right mindset gradually and be properly prepared for the procedure.

A Month Before The Surgery

There are a few things you need to take care of during this period, which would initially help you prepare for the procedure. Do note that these steps take time hence you should start with them at least a month before your surgery.

• Learning: It is important to first know what you are about to go through. It is important to read about the experience, how the procedure is performed, and the steps to recovery. All this information is crucial for you to set your expectations. And that’s the most important step in ensuring the surgery is successful and you are prepared for both what comes before and after it.
   
• Stop Smoking: If you have a smoking habit, now is a good time to quit. This is mainly because your smoking habit can cause complications during the surgery. Smokers can have trouble breathing under general anaesthesia and also recover slower post-surgery compared to non-smokers. Additionally based on the underlying cause of your hysterectomy procedure, it might be a good reason also to quit anyway so as to not cause any further complications to your health.
   
• Exercise Regularly: Even if it is just going for a walk, it’s important that you exercise regularly as it helps manage your blood pressure and blood sugar levels. Keeping other underlying conditions under control before the procedure is important. An all-in-one way to keep yourself healthy and keep your underlying conditions in check is to exercise regularly. Based on your fitness level you can choose to perform any exercise regularly before the surgery.
   
• Manage Body Weight: If you are exercising, it will be a great way for you to manage your body weight too. Being overweight can cause complications during the surgery, especially with anaesthesia. Similarly, being overweight can increase your surgery time and cause more blood loss. You can discuss your weight with your doctor and check if you need to lose weight or not. They can also suggest other methods of weight loss alongside exercising.

A Week Before Surgery

Once you have gone through the previous steps, you will be in a much better position for your surgery. Just a week before the surgery, there are a few more steps you need to take to be completely ready. What are these steps? Let’s find out.

• Pre-Surgical Checkup: Before the surgery, you need to go for a final checkup. The doctors assess your health and determine whether you are best fit for the surgery or not. Since, there is still a week left, any small inconsistencies can be managed in the time left. Also do note that you should ask doctors about your present medications during this visit to ensure nothing you are currently having will cause complications in your surgery.
   
• Increase Liquid Consumption: Having more liquids can prevent conditions like constipation, which is a common post-surgery side effect for women. So, if you take time to increase your liquid consumption over time, it will help against this particular side effect as it can be considerably uncomfortable post-surgery.
   
• Rearrange Your Home: Once you go through surgery, you won’t be able to move around the way you want to, and will require some time to be back to your best form. So, arranging your home in a way where you can easily access all the things you most commonly need is necessary. This will help you with your recovery and not put unnecessary stress on the surgery site while recovering.

A Day Before Surgery

You’re almost ready. A day before the surgery, you need to focus on relaxing your body and getting the necessary rest. You should also focus on eating light and following your doctor’s orders on bowel cleaning before the surgery. They might prescribe an oral medication that will help clear your bowel before the surgery. Apart from this, there is not much else to do today. Just sit back and relax and keep yourself well-rested before the surgery.

The Day of The Surgery

The day is finally here. You have spent an entire month waiting for this day. Your preparation is spot on, and there’s nothing you need to worry about right now. On the morning of your surgery, you should skip your breakfast. The doctors will recommend that you remove all jewellery pieces before going to the hospital. If you have any piece of jewellery that you wear for religious reasons, you can ask your doctor if you can wear it to the hospital or not. And that’s it. You are all ready to go through a hysterectomy.

Ending Note: These are the steps on how to prepare for your hysterectomy procedure. Now that you know what to expect, you have already completed your due diligence on how to prepare for the surgery and are one step closer to going through it. To learn more about the procedure from our experts, feel free to contact us using our website or visit us today. Thanks to our experience working with the best hysterectomy specialists in Delhi, we can offer the best surgical services with a quick recovery and minimal risks.