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Surgery

Enhanced Recovery After Gynecological Surgery

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two women in hospital beds

Enhanced recovery is a program designed to help you recover from surgery safely and return to your normal activities as quickly as possible.

Goals for a Healthy Recovery

Everyone on your care team (primary care doctor, surgeon, anesthesiologist, nurses) will work toward giving you a smooth recovery. Our role in your recovery includes:

  • Helping you understand the surgery process from start to recovery, including how to prepare for it.

  • Reducing the physical stress of surgery. This means:

    • Finishing a carbohydrate beverage 2 hours before surgery (or water, if you are diabetic).

    • Eating up to 8 hours before surgery.

  • Helping you avoid nausea (feeling sick to your stomach).

  • Eating and moving around earlier after surgery.

  • Using multiple methods to control your pain. This will help you eat, drink and move around better after surgery. You’ll also need less opioid pain medicines, so you’ll have fewer side effects.

What Type of Pain Medicine Will I Have?

You will meet with an anesthesiologist (pain doctor) the day of your surgery to talk about the type of pain medicine you will need. You’ll go over the risks and benefits, what to expect and any questions or concerns you may have.

Four methods are used to control pain during surgery:

  • Sedation – medicine given through an IV to relax you.

  • Local anesthesia – an injection to numb the surgery site.

  • Regional anesthesia – an injection that numbs your body from the chest down. It is usually given into your back.

  • General anesthesia – medicine that puts you to sleep for the entire surgery

If you have an incision (surgical cut) on your belly:

You may have a TAP block to lessen any pain from your incision. This is an injection in your belly while you are sedated. You won’t feel it. The TAP block can help numb the incision for 24 to 72 hours, depending on the type of medicine used. Reducing the pain from your incision means you’ll need less opioid pain medicine. It will also make it easier to move, walk and care for yourself.

Will I Stay Overnight in the Hospital?

Most patients go home the day of surgery. Sometimes, depending on the type of surgery you have, you may need to stay for 1 or 2 nights in the hospital. Your surgeon will discuss this with you before your surgery.

Contact MetroPartners OBGYN

If you have any questions about your specific gynecological surgery, it’s best to consult your provider. Give MetroPartners OBGYN a call and schedule an appointment today if you are in need of gynecological surgery.