Tips To Help You Prepare For A Hysterectomy

Posted on: 26 April 2019

There are lots of reasons that women need to undergo a hysterectomy. No matter what the reason for your surgery, the way that you prep for the surgery will play a big role in how easily and quickly you recover. Here, you'll find a few tips to help you prepare for a hysterectomy, as well as the recovery after.

Take a Shopping Trip

A few days before your surgery is scheduled, get out of the house and do a bit of shopping. You'll need a few things to get ready for surgery, as well as during the recovery. Things to pick up include:

Magnesium Citrate bowel prep – You'll be ordered to clear your bowels before surgery and in many cases, doctors recommend magnesium citrate – it's not the best tasting substance, but if you mix it with Gatorade, it's drinkable without gagging. Just split the bottle of magnesium citrate in 3. Mix a third of the bottle with Gatorade of a similar flavor – grape magnesium citrate with grape Gatorade is pretty good. Drink one after a very light breakfast, one for lunch and another early in the evening. This will get your bowels moving without too much cramping.

Heating Pads – You'll want at least 2 heating pads – one for your lower back and one for the lower abdomen. This will help you stay much more comfortable during the first few days after surgery. After that point, the pain level is very manageable and you'll likely get the itch to get back to your normal routine.

Fiber Packed Snacks – One of the most difficult things you'll do after surgery is pass your bowels. It is painful in many cases and can take several attempts. Keep some fiber-rich snacks in your nightstand so that you can grab one and snack whenever the need hits.

Prepare Freezer Meals

Cooking will be the last thing that you'll want to do for a week or two after surgery, so prepare a few meals and keep them in the freezer. Try finding meal ideas that don't require much time up out of bed – like crock pot recipes that you can pull right from the freezer, put in the crock pot and forget about it for the day.

Talk with your OB GYN doctor to learn more about this life changing surgery. It will not be as bad as you think, but prepare for the worst because you'll want to do as close to nothing as possible for days after.

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