Two questions on surgery post-op care
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I'm not sure how long I was in recovery (an hour or two maybe), I was in the hospital for three days in total, was up and walking the night of the surgery, and showered the next day. They have waterproof dressings that are perfect for going into the shower.
What does the plot NEED to have happen?
#1. How long would a person be in recovery after having an ovary removed?
How long in the hospital?
How long do you need them to be there
If can be an hour in recovery or several (for medical or non-medical reasons like waiting for a room to get ready)
In-hospital stay can be 0 to as long as you need it to be if we brong in complications.
How long would they have to wait before they could shower or get the incision site wet?
Depends on the incision type. A week is how long the BF had ot wait for his leg incisions.
#1. How long would a person be in recovery after having an ovary removed?
How long in the hospital?
How long do you need them to be there
If can be an hour in recovery or several (for medical or non-medical reasons like waiting for a room to get ready) In-hospital stay can be 0 to as long as you need it to be if we brong in complications.
How long would they have to wait before they could shower or get the incision site wet?
Depends on the incision type. A week is how long the BF had ot wait for his leg incisions.
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The dressing looks like a little plastic window that you slap over the incision, so its sticky around the edges but there is nothing that sticks to the stitches/staples, and it keeps the site nice and dry. I had staples, and they were pulled on day three.
I don't know how long I was in recovery after my surgery (ruptured fallopian tube) but I think it was about an hour or two. I was vomiting heavily from the anesthetic because I had eaten just a couple hours before the surgery (it was an emergency), so I was in there longer than usual. I spent 4 days in the hospital. And I didn't shower during that time because I could barely get out of bed. No stitches though, just some tape...I had three incisions.
If the person has eaten 12 hours prior to surgury, yes, they'd lose it. Anesthesia does that. Also with a rupture you have longer surgery to clean up the mess, higher risk of inflammation, and secondary infections, longer recovery time, more pain.
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My DB (Darling Bride) went through this last month. It was intended to be day surgery. We were first ones in, arriving at 6 that morning. They took her back for surgery at 7 and came to get me at about 9:30. She had a tumor and the ovary it was attached to removed. It was done lapiroscopically (sp?). They cut three openings, each about a half inch long. One on each side of her navel, about 3 inches away from the navel. The other, in the navel. They sucked something the size of a grapefruit through her belly button. And then, they came out and showed me pictures.
I've now seen my wife's uterus, the now removed ovary and tumor, and the remaining ovary, all from the inside.
My wife had some problems with the anesthesiology. She tried to come out to soon, and they "hit her" with some morphine.
Thus, we were the last ones out of "Day Surgery". They wouldn't let her go home until she could walk to the bathroom and back by herself, eat and keep something down. She had a lot of nausea, and that slowed us down.
We finally left about 9 that night. By the way, she remembers none of it. And she's doing good now. (everything benign, and good to go.)
And the Day Surgery recovery area was THE loudest place in the entire hospital. Hope this helps.
I've now seen my wife's uterus, the now removed ovary and tumor, and the remaining ovary, all from the inside.
My wife had some problems with the anesthesiology. She tried to come out to soon, and they "hit her" with some morphine.
Thus, we were the last ones out of "Day Surgery". They wouldn't let her go home until she could walk to the bathroom and back by herself, eat and keep something down. She had a lot of nausea, and that slowed us down.
We finally left about 9 that night. By the way, she remembers none of it. And she's doing good now. (everything benign, and good to go.)
And the Day Surgery recovery area was THE loudest place in the entire hospital. Hope this helps.
Thank you. This is perfect for my MC. Her fallopian tube also ruptures, which is why her ovary has to be removed. Anything else you think is relevant? Everyone in my family who has had surgery of any kind has vomited from the anesthetic, regardless of whether or not they ate first, but I would suspect eating would make it much much worse. Sorry to hear of your emergency. Hope you are all better.
Mine was because of an ectopic pregnancy that ruptured the tube. They left the ovary though.
I'd had a big piece of chocolate cake about 2 hours before the surgery. I vomited for two days even with medicine to help the nausea. I can't describe the depth of pain you get when vomiting after abdominal surgery. I would gladly pop out a 10 lb baby without pain meds than do that again.
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Thank you. This is perfect for my MC. Her fallopian tube also ruptures, which is why her ovary has to be removed. Anything else you think is relevant? Everyone in my family who has had surgery of any kind has vomited from the anesthetic, regardless of whether or not they ate first, but I would suspect eating would make it much much worse. Sorry to hear of your emergency. Hope you are all better.
The reason behind not eating before having anesthesia is to avoid vomiting and aspirating into your lungs. In the case of an emergency, however, one doesn't know she's going to have surgery so soon!
I had one of my tubes removed, but still have both ovaries.
(well over 20 years ago.)
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Thank you. These are all helpful. It doesn't matter how long the MC stays in the hospital. I just wanted it realistic. The only person I know who had this done had an ectopic pregnancy and they removed the whole fallopian tube and her ovary, which hadn't received enough blood supply and had "died". Everyone in my family who has had surgery has vomited afterward, but not for days. God, how awful. You have my sympathies, Kristie. And Willebee, I'm so thankful your wife doesn't remember. "Day surgery" is an oxymoron at best. I hate the healthcare system. I spent half a day friday being poked and prodded by a surgeon who was going to perform carpal tunnel surgery on me. Then he said it was a no go because I might need cubital tunnel surgery instead. OMG, I think I'll just stop typing for a while. Problem solved.
Now I have a personal question, so if you don't want to answer at all or want to PM me, that's way okay. When you have an ectopic pregnancy, do you miss your periods and have all the other pregnancy symptoms or not? In the storyline I have, she doesn't, but she has cramps prior to being admitted into surgery. I'm going to make sure she doesn't eat for many hours beforehand. Don't want to make her go through what you did. Thank you so much to everyone. If I missed giving rep points to anyone, please let me know.And, of course, I'm still looking for any other stories anyone has even if they're only remotely related. You can never have too much background.
The ovaries are where the eggs are. The periods are a result of the hormones affecting the uterus, so unless they do a hysterectomy the periods will continue. Some if not most women will still ovulate with every period as well so long as there is still one ovary left. (We have spare parts. You generally only need one gonad.)
For an ectopic pregnancy, if it is figured out very early there is a chance it might be taken care of laparoscopically, but chances are it will be an open procedure, probably 1-2 hours. It could be either a vertical or horizontal incision. Horizontal (pfannenstiel) has less postop pain and lowered chance of complications but not as good exposure during the surgery, so it is a judgement call which you get. The problem with food in your stomach is that if you throw up while you are still half asleep from the anesthetic you have a higher risk of aspirating the vomit. Most people will have ileus for 1-5 days post op (the intestines take longer to wake up than your brain) if you try to eat during ileus it worsens the vomitting and makes it last longer.
Hope you don't mind if I stir the pot a bit :}
Think of your MC's state of mind: does she want children and now it'll be more difficult? Did she think she was pregnant and losing this part makes her feel less capable of motherhood? Does her partner (if she has one) feel better or worse that there may or may not be children?
Is this a problem with the MC's family, aunts, cousins, etc., that she might have expected or known about it but hoped it'd never happen to her?
Does the Dr find something usual that will cause more problems later?
Think of your MC's state of mind: does she want children and now it'll be more difficult? Did she think she was pregnant and losing this part makes her feel less capable of motherhood? Does her partner (if she has one) feel better or worse that there may or may not be children?
Is this a problem with the MC's family, aunts, cousins, etc., that she might have expected or known about it but hoped it'd never happen to her?
Does the Dr find something usual that will cause more problems later?
This is from a site called bodyandhealthcanada.com. (Quick google on "ectopic pregnancy menstruate" found it)
Irregular vaginal bleeding or a missed period can be a sign of an ectopic pregnancy, although some women with an ectopic pregnancy continue to menstruate. Most ectopic pregnancies are discovered before the woman even knows she's pregnant.
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No. You bleed but you are not having a period.
And the time frame is short. You have a fertilized ovum that didn't travel out of the fallopian tube after it was fertilized. It's supposed to move on into the uterus, but it starts to implant itself outside of the uterus, in any number of places. The woman starts bleeding, and literally within a week or two of the implant, she will have such horrendous pain that she will go to a hospital to seek treatment.
Sometimes the pain is from rupture, either her tube or ovary, and someplace it's just about to rupture. The pain is intense. If the embryo isn't surgically removed, the woman will continue to bleed until she dies, and/or a horrendous infection would set in because of dead tissue.
Just a bit from my own experience with a hernia operation. When I got home after the surgery (no hospital stay) I developed the worst headache I have ever had. My wife pestered the doctor but he was not sympathetic and no help. I took Tylenol, which helped a bit. Then my sister-in-law said try coffee, you've been without it for 24 hours. Coffee did it. I was suffering caffeine withdrawal.