Ovarian Cancer - Surgery

If surgical staging reveals that the cancer has invaded the bowel, a portion of the intestine may have to be removed as well.

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Postoperative Care in the First Few Days after Hysterectomy

Postoperative Care. If possible, a patient should ask a family member or friend to help out for the first few days at home. The following are some of the precautions and tips for postoperative care:

For a day or two after surgery, the patient is given medications to prevent nausea and pain killers to relieve pain at the incision site.
As soon as the physician recommends it, usually within a day of the operation, the patient should get up and walk in order to help prevent pneumonia, reduce the risk of blood-clot formation, and to hasten recovery.
Walking and slow, deep breathing exercises may help to relieve gas pains, which can cause major distress for the first few days.
Coughing can cause pain, which may be reduced by holding a pillow over a surgical abdominal wound or by crossing the legs after vaginal surgery.
Patients are advised not to lift heavy objects (including small children), not to douche or take baths, and not to climb stairs or drive for several weeks.
For the first few days after surgery, many women weep frequently and unexpectedly. These mood swings may be due to depression from the loss of reproductive capabilities and form abrupt changes in hormones, particularly if the ovaries have been removed.

The patient should discuss with the physician when exercise programs more intense than walking can be initiated. The abdominal muscles are important for supporting the upper body, and recovering strength may take a long time. Even after the wound has healed, the patient may experience an on-going feeling of overall weakness, which can be demoralizing, particularly in women used to physical health. Some women do not feel completely well for as long as a year; others may recover in only a few weeks.

Complications Following the Procedure. Minor complications after hysterectomy are very common:

Women may develop minor and treatable urinary tract infections.
There is usually light vaginal bleeding and pain after the operation, which can be well-controlled with pain medications.

More serious complications are uncommon but patients should be aware of their symptoms and call the physician immediately if they occur:

Infection occurs in 10% to 15% of patients, with the risk being higher with abdominal than with vaginal surgery. Symptoms might include continuing or increasingly severe pain, fever, heavy discharge, or bleeding. Antibiotics given at the time of surgery help to reduce this risk. Other risk factors for infection appear to be obesity, a longer than normal operative time, and low socioeconomic status.
There is a slight risk for small blood clots, usually in veins of the legs (thrombophlebitis). A sudden swelling or discoloration in the leg can indicate this condition and requires immediate medical attention.

This picture shows a red and swollen thigh and leg caused by a blood clot (thrombus) in the deep veins in the groin (ileofemoral veins) which prevents normal return of blood from the leg to the heart.

Other serious and even life-threatening complications are rare, but include pulmonary embolism (blood clots that travel to the lung), abscesses, perforation of the bowel, fistulas (a passage that bores from an organ to the skin or to another organ), or dehiscence (the opening of the surgical wound).