What's Left After Surgery

This may sound like a stupid question, but I've been wading thru lots of info and haven't figured it out yet. When the uterus and cervix are removed...what's left. It can't just be left as a direct passage from external to internal abdominal cavity, can it?

Hee hee well just yesterday I found out that a Vaginal cap is sewn over the vagina somehow. Kinda funny how I just found this out as I've been without a uterus for nearly 6 years. And whats left if you just have uterus and cervix removed is the ovaries and tubes

I found this description in the Hysterectomy Articles here. It was very helpful to me
"The top of the vagina is repaired by being sewn so that a hole is not left. This is called the vaginal cuff."

Best wishes.

S

When the cervix is removed, a vaginal cuff is created at the internal end. Picture a paper towel tube and folding one end of the tube over to form a cuff and then sewing it.

However, if your cervix remains, then the doctor simply stitches that closed.

You vagina is not left open on the internal end. It can open up if you don't follow your restrictions of "nothing in the vagina" until the doctor OKs it.

So is that why there is so much talk about dilators afterward and pain with intercourse? I can't see how that would "tighten" stuff, just close it off. Sorry to seem ignorant. My nursing background is cardiac and geriatric, not GYN.

Not everyone has pain with intercourse afterwards. For me, it is the result of heavy scarring from endo and adhesions (in addition to no lubrication). Some women have even better sex than before, since they now have no pain.

As to what's left - in addition to the vaginal canal closed off by the vaginal cuff, there are ligaments and blood vessels which have been severed. There are tons of resources out there with graphics, photos - I even watched a web broadcast of a laprascopic hyst prior to my surgery - not for the faint of heart!

Esme