TAH: Hysterectomy scheduled for August 12th! Anyone else with autoimmune disease and immunity disorder? Please weigh in

I'm new here, but I'm a nurse & I understand the surgical part of the surgery. Only thing is, I'm schedule for outpatient surgery after a TAH! Not one night in the hospital! I have an autoimmune disease, Ankylosing Spondylitis, & I have an immunity disorder. I know leaving the hospital as soon as possible is better for me in preventing infection. But my AS causes pain & w/the post-op pain, I'm worried about being able to make it at home! I will have help & won't be alone. Just wonder if anyone else ever experienced anything like this.

Hi there!
I'm scheduled for TAH/ BSO on August 12, too! I don't have an answer for your question, but just wanted to chime in and wish you (and me) luck this Friday!

to HysterSisters! Frequently hospitals will schedule a Hysterectomy as an outpatient procedure. However, "outpatient" can often mean up to a 23 hour stay, where you are released the next morning or afternoon. Rest assured, they will not release you if your pain is not well controlled. You will be monitored to make sure you are able to urlnate on your own, pass gas, keep food down, and walk without assistance before you are released. If they try to release you before you feel ready, speak up and assert your rights as a patient. You may want to have a family member or friend with you to advocate for you if they try to release you too soon. Make sure that your entire medical and surgical team is aware of your AS. The nurses, doctors, and aesthesiologists all need to know about it. This way they can coordinate care to formulate the best possible treatment plan for you.

Chronic Health Concerns and Hysterectomy

I don't have an autoimmune disorder that causes pain (I have psoriasis), but I can tell you that my 24 hour stay was actually only until 3 pm the day after my surgery. As another poster pointed out, "outpatient" usually means less than 24 hours. They won't let you go if your pain is not controlled with medication. My surgery was at 9:30 am, and I stayed the night and was discharged 3 pm the next day, once they had me off the IV and on oral medication. So far, no infections, which is wonderful because the last time I had a surgery, I stayed longer and did get an infection.

Make sure you wash your tummy with the special antibacterial cleanser they provide or recommend. My instructions were to wash the night before, and the morning of. Believe me, I scrubbed like mad! I believe this went a long way towards preventing infections, since I didn't have this done with my last surgery (it was a more emergency situation.)

Also, the week prior, try to minimize your exposure to public places. I didn't do this, but I should have. I was, however, using sanitizing gel every time I went to the store and washing my hands like crazy.

Doing a TAH on an "outpatient" (23-hour stay) basis sounds really optimistic to me. We do have one sister who had a TAH and was happy to go home early the next day. Me, I was happy for my three-day stay, although I declined an option to stay a fourth day.

Make sure your doctor is fully aware of your home conditions. For example, in my case I live alone. Also, I had a two-hour ride home. I didn't have stairs to contend with, but that would be something else to mention.

Also make sure that your doctor and the nurses are aware of how you feel after surgery. If you're in pain or even discomfort, if you're nauseous, if you get dizzy every time you stand up - make sure they know that!

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Originally Posted by sandieggo1 Hi there! I'm scheduled for TAH/ BSO on August 12, too! I don't have an answer for your question, but just wanted to chime in and wish you (and me) luck this Friday!

Good luck!!

Thank you everyone that replied!! I thought outpatient meant I went home the same day as surgery! (Like after I woke up!). I feel relieved that I may stay one night at least! I DO make sure everyone knows I have AS. I'm not quiet about it. I'll make sure my husband or adult daughter speak up if they try to send me home too soon.
Thanks for the support!!

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Originally Posted by Cajundaegoes Thank you everyone that replied!! I thought outpatient meant I went home the same day as surgery! (Like after I woke up!). I feel relieved that I may stay one night at least! I DO make sure everyone knows I have AS. I'm not quiet about it. I'll make sure my husband or adult daughter speak up if they try to send me home too soon. Thanks for the support!!

Make sure you verify with your doctor's office about the expected length of your stay. Do not worry about calling the office and asking to speak to a nurse; I must have called about four times the week before surgery, just to confirm things and ask questions. They had no problem whatsoever. So even if you read here that outpatient is 23 hours, verify it with your doctor.