davinci method

Can anyone who used the davinci method give me an idea how long it usually takes and how it went?

When my gyn onc recomended the daVinci, I was newly diagnosed and did not know anything about it . He suggested I visit the web site, which I did, and I was very impressed with what I saw there.

My procedure took 4 hours. The gyn onc said it took an extra hour because I am a plus size woman and my colon kept on getting in the way!

I have had no complications during or after surgery. Although I had a catheter at first, I was able to urinate without much trouble when it was removed. I ate dinner a few hours afterward. No nausea at all.

The gas and constipation from the vicodin I took at home for the pain were much more uncomfortable than the five small incisions I had. They closed the incisions with stitches inside and glue on the surface and covered four of them with band-aids. The fifth incision, which was a little bigger, had steri-strips instead.

I spent one night in the hospital. My surgery was at 7:30 a.m. Monday and at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, the nurse was asking me if I wanted to go home. I was released by my gyn onc without any restrictions two weeks afterward. I returned to work the next day, starting half days at first. If I had it to do again, I would have stayed home another week just to get a little more rest.

As you can tell, I am a big fan of this procedure. I remember what a terrible time my mother had with healing after her total abdominal hysterectomy and mine seems like a breeze in comparison.

Best wishes to you. Feel free to pm me if you wish.

My doctor told me 4-5 hours. My surgery went fine except due to the severe endometriosis, he had to open to finish the surgery. Even though I had part of my surgery DaVinci and finished traditional, my recovery went very well. Had to spend a few extra days at the hospital but was out shopping and having lunch 3 days after getting home. Good luck with your surgery. See you on the other side.

I don't know how long my surgery took, according to my husband only a few hours, maybe 2? I'm a 113 pound girl, which is why the first oncologist I saw sent me for the DaVinci, he said it would be so easy for me and the surgeon. I was home the next day, and on the 3rd day I felt lousy, and it's been nothing but uphill since! The DaVinci method is great, I just have these 5 teeny little incisions . I did have some trouble with my bladder after the surgery, it took along time for it to calm down, it hurt, I couldn't empty it, I leaked alot, but now that has stopped. Everyone recovers differently. If you can have it DaVinci, do it!

I'm another DaVinci girl and I can't say enough good things about it.

I had an ovary removed 13 years ago via normal laparoscopy (bilateral dermoids - one ovary totally removed and one ovary partially removed). The cysts were so large that they had to do an additional bikini incision of about 3 inches. Recovery from that surgery was *very* difficult and took a long time.

Now I am 8 days post a DaVinci hysterectomy (took everything, including the remaining ovary) and the difference in how I feel post surgery is amazing. I am walking around and able to take care of myself, I can lie on my belly if I want, I don't have to have anyone here with me, and my doctor has cleared my for just about everything (other than strenuous exercise or intercourse). I have some significant pain, but it's mostly around bowel issues and gas, which is nowhere near as bad as what I experienced with the previous surgery, especially at 8 days post surgery.

I would recommend any abdominal surgery to be done this way if possible.

Oh, and my surgeon said that the uterus/fibroid was so large that there would have been no way that we could have gotten it out with anything else other than a full abdominal incision, so I am really grateful that I found this method when I did!


(ETA: I believe my surgery took just under 3 hours.)