Upcoming surgery 11/26: Tell me about the INCISION - Vaginal Hysterectomy

Ladies,

I see a lot of stories about vaginal hysterectomies, but no one mentions anything about the incision. It is one of my biggest concerns (my pre-op is schedule for 8 Nov/surgery is scheduled for 26 Nov). This site describes the procedure as "The doctor removes the uterus and cervix through a cut in the vagina. As with the TAH the top of the vagina is repaired by being sewn to form the vaginal cuff." What does that mean exactly...a cut in the top of the vagina? I've also read there could be 100+ stitches. Did this procedure make your vaginal opening larger? Do any of you deal with or have problems with scar tissue? I would appreciate hearing your experiences with this portion of your surgery.

Thanks

Right now your cervix is attached at the top of your vagina. Your surgeon will have to cut it loose before bringing the cervix and uterus down through the vagina. Then the top of the vagina is sewn up. This is known as the "vaginal cuff." Once the cuff heals properly, it's pretty durable. Mine has held up quite nicely and it's going on five years now.

None of this makes your exterior vaginal opening larger. That opening is pretty elastic. Remember, babies come out of there! :-)

And yes, you're going to have a lot of stitches. A hysterectomy done by any means is major surgery. That's why it's so important to allow your body time (weeks, not days) to recover and to follow any restrictions you're given by your doctor.

Some women find it useful to google YouTube videos of their surgery. That wasn't something I wanted to do myself, but you may have a stronger stomach than I do.

Hi there!

I have mine scheduled for 11/12. It has been super helpful to watch videos of the actual procedure (if you can stomach them.)

My doc explained it in my pre-op yesterday: make an insicion around the cervix, move the bladder and rectum out of the way, separate the uterus from the ovaries and tubes, pull it out of the vagina, and stitch it up.

I have watched hours of surgical videos. It is really interesting.

Good luck!!

SurprisedInNB,

Thank you so much for replying. I just wasn't finding a clear description through searching the past couple days and no, I cannot do videos. This helps me form more questions I will need for my preop tomorrow. That makes sense. I plan on making a point to rest so I can come back strong in the end.

Mtn.chic

Smcleod1281,

Thank you for the response. Hm, no, I cannot stomach the videos. I thought about it, but nope. This will help me with questions at my preop tomorrow.

Mtn.chic

Just from a personal perspective. My older brothers are both doctors and are insistent that vaginal hysterectomy is superior to any other type. Not all women are candidates for this, but given a choice, vaginal hysterectomies are considered the superior alternative.

	Quote:
Originally Posted by daffodil50 Just from a personal perspective. My older brothers are both doctors and are insistent that vaginal hysterectomy is superior to any other type. Not all women are candidates for this, but given a choice, vaginal hysterectomies are considered the superior alternative.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) agrees. Vaginal hysterectomies are considered the method of choice when the surgery is being done for reasons other than cancer.

The one drawback, as I see it, is that doctors really should make sure their patients know that other methods may allow the patient to keep her cervix, which a vaginal hysterectomy does not. Not all patients *want* to keep their cervices, of course, but the patient needs to have this information in order to provide informed consent.

	Quote:
Originally Posted by Mtn.chic Ladies, I see a lot of stories about vaginal hysterectomies, but no one mentions anything about the incision. It is one of my biggest concerns (my pre-op is schedule for 8 Nov/surgery is scheduled for 26 Nov). This site describes the procedure as "The doctor removes the uterus and cervix through a cut in the vagina. As with the TAH the top of the vagina is repaired by being sewn to form the vaginal cuff." What does that mean exactly...a cut in the top of the vagina? I've also read there could be 100+ stitches. Did this procedure make your vaginal opening larger? Do any of you deal with or have problems with scar tissue? I would appreciate hearing your experiences with this portion of your surgery. Thanks

http://www.aagl.org/2013syllabus/ST4.pdf

This article may be helpful. I have heard it is about 10 stitches required in the cuff.