Medical Health Encyclopedia

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.

Text Continues Below

---

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).