Recovering After Ovarian Cancer Surgery: The First Few Days
- No two ovarian cancer surgery recoveries are the same, but usually women will be able to get up and walk around the same day or day after
- Doctors like to keep patients in the hospital until they are confident that their bowel function has returned to normal and that their pain is managed
- Complications such as blocked small intestines can occasionally occur after ovarian cancer surgery, so doctors will monitor this closely before deciding when you can be discharged safely
Recovering after ovarian cancer surgery is a different experience for everyone, but most of the time, women are able to be up and walking around on the same day, says Dr. Matthew Carlson, a gynecologic oncologist at UT Southwestern Medical Center.
Even so, Dr. Carlson says, most hospitals will keep patients in the hospital for several days following surgery to make sure that there are no complications and to help manage pain control.
“We keep patients in the hospital until we have good pain control with oral pain medications, normal bowel and bladder function, and the patient should be eating and drinking normally,” Dr. Carlson says, adding that, while patients are still in the hospital, the best thing they can do is to be up and about as much as possible. This means getting up and walking around in the hallways as much as you’re physically able to.
To help regain normal bowel control, Dr. Carlson says that he often recommends that his patients chew gum.
“It sounds simple and maybe a little bit silly,” Dr. Carlson says, but “we know that chewing gum does help with return of bowel function and can get the patients out of the hospital a little bit faster.”
You don’t usually have to stay in the hospital until you have a bowel movement, although Dr. Carlson says that doctors will often monitor you to make sure that you’re passing gas normally. This may not be something you want to think about or discuss openly with your care team, but it’s really important that you do so. The reason for this, Dr. Carlson says, is that about 25-40% of patients who undergo ovarian cancer surgery experience something called “ileus,” during which their small intestine becomes temporarily blocked and stops working as easily.
Ileus usually resolves itself on its own, Dr. Carlson says, but it does need to be monitored — especially because it can result in nausea and vomiting.
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Recovering After Ovarian Cancer Surgery: The First Few Days
- No two ovarian cancer surgery recoveries are the same, but usually women will be able to get up and walk around the same day or day after
- Doctors like to keep patients in the hospital until they are confident that their bowel function has returned to normal and that their pain is managed
- Complications such as blocked small intestines can occasionally occur after ovarian cancer surgery, so doctors will monitor this closely before deciding when you can be discharged safely
Recovering after ovarian cancer surgery is a different experience for everyone, but most of the time, women are able to be up and walking around on the same day, says
Dr. Matthew Carlson, a gynecologic oncologist at UT Southwestern Medical Center.
Even so, Dr. Carlson says, most hospitals will keep patients in the hospital for several days following surgery to make sure that there are no complications and to help manage pain control.
Read More “We keep patients in the hospital until we have good pain control with oral pain medications, normal bowel and bladder function, and the patient should be eating and drinking normally,” Dr. Carlson says, adding that, while patients are still in the hospital, the best thing they can do is to be up and about as much as possible. This means getting up and walking around in the hallways as much as you’re physically able to.
To help regain normal bowel control, Dr. Carlson says that he often recommends that his patients chew gum.
“It sounds simple and maybe a little bit silly,” Dr. Carlson says, but “we know that chewing gum does help with return of bowel function and can get the patients out of the hospital a little bit faster.”
You don’t usually have to stay in the hospital until you have a bowel movement, although Dr. Carlson says that doctors will often monitor you to make sure that you’re passing gas normally. This may not be something you want to think about or discuss openly with your care team, but it’s really important that you do so. The reason for this, Dr. Carlson says, is that about 25-40% of patients who undergo ovarian cancer surgery experience something called “ileus,” during which their small intestine becomes temporarily blocked and stops working as easily.
Ileus usually resolves itself on its own, Dr. Carlson says, but it does need to be monitored — especially because it can result in nausea and vomiting.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
