Before Surgery

If you have a gynaecological problem that possibly needs surgery, you should ideally discuss this with your General Practitioner who may refer you. You can however ring our contact number directly and make an appointment for a consultation. This is a private service and we charge $125 for an initial half hour consultation. During this consultation we will discuss your problem, and usually carry out an examination or ultrasound scan. Further investigations such as blood tests may be ordered. We will thoroughly discuss a treatment plan with you, and if you wish we will send a report to your General Practitioner. You will receive a copy of this letter.

If you need minimal access surgery, this can be carried out at Southern Cross Hospital in Palmerston North. If you elect to have private surgery at Southern Cross Hospital, we will agree on a date that is convenient for you. You will receive written information about your operation prior to surgery, as well as a consent form which you will sign just prior to surgery. We can, if you wish, give you an estimate of the costs of the surgery. Normally you will be admitted on the day of surgery. If you cannot afford private surgery, you can be placed onto the public waiting list at Midcentral Health. If you choose this option you will have your problem prioritized, and you will wait in a queue for treatment.

Some operations such as excision of endometriosis are safer if your bowel is empty. This may involve you going onto a fluid diet for 48 hours prior to surgery and in some cases taking some medication that gives you watery diarrheoa and cleans out the bowel.

Surgery

Minimal access surgery is generally carried out under a general anaesthetic. You will be seen by the anaesthetist prior to surgery. Some operations such as hysteroscopy or laparoscopic sterilisation are quite short and can be done as a day case procedure. Other operations such as laparoscopic hysterectomy or laparoscopic tubal surgery are complex and may take several hours. Despite this, the recovery from keyhole surgery is very rapid and you can expect to be discharged from hospital within 24-48 hours.

All surgery has a range of complications. In expert hands the complications from laparoscopic surgery are very low, and we do our utmost to avoid complications. There is a small chance (less than 1%) of having to convert to a conventional or open operation. Depending on the operation there may also be a small chance ( less than 1%) of having to have a blood transfusion. If you have a complication that is rare and severe, it is generally covered by ACC.

Your can experience a moderate amount of discomfort and sometimes nausea in the first 24hours after key hole surgery. Some of this discomfort is related to the carbon dioxide gas irritating the membranes around the abdomen. This rapidly resolves as the gas dissolves. You may need strong pain killers for the first 24 hours, but following this time, the discomfort rapidly subsides. Regular Panadol is usually the only pain relief needed after the first 24 hours. You are usually given only fluids by mouth until you have passed wind, and after 24 hours most patients are on a light diet.

When you are discharged the staff at Southern Cross Hospital will give you full instructions about your recovery. They will also arrange for you to have a post-operative visit with me between 2 and 6 weeks following surgery, depending on the procedure. The small keyhole incisions are usually sutured with dissolving material and sutures do not usually have to be removed.

Following Surgery

Normally you will need to take some mild pain killers such as panadol for a few days after you are discharged from hospital. When you can drive a car or return to work will depend on the type of keyhole surgery you have had. For small procedures you can return to normal activities after a few days. For major procedures such as Laparoscopic hysterectomy you may need to wait 2-4 weeks before returning to normal activities.