I had a hysterectomy and oophorectomy in June even though I had no symptoms or test results indicating cancer. My bladder and uterus had fallen into my vagina so we had choices on how to fix the situation. My gyn recommended a "permanent" solution which was to remove it all my lady parts since I don't need them (I'm 77 years old) and he especially wanted to remove the ovaries since my mother died of ovarian ca. He put my bladder in a sling back where it belonged.
I asked both the hospital and Dr. office if medicare had approved the surgery and they said yes, that I would not be billed.
The hospital bill was about $55k and the combined bill for physicians (anesthesia, pathology, and gyn) was $11k. A truly astounding amount, but my Medicare summary shows the amount I can be billed as zero.
It is my understanding that how the physician writes up the proposed procedure makes a big difference in whether it is approved.
As for recovery, I thought it was fairly easy. The surgery was done vaginally, and I did not have a lot of pain or bleeding. There is certainly discomfort especially as noted above, from the gas they fill the belly with. I took very little pain medication and was up moving around quickly, albeit slowly at first.
Best of luck to you! I am glad that it is over for me and I have far fewer worries.
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