From hysterectomy to historicity.

In this paper we describe recovery after hysterectomy. Study participants identified four common elements of recovery--physical symptoms, emotional well-being, activity levels, and decision-making--within the four phases of recovery after hysterectomy: measuring health, comparing past to present, renewal, and growth through healing. Each element changed within each phase over time to provide a description of recovery after hysterectomy. A central unifying theme was identified as "from hysterectomy to historicity" or the movement from the immediacy of surgery to hysterectomy becoming an event of personal historical significance that no longer has a present influence on one's life.