Questions to ask in pre-op

[Sarve]

Hello, I've got my pre-op appointment for my diagnoistic op this coming Friday. I've not had any surgery before and am not really too sure what to expect with it all. I am understandably nervous! Are there any questions I need to think about asking in this appointment?

[sweetelle]

How bad is your endo? if you don't mind me asking? I lost a ovary due to a very large endo tumor . Number one question you should be asking is whether or not their are any options other then surgery. In my case due to the size of the tumor this was my only choice. I later found out that in smaller growths their is a non surgical route in which growths can reduce naturally through simple diet changes and medications. Be prepared to be out of action for at least a week , and by out of action i mean you cant really walk around at all. Also good to ask about your furture fertility and whether you should be taking any precutions to preserve eggs etc. Post op be very careful with the medication they give you for pain relief , I was perscribed with very strong medication (in the opiat/morphine catergory) which I took for one day and found that it was making me so ill (mood swings, vomiting etc) that i stopped taking it . I took panadol and ibuprofen and that was more then sufficent . So don't let them dope you up trust me on this the pain is nothing compared to the monthly pain i had to endure every month. Best of luck with your surgery, and don't panic to much within a couple of weeks you'll feel a lot better .

[Catness]

Hello Sarve

When I had my pre-op for my laparoscopy I had a really lovely nurse who made me feel at ease straight away. I'm not sure if it's standard practice, or it was just because I was having a few extra things done but from what I remember I had:

Swabs taken from inside my mouth, armpit and groin. This was standard for the hospital as they are checking for the MRSA bug as a precaution. Thankfully I was fine

She took some blood - a few vials

She took a pot of urine (I was having a lot of bladder stuff done at the same time and they checked to make sure I wasn't pregnant).

She made sure I has someone to pick me up after the operation, and someone at home to look after me for the first 24-48 hours.

I was able to go through the procedure with her and she wanted to make sure I was aware of everything I was having done and also any risks/ complications.

I took a list of questions with me.. I can't really remember what they were now but it was things like 'will the hospital give me a sick note for work' 'how long will I need off' 'will they deal with the endometriosis there and then if they find it'. It might be worth coming up with a list of your own too if you have any questions or are worried about anything.

She gave me loads of information about the procedures I was having, how to look after myself when recovering, hospital numbers I can call about it when recovering, what to bring with me on surgery day, where to go, what time to turn up etc. She then asked if I wanted any other information. She made sure I was completely happy and confident in what was happening before I left the room and that made me feel at ease (although I was a little nervous still anyway just because it was my first lap).

In regards to what sweetelle has said - do expect to be off work for at least 2 weeks. I was walking around the house after 2 days but was extremely tired and sore. I took the codeine phosphate I was prescribed and was absolutely fine, not everyone has a bad reaction to it. I would take it and if you do feel unwell on if, change it, but give it a go first!

A bit of a warning though - the general anesthetic as pain killers tend to make a lot of people quite constipated for a few days to a week (or even more in some cases). Bear this in mind when you are recovering when it comes to the food you eat. I am nearly a vegan anyway so it wasn't too much of an issue for me as I eat a lot of veggies. Try to stay away from stodgy food if you can or at least limit your intake until you have regular bowel movements.

Most importantly rest, rest and more rest. Even if they don't find any endo the laparoscopy and general anesthetic alone knock your body around so be gentle with yourself and give yourself the time to heal. I went back to work way too soon after quite a major op during my laparoscopy and it has really set me back a lot. If you have someone at home who is willing to look after you - let them. Put your feet up

Best of luck - it will be fine and hopefully a really good step into finding out what's going on! Xx