Holiday abroad 10 days after excision surgery! Advice needed please xxx

I think you may need to check with your insurance company. A friend of mine said there are a certain number of weeks when you can't fly after general anaesthetic . I can't remember how long she said so not very helpful to you I'm afraid but best to check.

HI - Definitely check with insurance company or GP.There are time scales for air travel after surgery especially due to possibility of DVT or post op complications.Can you reschedule your op or holiday?

Don't at all want to worry you but after both my treatment laps,I was still in bed a fortnight after,but this was maybe due to my other health issues -ME/CFS and fact that I have real problems with getting effective pain relief.

If you type in search bar -eg after effects of excision surgery -there has been lots ofdiscussion and advice given about recovery times,but as it is all so individual it is hard to advise.

I would let your insurance company policy make your decision for you,as whether to cancel or not.What a shame though if you don't get,a much needed holiday.Also depends where you are going?

Hi Tina,

7 years ago following a very complex 3.5 hour excision lap I went on holiday 2 weeks later. The only issue I had was excessive tiredness as it was my third GA in 6 months and they did a lot of work inside me. I had absolutely no pain. I'm pretty sure I checked with my surgeon first. He was always way too optimistic with recovery times!

The trouble is that everyone is different. Best to ask your doctor and take it from there. If they say you'll be ok then see how you are when the time comes or could you postpone the holiday?

Just found this. nhs.uk/chq/Pages/2615.aspx?...

Hi thank you all for replying.

We are going to Portugal it is meant to be a relaxing holiday. I am panicking inside don't want to let my hubby and my little girls down but I have serious doubts. I had a diagnostic lap in sept 2012 I was in bed for 3 weeks after ! It is hard to make a decision when I don't know how much they are going to find and how long the op will be. I have had mri scans that don't show anything? Totally confused.

Postponing the date is not an option the pain has taken over my life I am in constant pain , I have tried most things so I need this badly. Also so worried about them turning round and telling me they can't see any endo

Xxxx

If I hadn't booked the holiday I probably would have stayed in bed for 3 weeks! I remember I had to get taxis on holiday because I was so tired but I still enjoyed the holiday. If you do decide to go ahead with it then it might be a good idea to chat with your husband and make it clear that you won't be able to lift anything and you will be pretty delicate post surgery and maybe won't be able to keep up with even the most relaxing pace given your previous post lap experience. Maybe you could schedule little naps and he can go off with the kids.

Looking at that link, the advice seems that you should be ok to travel but do speak to your doc/GP. You can get compression socks in chemists to wear on the flights. Luckily it's not a long flight.

Endo doesn't always show up on MRI. Only big blobs, cysts adhesions etc. will show. Just because it's not on the scan doesn't mean they won't find anything! Good luck. X

Yeah it looks like I will be ok to fly, I will Contact my insurers, from what I have read if I needed to cancel I would be covered. Can I just ask do you need to fast for this op, I read somewhere that it is a three day fast.

I really appreciate your help and advice

Xxx

It depends on what they plan to do during the op. My first lap was diagnostic and I think I only needed to fast from the evening before. Same for my second lap to remove a giant fibroid. The third lap was to remove a lot of endo and rectovaginal endo. That required a bowel prep starting 3 days before. I had to take something that cleared out my whole system. No food allowed. From the sounds of your op, you won't need to do this. But do check with your doctor.

Do a search top right for 'travel insurance'. The topic is often discussed here. Even though you hopefully won't have endo by the time you travel it's probably best you tell them. If something else unrelated happened that means you have to claim, your insurance might be void just because you didn't tell them about endo...although technically you could argue that it was removed and you don't have it! They might charge you more for this in which case you could shop around for a better price.

Hello

I had a 6 hour lap with TPE and excision of stage 4 from bladder/bowel too, tubes out etc. I had 3 days in hospital then 6 at home and went back to work to a

job on my feet. Was cooking/light cleaning on day 5. Everyone's different I guess you won't know til after you hear some having 4 weeks bed rest, I guess it depends what you are like do you manage your endo quite well? First lap I was back after 3 days

X

Sorry to say but, personally I would be inclined to cancel the holiday and reschedule. You will have enough going on with going into hospital and undergoing an operation without anxiety at how quickly you are under pressure to recover. 10 days really is not long after any operation. It will of course depend upon how extensive your endo is as to the amount of work you will have done/time under anaesthetic.

I also agree with the lady above that surgeons are generally overly optimistic about recovery times. Having said that, there are some ladies who are back at work in a week but I think that is the minority rather than the majority. I would take that anxiety away, particularly if you are covered by insurance for cancellation but that is for you to decide with your family. You come first right now and your recovery so that you can go forward with better health. Holidays can be rebooked for when you will be fit enough to really enjoy it.

I wish you all the best for your forthcoming op and good recovery x x

Hi There, I had my surgery 7mths ago. Everyone is different but it took me 2 weeks before I could go back to work. It's not just the pain, it's your body trying to get rid of all the pain killers and drugs the pump you with. So nausea and constipation were an issue for me about a week after. Like I said everyone is different.

Thanks ladies , I really appreciate you all taking the time to reply. Unfortunately I am no further forward I am going to contact my insurers to find out the 'what if's' and then I am just going to see how I am after the op.

Thanks again and I hope you are all well xxx