Hi,
I had a lap last Saturday and all went well. Pain is manageable but one thing I was wondering is about swelling. I don't know if anyone else is the same or what is deemed the "norm" but I am extremely swollen still and almost feel like I am still blown up! How long does the swelling tend to go down? Obviously everyone's different but just wondered what everyone else's experiences are? ATM I look 8months pregnant and have this solid hard belly! 
Thanks!
Hi I had my first lap on sat too, my bello is still up a lot, not quite 8 months pregnant looking but certainly swollen, but not hard.
What did they do, did they remove any endo,
Are you taking peppermint tea/tablets. This is good for the wind/air .
Xxx
I've had several laps in the past and had a lot of swelling where they flushed me out with a lot of water. I was told to drink plenty of water still in order to prevent any urinary infection. It took a couple of weeks for my stomach to go down.
My lap swelling was way worse than my hysterectomy swelling probably because they pump u up with air for lap and hyster was open surgery! I found peppermint tea and walking around helped the wind and I had to put hot water bottle across my shoulder blades - my stomach took about 4 weeks to go down after lap x
I had a lap last weds, still a bit swollen (had a patch of endo on my duodenum/intestines) and glue stitches itch and hurt still. I know this is a weird thing to ask but have you managed to poo properly since your op? My bowels have only just returned to normal today and it's certainly helped with the swelling! Hope you feel better soon : )
I have.. I think I just need to take/drink some more mint tea. Or maybe I'm expecting miracles to happen over night x
I think it also depends on what you've had done - mine was in the grand scheme of things pretty minor this time around but they've messed with one of your ovaries as well as your pelvis so it'll take a while for your insides to calm down. Stick a bag of cheap rice in the freezer and wrap it in a tea towel if you need an ice pack and wear loose clothing or leggings you can roll/fold over so as not to irritate things x
Hi - I was hugely swollen after one of mine . . . they sometimes flood your pelvic cavity with fluid after they have finished the op to prevent adhesions so this can make it extra bloated. The fluid is absorbed over the course of a week or two. It is quite normal to have a swollen tummy. My first one took 3 - 4 weeks before I felt I was getting back to normal.
The pain you get in your shoulder is due to the gas they use during the op to inflate things giving them better access and sight. This too will dissipate, usually over the first week.
The more you can spend time up and about, the quicker it will disperse, although be guided by how your body feels and if you need to rest / sleep then do so.
This also applies to getting your bowels moving again. The anaesthetic will have temporarily slowed everything down and dried your system out so it needs fluids to be replenished and movement to get going again. If you are taking anything in the codeine family as a painkiller, this is also known for contributing towards constipation.
Plenty of fluids, some tinned apricots, lactulose on hand if things don't get going but also important to send sometime upright if not too painful as will help things get going. Post op constipation can be an issue if you are not expecting it and not prepared. I ended up in terrible pain and thought it was due to the op but it was simply because of the painkillers, anaesthetic and my relative lack of movement which had caused constipation.
I wish you well for your recovery. x x
Hi! I had fluid put in my stomach to stop things from getting stuck again! It probable took me about 3 weeks for stomach to go down, don't think there's much you can really do to relieve it, I know it's uncomfortable but just eat and drink like normal! Get better soon!
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