My first laparoscopy help

[reggaequeen]

Hi everyone,

Its the first time I've posted on here, I've been suffering with endo symptoms since I was 11/12 I'm now nearly 27, and too cut a very long story short the Drs have only just started taking notice of me. My first lap is this weds and I'm so frightened, just wondered if a few would share there first experiences to give me a bit of insight as to what its like afterwards x

[marple27]

Hello, firstly it's a good thing that you've got to the stage of having your lap- it sounds like you've fought just to get to the point of having your operation.

I found the medical people that I dealt with in hospital very friendly and they put me at ease. They will explain the procedure to you and you will have a chance to ask any questions before you go to theatre. Don't be shy and make sure that you ask, if you aren't sure of anything.

I've had 2 laps myself now and I'm currently waiting for my 3rd but on the whole, they are done by keyhole surgery and you will end up with 2 little crosses on each side of your tummy.

When you wake up, you will have quite a pain in your shoulders. I think it's because they pump you with air whilst in theatre, so that they can access the bits that they need to. For some weird reason, it really hurts your shoulders as it tries to escape!

I'd recommend bringing some peppermint chewing gum with you as it seems to help.

You will be discharged fairly quickly (usually the same day, after you've had a bit of rest) so you will definitely need to arrange someone to pick you up. You might not be able to bend very well, so I recommend bringing some loose clothes and shoes that you can slip on easily. Also I'd bring a cushion with you for the car journey home- the seatbelt seems to sit just where it's painful!!

The stitches that they use are usually disolvable and take 2 weeks or so to disappear. If you think that they aren't disappearing well, you can always pop along to your local nurse to seek advice.

To help minimise the scarring, I use Bio-oil as soon as my wounds have started to heal. Hope this helps! x

[reggaequeen]

Hi marple, thank you for you're reply

I feel I'm stuck in limbo as they have said my left ovary is stuck and doesn't move and also I have got inflammation in my joints my mobility can be so severe I cant even get out of bed, they say this is down to the Endo. I haven't had a pre-op they just sent me a questionnaire and when I phoned the hospital they Said that was the pre-op. Also my lap is slightly different as i was born with a ruptured hernia and all I know Is that they cannot do a normal laparoscopy. How long did it take for you to recover? X

[marple27 in reply to reggaequeen]

You're welcome. I didn't have a clue what to expect when I had my first lap, so I'm more than happy to offer advice from my experiences

Yes, my ovary always seems to get stuck down too. I tend to need a 'clean out' every 2-3 years but hopefully you'll be luckier than that. I also get bad ovarian, leg and back pain- I had to go home from work unwell at lunchtime today, made an emergency appointment with the doctor and I am now taking morphine. Nasty,serious stuff but it seems to be helping with the pain. I often can't get out of bed at weekends, so you aren't alone. Horrible what we have to suffer, isn't it?

Usually at pre-op, they weigh and measure you, do your blood pressure and take blood from you too. I'd chase that one up again, if I was you. A paper questionnaire doesn't sound thorough enough for a lap.

With your hernia, I wouldn't worry too much, the surgeons will know all about it and will have planned a specific procedure to suit your needs.

It took me about 3 weeks to recover from the first lap but my second I had a complication in my recovery due to an abnormal infection, so it took about 7 weeks.

Hopefully the lap will help to alleviate your symptoms, I really hope so for you. x

[reggaequeen in reply to marple27]

Hi marple,

I have done another post, severe mobility issues and endometriosis, my symptoms are very similar and I had to give up work two months ago as i was fainting and falling over all the time.

I hope you are feeling better today 😊

I keep arguing with my partner for no reason I'm petrified of hospitals and I know he's only trying to help but its less than 24hrs away now and I'm going out my mind.

I feel I can cope with the Endo, its the mobility issues I'm having a job to get my head around as it seems to be getting worse ever so quickly.

The Drs aren't communicating with me I don't even know how long the op will take I know absolutely nothing, apart from the surgeons name and I keep forgetting that.

I'm so sorry I know everyone is going through similar things, I just don't have anyone to talk to

[marple27 in reply to reggaequeen]

Hello Reggaequeen,

Try not to panic about going into hospital. It is a very routine operation that the surgeons do a lot. Have you tried taking something like Calms or Rescue Remedy? That might help you to be a bit less jumpy about it. You can buy them from the pharmacy.

The length of time of the op will depend on what they find and what they have to 'fix'. Some are very straightforward and take not very long at all.

I have found this article, it is American but it's written by experts that I think might be of help to you:

endometriosis.org/resources...

There's also a free confidential Endometriosis UK Helpline that you can call if you want to talk to someone:

0808 808 2227

They are open tonight 19:30 - 21:00 and tomorrow from 11:00 - 13:00.

Also I will be on here if you want to ask me anything else- I'm at home at the moment, still on my morphine, so I'm happy to check for messages from you and give you more advice and support. x

[SassyMac]

Hi There!

I am 3.5 weeks post op now from having a laparoscopy to remove stage 4 endo. I was first diagnosed through a lap in 2010. I also had my ovary stuck down and had endo in various other places including bowel and cervix! My first lap was just to diagnose and at that time they felt it was too severe to do any removal so I was sent on to a specialist. At the time I decided not to have surgery right away and to just stay on hormone therapy. The recovery time from the diagnostic lap was about 2 weeks and I was pretty much feeling back to normal. The pain was definitely bearable and I would describe it as more of a discomfort than pain after a couple of days. With my most recent surgery they were able to free my bowel and ovary and remove endo from all other areas. I am 3.5 weeks post op and feeling quite good! I had 4 incisions which they glued instead of stitched and had dissolvable stitches in my cervix. Again I had some pain but it was definitely bearable and worse in the first few days but then eased off to just feeling more stuff and uncomfortable. I just made sure to keep taking my pain killers regularly to stay ahead of the pain rather than letting it get a hold and then take pain killers. I only have a bit of pain now however I am EXTREMELY tired after anything I do so I am working to build up my stamina again. I really wish you well and hope your laparoscopy is successful. Try not to worry too much and think of this as the first step in your journey to conquer this awful disease!