Lap tomorrow.. Terrified :(

[Lcbxo]

So the day is almost here, got my lap tomorrow and I'm absolutely terrified. Dreading it so much I feel like cancelling. I just hate the thought of being out of control and putting my life in someone else's hands. I've never had anaesthetic before and I'm a bit phobic about vomiting post op.. I've told them I want anti nausea tabs but it's not doing anything to calm my nerves. After 7 years of unexplained pain I know I have to go through with it but I'm so scared. Needing reassurance and any tips you ladies might have xx

[Tanni]

Oh Hun, it will be ok...I found colpermin capsules helped with the bloating afterwards (peppermint capsules) apart from lots of rest not sure I have much other advice....I've been through 3 laparoscopies now and it doesn't get easier but the staff are there to help you and if you need antisickness they will give it to you if you ask. I get neausa after surgery and I said about it at pre op and I was given extra anti sickness in recovery to try and help.

Ginger biscuits is meant to be good too! Xxxxxxx

[Lcbxo in reply to Tanni]

Thank you so much for your reply! I bought peppermint tea and a fizzy ginger drink for afterwards, I've got anti sickness tablets at home already and hopefully they can give me extra tomorrow like they did for you. I really appreciate the advise thanks xxx

[applebird]

Uck my heart goes out to you so much. You will be fine, I promise!! The doctors and nurses do this operation all the time and the incisions are tiny they will try to be as uninvasive as possible.

Whenever you go in in the morning there will be other ladies to chat with, some may have really major ops happening - in a way this always served to make me feel a bit less scared as what was happening with me wasn't as bad. You'll be wheeled down to the theatre when it's your time slot, it'll get a bit busy with doctors and nurses they'll be reassuring and try to calm you. Within five minutes you'll have a canula in the back of your hand and they'll administer the anaesthetic, you'll probably be told to count and won't get that far. When you wake up you'll feel like crap and totally groggy, call for the nurse who'll give you pain relief, I loved morphine a instant! Eventually they'll sit you up and give you tea and toast, then you'll be brought to the ward when your bed is ready if you're staying in. If you feel sick ask for cyclizine, it's very effective. They'll get you with regular pain meds so you'll be zonked! Stay on top of it every 4 hours when you're home. If they give you 2 drugs such as co-codamol and diclofenac take them staggered every two hours I.e. Cocodamol at 12, diclofenac at 2, cocodamol at 4, diclofenac at 6 so you get a dose of something regularly. - get a notebook and keep track through the day so you don't od!

You might feel a bit uncomfortable from gas dissipating post op (they pump your tummy with co2 so they can see what they're doing). Peppermint tea/sweets can help make you feel better. They will have you moving about the day after if you stay in or the afternoon after if you're heading straight home.

Here's a link to some lap advice, the website is also very good in general.

endo-resolved.com/laparosco...

Good luck for tomorrow xx

[Lcbxo in reply to applebird]

Thank you so much for your detailed reply. Did the morphine make you sick? I've heard it's that that makes you sick not the actual anaesthetic. I've got peppermint tea and capsules and those windeze tablets for afterwards. I just want it over with now, I don't expect to sleep much tonight xxx

[applebird in reply to Lcbxo]

No morphine was grand. To be honest you are going to be feeling knackered, sore and pretty out of it. If you do throw up 1. You will remember little about it as the anaesthetic makes the first 24 hrs after a bit hazy 2. You really won't give a hoot as you'll be too concerned with either getting you pain meds or going to sleep!

[Lcbxo in reply to applebird]

Thanks for the reassurance. I hope the anti nausea meds will work but if not, throwing up won't kill me! Xx

[applebird in reply to Lcbxo]

They should do, they'll want to do everything they can to keep you comfortable and happy so they can get you home quicker. Whatever happens, like all things the time will pass and you will feel better, the relief of having the lap over is huge! If you need any help or have more questions just post them, everyone on here will help out. Get yourself some rest, meditation apps can be great to relax before surgery xx

[Tboag]

Hi, I would just like to wish you luck, it is all over very quickly, and yes you will feel uncomfortable afterwards, but just remind yourself how long you have wanted answer regarding your pain, and remember, you could be pain free from tomorrow, a new you and a great future to look forward too,

After my lap I really shook quite a lot, apparently it's common so just a note to remember, also take along a pillow for the journey home, fir your belly and seat belt.

Xxxx

[Lcbxo in reply to Tboag]

Thank you so much for your reply. I'm just scared about 2 things - 1: they won't find anything and I'll have no answers for my pain or 2: it's something really serious or I'm infertile. I'm trying not to be negative but it's so hard. I feel like I'm mental and making the pain up. Thanks for the pillow tip, I'll put one in the car xxx

[applebird in reply to Lcbxo]

Ok so 2 scenarios:-

1) they find no Endo in which case they close you up and send you home - the plus with this is that you will recover very quickly and probably be up and about properly within a week or two as they'll have done no work. They may find something other than Endo, or be able to suggest who you should pursue consult with if they see nothing. So you aren't up the river without a paddle

2) they find Endo and give you a diagnosis. They may get rid of it there and then or schedule you to come back if it's deeply invasive and requires more time. Either way they will probably do something in which case recover is 4-6wks, but honestly it is not as bad as you think and you adapt very quickly. The first 2-3 days are the roughest. So don't be lying there thinking you'll be like that for weeks. Within the first week you will be hobbling around ok, just needing some extra rest, that's all.

Re. Infertility, try not to panic, a lot of women with Endo are able to conceive naturally and there is a high success rate with ivf for those who can't.

Whatever happens there will be positives and negatives. You're doing the best thing for yourself be having things investigated, it's an ordeal but it will be over soon, the worst part is the anxiety leading up to it and not knowing. You'll be fine x

[Lcbxo in reply to applebird]

Thank you so so much, I really appreciate the reassurance. Just getting it over with and ending the build up will be such a relief. I'll post back at some point once I know what they've found if anything xx

[allyp1989]

I have got my lap tomorrow too! now I just can't get to sleep as my mind is in overdrive thinking about what is going to happen and hoping to finally get a diagnosis for all the issues I have had. good luck with yours xx

[Lcbxo in reply to allyp1989]

Me too! I can't think about anything else I'm hoping to get a diagnosis too, fingers crossed for both of us! I guess if we've wound ourselves up so much it'll be nowhere near as bad as we think. Good luck and message me if you want to talk anymore about it xx

[allyp1989 in reply to Lcbxo]

I will let you know how I get on. where are you having yours done? X

[Lcbxo in reply to allyp1989]

Great, please do. I'm having it done at my local private hospital as an NHS patient (I live in North London)

How about you? What time are you going in? Xx

[allyp1989 in reply to Lcbxo]

I'm having mine at Birmingham women's hospital, got to be there by half 7 in the morning. you? xx

[Lcbxo in reply to allyp1989]

I'm not being admitted until 12, so lots more time to get nervous xx

[allyp1989 in reply to Lcbxo]

oh that's horrible having to wait till then, I hope it goes quickly. I though I was having mine in the afternoon but looks like it probably will be in the morning then, do you know what time your lap will be?. I have got to get up early so I can have a drink as can't drink after half 6 xx

[Lcbxo in reply to allyp1989]

I don't know what time it'll be unfortunately I'm allowed food until 7am and liquids until 11am so I think I'm on the afternoon list. Sounds like yours will be late morning xx

[Jess96]

Good luck for the lap. I'm in the process of trying to get referred to a specialist centre for a diagnostic lap. And even though I'm nowhere near that point yet, I get nervous just thinking about it, so I'm sure I'll feel the same way as you do right now. I also don't like not being in control of whatever is happening. It's a daunting thought. But once it's over, hopefully things will get better for all of us. So good luck, and I hope everything goes well for you

[Lcbxo in reply to Jess96]

Thank you so much. I'm so glad I can post somewhere like this where people understand what it's like. I don't think I got properly nervous until they told me the lap date (lovely Xmas eve present) so I've had a whole month of constant worrying. I'm super anxious anyway though, so I've probably brought a lot of it on myself. Good luck with the referral, as horrible as the wait and procedure is, it's literally the only way to see all the organs and hopefully what's wrong. I'll be distraught if I go through all of that and then there's nothing xx

[Jess96 in reply to Lcbxo]

I'm also an anxious person. I overthink things way more than I need to, and end up upsetting myself because of it. But usually our minds make things worse than the reality of it.

And yeah, I've thought about if they don't find anything, but I'm sure it will turn out fine for you. Let me know how you get on

[Lcbxo in reply to Jess96]

Me too, I wish I was one of those people who could just go into surgery and be relaxed! I just don't know how I'm going to feel, I think that's the problem. I will do, thank you. I hope your referral comes through asap! Xxx

[katymarie]

Honestly it's no where near as bad as you think! I had mine 5 days ago. I was so scared of being out of control, needles, feeling ill, that I thought I was going to run out of the hospital! But I did it! And I'm glad I did because I wouldn't know why I was in pain other wise!

The process is not bad at all, in fact they knocked me out with this gas so quickly that I woke up wondering if they had done it yet!

Good luck you will be fine xx

[Lcbxo in reply to katymarie]

Thank you, that makes me feel like I'm not so weird for feeling this way! Drinking my last fluids before going to the hospital, in massive pain this morning which is reminding why I need to have this done.

I read your other post about feeling sick in the night, has that passed now? Xxx

[Nicola83]

Good luck, hope all goes well. I had mine a week and a half ago, wasn't half as bad as I thought! They used gas to knock me out so I didn't even feel canula go in and I think I only took 3 breaths before I went to sleep, then all of a sudden I was waking up!! The car journey home was one of worst bits, so painful over every bump but the pillow helped. I couldn't get out of bed on my own for first few days and the first week I struggled to do much, painful and sore! Gas pain wasn't nice but went after about 3 days, I used a hot water bottle on my shoulders and it really helped. My husband and mum were amazing, needed lots of help at first! Am still bit sore at times but I'm slowly getting back to normal and doing more, unfortunately I've had a urine infection too so think that has made me feel more poorly and slower recovery as I was hoping to be doing more by now but I know we all recover at different rates so just have to be patient!

Hope that you get the answers you need and recovery goes smoothly xxx