Lap in 9 days.. any tips!

[Kate345]

I have my lap in 9 days time at spire. Starting to get slightly nervous.

Anyone have any advice,tips etc for recovery or pre op

[Lulububs]

I had mine 10 weeks ago.

So il give u some tips.

Make sure u have loads of food and drink in house coz u wont wana shop for a week or so.

Have a hot water bottle or heat pad on hand ur need that....

Have some good painkillers..

And some poop juice so u dont get constipated coz u wont wana strain as ur muscle will hurt down there. I used lactulose solution and painkiller 8/500mg cocodamol, over the counter buys.

Get some dressing from hospital so u can change them for week after then take off so they can breath. U wont b able to bath just shower and not for couple days after lap.

U wont b in mad pain ur just b uncomfy( if u have bad periods anyway there b no worse then that feeling and pulling on the stitches) .

THE MAIN THING I WOULD SAY IS CHILL!! Do not rush to go back to work, i said two weeks but i couldnt do it i had 3 in the end as u will b exhausted and sore...

Make sure u have lots to do in house, as ur b in there a while... i didnt go out for a week , so make sure u have box sets, things on tv , dvds, books anything so u dont get frustrated and bored.

Also get some peppermint oil capsules as soon as u come round take one and keep taking them as ur have really bad pains in chest and back where they blow u up inside so they can see more, it hurts and u can have this for about a week but i did the capsules and mine had gone the next day. It like severe indigestion!

Other then that good luck ur be fine ! It not that bad and just dont try to do tto much in first two weeks or ur put urself back!! The stitches took 7 weeks to desolve so dont freak if they take time to go...

[cmbxm in reply to Lulububs]

Poop juice is my new favourite term for lactulose 😂 x

[AllWeNeedIsluv in reply to cmbxm]

😆😆😆

[MichelleOlivia]

It depends what your having done. My first lap in July was just diagnostic and I was mobile very quickly and still able to do a lot myself, and was back to work after a week. I had a further lap on Monday just gone for excision of endo. I made sure I had things that I would need at arms reach...such as phone charger, magazines and comfortable clothing. walking this time was extremely painful for the first few days...in fact I had to have a wheelchair to get to the car to leave hospital it was that bad. I took ginger tea, ginger beer and plain crackers into hospital with me because after my first lap I was extremely sick and nauseas. This time because I was expecting to be sick they gave me antisickness meds before I woke up which stopped the sickness for a few hours... I didn't know they could give you anti sickness meds until I had been sick for most of the day after my first one, this time I asked for it and really helped. I also took soothers in which helped with the sore throat I had from the breathing tube, and peppermint tea and mints to help with the gas pain and bloating. I think the biggest thing for me was preparing to be housebound for a while, and making sure I have things planned to entertain myself. I'm usually a very active, independent and busy person so the sitting doing not much is the worst for me. I got magazines, made a list of things to watch, got a new book, and had my work laptop to hand to sort emails (I wouldn't recommend that tho, I just can't help myself haha). Also got a colouring book and have painted my nails. If you haven't got someone to make your meals make sure you have some prepped for a good few days, you won't feel like standing for any length of time for a few days. Hot water bottles are good, and get some laxative. The pain meds can cause constipation...I didn't suffer last time but this time has been awful, which isn't nice when you tummy is sore anyway and your already bloated from the gas. Just take it easy, try and keep mobile but don't do too much. I had a walk to the shop today (5 days post lap) and on the way back realised that was probably a bit too much after the pain got a bit worse, and had to spend the following few hours having a recover nap. You will find yourself sleeping much more than normal, which is good for your recovery. I was anxious about been out to sleep but it really isn't bad...ohh also make sure you have some pads, you might have some post op bleeding. I only had a tiny bit but the pads they put in place before you wake up are awful huge things and you won't want to keep that there when you get dressed 😊 Hope all goes well, good luck.

[Bella29]

Lots of great advice in the replies. I definitely agree: box sets, peppermint tea, magazines, heat pads, zero housework, light foods/ soup so as not to tax digestion, also massage oil to help move gas out.. I found fennel and chamomile helpful, magnesium bath salts for when u are allowed to bathe, spare dressings... also: shave top of your pubic hair by top of your panties.. I wasn't told this, they didnt do it for me, and a wee hair got stuck in my stitches which consequently became infected! Spire is lovely. You ll be well looked after.

[Bella29]

... also I found out Tramadol can make it hard to pee. I was given it post op and then couldn't leave hospital til had had a wee... I waited 7 hours!! .. despite huge fluid intake. Id avoid it if possible. Make sure u tell them if u feel sick after and u ll get anti emetic.. being sick would be painful!

[Hidden in reply to Bella29]

I’m due to have my second laparoscopy. My first one was 2015 which was diagnostic only and was not too bad. This time i’m having excision of endo, mymectomy and removal of one or both Fallopian tubes. Did they discharge you on the same day you had your laparoscopy. For my diagnostic I was told to arrive at the hospital at 8am and was discharge the same day. But this time will they discharge me that same day?? I haven’t been for my pre-operative assessment yet but I will definitely ask them when I go.

[Bella29 in reply to Hidden]

Mine was just diagnostic. You could phone the hospital, they should be able to tell you what to expect

[Hidden in reply to Bella29]

Hi Bella29, I will ask when I go for my pre operative assessment. Thanks for your reply.xxx

[gdfzhkgukl]

Hi there,

I was very nervous before my laparoscopy but the surgery itself was fine. I had three incisions and had endo, a cyst wrapped around a fallopian tube and a polyp removed. I was sent home the same day, which is normal here (I'm in the US) but you could be kept in if your surgeon has to perform a more invasive kind of surgery.

I found the period afterwards harder and was off work for 4 weeks on my Dr's advice. The first period after surgery was also heavy and painful and I took two days off for that. I slept a lot but got very bored after the first week.

Everyone has given you great advice on lactulose and entertainment. I tried to get out and do things but found even short walks made me very tired until the 4th week after so having as much to do at home as possible is good! I was advised to eat soup for the first week or so, try to move around as much as possible without doing too much and avoid rice.

We are all different but hopefully your recovery will be smooth sailing. It's now almost 6 weeks since my surgery and I feel much better so it's definitely worth it. Good luck!

[Lulububs]

I think i tried to do to much to soon which made me worse....

If i had just given in and rested for a week or two i would have been ok but i did housework on day 5 and then started walking and running with my dogs then on second week tried

To go back to work and i had just generally over done it ...

Once i realised my body wasnt ready and slept and rested i got better quite quick.

So just dont over do it...

Also i think when u have ur first period puts u back to, i decided to have mine 6 days after lap so not only did i have lap pain i

Had full blown period 6 days later totally wiped me out

[MichelleOlivia]

I was discharged the same day. I had to arrive at 7am and was discharged at 7pm following both the diagnostic lap and the more recent excision lap. I found walking out of hospital difficult this time around as the pain was much worse, so we used a wheelchair to get to the car...however getting upstairs to bed took a while. I have a friend who had to stay in due to the severity of her sickness after. As long as you have eaten something, drank something, have managed to go to the toilet and your pain is manageable they are likely to discharge you the same day. My friend's pain was unmanageable without morphine for the day following so that was another factor for keeping her in. Everyone is different and responds differently to the procedure. I have just started my period, 6 days post lap and am pleasantly surprised there are no clots yet, it is red fresh blood and isn't half as painful as it usually is. I was expecting the first to be angony, but I feel like I'm having what a "normal" period should be. Good luck x

[Wisteria93]

I know it sounds simple but night gowns are savours as they don't dig in and also remember to expect possible pain in your shoulder from the gas they use in surgery. Before mine I knew about it but it was still a bit of a painful shock! Creams and a cold pad help it! X

[Nicola2401]

Hi Kate,

Definitely agree with all the suggestions above, but definitely, definitely make sure you have lactulose post-op. The combination of surgery and all the post-op drugs mean you won't go to the toilet straight away (the nurses should warn you about this, so that you don't panic). Sorry if TMI but it took me about 5 days to go to the toilet, and I have to tell you it was more painful than the endo itself! I remember crying my eyes out on the toilet! If I could turn back time, I'd make sure I drink loads of water and take the lactulose too, to make sure it's comfortable.

Also, when you're sleeping, it helps to prop some cushions or pillows under your legs/feet, as it will hurt to stretch out 'straight' for a few days. It also makes it a lot easier to get out of bed in the morning. Another tip is, when you are getting out of bed, swivel yourself so that both your legs dangle over the side of the bed first, before sitting up, rather than trying to get out one leg at a time.

Oh, and definitely don't push yourself. On day 3 I felt I was ready to go round to my friend's house for a cup of tea, and then had to sleep for the whole of the next day. Listen to your body!

I hope your surgery goes well and you get all the answers you need x