Laparoscopy Tomorrow Morning!!

[Caitlanfin]

Hey guys,

So I have my first laparoscopy tomorrow morning and I know there’s so many posts asking this same question but... any tips or tricks I need to know or buy today in preparation for tomorrow? I know I need baggy clothes and a pillow for the way home but anything else??

Super apprehensive 😭 is it 12 hours before the op that I can’t eat or drink??

Thanks ladies xx

[Jojo386]

Hi, first off best of luck for tomorrow. I had my first lap in Dec 17. So it was all new to me to, I was also apprehensive. Everyone is different, but all I can say is it was NOT half as bad as I thought it was going to be. So please take baby steps, listen to advice & reach out for any support & queries.

My advice take sanitary pads. The hospital ones are a bit old fashioned.

As for nill by mouth, seek advice from the medical team. Ring them x

[shadowxsong]

Hi! I had my lap in Oct 2017 and honestly the best part of the whole thing was the part where I was in hospital with pain killers! I was super apprehensive before the operation, but it is actually so simple and you don't even notice that you're out, you just wake up in recovery! (It's the at home recovery that gets kinda boring and irritating at times and took me about 5 weeks to feel back to myself following the op!)

I would say if you can have someone there when you wake up because the doctor may come to talk to you and you will not always remember exactly what they say. Also please get proper advice on recovery if you can I had no post-op advice and this was so unhelpful and stressful!

A few things I hadn't read about before the surgery: painkillers make you constipated - both the morphine and the codeine they will most likely give you following surgery. Do get some laxatives and possibly take one first thing when you get home because it is super uncomfy being constipated.

Peppermint tea for the shoulder pain. The CO2 they use to inflate your abdomen will cause referred nerve pain in your shoulders and peppermint tea helps with this (the more muscular you are the more it will hurt!)

Getting one of those U shaped pregnancy pillows was a life saver for me as I couldn't sleep laying down flat and I pretty much lived with it for my whole recovery.

Do not get your incisions wet. If you shower make sure they're dry before re-applying a plaster (one of my incisions got infected and I suspect very much it was because it was damp for half a day before I realised (but I'm not a doctor!))

Good luck to you! Please take it easy and rest up and I wish you a speedy recovery