Pre Op Questions. : Hi Ladies, I’m... - Endometriosis UK

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Pre Op Questions.

28 Replies

Hi Ladies,

I’m wondering if you could help me out... I’m due my pre op assessment this Thursday and my laparoscopy is the following Tuesday.

I’m writing a list of questions I should ask at my pre op..

Is there anything you can think of that I should mention? or that you wished you’d have asked before your own ops??

Any thoughts would be gratefully received! Thank you! Xx

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28 Replies
Alarna profile image
Alarna

I was told i was pryoritey but been wating 3monthes good luck x

DLaunch profile image
DLaunch

Hi Joanna,

My pre-op is today and it came very fast (I found out a few days ago) so I haven't even thought of any questions myself :/

I'm taking my mum with me so I have someone with a clear head in with me ^_^

I'll let you know how it goes, if you want, and share what we asked and what we may not have thought to ask :)

in reply to DLaunch

Hey!

That would be brilliant if you could.. I hope it goes okay for you!! xx

DLaunch profile image
DLaunch in reply to

Hey!

It's very much like what Christin_a said below; it was a nurse and she couldn't really advise much. She explained what will happen on the day and that I shouldn't work for at least 48 hours afterwards. She said I'd have some bleeding out of my belly button for a day or so as well.

I asked about injections and an AMH levels test that my gynecologist had mentioned but she wasn't able to say. She looked at my notes (where he had mentioned injections for three months before surgery) and said it was confusing for her too. She was nice about it all and said that I would get the chance to speak to the gynecologist before surgery to ask my questions.

In terms of what I had done today; I had my blood pressure done, a blood test and I was weighed and measured. She asked questions about my cycle and whether I lived alone (she said it's important to have someone look after you for a couple of days). She also asked if I had been an inpatient in the last 12 months to decide whether or not I needed a rectal swab (to test for bacteria)... thankfully, I didn't need it done!

Let me know if you want to know anything else :)

in reply to DLaunch

Thank you for getting back to me! when is your lap? X

DLaunch profile image
DLaunch in reply to

It's on the 30th August, so just over a week from now!

Yours is a couple of days before, right?

Let me know how your pre-op goes and surgery! Take care and I hope everything goes well :)

in reply to DLaunch

Yeah my op is on the 28th!

I’m sure we’ll be fine..

thank you for your advice! And I really hope your op can go as well as it can. let me know how you go! xx

DLaunch profile image
DLaunch in reply to

We will! Positivity is key! 🍀

I'm looking forward to feeling myself again; that's what I'm focussing on :)

DLaunch profile image
DLaunch in reply to

I hope everything goes well in your pre-op today! :)

in reply to DLaunch

Aww thank you! x

DLaunch profile image
DLaunch in reply to

And good luck for your surgery today! I hope all goes well :)

in reply to DLaunch

Surgery went well, although very tired and drugged up still, will go into more detail when I feel up to it, but just wanted to say best of luck with yours tomorrow, you will be fine xx

DLaunch profile image
DLaunch in reply to

Thank you! I'm glad it went well! Get lots of rest :)

I'm being a doofus and feeling pretty anxious about tomorrow :/

in reply to DLaunch

Stay as calm as you can, and remember this is a routine procedure for the surgeons. I was under for an hour and a half, and was pretty groggy when I came round, it did end up being an overnight stay but nothing to worry about. The staff make you as comfortable as they physically can..

They’ve given me 2 weeks off work, but have said if I need an extra week to go to my gp. Everyone is different and everyone reacts to the drugs differently too.. but mine went as well as it could considering.. I did get my answers.. let me know when you’re feeling up to a more in-depth convo after your surgery and we’ll compare notes ;) we’ll get through it! just know that your body will tell you what you need in terms of rest, I only got home at 2.30pm, and I’m in bed and can’t do a fat lot to be honest.

I’ll be thinking of you tomorrow. x

DLaunch profile image
DLaunch in reply to

I've had way too much time today to overthink things, but I'm sure I'll be calm by tomorrow :)

Take care of yourself and rest as best as you can. I'm glad you got answers and we'll definitely compare notes when we're both up to it :)

Speak soon x

in reply to DLaunch

How did you get on today? x

DLaunch profile image
DLaunch in reply to

It was a long day (I was the last in the surgeon's afternoon schedule), but I'm feeling as best as I can. I had a fainting spell as I walked out of ward so they wanted me to stay overnight, but I knew I'd feel better at home so I got back quite late.

I'm not even remotely groggy (even after I came around - just felt like I had a nap) and I can only really complain about a sore throat, swelling and physical pain where the stitches are. I needed to pee A LOT overnight because I had a lot of dye in my system, but it's feeling better now.

I had most of questions answered but I feel like I have more now :/

How are you feeling? Getting better, I hope.

DLaunch profile image
DLaunch in reply to

Well, that optimism was short-lived! The main incision through my belly button became infected (smelling and gushing out pus), so I had to return to hospital. The stitches have been rejected so it's an open wound and I'm on antibiotics to fight the infection and painkillers because it's the worst pain I think I've ever experienced (it feels like someone is ripping me open).

I hope you're doing a lot better than me!

in reply to DLaunch

Oh wow. What a turn!! I’m sorry to hear that you’ve taken a turn for the worse.

How are you feeling now? Are the antibiotics doing anything yet?

I’m actually doing okay, although I’m still sore and I’m still tired, but I’ve taken my plasters off to air my stitches a bit. I’m keeping them clean and dry.

It takes a lot out of you, don’t do too much too soon! x

DLaunch profile image
DLaunch in reply to

It's starting to look better now, but I'm still getting the odd icky bit oozing out from time to time. The worst thing really is that it's open because it's so painful.

I'm glad you're recovering well - I didn't even get plasters for my wounds (nor any aftercare packs from the hospital), so I'm a bit annoyed with them and feel it could've been better with more help from them. Ah well.

in reply to DLaunch

I get it’s just a case of listening to your body, if you’re tired, sleep, if you’re sore, rest even more and hopefully the drugs and nature will take their course .. hopefully.

Where about in the world are you? x

in reply to

Guess it’s *

DLaunch profile image
DLaunch in reply to

I'm in Manchester, UK. How about yourself? :)

in reply to DLaunch

I’m in Birmingham x

DLaunch profile image
DLaunch in reply to

They obviously did a better job of a laparoscopy there! 😂

in reply to DLaunch

Not necessarily. I was well looked after yes, but I don’t have any follow up appointments to go to, so I’m hoping for some luck now myself going forward.

What was your outcome? Was it what you were expecting?

Mine was and wasn’t at the same time.. they’ve said that I have patches of inactive endometriosis on my ovaries, ( I am and have been on the pill for over 18months so I’m assuming that’s what is keeping it at bay!) I’ve also been told I have a swollen and potentially blocked Fallopian tube.. ( of which my consultant didn’t seem overly worried about and said, you don’t need 2 tubes to get pregnant if that was the plan, but if I struggled it would be the Fertility departments that would need to further investigate and treat.) and then i had a large adhesion on my abdominal wall, which potentially could have been from my appendectomy surgery about 7 years, she rectified this for me however told me that she couldn’t guarantee that the same wouldn’t happen this time too!

So all in all, what should have been a ‘negative’ laparoscopy ( my consultants words!) turned out very differently! x

DLaunch profile image
DLaunch in reply to

I was diagnosed with endo earlier this year on the back of an MRI (and loads of other tests) because they had thought I had cancer. Obviously, a lot better than what we thought!

I've got three chocolate cysts; two on my left ovary and one on my right ovary and my fallopian tubes looked swollen. It's not spread anywhere else but the cysts are large. This we knew from before surgery.

My gynecologist said I was to have surgery to drain the two big cysts (11cm and 6cm) and also to check whether my tubes were blocked. Because I've been concerned about my fertility as well, he said he'd do an AMH blood test too. Following this, I'm to have prostrap injections at the end of this month and the next and I'm to have surgery again to remove the endo cells and remaining cysts. The thing is, no one has spoken to me at all about how this surgery has gone and the results of the dye test for my tubes and the AMH test (if they even did the blood test). It's weird. At least, I think so anyway.

My injections are to be done by my GP and on my discharge letter, it mentions seeing the gynecologist again in early December. I feel a bit abandoned right now really.

Just before I was going in for surgery, one of my consultant's team saw me and said that they'd speak to me after surgery but when I mentioned this to the nurse in the ward afterwards, she said that that never happens (in a really nice way). I'm tempted to email his secretary to see if I can get some feedback :/

Christin_a profile image
Christin_a

Hello I had my preop a couple weeks ago it was with a preop nurse so could only answer generic questions. Like what time to stop eating. Where my stuff is held during surgery etc. She couldn't answer specifics of the surgery itself, and said to write those questions down for the day of surgery where both the anethastist and surgeon will come and talk to me before.

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