Hi everyone,
I'm due to have my laparoscopy on Thursday and I fly a lot for work (short trips in Europe) - I've seen a lot of conflicting information online and I was curious to see if anyone has asked their surgeon/gynecologist about flying after surgery before and what they advised you.
I intend to ask my surgeon on Thursday but I feel anxious about waiting to tell my workplace how soon I can start back working normally.
Thanks! 
Hi, I have asked in the past and they advised nothing for a week at least. However he said it fine when you feel up to it. Just remember that flying is tiring itself when you add recovery from a lap thats quite intense. I would stay clear for 2 weeks to a month depending on your recovery x also don't expect to be 100% for a while as although its a minor procedure it is invasive and can be emotional draining and physically hard on you. I have had 7 laps and they have all been different. My last lap took me 5 months to get back feeling myself so don't expect you will be 100% at work. hope your lap goes well x
Hey
I had my lap about year ago now and told my work i would b off a week and b back ready to travel and work by end of that week.
WHAT A MISTAKE!!
I only had a lap no work done as they never found anything but severe clotting.
It took me a week to actually get rid of the gas and pain of stitches in belly button that pulls everytime u move. Then all the bruising and swelling came out on second week and i looked like i had a purple football up jumper.
I got into car on second week to go and have stictches out and the car journey was awful as any bump in road i felt.
So i ended up saying to gp as she was taking stitches out “ i should have gone back to work this week” and she said “ no chance and signed me off for another 2 weeks. Whilst explaining it NOT A MINOR PROCEDURE even thought the surgeons try to make it out it is. They root around in ur stomach and all ur organs with a probe!!! That how u got to think if it....it also wuite common to get a water infection which i did and i think about 60% of other women get one to as they upset the bladder.
So all in all i started back at work 3 weeks later .... and i was still shattered and sore then.
Sounds awful! Why do we put this pressure on ourselves?!
I think that's what's confused me because the NHS website says for minor surgery you'd need a week and for abdominal, you need more.
Thankfully, my work haven't pushed for me to say when I need to get back in (I'm feeling it more than them, I think) and I can do a lot of work from home if necessary.
I hope you're much better now
Yeh totally fine but please just dont overdo it .. u mayb one of these people that are better in a week but u still got ur stitches in then and there really not comfy.
Think they were the things that held me back most the one in belly button are really tight and they pull.
U wont feel ill or anything ur just feel very bruised.
Realistically i think ur looking at 2 weeks.... i did feel better after 2 , prob coulda gone back to work but i had three week sick note and i never have time off so i thought “ sod it”!!!
You probably needed that third week even if you were physically better; I think the psychological impact of these procedures are really overlooked (psychology grad here)!
How long did you have to wait to get your stitches out? Did they need to see you afterwards?
I had disolvable ones but they told me 8 to 10 days if i wanted them out which i did as they drove me mad. The ones in my side came out on 10 days at my local health centre and looked fantastic , healed and scar minimal but my belly button is a really deep belly button and it killed me them digging about in there ( thought they were digging for gold😂) they gave up.
So i left them in .....
I went to italy on holiday on 7th week and they came out on beach ...
So they took 7 weeks to work there way out my belly button 😂😂
Haha! I think I would've freaked out if I found them coming out at the beach! 
Hopefully it won't take mine so long, but as long as I'm not in too much pain, I guess it doesn't matter!
I'm getting a little nervous for tomorrow but also glad it'll be finally done... thanks for your responses
Honeslty ur b absolutely fine... just bruised and sore, they gave me pain meds and if u take it easy and just relax for first 3-4 days u wont need them at all. I took 2 paracetamol and that was it.
I iced my belly so it brought bruising out quicker and basically laid there and watched box sets. Just mooch about every now and again keep blood moving about.
It like bad period pains which lets face it were all used to anyway.
Like i said before it was the tightness of the stitches bothered me more then anything. If u can get them taken out in first couple weeks ur b better then i was . Those belly button ones drove me mad
Thanks for the tip about icing my belly and there's no problem about getting up and about as I've got to take care of myself!
I think I'm just looking forward to this all being over now, to be honest
Ur just wana sleep first 24 -48 hours. So just make sure u got loadsa dinners u can shove in microwave and snacks and drinks by bed.
Hot water bottles and ice is what got me through. That and sleep
Given that I'm not likely to sleep tonight, I'll probably sleep like a log after tomorrow! Thanks for everything
Hope all goes well and keep
In touch and let me know how it goes and if they find anything. Sending ❤️
Thank you ❤
How did it go?
Hey! It was a really long day...
They had done an MRI for me earlier this year (they had feared I had cancer) so I had a lot of diagnostic tests before they confirmed it was endometriosis. I've got three large chocolate cysts (11cm, 6cm and 5cm), so the plan was to drain them a little. They've done that and I'm due to have two lots of injections before going back under the knife in three months for them to fully remove them and the rogue cells.
They tried to make me stay the night after I fainted leaving the ward, but I managed to make it out (I feel more at ease at home like we all do), so I've just rested today.
You're right - the belly button stitches are so uncomfortable! I can't lie down properly on my back! I'm quite swollen but aside from that and the physical pain from the incision, I feel alright. Not drowsy or anything!
They told me not to work for a week and not to fly for at least two, so at least I've got some timeframes in mind for my workplace...
i would just tell them two weeks just so u dont put any pressure on yourself.
I said a week and then when it ended up being three they weren’t impressed
I should have just said 2-3 weeks but when i went for my pre op test they said “‘oh ur be fine after week”!
Yeh, i was to potter at home but not to get ready and drive 45 mins to work and back everyday whilst sitting there for 8 hours working as after about 5-6 days i was really exhausted plus i was so uncomfortable with those stitches i couldn’t sleep comfortably or sit or lay they were a complete pain.
Are urs dissolvable?
Keep urself safe and dont do to much.. sleep and b careful if u are on ur own.
Drink loads...
Sleep loads
Well, it's been a nightmare these last few days... The main incision through my belly button became infected (smelling and gushing out pus), so I had to return to hospital. The dissolvable 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 let my manager know, but I definitely won't be back at work soon now. God, I feel so broken 
Oh no love, how awful..... just think in 3-4 days it will b a diff story the antibiotics will start working and the wound will heal... it another day as they say.
I had a bladder infection on about the 6-8 day where they had been routing about inside and upset it and i felt same .. broken like really!!!! I had just been through it all and then u get that i just thought “ i cant take anymore”!
The belly button one is awful it really hurts!!
It feels like it splitting every time u move
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