Pre-Operation

Hi guys,

I have my pre-op for my first laparoscopy tomorrow. Is there anything I should ask that you guys wish you had from experience?

[RJS626]

I can only speak from my personal experience at my hospital, but my advice would be not to worry over the pre-op assessment. I was given an admission sheet that tells you when you can eat till, drink water till, when to arrive, what to bring with you, and generally how to prepare from their point of view. If these sheets aren't a universal thing then the important details should be in your admission letter or there might be online leaflets or pages on the hospital website to refresh your memory, or you can ring to ask anything you feel you've forgotten in the worst case scenario. I arrived at my pre-op armed with 12 lengthy and complex questions which I was told to just hang on to till the date of my laparoscopy. The pre-op nurse was fantastic for knowing what to expect and general housekeeping but said that all the questions I'd hoped to ask will be answered by the anaesthetist and surgeon on the day before going for the laparoscopy.

If you already know that, yes, you are supposed to get completely naked under your hospital gown by the time they want to wheel you down to theatre then you are already more prepared than I was(!) and the only questions I asked the pre-op nurse were already answered on the admission sheet she was due to give me. The pre-op nurse should also have some leaflets to hand about the procedure, anaesthetic, pain relief, and the like, for you to take home if you are anything like me and struggle to retain any information given to you when within a mile radius of the hospital!

So, even if my pre-op was not as involved as yours might be, the point is that you can ring your surgeon's secretary or the outpatients department for any queries you might have once the pre-op is over, and you will have the opportunity to ask questions about the procedure and about anaesthesia on the day, so try not to worry over this appointment as all will work out.

[Hidden in reply to RJS626]

This is super super helpful thank you so much!!

[elisepalmer71]

Hi Louise. You could ask whether it’s worth taking some paracetamol and ibuprofen on the morning of the op with sips of water (sometimes we allow patients to do this) but they might not advise that due to you being NBM. (Nil by mouth). I would ask what you can and can’t do for 24/48 hours after. Usually it’s things like don’t drive, operate machinery (this includes things like kettle and iron as you can still be very woosy after and obviously could burn yourself. Don’t work for sure. Expect to have some degree of pain up in to your shoulders. Tell them how you feel about it as well because it’s really important that you leave there feeling reassured that you know what’s going to happen and why, what possible complications there are, how they are going to care for you. Take care

Blessings. Elise x

[Hidden in reply to elisepalmer71]

Okie dokie thank you! I have written down about wether I can take my usual tablets which I have to take in the morning and such like and luckily I still live at home with my parents so I know that even if I felt up to it my mom wouldn’t be letting me make the tea! I’m pretty anxious about this to be honest but I’ll mention that to them and just hopefully come out after today a bit reassured!

[BNatalie]

If I were you I’d make sure you get given local anaesthetic on the day of your laparoscopy. Try not to worry too much about it, hope it goes okay x

[Hidden in reply to BNatalie]

I think that my gynaecologist suggested at my last appointment I’d be put under general anaesthetic, would you not suggest that?

[mrswesley1302 in reply to Hidden]

I had both they put local anesthetic in my back before the general. It helps to reduce the pain after you wake up. It's like an epidural. That with a bit of intravenous morhpine after I woke up meant I didn't have any pain until the next morning

[BNatalie in reply to Hidden]

Both, I had general but for my first laparoscopy and cervical biopsy, they forgot to give me local anaesthetic. Wouldn’t want anyone to ever go through it x

[Catness]

Hi Louise,

I’m about to have my 6th lap and as this is your first I wondered if I could give you some advice for recovery - stuff I wish I had known beforehand which could have made things a little easier?

I have answered questions about laps a few times so if you were to look through my ‘replies’ there will be a number of threads where myself and other people on here have given our ‘tips’ which you may find useful.

A couple off the top of my head however are to take a pillow to hospital so that for the car ride home you can put the pillow between your stomach and your seatbelt as it is quite uncomfortable.

One of the worst pains after the lap is, in my opinion, the trapped gas pain in your shoulder blades as they fill your tummy up with gas to see better. Peppermint tea really helps to disperse the gas as does little walks around the house whenever you feel able.

Also your tummy will be very swollen probably for 2-3 weeks. This is completely normal but it’s good to have clothes ready that aren’t constricting in any way (I like dresses because of this reason) and leggings with a high waist band that isn’t too tight.

After the lap you will be quite constipated from the general anaesthetic and the pain killers so until your first bowel movement don’t eat anything too stodgy. I tend to stick to veggies and light meals. Also ask for some Lactulose or Laxido which are stool softeners. They ease the pressure on your tum and make everything a lot easier. And also drink lots of fluids. This helps your digestion but is also just a good idea.

Don’t be surprised if you have a bit of a hard time emotionally after the lap for a couple of weeks. Post-op blues are experienced by many people and it can be quite unexpected. Just try and stay in as-positive-a-mindset as possible. You will get better but you need to give yourself time to heal. This is completely normal!

In regards to healing. Best not to put too many expectations on yourself such as you *should* be feeling better by this date. Everyone is different and bodies heal at different rates. I usually take 2 weeks to feel better in myself but 6 to feel totally back to normal. By week 3 I can usually leave the house to do a few errands. Others will bounce back a lot quicker (maybe 2). But don’t overdo it. Round about 2 weeks off work/ uni/ life is about right, but 3 is more realistic.

Take your painkillers regularly as opposed to chasing the pain when it comes on. This way you will be far more comfortable and your body won’t have to catch up.

Take some sanitary pads and big comfy Bridget-Jones style knickers to hospital. You WILL wake up with the megalodon of sanitary towels stuffed downstairs and being able to change into something more discreet just makes you feel better or at least does in my case 😂

If possible have someone at home to help you for a few days. It’s just a lot easier if you don’t have to worry about cooking or fixing yourself a meal as those first couple of days can be a little disorientating and tough. Also it’s just nice to be looked after for a bit! Also maybe write down some things you can enjoy during recovery or put out some of your favourite DVDs so you don’t have to think about it too much in the initial few days after.

Also try and remember to ask if you will need a check up with a nurse for wound care, and whether you arrange this or if the hospital does and also when your post-op check up will be and who arranges this.

I hope you find some of that helpful and very best of luck xxxxxx

[Hidden in reply to Catness]

Catness,

You’ve brought me to tears with how helpful and insightful you have been. It means so so very much to me you took time out of your day to help me with this. I’m only 18 and this is a really daunting thing for me, I don’t want to go through these things right now, I feel like I should be living my life and I find it hard to make plans with my partner because I don’t know what my pain is going to be like. I’m scared but for sure your wise words have helped me feel way more knowledgeable and informed! Thank you again

[Catness in reply to Hidden]

Ohhh big hugs to you!

Yes as I always say us endo ladies have been dealt a really shi**y hand! It’s very tough and mentally exhausting. I constantly flip between feeling very sorry for myself and feeling guilty for feeling sorry for myself it’s very tough.

I’ve been on this site for quite a few years so it may be helpful to have a look through questions I have answered previously as you may see some information that can help. Otherwise please feel free to message me with any questions as I’m always happy to help. Very best of luck for your pre-op. They’re pretty standard in my experience - they will go through quite a lot of questions with you around your general health, your symptoms, checking you know what procedure you’re having and that you give consent. They may go through wound care for afterwards too.

They usually then take your temperature, your blood pressure and some bloods from you, as well as a urine sample. Also your height and weight.

All in all it takes around 45 minutes and seems a little repetitive but they need to ask a lot of questions. If you have any questions about the op too they will be able to answer some of them

Thinking of you for your lap and I hope it goes as well as possible with a good recovery xxxxx

[Jessica81]

Good luck for your lap hun xxx