Infection/other illness after endo surgery?

[Sophie_Louisa]

Hi everyone,

In early October I had a laparotomy to remove an ovary, Fallopian tube, appendix and ovarian cyst.

Since my surgery I have had a number of ongoing symptoms (extreme fatigue, lightheadedness, heart palpitations, difficulty concentrating, feeling jittery and feeling anxious) and none of them have gone away or improved at all since the operation.

I had spoken to a few doctors however they’d just put it down to tiredness from the op, also I lost quite a lot of blood and Also anemia as I had lost a lot of blood. However in the past couple of weeks my appetite has also gone down and I have diarrhoea fairly often. The other day I went to my gp to enquire and had blood tests for Addison’s and a few other things (Celiac and other conditions), however they all were fine. I am quite frustrated as most of my symptoms have gone on for so long and I also returned to work last week and I know for a fact it is affecting how I am performing.

I was wandering if anyone might be able to suggest what it is in case it is at all related to endometriosis? Also just to clarify I have endometriosis already so just wandering if symptoms could be linked with the condition.

Thank you so much!

Sophie

[LizzieBW]

Hi Sophie,

It sounds like you've been through an incredibly tough time!! I'm sorry that you're feeling unwell. If it's been 8ish weeks since your op, and it sounded a big one at that I imagine your body and mind are still recovering. I know for definite I felt much more anxious, jittery and fatigued for a good while after my last op and it wasn't as significant as yours sounded. Out of interest, have you been using Opioid medications for pain control? Co-codamol, Codeine, Morphine, Tramadol, Ibuprofen Plus, anything similar? X

[Sophie_Louisa in reply to LizzieBW]

Thanks so much for replying! Funnily enough I haven’t really been it pain so haven’t been using painkillers it’s just been the other symptoms.. when did you start to see an improvement in your symptoms? I’m just worried because none of mine have improved at all and I’ve now developed new ones

Sophie x

[LizzieBW in reply to Sophie_Louisa]

I definitely remember worrying about my symptoms at first, wondering why I felt so anxious and jittery and exhausted. I'd say my symptoms just gradually faded away after about 6 weeks but my op wasn't as intrusive as you described yours was. I still couldn't explain to this day why I felt that way other than the after effects of the anaesthetic initially and then the psychological impact of the op itself and ongoing management of endometriosis. I think it's worth keeping in mind although our symptoms cross over & some are similar, they may not be connected. It's good to know you have spoken to your doctors about how you're coping and I'm sorry they haven't come up with any answers that reassure you yet.

Just as a side note, I'm not diagnosed with anxiety but would definitely say I have an anxious disposition so I put my symptoms and experience down to the fact the physical and psychological side of the op triggered some anxiety symptoms. Again, may not be the case for you. Just trying to share my experience in the hope it may help. I am 6 months post op and have been feeling myself for quite a while now. I hope you feel better soon too xx

[Sophie_Louisa in reply to LizzieBW]

Thanks so much! I have an appointment on Monday where they’re taking more bloods, it might be a vitamin deficiency or something? Thanks again xx