Post laparoscopy pain

[Me1010]

Hello, I had a laparoscopy a week ago today, and was not prepared for how painful it would be afterwards. Today is the worst pain so far. It’s the “muscles” in my abdomen/pelvic floor that seem to be the problem, I cannot sit up/lie down/walk around fully stood up. The pain is so excruciating that it feels wrong, but I don’t feel I have an infection or anything like that. Is this normal???

[EndoJaz]

Hi, yes it is painful, I am 4 weeks post surgery with having endo excised and am still not back to work, still feel bruised and on pain killers. Also feeling really tired throughout the day. Extra pillows and cushions help me get comfy at night although can only sleep of left side or back not right side. I am usually a front sleeper so find it hard. 2 weeks post op I had to be admitted back into hospital on morphine as passed out with pain. It will take time so just take it easy and if pain continues to be impossible to manage then see your GP for stronger pain relief. I wish you well x

[Me1010 in reply to EndoJaz]

Thanks so much for getting back to me. I’m new to all this and it means ever so much! I spent years feeling like I was mad because I had these symptoms that no one understood, and now I feel mad for feeling this way after surgery - when will we give ourselves a break?!

I nearly passed out this morning too, to be fair I’m an occasional fainter anyway so I wasn’t too alarmed. The pain is overwhelming though, isn’t it?! Doctor has helped this morning.

I’m sorry to hear you’re four weeks on and still struggling. I had a look at your profile and you have been through a lot. Do you feel like you’re in a better place now than you were at the start of your journey? I hope so.

Thanks again, and best wishes.

[EndoJaz in reply to Me1010]

It’s so hard, I get so sad to think of all the wasted years where I couldn’t attend school or college and being told these pains were normal. I get angry at the drs for telling me things like don’t have sex if it’s painful and how much of these pains are real and how much r in your head and being prescribed calm apps. I literally began to believe I was going crazy and have had such down days where I felt nobody believed me. After my hysterectomy I was told that all the endo was removed and that’s that but the pain in the right hand side remained so for the past 3 yrs I have been fighting for another lap. It’s been so tiring. I wasted lots of appts by crying all the way thru them and couldn’t speak. When I had my histology results I felt so sad to have this awful disease once again confirmed but relieved I knew I was right to keep fighting. It’s so horrible for us all as although we have family and friends around us it is us that are going thru it and it feels so lonely. There is always the worry it will return but really pray it’s gone this time. Sorry for the rant! Xx

[Hidden in reply to Me1010]

Remember that they will have made tiny incisions that will have had to go through muscle. It is trying to knit back together and that is why you will (or should have) been told not to anything too strenuous. The body is good at telling you when you are doing too much, so listen to it. I found I had to take pain medication for quite a while after and still had to take regular naps! I did try and do some gentle walking though, which really helped as being sat / lay down didn’t wasn’t good for me.

It will get better, but seek medical advice if unsure.

[SLT82]

I hope you feel better soon, I'm awaiting laparoscopic surgery for endometriosis, so can't comment exactly but have had laparoscopic surgery on my kidney before so similar incisions and I was in pain for weeks with that, incredibly tender. I had my pre-op last week and asked how long the recovery would be and they said a week but to effectively be able to do light tasks almost immediately, I'm not sure if you were given the same advice? I have never anecdotally heard anyone recover so quickly so wouldn't feel pressure to be back to normal but also check with a doctor as it is better to be safe.

[TheLittleMermaid30]

Heya,

I had open surgery a week ago today too! It was to remove endo tissue on my urethra and belly button (umbilical endometriosis) and a few cysts on my ovaries.

I had an epidural as pain relief during the surgery and 4 days after so couldn’t feel much. But once the epidural came out and wore off I was in absolute agony for the entire day and night. I had morphine, codeine, paracetamol and oramorph and nothing seemed to be working. But the next day I drastically improved and was able to come down to just paracetamol.

I’m now home, I was discharged yesterday and I’m managing pain with paracetamol 2-3 time’s a day. I am struggling to walk and bend, but that’s also due to having a catheter in. That comes out in 10 days ( I am counting down lol).

I don’t feel as much pain as I thought I would longer term. Being home has made me feel much better though.

I can only sleep on my back for now so I actually bought a pregnancy pillow and that’s made my sleeping so much better. You should consider getting one to help with the discomfort laying down.

Another thing I did was start taking arnica tablets a couple of days before the surgery and obviously daily since. It’s meant to be a natural remedy to help with internal bruising. I do feel quite well considering what I’ve gone through so it may have helped. I think it’s worth a try for just £5.

Hope you do start to feel better soon xx

[Anastasia17]

I was advised to take paracetamol every 4 hours even if I was not in a lot of pain then.

It can take up to 6 months to see the benefits of a lap and a year for the body to be completely healed.

Give yourself 2 to 3 months to recover, don’t rush or you will be in pain, it’s a major operation . Gentle walk will help .

Take it easy. x

[Yas45]

Hey the pain is normal. After the op in the recovery ward I was literally crying from the pain of the cuts. I was given morphine and buscopan which helped. But when I got home I couldn’t use the toilet properly, I couldn’t bend my legs to shower or moisture them. I was on the full dose of painkillers that was given to me for a week then I started to ween off it.

For me having the lap was a traumatising experience as I am really scared of operations and would never want to do it again. The pain that came with the recovery, no one can tell you actually how painful it is. It does get better with time.

If your ever worried about the pain being unbearable I would call the GP or the hospital if you can