Op coming up soon - advice?: Hi everyone, I... - Endometriosis UK

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Op coming up soon - advice?

astrocat profile image
12 Replies

Hi everyone, I finally have a date for my op on the 10th of June. Feeling quite nervous! Does anybody have advice for things to do before/afterwards to help recovery? Or things to take into hospital with me? Or things to ask the surgeon/nurses? Still haven't decided whether to have mirena put in or to try dienogest (visanne) instead...

Thanks <3

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astrocat
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12 Replies
Twosugars profile image
Twosugars

Hi there, I presume its a laparoscopy you're booked in for? I've had 2, my most recent one nearly 2 weeks ago.

The main advice I'd give is to try and relax the morning of it and trust in your medical team. I was so stressed before my first one! If you're anxious just tell your team and they'll explain it all to you as you go.

Be prepared to feel a bit woozy as you come around from the anaesthetic and I found that the pain was worse on the second day because I was pumped full of painkillers in the hours following the procedure! Gas pains are a nightmare, my shoulder ached for the first 48 hours but stretching and peppermint tablets helped. I was also very tearful and emotional post surgery which isn't like me but I've been told is a common enough side effect.

It depends when your Dr sees you, mine saw me briefly in recovery when I was still fairly out of it but I'm booked in for a full discussion next month so I've lots of questions written down. Have a think about any questions you have now so you're prepared for the discussion on the day, and also make sure you have a follow up apt when you're discharged.

Finally, for most people it's a day procedure and my first one, was but my recent lap resulted in an overnight stay because my bladder was a bit sleepy. I was really unprepared for this and burst into tears when they told me! I had no toothbrush, phone charger, spare clothes with me. The nurses were fabulous but I think if I'd had a toothbrush, charger and fresh underwear and socks it would've helped me. So although it's unlikely you'll be kept in, it might be no harm to have these bits with you just in case!

Good luck with it, it's great to get it done and get some answers! Hope it goes well x

astrocat profile image
astrocat in reply to Twosugars

Thank you so much! It is a laparoscopy, but they've said I'll be in for 1-2 nights as they're going to be doing quite a lot. Hope you're feeling better after yours? x

Twosugars profile image
Twosugars in reply to astrocat

Yes, feeling better this week but it's taking a bit longer than I thought! Best of luck with your op 😊x

Username12345678 profile image
Username12345678

Hi there, just wanted to say good luck with the op. In my experience the thought of having it is much worse than the actual event. I went in under the suspicion of appendicitis which should have been a 45 min op and came around 3.5 hours later after having my appendix’unglued’ from the rest of my organs thanks to that pesky endo. The gas caused a bit of discomfort for a couple of days after abs despite having quite a lot removed, the recovery was much much easier than the pain I’d been in fit years. If I could offer any advice it would be to ask to see the consultant for a good hat before you leave & if you could have a friend I’d family member present that would be perfect although that may not be possible at the moment. It really helps afterwards to fully understand what was found and what stage of endo you have and where. I opted not to go fit the mirena fitting after the lap that followed a few months later and actually had a couple of years pain free but it’s not come back in full force. Try to relax now, (the hospital staff will likely be brilliant) and best of luck!

astrocat profile image
astrocat in reply to Username12345678

Thank you so much! Are you doing anything now to treat/manage your endo? Really unsure either way about the mirena...

Username12345678 profile image
Username12345678 in reply to astrocat

I’m hormone/treatment free at the moment. I’m 45 so my only realistic option is hysterectomy so just trying to figure out if that’s what I want to do. How are you feeling at the mo?

astrocat profile image
astrocat in reply to Username12345678

I see, tricky decision. I am feeling really nervous! Really wish I could have my partner/mum with me. Hoping that I get a good chat with the surgeon on the day to ask all my questions and check what he's doing.

ThatTimeAgain profile image
ThatTimeAgain

Hey,

Good luck for your op! I think mine (second) will be about 3-4 weeks after yours....wear soft elasticated joggers so they are more gentle on your tummy after the op, I took some grapes for when I came round and some cartons of juice, make sure you have pain relief at home ready for when the hospital stuff wears off.

I found the first couple of days very tiring and took things slow, think I had a shower about a week afterwards (hospital recommended)....I didn’t drive for the first couple of weeks as I was healing internally. For the first couple of days I didn’t have much of an appetite so had some light food, I also couldn’t go to the toilet for just over a full week after the op.

Are you having someone with you? My late partner came to my first op and they explained everything to him afterwards as I had a bad reaction to the anaesthetic and didn’t come round too well (they still informed me of there findings apparently).

I took some comfy pjs, dressing gown, phone charger, toothbrush etc....good job as they be wanted me to stay in to be monitored - an overnight bag is good just Incase.

As for the mirena, it’s very personal to every individual for there own reasons....I myself will not be having one or any form of contraception because I worry of the long term implications and pain & how Itl affect me in the first months after. I suffer absolutely horrifically with the symptoms of endometriosis and the thought of having my hormones and cycle altered from synthetic hormones really concerns me....the endo symptoms will worsen if or when I stopped contraception. Everyone is different and some respond really well to that form of treatment but remember it can take up to 18 months for your cycle to settle if your considering starting a family and your symptoms of endo could come back worse than before.

The sort of questions I asked were: were my reproductive organs left intact, when can I drive, when can I lift heavy things, when can I return to work, when should I shower or bath after the op, will I have a follow up appointment, Will there be reoccurrence of endo, did they manage to remove it all, are the next steps going to be pain management if or when needed.

With my first surgery, the consultant was fantastic and gave me some a4 photos of all the endo before she cut it away which I still have to this day, it helped me understand why I had the symptoms and the nature of them. Will your consultant be giving you copies of any photos from before and after removal? I didn’t ask for these however so it was a nice surprise when I was more with it....didn’t really think me or my late partner would see my guts & organs quite literally lol.

Anyway all the best for your surgery, try not to worry about it too much....you will feel the benefits of it once you have recovered. I hope everything goes smoothly for you and your recovery is good, am more than happy to chat if you have any more questions or anything x

astrocat profile image
astrocat in reply to ThatTimeAgain

Thank you! Those are all really helpful things to consider. Unfortunately I am not allowed anyone with me due to covid :( I'm not sure about photos, but I think I will ask as that would be really interesting. It's hard to decide about contraception afterwards, I'm really torn. I think I should try for a baby quite soon, so that we don't reget waiting and have the best chance. But I'm changing jobs in September and moving house, and want something to prevent the endo growing back too quickly...

Good luck for your surgery too! x

ThatTimeAgain profile image
ThatTimeAgain

Sorry you can’t have someone with you, maybe ask if they could write down there findings for you to have a read through when you feel more awake. The whole surgery and doing it alone is a bit daunting isn’t it? After my surgery, we were referred as urgent to the fertility department in kings....spent the year completing our tests and were waiting on a start date, then I lost my partner to covid. Don’t hold back on a family if it’s something you both really want because tomorrow isn’t promised, everything else can be figured out inbetween 🙂

Iv been referred to the pain clinic to help me with medications for the debilitating pain, being asthmatic prevents me from using anti inflammatory meds safely which has proven to be a right pain (literally lol) this might be something you could explore if you choose not to have contraception directly after your surgery.

Good luck for your op and your exciting plans for the future x

astrocat profile image
astrocat in reply to ThatTimeAgain

That's a good idea. Yeah, it's super daunting having to go it alone. So sorry to hear about your partner, that's terribly sad. I hope you're coping and have lots of support. Thanks so much, and good luck to you with the pain clinic too - I hope it's helpful. x

ThatTimeAgain profile image
ThatTimeAgain

Thankyou, struggling with the grief but lockdown hasn’t made it easy....I haven’t seen his family at all since last year and I miss them. Life really is strange, crazy, totally unfair yet beautiful all at the same time.

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