Sorry if this post maybe isn't as relatable for some (I'm hoping it is though!), but I am a very anxious person and a bit of a hypochondriac so my anxieties are going a bit haywire now.
I'm about a week post-op from my first laparoscopy which found stage 2 endo. In general, it was a good surgery and my pain is about manageable now. I'm still not overly mobile and can't bend down or anything so still relying on my partner to help me with a lot of things around the house.
As for anxieties, I'm worried about so many things. I don't know how my body will react once I've healed, how long it will take to heal, will be incisions be okay when I get my stitches out, how long until I need another surgery, when can I start working again, exercising again, being intimate with my partner again, will the chronic pain and fatigue get better, and so many other things! And without much to do at the moment, I just keep going over these thoughts and getting myself worked up about them.
I'm not exactly sure what I'm looking for on here in terms of responses. Maybe just someone to say I'm not alone? Has anyone else experienced this kind of mass worry after their first surgery?
The hospital I went to told me recovery was two weeks, but I'm struggling to see that to be true. How long have you guys taken to recover and get back to some semblance of normality?
Sorry for the long post. If you've gotten to the end, then thank you for reading! I hope you're doing okay as well.
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CaffeineCat
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I had 6 weeks off work with both my laps - I was feeling a bit better but then I had a period and it was pretty bad, but after that it got better. I can’t recall that exercise or sex were a massive issue for a long time after the lap, so it couldn’t have been that much of a problem, and my job involved a lot of driving and was relatively physical and I managed ok once I went back.
I had my first lap 14 years ago, then my second one 7 years later, and I’m probably about ready for one again: I haven’t really used many hormonal interventions (other than 6 months of prostap) as I have been TTC throughout that time (although I did have a pregnancy and breastfed for about 3 years so that helped a bit I think.)
You are not alone. It's completely normal to worry and it can feel very overwhelming because you can't see what's happening in your body. Don't worry if you take your time to heal, only you know your body. I had 6 weeks off with one lap. Other women were released after an our being in hospital recovery, I was over night. A lap is the surgery and not an indication of the work done inside.
Be kind to yourself. These feels will pass and you will be ok soon. Worth remembering the anesthetisic can make u emotional too.
You are not alone. I had all the same worries and I’m sure most people do. Everyone’s healing process and journey is different, just listen to your body. I had 6 weeks off work. I’m now 8 weeks post op from my first lap and still recovering, although I see good improvement as each week passes. I’m struggling mostly with fatigue still, and periods are painful and I feel the cramping for a week or so after which the surgeon said is cos of the healing internally. The drs say 2 weeks but the hospital nurse said it’s more like 6-8 weeks and my physio said in reality it’s 12 weeks especially for sex and excercise. I definitely am not ready for sex yet. The best thing you can do is move as much as you feel you are able, walk 10-15mins a day if you can. I’m managing to now walk 30mins a day and some basic leg and hip stretches. My incision had surgical glue and dissolvable stitches which started to come off on its own after 4 weeks then one of them on the bikini line opened and didn’t want to heal so I had steristrips for a week. I was so frustrated with how long it is taking me to heal but I’ve come round to the fact that having a laparoscopy is the start not the finish, and now I need to focus on making my body as strong as possible through nutrition, physio and excercise so that when endo comes back I’m in a better position (I have a lot of muscle loss and pelvic pain that I need to work on) Anyway, that’s a long reply but hope it helps and I wish you all the best with your recovery!
This is my 3rd cycle sine lap. Have had the worst pain and cramping and it’s not even been a week since I started my cycle. Thank you for sharing what your surgeon said, as I’ve been so frustrated about why I’m still feeling like garbage. To hear that it’s normal is very reassuring!
Two weeks is a very unrealistic recovery time. You need at least six or seven weeks to be able to do normal things again. What helped me was just walking a little every day, first to bathrrom from the bedroom, then bathroom to kitchen then,the house next door, then a but further, then round our very small block, and just increasing the distance a little bit every day. Have a friend come with you or take your phone if you are worried. Your first period might be terrible but the next one not so bad.
Just try sex very gently when you feel ready and you are not hurting. To completely heal after a lap takes about 8 months but a lot depends on how much cutting around they did inside. at stage 2 it shouln't have been too much,
I had a lot of smashing around inside at stage 4 so I needed painkilllers for about 4 months after the op while I was healing. I think your stitches will disolve by themselves so you don't need to worry about them coming out.
I needed more surgery after 3 years but this varies with everyone, as they caught yours early you might not need it for a long time.The main thing is not to lift heavy things or start strenuous excercise for 6/7 weeks.
You've done really well if you have health anxiety going through the op must have been very scary for you. So you have already done the really hard bit, I get super anxious about all manner of health issues since having endo and being in and out of hospital for a long time. Maybe finding a calming hobby like walking,playing music or for me crazily cleaning helps. So when you feel anxious you can distract yourself a bit and get calmer. But really you've done the hard bit now all you need to do is take it easy for a while and not feel guilty about it.
I think there are books and websites to help with anxiety they could be worth a try but very soon you will be back to normal minus the endo pain and doing really well. Good luck xx
you are not alone. I suffered severe anxiety post op and I’d never experienced anxiety before. I worried about all sorts and it really knocked me. Just know with every week that passes you will feel better both physically and mentally. Drag yourself out for fresh air walk if you can it always helps. Take care 😊
You are definitely not alone with these worries! I had a lap last year and had a cyst removed. I don't remember sex or exercise being an issue to be honest but then I'm not one for exercise anyway 😂... I just took myself out for daily walks, which helped a lot, mentally and physically. I'll be honest, a year on from my op I'm still experiencing some worries, mainly because the gynaecologist and infertility clinic have discharged me with no other help offered. Unless I start experiencing severe pain, I won't even have an ultrasound to see if I have any more cysts and they've also said they won't remove it anyway. Sorry, I'm rambling! My advice to you would be to get out for a walk every day, it helps the healing and definitely will help mentally! Talk about your worries with your partner regarding sex, I'm sure they'll be understanding and patient. Invest in a good lube (sorry if this is tmi!) And plenty of it, I found it helped with the first time post op as I was nervous about pain. Turned out fine! I took four weeks off work, I was in no rush to go back and luckily I work in the NHS and had a great manager, so it wasn't an issue. Though I do recall a colleague said it was unnecessary as it wasn't like I had a hysterectomy or anything. Nice right...
My incisions were completely fine once the stitches came out, you can just about see the marks now. I'm sorry that I can't comment on the endo pain, I never had any pain, I actually had no idea I had endo or a 10cm ovarian cyst! I sincerely hope you feel better soon!! Much love to you xx
Happy Friday ladies and thank you for your post CaffeineCat and all of your amazing responses!
You are NOT alone.
Your anxieties are warranted and valid as although we all have this condition our experiences can vary, but not the anxiety.
I am 47 and I have only recently realised that the surgery is just the start of the process as Hells83bells has stated. Also I have never healed with 2 weeks after a lap and I really think that this needs to change, I was also advised by a nurse as already stated the lap is the surgery and not an indication of the work done inside.
Whilst you are recovering you may be interested in joining your local support group:
Dear Cat your are not alone . Sorry to hear you have had to go through this Be kind to yourself. Take as much time as you need everyone’s recovery is different.
I have had many laps and depending on the severity of what they did it’s down to how you feel and your pain management.
voltoral suppository was a life saver for me this is an anti inflammatory drug . Reallyhelped .
Baths and hot water bottles . Sex did not occur for probably at least 12 weeks .
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