It’s been a little while... I hope you are all doing well.
Over the past few months I have been really struggling with our situation and needed a bit of space however I am back and in desperate need of your advice!
I have recently been referred to the hospital for a Laparoscopy due to excruciating pains in my right abdominal area on and off for the last few months. I also think my painful periods and ovulation could all be linked to this and also reoccurring cysts on my right ovary have been picked up in the three ultrasound scans i have had done.
I have my pre-op appointment on 1st March and am quite scared as I have never had to have any kind of surgery before, has anyone had a Laparoscopy? What was your experience? What kind of things can be diagnosed from them please?
Thank you for your help
Lots of love xx
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ICSIRose
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Welcome back. I hope the break did you some good. I don't have any advice .i just wanted to wish you the best this year .Remember to keep the hope alive. And i hope they can give you answers after a laparascopy. xx
I’ve had 2 now and all I can say is they are all different. As my first I was not in action for 2 weeks and the other I was fine after 3 days.
It’s not a very painful experience but rest is certainly needed. Although you may think it’s 2 little marks. They have done a lot of work inside that you can’t see.
You will be fine just stay calm and the bonus is u’ll get to wear those lovely surgical socks! 🤭
I would suggest you hop on to the endometriosis uk site for lots of helpful advice about how to prepare for a lap, if you do a search you’ll see lots of people posting about it.
I am one of three people I know who fell pregnant first month after a lap... sadly I miscarried due to my husband’s chromosome issue (undiagnosed at the time) but my friend now has a two yr old. So it’s definitely a good thing you are getting that lap!
Hi Lizzie so sorry to hear this!!! How did you find out about the chromosome issue (if you don’t mind me asking)? Did they find anything during your lap? Xx
I had what I considered to be the best result from my lap which is that they found and treated very minor endometrial spots. I had no symptoms though, it was purely done as part of fertility investigations.
The chromosome issue was found in a blood test- after 2 failed ivf rounds and the natural miscarriage we asked our fertility clinic if there were any more tests we could have. We paid £3000 for a suite of tests, one of which was karotyping which found the chromosome translocation.
Thank you GHC. I have a feeling I have endo around my right side and have thought so for quite some time but was finding it difficult to get checked so am pushing for this! I hope your journey is going okay? Xx
I had one as they wanted to rule out endo before funding my ivf (nhs). The idea is that they will repair any damage they see and remove any cysts (I don't know much about endo sorry). It's a less invasive surgery and I think you can be in and out in a day.
I was kept in overnight as I was the last surgery of the day and the anaesthetic hadn't quite worn off. When I left hospital the next morning I felt like utter hell. I was up and about the following day, but on reflection this wasn't a good idea. Felt very tender.
The scar is what upsets me most. It should be tiny but mine didn't heal well so my belly button is now ruined.
It's not a very traumatic surgery but I'd say defo take a few days off after. Don't be scared you'll be out of it anyway. Just make sure you look after your wound after.
The good thing is I've heard so many people say they got pregnant shortly after the surgery. Sadly this was not the case for me as my fertility issues were unexplained.
Again really helpful! Thank you kempton. Really hoping this will either put my mind at rest that nothing is wrong or they pick something up and can remove it! We have funding for one more round of ICSI so want to make sure everything is sorted before this next cycle xx
Well if you're having pain maybe you'll get to the bottom of it. Wishing you the best of luck. And I know I made a right old song and dance about it, but my scars are not that bad I guess lol. They're a symbol of my journey
Bio oil applied regularly twice a day really helped my scars, though mine were straightforward. Might be worth a try?
It took me ten days before I felt well enough to go back to work, and to be honest I probably should have had two weeks off, I was expecting to be up again within a couple of days so was quite shocked how poorly I felt afterward- I made a bit of a song and dance about that!
Hi! Don't worry about the lap you will be fine. I was sore for about 3 weeks after, as had a tube removed, so just make sure you take it easy after and don't rush back to work. Plenty of heat packs, windeeze, regular painkillers and nighties so you don't have to wear anything around your waist will help. Nothing a good box set won't get you through though.
id recommend taking a pen and paper or asking someone to explain the findings when someone else is with you as they came round when i was still out of it and couldn't remember what they had said so was a long wait until follow up appointment 8 weeks later.
I’ve had two laparoscopies, my first was to remove my left tube and they found severe endometriosis, lots of adhesions, ovary wrapped up in my bowel.... very messy! 4 hours of surgery, I stayed in overnight and had about 4 weeks off work.
My second laparoscopy was to excise (cut away) as much of the endo as possible before we started ivf, again they found lots of scarring/adhesions and surgery took about 5.5 hours. I was in hospital for two nights and was off work for 5-6 weeks.
They try to get you home the same day if your surgery was fairly straightforward, but if you go in expecting to stay in for one night at least you’ll be prepared. I was told I’d be home the same day and got really upset when they said I had to stay in (I don’t know why, think I was just feeling emotional!) Take some lip balm - my lips felt terrible as I had to use oxygen for the first 12 hours after the 2nd surgery.
Drink lots of peppermint tea and water. You will be in some pain for about a week after the op, first few days are the worst due to the gas they pump your tummy up with trying to escape, this causes pain in your shoulders.
I would strongly echo what the other ladies have said, you will only have tiny scars on the outside so it’s easy to think you can go about your day as normal after a few days of rest - they will be cutting through your abdominal wall as well as doing whatever else they need to once they get in, so don’t overdo it. A short walk every day to build your strength back up will be fine, but no heavy lifting/exercising etc.
Try and get yourself as fit as possible before your op, it will make your recovery time quicker. Sorry for the essay.... Feel free to message me if you want to know any more xxxxx
Hi, I had laparoscopy but only had 2 incisions as they didn’t find any endometriosis so my recovery was probably quicker. I would recommend to take 2 weeks off work or work from home and go for walks during recovery time. I didn’t do any sport for over a month as felt twinges in my belly button. It is a really good test as they can check a lot of things and treat endometriosis at the same time. Don’t worry, you will be fine
Aw well yes you could say we’ve had a long road to get to this point! We had one fresh round of IVF and got three embryos. The first two transfers both took but miscarried at about 6 weeks. Lucky number three for us is cooking nicely in my tummy, I’m 19 weeks pregnant with a little boy 💙💙💙 xxxx
Hey lovely do go on the HealthUnlocked endo page. I’ve had 2, they took out some tissue first time but needed a bowel specialist cuz of where it was. Ended up off work for nearly 3 months, was quite poorly for a while after but I do hear this is unusual.
We haven’t gone on to conceive but haven’t got round to an embryo transfer due to poor embryo quality. Good luck with your journey, you should deffo head over to the endo site I’m sure you will hear lots more positive stories! Xx
I had a laparoscopy done last year. I had endo found in POD and removed. We fell afterwards but I suffered a miscarriage. I have been booked in for further surgery next month trying is on hold ( long story)
A laparoscopy is useful to diagnose endometriosis- most of the time it cannot be seen on ultrasound- mine wasn’t.
I feel all women facing infertility should have endometriosis checked. It should be part of fertility investigations - particularly those about to undergo treatment. It took 6 years of ttc and years of gynae issues for me to finally get diagnosed- it was luck. It shouldn’t be like that 🤷🏼♀️
Unfortunately Endo does mimic many other conditions which is why it goes undetected for so long and women have difficulty getting diagnosed.
Cysts aren’t always a bad thing- I get a cyst everytime I ovulate- a corpus luteum- it’s considered a normal part of your cycle. But your specialist will guide on that one- I’m not medically qualified!
I had 3 incisions with my lap- i only have 1 scar tho - but that is because there was “work done” in my lower left side- where the endo was.
The laparoscopy wasn’t at all bad and is no way as scary as it sounds ! It is nothing to be worried over- I’m a wimp with most procedures and if I can do if anyone can!
The staff will reassure you and you will be in safe hands 😊 Going under is fine- literally you fall asleep then wake up in recovery room - it feels like no has time passed - it’s strange!
You can get a sedative in the theatre- I was offered this and accepted- I was very worried I wouldn’t find the cause of my chronic pain- at the time I had a pretty dismissive GP who made me feel it was in my head and didn’t believe me 🙄( I have changed GP since 😊)
Make sure you check with pre op when you can eat/drink this is very important- make a note of timings because you will be asked this many times!
It is worth either getting easy meals in or making meals and freezing them. If your hubby is anything like mine has to be made easy for him to do. Men. 😂 I really did not feel up to cooking afterwards.
Bring a dressing gown to hospital to give you some dignity the hospital gowns aren’t the best. Worse for us ladies having laps- we aren’t allowed to wear knickers to the theatre. 😳 You are allowed to wear slippers to these theatre too. I would advise you wear loose fitting trousers for comfort. 😊 It is also advisable to bring an overnight bag just in case.
I’d bring a tablet , books etc in case your waiting for the op. It can be boring!
Some ladies bleed afterwards - so it’s a good idea to bring towels in case.
Bring a warm jumper - you might feel cold as you come around - well I do anyway!
You will need someone with you for the first 24 hours after surgery. I remember being questioned and stating my hubby would be the responsible adult looking after me . Never thought I’d say that!!! 😂😂😂
Definitely get some painkillers in - you may have slight cramping. You will probably have shoulder pain- this is due to the gas they inflate you with during surgery. It should settle within a few days. Mine did.
Keep a close eye on the wounds- if they look red, weepy or smell straight to the nurse ASAP. I had dissolvable ones- but some didn’t fall out so the nurse at my DRS removed them.
Regard to time off work- will depend on what was done and what type of job you have. My GP said if mine was just diagnostic one a week off should be adequate but as I had treatment done I was signed off two weeks. Recovery is an individual thing - don’t go back till you feel ready to.
All the best with your laparoscopy- if you have any questions feel free to ask me xoxo
Good luck with the lap. I haven't had one myself. It's a similar story to lots of people here - I just can't understand why endo investigation isn't done as standard when a woman has problems conceiving, plus I've had problem periods my whole life but always been dismissed by doctors without any investigation. So frustrating! Anyway, I don't have any advice on the procedure, but I do hope you get some answers. Every little bit of investigation helps us understand why we have to face such difficulties. Best of luck xx
Hi, I had a lap and dye in September. I was off my feet for a good week, which is unusual for me. However, after nearly 3 years of ttc, the cycle after the lap we had our first BFP. Unfortunately it ended in miscarriage but i think a few people have found it makes you slightly more fertile? Good luck xx
Aw best of luck, will be thinking of you! We are hoping to commence a cycle in the summer however will need to see how my laparoscopy goes and what they discover (if anything) xx
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Hello ladies I’m back again ☺️
I’m back 😍💕🦋
just in need of relationship advice
In need of advice 🙏🏻 
Laparoscopy/hysteroscopy before FET
