Experience with Lap Surgery

ChristinaV2015

Hi all,

So I took the last 2 months off from the Bump to get my head back on straight.
After 1 failed IVF and 2 failed FET's I wasn't in the right mindset.

I met with my gyno last month and shared with her some of the concerns I had with my RE as well as some of the other issues I experience in my "downtown" that I hadn't shared with her when we first started this journey because I was so focused on getting pregnant. After the appointment we decided to do a lap because she's 80 - 90% sure I have endometriosis and she wants to try and unblock my tubes (which we know are blocked from a previous HSG.) If she can not she's going to remove the tubes to prevent complications later on down the road.

I'm anxious but looking forward to having more answers. Can anyone share their experience with their lap surgery and what your recovery was like? I'm most nervous about what I'm going to feel like when I wake up.

Thanks all... still praying for you all!

Kellyfish79

Hi @ChristinaV2015 Hugs to you as you continue on this journey.  I had a lap surgery back in June of last year to remove a large ovarian cyst.  So, it might be a little different in regards to what they are doing once they get in there but I figured I'd share my experience.  First of all, the cyst I had was causing me a lot of pretty intense pain.  It was hurting before I went into surgery and when I woke up the pain was gone!  So that part was awesome.  Another "nice" thing about this type of procedure is that you'll have an IV (for the anesthesia) and so if you are in pain when you wake up they just give you drugs in the IV and they kick in right away.  I was in recovery for about an hour to an hour & a half at the hospital.  Once I got home I slept most of the day.  You will definitely be pretty sore for a few days afterwards.  Walking was painful the first day or so but got easier pretty quickly.  Getting up and down from a seated or laying position was painful for the first couple of days as well.  I was able to manage my pain with the high mg dose of Ibuprofen. 
I had my surgery on a Monday and was off work for 4 days.  I hope this helps.  Let me know if you have any specific questions!  Good luck to you!

Monica54321

I've had a couple of laproscopic abdominal surgeries in the last few years. Don't worry about the immediate pain when you wake up, like @Kellyfish79 said - they'll have you on good IV meds. You might feel confused or scared, but the post opp nurses will be there to comfort you. You also might have a sore or dry throat from the intubation, but as soon as your semi conscious, they'll start giving you ice chips. Take full advantage of the pain meds, don't try to be a hero I'll have my FX for you!

PrincessSabert

I had a laparoscopy to unblock one of my tubes last year.   Overall it's not that bad.  The worst part was waking up in recovery - it was fine at first,  and then Pain.  I am thankful for the nurse who realized I'd need a percoset before I did.  The pain was what they call shoulder tip pain and it's from the gas they use to get a good view and space while they work.  It was not explained well beforehand.  One nurse had a decent description - it feels like your arm is going to explode.  That being said,  it only lasted maybe an hour.  I was also freezing,  which I think was my reaction to anesthesia.  So, as with everything,  your experience may be completely different and less painful.   Just be sure to ask your doctor what to expect.    I  agree with Kellyfish79's description of recovery soreness and time.   After a few days the pain meds were worse than the pain so I ditched them.  And the good part is the small incisions,  easy to care for.   And best of all, knowing what's going on in your body and getting it fixed.    You should get pretty detailed info about your lady parts lol - I  got pictures after mine and my obgyn used them to discuss what she did and found.  So, despite the hour of pain,  it was totally worth it,  and not really that bad.   Good luck to you.  

KatBH

I agree wth the other ladies, overall it's not a bad procedure. Mine was done to remove a couple dozen fibroids. The surgery lasted longer than planned (under anesthesia for about 4 hours), so waking up was a little difficult and I had a lot of vomiting for the first 12 hours. I took the prescription pain meds the first day, but then moved on to ibuprofen to make sure I wasn't going to have any issues going back to work. Honestly I think the worst part was the pain from the gas that @PrincessSabert mentioned!  My surgery was on he Friday of a long weekend and I was back to work on Tuesday. Good luck!

KidShrink

I had two laparoscopies within a few months (Jan and July 2015). The first one was to remove my gallbladder, which in retrospect was likely damaged because of endo (but at the time, I was told that it was stuck in lots and lots of 'inflammatory tissue'). I found that one harder to recover from. I went back to work after a week but could have really used a second one. 

Then after a few failed attempts, my RE recommended an hysteroscopy (suspected a slight t-shape uterus) followed by a transvaginal endoscopy to determine whether he needed to switch to a laparoscopy if there was endo. What was supposed to be a 15-30 min procedure turned into a complex 2 1/2h surgery as I had stage 4 endo which spread pretty much throughout my abdomen (right ovary covered and twisted, implants between uterus and bladder, some in the bladder wall which couldn't be fully remove without risking a reconstructive bladder surgery, some on my bowels, and then all on the right side, covering my liver completely and up to my diaphragm). Somehow my tubes were clear. I again went back to work a week later (I was actually at a wedding 6 days after the surgery and most people hadn't realized what was going on under my dress...I was already off pain meds but couldn't quite dance like I would usually do). We were able to resume treatments the following months, and were successful that very first time (I'm expecting just about any day now). 

My tips: take the pain meds, don't try to be a hero. But, depending on what the meds you're given are (especially anything involving codeine or something similar), make sure to take Colace right from the get go. You'll thank yourself when it's time to go potty...

Best of luck with your surgery! Hopefully that's all that's needed to finally have that little miracle. I've come out of these surgeries with a total of 9 scars on my abdomen, but I'm so thankful someone finally took the symptoms I was experiencing seriously (I had been suspecting endo for almost 2 years by then because of the unusual bladder and liver problems I was having- ever since I had gotten off the pill to TTC- but no one was taking me seriously because the uterus shape issue was actually preventing me from having the usual heavy periods).