Laparoscopy

[Richtea2]

I am having Laparoscopy in May for my endometriosis and to remove cysts. I think I am worried of waking up to not good news.
I don't want them to remove ovaries or anything.
I have never been put to sleep but probably be best sleep I will have.
Any advice from anyone who had laparoscopy please

I had one when I had a ruptured ectopic, I had never been under general anaesthetic, they also removed cysts from my ovaries and I lost a fallopian tube. I went on to have two successful pregnancies not long after and consequently have two lovely DC. Good luck. I also don't get the terrible stomach pains I had before.

I’ve had four :)

Before they put you to sleep, the surgeon and the anaesthetist will come and talk to you. Make sure you tell the surgeon what you’re worried about. Ask for the worst case scenario and the likelihood of that happening. It’s v v v unlikely they’ll just remove your ovaries - it’s taken me 20 years to get them to agree to remove mine…

If all goes according to plan (and the vast vast majority of surgeries do), you’ll be home within 24h, with just slight internal aches (like mild period pain) and back to normal in a couple of days.

I was home less than three hours after waking up, nevermind the best sleep, the tea and toast afterwards was one of the best meals I've ever had.

I was warned at the preop that I might feel a bit of pain in my shoulders - gas used to inflate abdomen can push on diaphragm and cause pain. Felt completely fine, lay down to go to sleep and it was agony, had to sleep sitting up for the first two nights.

Thank you all for you advice.

I’ve had one. You will honestly be fine. Had THE best sleep, lots of lovely morphine when I woke up 🤣 and then the most amazing huge raspberry scone, tea and about 6 liters of water ! I was so thirsty after it
I was discarded around three/four hours after I woke up.
Pp mentioned shoulder pain - it was awful. I was prepared after c-section as I had read about it and took peppermint tea which eased it .
I completely forgot about , went home , no pain at all, got cosy in bed and went to lie down and go to sleep and then it started . Unfortunately it lasted two days for me , had to sleep sitting up!
Get stocked up on peppermint tea and start taking as soon as you can !

Good luck, you will be fine ! It’s a good excuse for a good rest if anything else ! DH took some time off to mind dc so had plenty of rest - it was great!

Discarded?!! DISCHARGED!!

I had one to remove a cyst, one ovary and one fallopian tube

I am the world's greatest wuss about anything health related and have a terror of hospitals but I promise it was fine.

The anaesthetic wasn't scary at all, just the loveliest sleep ever. I was discharged about 4 hours later and thankfully didn't experience any of the gas related pain other people have described. However, it was really sensitive to have anything round my waistband for a good few days afterwards so you might want to get some very loose fitting bottoms or even go with granny nighties for a bit.

The whole thing took a bit longer to bounce back from than I expected (I had 3 weeks off work but I do have a very physically active job - if you have a desk job, especially WFH, you might be OK sooner).

Can honestly say the surgery transformed that aspect of my health so well worth it.

OK so i am going to be that poster, the one who is all doom and gloom.

Before your operation you should have had a chance to speak with the surgeon to discuss exactly what they are looking to do, what may happen if they discover certain things whilst doing the laparoscopy, and what you are happy or not happy about them doing without waking you up first.

It is important you have this conversation as this is the same one during which they should discuss with you the things that could go wrong. They do tend to gloss over the what can go wrong bit though.

So independently please make sure you are fully aware of the possible complications that could arise from this operation.

Usually it tends to be all over and done with by lunch time and you are back home by tea time. HOWEVER when it goes wrong it can go horribly wrong.

My last laparoscopy went horribly wrong. They severed my bowel and didn't notice. I spent 36 hours in agony telling them something was seriously wrong, whilst they kept telling me I had a low threshold to pain and could I please shut up as i was upsetting the other patients.

By the time someone, a different surgeon, heard me, came onto the ward, looked at me, got hold of my bed and starting wheeling me to be scanned I was actually minutes from dying.

The scan confirmed the severed bowel. And so from there I was rushed back to theatre.

I died as they wheeled me to the operating theatre.

They resuscitated me, transferred me to the High Dependency Unit to stabilise me then took me back to do the second operation. The did a limited right hemicolectomy and I was lucky to not end up with a stoma.

I woke up the next day in Intensive Care with my sister asking me if I'd written a will (and no darling sister I still havent!). I nearly died again a week later when they missed the fact that I'd caught pneumonia and had MRSA.

I eventually, thankfully, went home fifteen days later. But every day I see the scar that runs right down my front and I'm right back there in that hospital.

I know there will be people who read this and think I shouldn't have posted it, but I wish I'd known that having a laparoscopy for endometriosis could actually kill me. Because if I had been properly informed as to what could happen then when I thought something was seriously wrong I would have have fought a lot harder whilst I was still well enough in the first few hours after the operation to make them listen to me.

I've had 3 and I am also a total wuss bag!

It was fine although ginger beer worked best for me with the wind issue (which can be a bugger!)

@Boiledbeetle so sorry for all you went through

There are risks with all surgeries and of course hcps aren't perfect! One of mine was for an ectopic that was initially missed! I too was EXTREMELY lucky that day!!

I was worried about anaesthesia due to family history and my own issues with local anaesthetic prior to that point and I was right. I come around way too soon but now it's on my notes/records and if I need surgery in future the anaesthetist will be told as happened for the 2nd 2 laps and 2 other surgeries

@Graphista,

I'd previously had five, six? Laporoscopies prior to the operation from hell, and they had all been text book. But never was I implicitly warned about the things that often go wrong with them, and severing bowels, it turns out, is quite a frequent occurrence. Usually though someone spots it whilst the operation is ongoing and it's a quick fix, not ideal, but no harm done.

After the operation I had all the classic signs that something was wrong with my bowel, and I knew something was seriously wrong, I even said that I thought they had cut through my bowel, but was fobbed off by the surgeon that I just had a low threshold for pain!!

They'd never in all the operations I'd had warned me that they could sever my bowel though.

[quote Boiledbeetle]@Graphista,

I'd previously had five, six? Laporoscopies prior to the operation from hell, and they had all been text book. But never was I implicitly warned about the things that often go wrong with them, and severing bowels, it turns out, is quite a frequent occurrence. Usually though someone spots it whilst the operation is ongoing and it's a quick fix, not ideal, but no harm done.

After the operation I had all the classic signs that something was wrong with my bowel, and I knew something was seriously wrong, I even said that I thought they had cut through my bowel, but was fobbed off by the surgeon that I just had a low threshold for pain!!

They'd never in all the operations I'd had warned me that they could sever my bowel though.[/quote]
I was warned it was a possibility. Sorry that happened to you but I'm not sure your story is helpful to someone who is anxious. I would think what happened to you was very rare - as you say most of the time they nick the bowel it is spotted and fixed on the spot.

Most laparoscopies are uneventful and apart from nausea/vomiting, pain and sore throat other complications are very infrequent. Damage to bowel, bladder and risk of excessive bleeding is possible during any laparoscopy and should be mentioned while discussing the procedure and taking consent.

@Titsywoo

I couldn't give a toss if someone is anxious or not. 1 in 100 laparoscopy result in minor complications. 1 in 1000 result in major complications which usually require further surgery.

NO ONE, anxious or not, should have an operation without being COMPLETELY informed.

And the fact that just because they usually spot their fuck up and fix it quickly doesn't make it OK and nothing to worry about.

Any surgery can result in death. It is that simple, but no surgeon is going to labour that point, they mention it after a load of other stuff, hope you don't ask questions, and move on quickly.

If the OP is going to have an operation that isn't a have this operation or you die scenario then she should be fully informed as to ALL possible outcomes.

I've had a few, all went very well.

Sleepy, morphine, and discharged on the same day.

I wouldn't day my shoulder was sore afterwards but it was a little uncomfortable l. No other real discomfort, just a little tender. You might want to avoid exercising or heavy lifting for a few days but other than that it's very standard.

Best think I ever had done in terms of improving the pain from endometriosis.

You will have to sign a consent form at the outset and they will talk you through the procedure.