lap and dye next week....nervous/scared

[queenrollo]

Just that really.

HSG showed right tube fine, but left tube blocked with hydrosalpinx. Discussed options with Consultant (after an almighty fight to get an appt) and plan of action is

Option 1 open and flush tube

Option 2 clip tube at uterus end

He is refusing to remove the tube during this surgery if that is necessary as wants to talk that through with me and go for a return surgery if necessary.
I was supposed to have this surgery at the beginning of January but had a CP over the New Year and so was deemed that I have a viable tube/ovary he removed me from the waiting list for 3 months to see if conception would occur again.

There are very few statistics that I can find to show whether dealing with uni-lateral hydro improves chances of natural conception. My Consultant has completely written off the idea that hydro fluid is stopping me from sustaining pregnancy (he claims this is only relevant in IVF and not natural conception) and not interested in the fact that I am pretty sure I have had at least two other CP's in the last 2 years.

I'm not going to turn this into another rant about how useless my Cons has been up to this point. Right now this is being viewed as my last step with the NHS. I have a child already so am not eligible for IVF under my PCT rules.

I have been trying so hard to stay positive. In Dec I felt that resolving the hydro would massively improve my chances of conceiving (or staying pregnant) but now I just feel like I daren't be positive because if it doesn't work I will come crashing back down again.

This is a bit of a mind dump, but my surgery is a week today and I feel my negativity is making the fear of the surgery worse.
(and the fact my hospital is rubbish....)

I have no experience or advice to offer, but it sounds like you are having a tough time and I wanted to send you my best wishes for a successful procedure. Hopefully just the general rummaging around in there may help and you will get your DC2. Hope so anyway!

Hi Queen, I had mine last week and share your pain at feeling scared, I was a mess leading up to mine. not so much about the procedure, just what they would find. In the end I had diathermy as they found endometriosis and my ovary was stuck to an organ.

The GA is fine, they will chat to you and keep your attention diverted when they do the needles bit, its all very quick and almost as soon as they get the needle in you will be off to sleep.

I was a bit shaky when I woke up, I think it was just that everything culminated into feeling groggy/relieved/scared that this was just the start and burst into tears and cried for 15 minutes. Don't think the nurses were used to that lol. They were very sweet and take very good care of you. I had cramps so was give pain killers immediately and they went away, you may also feel very, very cold so they will warm you up with hot blankets - the blankets were AMAZING. Like being covered in 100 hot water bottles.

I can't comment on what they are likely/may find once they are in there because it from what you've said they have some idea but its different to what they found with me but they tend to do quite a spring clean if they can to give you the best possible chance. Fingers cross the dye flush out works for you. xxx

Thank you for your messages.

raspberry I guess I'm scared about what else they may find. Uni-lateral hydro is not that common, and there is no obvious cause for mine.

I do think part of the problem for me is that I got so worked up, and then prepared for having the surgery before that I'm running out of emotional energy at the moment to keep on with this.

Just really hoping this surgery works for me!

Hi Queen I am also having a lap & dye next Tuesday and I am also nervous/scared! I had an ectopic back in Oct last year and had to have my left tube removed so this procedure is just to thoroughly check out my remaining tube. It is also my last chance saloon with the NHS as I have a DS already. In the 3 years we have been TTC No.2 I have had 2 miscarriages, an ectopic and a CP. NHS have found no cause for RMC but I have private testing and am taking treatment for high NK cells. I know what to expect after my surgery last year. I found the worst thing was the trapped gas in the abdomen post-op. Wind-eze capsules helped but I still had to sleep sitting up on the sofa for 2-3 nights afterwards! Fingers crossed we both have a happy outcome!

I got worked up before hand too. I can't really suggest anything other than try to keep very busy between now and then, any quiet time I found I spent it surfing the net scaring the moose out of myself.

Diagnostic surgery I think is worse in the run up (believe me I know, this was the 10th general anesthetic I've had) purely because you don't know what will be there on the other side. The only comfort I got was focussing on the fact that this may be the solution or at least we would have some next steps.

Will be thinking of you and green! Fingers crossed for us all x

Hi Queen I have had a lap and dye last year, i was scared but it was fine in the end, hurt a bit after but not too bad, i took it very easy for a week as I had an ovarian cyst removed at the same time. It went well but now I have had no luck since then TTC and I am booked in for an HSG next week as they think maybe there's fluid in the tube. I am really scared of the HSG, to me it sounds worse for some reason - maybe I'm just scared of the drugs up the bum bit! How did you find it? I'm planning on taking a day off work as I think even if it is OK depending on what they say I could get quite emotional... Thanks

TheCatSofa - I'm also booked in for an HSG next week and pretty scared too. A friend had one done and she said it was quite uncomfortable during it but ok after. Hope so! Fingers crossed all goes well for you.

Catsofa and Grace personally I found the HSG no more than uncomfortable. The worst of the pain for me was like bad period cramp and it lasted maybe 20 seconds. I'd taken two ibru half hour before I went in, and could breathe through the worst of the discomfort.

Greenolives will check back in after the op! Hope you get good news from your procedure.

raspberry I think I feel the same - that this may be the solution I need. I'm not a control freak but I am the sort of person that medically likes to have answers. I want to know whether to keep on TTC or if it's time for me to accept it isn't going to happen and work on moving on.
After just over 2 years of this I personally am finding it hard to keep going emotionally. This is compounded by having to wait - so much is dependent on where you are in your cycle and you can't just have answers now. I'm sick of counting days away....

Hi rollo I had a lap in December. It gave me more info and I'm glad I had it done. It was sore afterwards and the anaesthetic made me woozy and very tired for about a week. But 10 days later I felt totally 100% normal. I'd say you do need 2 weeks off work but a week would do it at a push. If you have any other qs do pm me. Good luck x

well fortunately I don't work so post op tiredness isn't a problem for me!

I've copied this from the Hut thread over in Infertility so I don't have to type it out again. But wanted to make sure this thread was updated too for anyone who may search it in the future.

phew, am I tender this morning! Had to wake DH at 3am to help me to the loo and get painkillers because in my fog last night I forgot to put any by the bed!

So here's how it went.I arrived at 7.30, was seen by anaesthetist, then two medical students seeking permission to sit in on my surgery and perfom a pelvic exam (which I granted). Then one of the gynae team came to see me (interestingly my Cons bypassed me to see the woman in the next bed who arrived after. I get the feeling he didn't want to see me grin) This other person was really, really good with me and explained the surgery very well, despite me having discussed it with the Cons previously. I was told I had about a 3 hour wait, which went quite quickly really.
After being so scared and stressed the few days before by the time I got to hospital I was zen calm! I didn't even panic when they took me down to theatre.
The worst bit was them trying to get the cannula in the back of my hand. I swore quite a bit, but I have such narrow veins that he couldn't get the cannula to flush back through. He called the anaesthetist in at that point who took one look at the back of my hand and put the dressing back on. He put the cannula in my elbow instead and apart from the scratch of the needle that was totally painless. Then the magic medicine went in and I drifted off.
I was woken in recovery by the gynae staff/surgeon who came to see me that morning.
I was told I would be under for an hour and to expect to be home by mid-afternoon. As it turns out I went into theatre at 11am and came out at just before 2!! I got home about 5pm.

I will be sent an appt to see my Consultant in 8 weeks but the lovely surgeon again came to my bedside and explained what they found/did.

My left tube was dilated and stuck to the ovary. They have detached it and she said they didn't need to open it as doing that has freed the fimbrals. She did say though the tube has elongated quite alot and that puts me at increased risk of ectopic so I must inform my GP straight away of any pregnancy and get him to contact my Cons.
Surprisingly (as I have had no obvious symptoms) they also found endo. This is why I was under so long. They have treated it with diathermy and I was told this is why I am in so much more discomfort now than I had been warned I may be.
They gave me morphine after surgery but by about 6pm last night it had worn off and I was in quite a lot of pain.

My main incision below the navel is very uncomfortable and when I stood to get dressed in the hospital I realised my feet had got wet envy and the wound is leaking a lot. I have a lot of extra packing and dressing on that and it's very, very sore. I've been told to take the dressing off later today and been given extra but I am still so swollen I'm not sure I will be able to see it properly to check it.

I am so glad this is done. I have now read up a little bit about endo and am hoping that along with the tube issue, having the endo resolved will result in me being able to get and stay pregnant!!

Sorry this is so long, but I wanted to get it all down while it's fresh in my mind.

Hi Queen Sorry to hear that you are so sore, but it's great news that they found and treated your problems so that you have every chance of a successful pregnancy in the future!

I had my lap & dye yesterday too. My remaining tube is clear, the only thing they found was a small fimbrial cyst on my Rt ovary but they don't think that should cause a problem. I am sore but much less so than after my ectopic surgery so I'm hoping my recovery will be nice and quick. Hope you're feeling better very soon.

Hi rollo sounds like a lot of rummaging in there but I'm glad you have some answers. My tummy cut ended up being quite leaky but settled quickly. It hurt to roll over at night for a few days but the pain went after a week. My tummy was balloon like for about two. I annoyed the hell out of dh by keeping asking if it would stay like that rest up and good luck with your new shiny womble! and rests and mends to olives too.

I thought I would come back and update this thread, to give some positivity to anyone who might come across this thread in the future. I am now 7 weeks pregnant! So it seems that the surgery has definitely resolved some issue with my bits.

That's duh brilliant news you sounded like you were nearly at the end of your tether in your first post, and understandably so. Well done and fx you have a healthy pregnancy and dc2!