laparoscopy: general advice needed please

[PinkHat1]

Hi, I received a letter from my local hospital confirming my laparoscopy procedure in a few weeks.

I'm interested in other people's experiences..Has anyone had this procedure before? How long was your recovery? What were your reasons for having it done? Having having the procedure, were you able to conceive after?

Thanks.

Why have they suggested a lap op?.

Usually a lap is done when endometriosis is suspected. This was one of the reasons for mine, the other being that it could be useful for PCOS patients to have done.

I have had laparoscopic type surgery done; its keyhole surgery and in my case the surgeon punctured the cystic follicles on the ovaries with an electrical laser. He also lasered off the extensive endometriosis that was found in my uterine cavity.

I was advised to have 2 days off work post op and was very glad that I did so. What I found the worst about this surgery was the pain in the shoulders post op which was very painful (painkillers and rest did take the edge off it though). The pain comes about because of the CO2 gas used to give the surgeon a better view of the internal organs, that gas travels upwards and dissipates.

I did manage to conceive post this surgery.

You should have a follow up appointment about a week post op to discuss the findings of this surgery. They should not be talking to you in the recovery room about the ops findings, that is completely unacceptable!. Ensure that such an appointment is arranged before you have the lap.

Thank you for responding AttilaTheMeerkat some really helpful information there.

They've suggested a lap because of suspected endometriosis - I suffer from very painful periods and have been ttc for over a year now.

Hi, I had 2 laparoscopies in 2010.

The first was an emergency NHS one in February 2010 - I went to A&E at the general hospital in terrible pain and they suspected I had appendicitis so decided I needed to have a laparoscopy. They discovered I had severe endometriosis and two different types of ovary cyst, one on each ovary (haemorrhagic on one and chocolate on the other). They didn't touch it and just sewed me back up!

I woke up in the women's hospital across the road having been transferred in the middle of the night and when I woke up a gynae consultant who was on duty in the ward said ' don't worry it's not cancer it's endometriosis' then I got discharged without any follow up.

Then due to my ongoing rubbish NHS experience (after leaving me in pain I had repeated cancelled appointments and had not been added to the waiting list for surgery to treat it) in May 2010 I had the second laparoscopy - not NHS instead Benenden at the Benenden Hospital in Kent. If you can afford it it is worth considering Benenden membership - it is around £8.10 per month.

The treatment I received at Benenden was superb.

My pelvis is very badly affected by scarring and adhesions from severe endometriosis and has adhered to my other organs so I only had a relatively small amount of the damage removed but I had my ovaries saved and one had to be re-built so I was very lucky.

Miraculously I now have a little boy who has just turned 3 years old.

He was conceived during the second cycle I had after the laparoscopy.

My consultant said we should only try 'naturally' for no more than 3-6 months before going down the IVF route.

Personally, I will need a big laparoscopy to get rid of the adhesions etc fully - it is something like a 9 hour procedure if you have total excision where the entire pelvic cavity is cleaned up by literally cutting it all out.

Peppermint is really good after a laparoscopy as you get painful trapped wind.

After the treatment laparoscopy it did take quite a while to feel better because there was more internal healing so it was a few weeks of working up to having longer walks etc. The first laparoscopy wasn't so bad.

All the best for your laparoscopy.

Thanks painting2014 for your message - especially your tip on peppermint too.

Hi pink.

I had one last week because we'be been ttc for a long time. They offered a hsg but that'd take 6 months whereas wait for lap was 3. Lap is more invasive but I went for it.

Like pp said, it was weird that they came round the curtains so not only did I get my results, I heard everyone else's.

I got a clean bill of health and am hoping to conceive really soon as a result of the 'flush'.

Re recovery, I needed an internal stitch owing to an old hernia wound so took 2extra days; pain was gone after two days though.

Good luck. If you think of any specific questions we haven't answered, ask away. Happy to help.

Good luck!

Hi

I had a laparoscopy last Monday and it wasn't too bad. Mine was also because of possible endo but nothing was found. I had a hysteroscopy at the same time with dye to check the tubes.

The worst thing for me was recovering from the GA - I was sick for 24 hours after. I was ready to go back to work by Thursday though, although felt a bit tired and sore for the rest of the week and the incisions (only two) are still a bit tender. It was on the nhs and I can't fault the experience in any way.

I would agree with the recommendation for peppermint tea - the trapped gas was agony but it helped.

I am also hoping to conceive following the lap- we've been ttc for 18 months so far and are unexplained.

Good luck! X

Hi - I've had three laps now, for slightly different reasons (2 x ectopic and one investigative / to remove endo). To add to the good advice below, I would say:

• def peppermint oil or capsules
• high-fibre diet or a mild laxative! Sorry if tmi but they will probably give you codeine for pain relief, and it can have a very uncomfortable constipatory effect! Not what you need with stitches!
• have someone with you that day and the next. It's normal for the GA grogginess to take a while to wear off.
• be prepared to take a couple of weeks off afterwards - I ended up needing more endo removed than I thought, and needed the full two weeks to recover.
• get up and about a little more each day. One of my laps was during a period of awful weather and my recovery took longer because I couldn't get out of the house for short walks as much as I would have liked.
• try to have things in reach, do you don't have to bend or stretch, eg shower gel on a hanging thing, tea and coffee on the counter top
• don't skimp on the pain meds - now is not the time for heroics. Paracetemol has a cumulative effect so keep topped up on it if you need to. I carried mine around in a little bag so i didn't have to trek upstairs if I was downstairs etc!
• if you can't get an appt and they insist on debriefing you after the appt, take a notebook and write things down/ get someone to take notes for you.

Good luck - hope it answers some questions and you get your bfp soon!

Thank you for all your responses m33r, tigerdog, and fizzyfeet really helpful and has made me feel less apprehensive about the whole thing.