Recovery from laparoscopy?

[jcurve]

I’m having a laparoscopy and hysteroscopy next month before we do IVF. Unfortunately due to forthcoming holidays and my cycle, it’s timed for a week that my husband will be in the States for work.

I’m not worried about coping on my own - I will be staying overnight & my best friend is available to pick me up and drop me home in a taxi the next day. If it’s relevant it’s being done privately, not NHS. Am I being unrealistic in thinking that with a bit of pre-planning, there’s no reason I won’t be fine for 3 nights by myself? (We are foreign so no family here). What’s the usual recovery like for a laparoscopy?

I think it varies person to person. I had a Lap and had quite bad pain from the air trapped inside, particularly in my shoulder for about a week.
Personally it was nice to have DH there to help, I was a bit out of it from the anaesthetic for the next day and my Lap was due to a suspected ectopic so slightly different. I think as long as you have some painkillers on hand you should be ok, and a friend to call if it is worse than expected.

Literally just had one as was out of it the next day but able to do a little work from home on the second day after it. However I was v glad to have someone with me the next day - I literally lay about all day feeling sick.

I do think it depends on how much they do though ie whether it is purely investigative or whether they also remove anything eg endo nodules.

Stock up on extra strength oil of peppermint capsules from Holland and Barratt - they did help with the gas

Thanks, that’s really helpful. Mine will be removing a small endometrioma plus looking for any other endometriosis.

When you say “in pain”, were you well enough to e.g. heat food in the microwave and make cups of tea?

I've had both.

Hysterocopy a couple of months ago - I didn't have any anaesthetic and I was fine - went for a meal on way home 😬

Lap - was ok the day after really. I had trapped air in my shoulders for a few days but yes I could potter about the next day.

I had one 15 days ago. I was surprised by how ill I felt. Didn't have the trapped gas/ shoulder pain thing. It was just feeling weak from the anaesthetic for me. Took me 8 days to feel ok enough to go to work. My hospital said you need someone with you for 24 hours. I would have been fine cooking very simple things for myself. Just needed to take it slow and do lots of sitting down.

Just to follow up on this as I always find it useful myself when searching Mumsnet - my laparoscopy was absolutely fine. I had surgery at 3.30pm and was tucking into dinner at 7.30pm. I didn’t sleep much the first night but only felt stiff and uncomfortable. I was very lucky not to get any shoulder pain, albeit I started taking Windeze the same night (tmi: have never burped so much in my life). They found and removed Stage 3 endo on uterosacral ligaments, ovarian fossa and sigmoid colon, adhesions & an endometrioma.

I was doing some work from home 2 days later (phone calls reclining on the sofa!) and didn’t need to take any painkillers by the 5th day. I did a very full week of work the following week, albeit entirely from home, but long days with hours on the phone.

As a bonus my energy levels are so much better - I was suffering terrible fatigue pre-surgery. Fingers crossed it works before we start IVF in the New Year!

@jcurve glad it went well. I think we are in a similar situation. I had mine at the start of August and thinking about ivf soon. New year at latest.

I had the exact same procedure 2 weeks ago - also getting ready to start clomid first and then IVF if needed.
I didn't recover as fast as you! It took about a week to feel like myself again. But feeling 100% better now.
Good luck with your IVF xx

@Sylva123 and @BoomBoomBoomLetMeHearYouSay best of luck with your clomid/IVF too! Fingers crossed we are in that 40% that get a spontaneous pregnancy. I’m two weeks on Monday post-surgery and feel really good so glad to hear you have recovered well too.

@jcurve @Sylva123 didn’t know that stat!

I realise you guys had a lap more recently than me, but I can still feel dull pain/pressure in certain areas at certain times of the month. It’s definitely not as bad though. Just wondering if you had that at all?

It’s funny you say that. I have a dull ache in my groin on the side with the endometrioma that was intermittent over the weekend & now persistent, that extends inside my thigh down to my knee.

I’m due on, on Wednesday and typically bloated so I presume it will happen this week. I took a couple of naproxen last night in anticipation as a horror show period isn’t really helpful this week (I’m abroad for work) but it’s back again today.

I guess our insides are healing and that takes time? When I googled, it said it would take up to six cycles to settle down and that the first 3 cycles can be a bit wild.

The first month after I had bloating around ovulation.
The month before ovulation I had weird back pain radiating down my leg, but no bloating.
All just weird!

@BoomBoomBoomLetMeHearYouSay that’s really interesting. I’ve been assuming I’m due on but (TMI) my cervical mucus is fairly plentiful and creamy which isn’t normal for me leading up to my period. Maybe I am ovulating very late? I hope not, I won’t see DH for another 10 days

I definitely ovulated late the month after the op

Oh interesting! I had pains on the other ovary where they didn't operate, but thought it was too late in the cycle to be ovulation pains... But it makes sense that they would have been, if it messes up the cycle a bit. Also explains why my cycle is going on a bit longer than normal!

Also not sure if I'm bloated or if I just ate too much cake and crisps during the two weeks I was signed off 😄

@jcurve @BoomBoomBoomLetMeHearYouSay Holy moly - just got my first period since the lap and it is PAINFUL. I've taken the morning off work, which I never ever ever do. I love my job, it takes a lot for me to not go in.
Just sitting here with hot water bottle, the cat, nurofen and cups of tea. Not only has it been painful, but crazy emotional & heavy flow. I know they said it's normal for the first one or two to be a bit heavier and more painful. I'm impatient for it to go back to normal so we can get on with the clomid!

Hey @Sylva123 I also had my lap two week ago (stage 2 superficial but everywhere and one blocked tube ☹️) and AF arrived yesterday.

Haven't had period pain like it before. I've been in agony. Should be transferring 2 frosties on my next cycle but I'm worried that I must be very inflamed after my excision to feel so bad that I might not be ready to transfer then. Seeing my fertility consultant next week so it'll be interesting to see what he says.

I've been off work since my op which I've needed. What are your next steps with treatment? X

@Sylva123 Mine showed up on Wednesday. Bizarrely it has been relatively very light and not painful at all. My heavy day was yesterday and relative to pre-op, I barely bled at all. My boobs are really sore though.

Sorry to hear that it has arrived with a vengeance - I hope you feel better soon

@FingersXssd83 that's great that you've got a transfer booker for next cycle. I hope it all calms down by then. I also haven't had a period pain like this one before. My op was 3 weeks ago now, so I've been back at work for a week. Meant to be off to a spa hotel this weekend to celebrate the op being over - hope the pain goes away!

Next step for us is 3 months of Clomid, which they won't start til November cos they said this all has to heal. Then it'll be IVF in the new year if we don't get anywhere with the clomid. There's some confusion about whether I'm ovulating or not...
I hope your transfer is okay.

@jcurve great that yours was light! Must have made a good recovery!

@Sylva123 sorry to hear you’ve been in pain.

I am due period (second one since op) any time. My cycle used to be quite short - 25/26 days and I am now on day 31. It just shows you how much endo must fuck up your cycle! There is a tiny bit of me wondering if I could be pregnant but my cycle last month was longer too.

@BoomBoomBoomLetMeHearYouSay I hope it's good news and that you are pregnant! My period was a day late I think. Hopefully the op means your cycles will get back on track. My cycles were always 23-25 days so on the short side as well, which wasn't helpful. Hopefully longer cycles will be better for you if they stay that way.

Think I am getting period

However it’s it weird op had added 6 or 7 days to my cycle. Wonder why that is and if short cycle in some way affects egg quality or something??

Read that short cycles are a symptom of endo but can’t work out why!!

Feel like an idiot for slightly getting my hopes up

Also can I just say my period feels totally different now.
Used to get a lot of cramping pain at front of pelvis (or that’s what it felt like). Now getting some mild lower back pain the day before. Literally never had lower back pain before.

I'm not sure, they did say that the first 2 or 3 cycles might be different than usual, so it might be a temporary change.
So hard to not get your hopes up. I'm the same :-/