I would also like to hear the answers to these questions. Considering this is one of my options Im weighing.

Whoah! I don't know that anyone can handle my truth, as I'm an old war veteran @ 52. My "Boot Hill" did occur, however, in my late 20's early 30's. My perspective on treatment is so vastly different from that of a young woman in her child-bearing years.

1. I had to bowel prep as per my doctors instructions. My symptoms pre-lap were very much bowel related and I needed to bowel prep just incase. Not all women have to do this your doc will give you pre-op instructions.

2. My incisions feel normal. No nerve damage. The left side is tiny and having had surgery only 14 days ago is barely recognizable. The right one has normal feeling but is redder and slightly larger. They aren't a big deal.

3. I had surgery on Monday. I rested a week and went back to work the following Tuesday. I had to take one Vicodin pill my first day back at work and needed none the rest of the week. I am a hairstylist and didn't sit down the entire work week except my usual 30 minute break. I logged a 38 hour week.

4. The gas pains hurt. I followed my doctors and the ladies on here recommendations and got up and walked around the neighborhood a few times a day. It helped lessen the shoulder pain. By day 4 the shoulder pain was mostly gone.

5. I had the lightest period in 20 years. Could be that I shed a lot of my lining during the surgery(I bled a lot the day of surgery) or starting birth control, but I got my period on the third day after my surgery.

6. It's survivable. Now it's been two weeks and I'm not having the ovary pain or bowel pain I had previous to the lap. I feel better than I have in months and the three days that it hurt directly after surgery are well worth how I feel now. I can still feel that I had surgery. But it's not painful really. Especially compared to how I felt before.

On top of all of that you won't have a proper diagnosis until you get the surgery. What the docs thought was an ovarian cyst wound up being my colon adhered to my ovary. A big culprit of my pain was that my appendix was engulfed in adhesions. My bowel and blatter were adhered together. My sigmoid colon was adhered to my left wall. And there were endo implants on everything, every surface. I had more damage than my pain spoke for. Had I not gotten the lap, well I can't imagine having not gotten it. That tells you something.

*my bowel and bladder weren't adhered together. My uterus and bladder were. Sorry for the misspelling and typo.

I honestly never heard of a Vestibulectomy until I googled it. It looks painful!!

I never had a bowel prep before even with lap surgery so that's new. The recovery isn't that bad, I was out maybe for 3-4 days and was okay. The gas pains do hurt, that I will not sugar coat it for you. I guess it escapes through your skin and farting a lot,(sorry) I don't have a period since I take the BC nonstop so I don't know that much.

I'm really sorry I'm not as much help!

Hi Alana!I had my lap in April of this year and my ob found endo,a TON of adhesions,and adenomyosis.

1.I didn't have to bowel prep because my bowels were pretty loose at that time(sorry tmi).

2.No numbness in my incisions at all (three very small incisions,one being in my belly button...kind of freaked me out but it was really ok).They have all since healed and you can barely see them:)

3.My recovery was about a week,and by week two I was driving my husband crazy chasing around our four little guys:)

4.Gas pains were pretty rough the first three days for me..and I can't stress this enough...you HAVE to walk!!It hurts like hell at first but once you start moving that gas out you will feel SO much better(I actually cried because I felt so good-lol).I also took a stool softener and drank LOTS of water.

5.My first period after wasn't very painful,but I bled a lot.My doctor said this was normal.

6.The worst pain for me was truly the gas pains.after they were gone it wasn't bad at all!!!I had even woken up from surgery saying how much better I felt,and the nurse told me it was because they got rid of all the adhesions!

Like Jen said it is totally worth it so that you can get a proper diagnosis.If your in pain there's a reason for it and you need to find out whats causing it.My uterus was completely wrapped in adhesions and she couldn't even see it!You never know whats going on in there!I hope this helps some!Good luck and don't be afraid!!!!You won't get better that way;)

I know you all are right, I still have my wisdom teeth in which incidentally are KILLING me now because I'm so freaked out. I hate surgery and loathe doctors! My boyfriends sister just had it yesterday, and talking to her she seems to be in good spirits and relieved that she did it (tho this is her second time around). She said that it was like a weird shoulder pain and that she already feels better but that she is extremely tired.

Also, a vestibulectomy WAS NOT bad at all, I started taking advil 2 days after my surgery and was out of the house 4 days after cuz I was losing my mind. The only bad thing was I ripped stitches, but I can have sex now and before I couldn't so totally worth it. In fact I'm borderline nympho all I want is sex! haha But yeah, the surgery description scared me to death, but it wasn't bad (which is probably what this will be too haha) plus that surgery recovery was 6 weeks!

Do you bleed a lot after the lap? I bled like friggin crazy after my other surgery.

Hi,
I have had 6 laps and none of them were bad at all. I was always back at school or work 7-10 days after lap. My pain post op was never anywhere near as bad as preop pain. I never had the gas pain.

The period after a lap can be work so I let mine cone 2 wks before my lap since I'm in bc pills also. I'm on seasonale so that gave me about 3 1/2 months before I had to deal with a period.

For most I did bowel preps which weren't horrible. Lol

Although you may return to normal life and feel good still take it easy so your body can recover properly.

Never had any nerves cut.

I horseback ride, will I be able to return to that

Give that a good month. Just because of all the bouncing involved in horseback riding but clear it with your doctor and always also go by how your body feels.

But it will be attainable again?

I'm pretty sure. I'm not doc but once you are healed I don't see why you wouldn't be able to do it. The incisions you will habe are small so that helps with the recovery process.

I'm really scared it'll make it worse and my.periods will be terrible I dont even know...

I know you are worried. Also look into pelvic floor therapy. That can help also.

I did it for vulvodynia I just stopped going cuz meh I was sick of it lol