Endometriosis Support Group
Endometriosis is a common medical condition where the tissue lining the uterus is found outside of the uterus, typically affecting other organs in the pelvis. The condition can lead to serious health problems, primarily pain and infertility. A major symptom of endometriosis is pain, mostly in the lower abdomen, lower back, and pelvic area.
Hi ladies - as we all know, we get a ton of women coming in here because they have laps scheduled and they are nervous and don't know what to expect. I was thinking it would be nice if we came up with a master list of advice for a lap - what to expect before, during and after. Then we could direct people to read one giant thread with the advice of many, many women. Does anyone else like this idea? Obviously we can still answer more specific questions about it, but this would be just a general starting point for women coming in looking for answers.
First source of information is Endo resolved:
http://www.endo-resolved.com/laparoscopy_advice.html
They have a great guide for women undergoing a laparoscopy surgery. The only advise I would give in addition to that would be:
1. purchase a laxitive or prunes or something. Constipation happens on the meds post surgery and hurts. Better to nip it in the bud!
2. My doc told me to walk around the house as soon as possible post surgery. Even when the pain starts to hit your collar bone (the air travels up and starts to put pressure there) because walking helps release the gas that's in your abdomin. Not sure if it's true, but it does help to have something to do. So I walk around my kitchen post-lap every day and do laps for a while.
3. Be ready with a bell or a glass and a spoon so you can easily get someone's attention quickly. Plan on not being able to do the stairs very well, especially if they remove a lot of endo or adhesions. Have loved ones or friends available to help you in the first 3 to 5 days post-lap.
4. Find the best surgeon you can for endometriosis in your area. OB GYNs do perform surgery, but only a small percent are good surgeons when it comes to endo. Sure they do a lot of C-Sections, but endo? Shop around. Ask your doctor if they find stage 4 endo what will they do? Have they had a lot of experience removing endo from stage 4 patients? Unfortunately, I see time and time again OB GYNs who are willing to perform a lap to diagnose endo, but then feel that they are in over their heads so they don't treat the endo, and they close you back up and then refer you to another surgeon. Why do that to yourself? A surgery is painful and time consuming. Go straight to the best doc you can find.
5. if you are new to endo, and are not sure you have it I recommend reading a book. Try your library as there is usually at least one book available for endo. Dr Cook's recent book is my personal favorite, although I also have read Endometriosis for Dummies and a couple others. All have taught me something, and Dr. Cook's book has specific questions for your doctors.
6. Ask your doctor if they will be taking images in surgery and ask for a copy of the images and the medical report. Don't feel shy to ask for this. It's better to have a copy for your records because if you're like me, you'll need that information down the road - PLUS it really helps you understand what they found. Most docs glaze over the details, which is not fair to us. If we had a huge cyst, we want to know!
7. after the lap don't be afraid to ask for more meds or more time off. 3 to 5 days is the standard amount of time off for a lap, but not necessarily for those of us with endo. Our adhesion removal can be a bit more painful. In total, expect to lay low for 6 to 8 weeks total as you heal. The question then becomes: when do you feel ok to go back to work? If your doc is willing, ask for 2 wks off right off the bat. This helps reduce the stresses later of asking for more time off.
8. Also laslty I recommend using affrimations to get through the scary parts. Saying things like "I'm looking forward to time off" or "I can't wait to find out what they find" can help you feel better about a scary surgery. In my last surgery I had my tubes removed and then started IVF right afterwards so I kept saying "Let's get the show on the road!" becuase I was looking forward to the next steps - post surgery.
Hope this helps! We are here to support you through your journey and answer your questions as you go. Welcome to the board.
Also, make sure you have lots of loose, comfy clothes - you don't want anything with a waistband that could rub against your incisions. Also make sure you have stocked up on sanitary napkins. You will have some bleeding, similar to a light period, and it could last for several days. No tampons!
Finally, make sure you have stuff to keep you entertained...books, crossword puzzles, movies...you will be very uncomfortable for a few days and won't want to do much of anything besides lay in bed or on the couch.
Don't be afraid of the post-surgical pain! Yes it sucks and yes it's uncomfortable, but if you have been dealing with the pain of endo, I promise this will be a breeze in comparison!
Other thing was, I found that Miralax and a stool softener kept things...er...moving, but without the stomach cramping and dehydration. No need to wind up with a bowel obstruction on top of everything else! Good luck, ladies.
I had a lot of shoulder pain with my first lap, but none at all with my second. I had a lot of pain under my ribs around my diaphragm the second time around which I wasn't expecting at all.
I had read that drinking hot tea could help too, but I was too queasy to try it so I can't comment on whether or not it actually works. Peppermint tea helped a lot with my nausea later on though.
Here's a website that I stumbled upon today while in the doc's waiting room and Googling around, just in case it might be useful for this thread in the future: http://endometriosis.org