Advice on laparoscopy, please!

[Lizzy444]

I'm contemplating having a laparoscopy but am so so scared!

I had an HSG and it showed one open tube and the other was inconclusive (thank you, Dr. who likely placed the balloon in there crooked). Thanks to that, we still have a bit of a question mark with one tube....and then other questions as they've yet to find a reason for my infertility, and a laparoscopy might answer those questions.

But, I'm afraid. Has anyone had one? Can you offer reassurances....or cautions? Have you had one and been so glad you did?

I greatly appreciate any thoughts!

 

[Jennifer01]

Sorry I can't help, I am I'm your boat also. I have an appointment on nov 3 and if it is offered I think I will take it. I need to know if my problems are endo related!
Good luck whatever you decide!
J

 

[NavyWife84]

I haven't had one, but I am looking at probably having one for my endo...I go to the doc on Wed. I have two friends who have had it. The first one has had 3 laps. She is not good with pain and was in a lot of pain for about 2 weeks after each one. My other friend has just had one for endo and ovarian cysts. She said it wasn't that bad. She said she was sore for about a week but was fine afterward. I hear the recovery is anywhere from 1-2 weeks. Both friends said that they were swollen and bruised from their belly button down. I am hoping that my doc suggests a lap because I really feel that it is my endo keeping me from having my little miracle! I hope this helps!

 

[xxBubsxx]

Hey Lizzy

I thought I'd share my lap experiences in case it helps. I had a lap done this summer after the rest of our tests showed no problems. The lap showed that one of my tubes has a question mark over whether it's working properly or not but they can't say either way. So I've not really been given any answers by it, except that there's no sign of endometriosis.

My FS had said that they wouldn't move forward onto other options without doing the lap so it seemed like we didn't have an option. It took me quite a while to recover from it (way longer than I expected) and I was off work for a week. It felt pretty invasive and I've a weird looking belly button now and scarring on my side (my skin is very pale so I think I scar pretty easy). That said, I guess it was just something we had to do to rule things out. It might have felt more worth it if we'd got some clearer answers but that just depends on what they find (or not!). We've now been trying to get pregnant for close to 3 years and even though they've not found anything wrong we only have IVF as our next option due to local NHS policy. So nothing happening for us now until 2013 at the earliest

Anyway, good luck with making your decision - if you have any questions about the lap just let me know. x

 

[star31]

hello, I had a lap in the summer and it was totally fine. Whilst i was under they removed a cyst and burnt off endometriosis at the same time. I was out the same day and it took 2 weeks to recover. The scarring is very minor and fades with time. My periods are now very regular as a result of the lapo. Hope this helps.

 

[Lizzy444]

All - thank you so much for your thoughts and for sharing your experiences! I really appreciate it.

star31 - a recovery time of 2 weeks? At what point were you able to return to work?

 

[GoooRooo]

I had one to remove ovarian and fallopian cysts. Stupidly I thought I'd be back at work after a couple of days but it took a week before I could even get on an off a chair by myself and a further week before I could walk upright.

The scarring is minimal though - Two years on I can't see mine at all now.

 

[Darkest]

I had a lap in Aug of this year.
Most of my friends that had also undergone laps said "you'll be fine, it's not that bad and doen't hurt that much".
Only one said it was nasty and worse then her c-section!

Well, i woke up after the op feeling realllllly groggy and quite nauseous. The nurses/odps were quick to give me anti sickness.
I was taken to theatre at 2pm and told if i felt ok i could go home that day.
I did not feel ok, i got to the ward about 4 or 5 pm and my head would not stop spinning and the pain was quite bad on movement. Forget dinner especially as they first brought me some horrid looking shepard's pie (not good when you're a vegetarian and feeling sick!)

You also have to pee 3 good amounts after the op and by 8pm i did not feel like i needed to go and knew i wouldn't be going home that night.

I had my anti sickness topped up and my pain relief.
I thought i was going to end up catheterised but once i had drunk about 2 1/2 litres i started to pee properly thank god. Continuos pain med top ups in the night and peeing meant i did not sleep much.

I went home the next day with quite a bit of swelling and pain but had a huge load of tabs to take. Anti inflamatory, pain relief, iron tabs and vit c(due to ongoing anaemia) and one other i can't remember!

I was signed off work for 2 weeks as my job is very manual and physical. The other ladies who were office based were signed off for 1 week.

I slept a fair bit of Fri and Sat (days 1 and 2 after op).
I think after 5 or 6 days we'd gone to a theme park with our friends. It was a long day and i took my paracetamol which i had a least one dose but i wasn't too bad.

I was found to have 2 lots of endo which they treated but my tubes were clear.
Even after feeling so crappy after i'm glad i had it done as now i have some answers.
I have 2 scars not visible(due to location) and one small one that is rather purple still but i guess will fade in time.

I know this is long but i hope it helps you to come to a decision.

 

[Darkest]

Oh i meant to add i had the HSG at the same time as my lap.

 

[star31]

All - thank you so much for your thoughts and for sharing your experiences! I really appreciate it.

star31 - a recovery time of 2 weeks? At what point were you able to return to work?

I would say 2 and half weeks and then i was ready. I kept moving a bit everyday after the op and i swear that's what made me recover more quickly x

 

[blueeyedgirl1]

All - thank you so much for your thoughts and for sharing your experiences! I really appreciate it.

star31 - a recovery time of 2 weeks? At what point were you able to return to work?

I would say 2 and half weeks and then i was ready. I kept moving a bit everyday after the op and i swear that's what made me recover more quickly x

I had a lap in December, albeit for a different reason (to remove a suspected ectopic pregnancy) and I had about the same. After about 2 1/2 weeks I was finally able to walk upright and move. It took over three weeks before I was able to use the stairs at work (at home I shuffled up them on my hands & knees).

I scar very badly and you can still see my scar but it's not very disturbing & has healed better than most of my scarring.

 

[missmarls]

I had one 3 years ago and it took me about a week to recover. I have a pretty physical job but I was okay the week after and my scars are not really visable anymore. However every surgery is different, I have to have another one done this fall or winter! For me the pain of the surgery was well worth the results...after the removed my endo, I felt amazing for sooo long! Well worth it to me!

 

[Lizzy444]

Thank you all so much for your thoughts on laps!

Has anyone had "just" a diagnostic lap? At this point, that is what mine is supposed to be. Of course I know if they find something, they'll likely be able to work on it, but it may just be diagnostic.

I ask because I wonder how the recovery time for a diagnostic lap differs from laps done to remove endo or cysts. Do you think it would be the same...or different?

 

[mrsd1606]

Hi, i had a diagnostic lap 3 weeks ago. i think it possibly does make a difference to recovery time as my experience seemed to be quite different to others, I was allowed home a couple of hours after surgery and although I was in quite a bit of pain in my shoulder (from the gas used to inflate you) and quite sick from the anaesthetic, my tummy was more slightly tender than painful! I was back in work after 6 days and honestly could have been back sooner. U can barely see my scars already.

The good news was my tubes were both fine but they did find endometriosis, i have an appointment with my consultant in November to discuss clomid.

Hope this helps and reassures you some

 

[Darkest]

Thank you all so much for your thoughts on laps!

Has anyone had "just" a diagnostic lap? At this point, that is what mine is supposed to be. Of course I know if they find something, they'll likely be able to work on it, but it may just be diagnostic.

I ask because I wonder how the recovery time for a diagnostic lap differs from laps done to remove endo or cysts. Do you think it would be the same...or different?

Mine was a 'diagnostic' at first. As in they went to see if anything was going on and found something. If they find something they usually try and sort it there and then. No point bringing you round only to have another op further down the line to fix things.

 

[ineedaseed]

thanks for the info ladies, i am going back to the fs in december and if not preggers by then, i will be referred for lap. as darkest says, its called a diagnostic lap but they ask you to sign to give permission to do work while you are under to save you coming back twice xx

 

[petitpas]

I've had three laps for mild endo. I just couldn't have ttc-d without them.
I was usually pretty functional within a week but would warn not to take on too much too quickly as you can easily be thrown back a few days.
My survival list for a laparoscopy is as follows:
1. Make sure you ask for drugs immediately if you feel pain or nausea. Don't be shy as you'll regret it if you let it linger.
2. Have a pillow ready for your trip home - you'll want it between your belly and the seat belt.
3. Take a nightie instead of pajamas, a dress instead of trousers to the hospital (basically avoiding any pressure on your belly).
4. Take a change of clothes, toothbrush etc. in case you need to stay overnight (I had to due to urine retention with my first lap and low blood pressure with my second)
5. Prepare ready meals at home to last you a few days. You won't want to be cooking.
6. Get peppermint tea and take it with you to the hospital, too. Peppermint helps your body absorb the gas they pump in to inflate the abdominal cavity to have the space for a good look. Often they don't get all the gas out and it can cause horrible shoulder pain.
7. Watch movies, but don't laugh

My scars are pretty much invisible now; they really are minimal - inside the belly button and two tiny dashes (approx. 1cm) on my bikini line.

Good luck!

 

[SLH]

My FS told me that I will have to have a diagnostic laparoscopy because he suspects endometriosis. He said it would only take a couple of days to recover and they aren't that bad, but after reading all of these experiences I don't believe him. I am totally freaked out and panicked about this surgery. I hope my doctor can do some kind of treatment before going on to this.

I have an appointment to see him at the end of November after I go through a bunch of other tests. I guess he'll let me know then.

 

[petitpas]

SLH, the only way to diagnose endometriosis is by laparoscopy.

I'm sorry if my post scared you. It wasn't really that bad as long as you took painkillers if you needed them. I spent a chilled out week on the sofa after each op and laughing or getting up did ache but in a way that made me laugh at how pathetic it was rather than have a miserably cry.

 

[SLH]

SLH, the only way to diagnose endometriosis is by laparoscopy.

I'm sorry if my post scared you. It wasn't really that bad as long as you took painkillers if you needed them. I spent a chilled out week on the sofa after each op and laughing or getting up did ache but in a way that made me laugh at how pathetic it was rather than have a miserably cry.

It wasn't just your post that scared me. I have read so many of them ever since my FS told me that I need one.

I have really heavy periods that sometimes last forever. I have the worst period cramps. They are so painful that I cannot move for 4 or 5 days. The only way that makes them tolerable are narcotic pain medication, but even then I'm still in agony. I also have big huge blood clots and lots of them. I have only been TTC for 11 months now, but there is something isn't right. I just have to keep reminding myself that I need the surgery and it might get me what I want in the end. I also like the fact that I won't have to have a HSG while I'm awake because they'll do it during the lap.