# What to say about Laparoscopy?



## dancingdreamer (Jun 7, 2014)

So I finally got the call this morning that I've been waiting for and my lap is booked for next Friday. I've got pre-op assessment on Saturday morning.

I'm really pleased the wait is over (3 months) but now worried about what to say to people re: having the time off? What did you say to work? I really don't want to go into too much detail and i haven't told people i am ttc. Did you tell work you could be off indefinitely? 

Can anybody share there experiences please? I would really appreciate it.

Thank you so much!


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## hilly35 (Feb 14, 2012)

Dancing Dreamer - I always used the "gynacological proceedure" as my excuse - which a) is true and B) certainly meant any male bosses would run a mile and any women should know that its something you dont want to discuss in more detail. 

Good luck - hope it all goes well for you x


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## dancingdreamer (Jun 7, 2014)

Thanks hills35 ! Hope it goes well too, I'm quite nervous. Even the thought of saying 'gynaelogical procedure' is too scary, I work in a very male orientated environment


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## hilly35 (Feb 14, 2012)

Honestly they turn into scared rabbits when you mention anything associated with "down there" - you won't be asked a thing!   

I had a lap done a few years back - honestly i dont even remeber much now except lying on the table waiting for it to start!!! It was absolutely fine - no pain afterwards. I always think the anticipation is so so much worse than anything that actually happens - but its so hard not to stress when you dont know what it will be like. Promise - you will be fine


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## hilly35 (Feb 14, 2012)

Dancing - just realised i confused my HSG with the lap - so many proceedures they all blur.   The lap did take a little longer to recover - but all under keyhole - I had a cyst removed at the same time and they dealt with some mild endo at the same time.  But honestly it was fine - in and out same day. xxx


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## dancingdreamer (Jun 7, 2014)

Oh thanks for that hilly! How much time off did you have to recover?


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## hilly35 (Feb 14, 2012)

from memory i think i had the op on a monday and took the rest of the week off.


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## dancingdreamer (Jun 7, 2014)

Oh, ok. Thanks for your help, appreciate it! 

If anyone else wants to share their experience that would be great! It really helps to hear from people who have been through it.


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## suzylee (Oct 5, 2012)

Hi  

I have been unlucky and 3 laps now and they were all different. Being in hospital is no big deal, everyone is nice to you and before you know it your awake back in your bed  then you need to pee before they will let you leave. 

The recoveries for me have been different according to what they have actually done while "in there". The easiest recovery was about 5 days but I was younger and it was just exploratory. The worst one was about 2 weeks of recovery but they did a lot of rummaging around removing things so it's hard to predict. Just take it easy and no heavy lifting and don't forget the wounds are on the inside so don't look at your incisions and think your healed because they are. IMO the more you rest the quicker you will heal. I used to get hubby to pull me up from the sofa so as not to use my stomach muscles which saves a lot of pain.

Hope everything goes well x


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## dancingdreamer (Jun 7, 2014)

Thank you suzylee, were your work ok with you having 2 weeks off for recovery? Did you warn them before that that could be the case?


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## Natalie1402 (Jun 18, 2014)

I had a laparoscopy in September last year, I was in and out the same day, and although it was painful I was probably ok after a week to go back in work.  I told work the truth and that was I was having a laparoscopy to remove a large cyst on my ovary  and would be taking two weeks off to recover. They were absolutely fine with it.  Unfortunately my laparoscopy didn't work as they discovered severe endo had caused scar tissue to fuse my bowel and womb together and they couldn't get to the cyst. I had to go back in November and have a laparotomy, 3 nights in hospital and a further 6 weeks off work.  

You will get a sick note off the doctor at the hospital anyway so work shouldn't have anything bad to say about it. 

Hope it goes ok x


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## danceintherain (Apr 16, 2013)

It's really difficult to predict recovery time for some procedures as there are lots of variables. I seem to remember I had a couple of weeks off after my lap. In my case I picked up a staph infection from the hospital which infected the incision wound, which is why I took longer to recover. This was only picked up after I saw my GP as I didn't think I was healing properly. A friend of mine was back in work within a few days so it definitely varies! 

The actual procedure was pretty straight forward. I think I was let out a couple of hours after waking up after the op, after I'd eaten something and had a wee!

Final comment -my belly button looked pretty odd afterwards which really worried me   But it returned to its original state so try not to worry if you have a similar experience!


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## dancingdreamer (Jun 7, 2014)

Thanks natalie & danceintherain for sharing your experiences. I hope you're both doing well now too. 

Might sound like a silly question but could either of you go back to excercise soon after? 

Really appreciate your help!


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## danceintherain (Apr 16, 2013)

I'm an exercise fanatic and seem to remember I did do a bit after a few days. It was tricky though as most exercise involves the core muscles and that area was quite painful, especially with twisting movements.  I started with some upper body stuff (Tracy Anderson arms type exercises) and after a week did some core work, planks etc. The first high-intensity exercise I returned to was spinning, but I left out any 'out of the saddle' moves that involved the core. Not sure if any of this was very wise, but it didn't seem to slow down my recovery.


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## Fairy_secrets (Aug 16, 2014)

Hi dancer I had a lap and dye in June. I had been really nervous about it but really it was fine. I think I had three days off after. The worst bit was the shoulder tip pain but that didn't last long, just keep taking painkillers if you need them and take it easy for a couple of days after.


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## dancingdreamer (Jun 7, 2014)

Thank you so much danceintherain and fairy! You guys have been so helpful. I am also a fitness finatic and hope I can recover quickly and get back to my routine.

Have a great day everyone!


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## Natalie1402 (Jun 18, 2014)

The girl in the next bed to me also had laparoscopy and she was an Olympic athlete. she asked the doctor how soon she could return to training and the doctor said light exercise between 2-4 weeks post op. Hope this helps.


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## dancingdreamer (Jun 7, 2014)

Thank you again!


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## Lilly83 (Jan 19, 2012)

I have had 2 laps

1) diagnostic lap and cyst drainage - back to work after 3 days and had 1 night in hospital

2) 6 hour lap to remove tubes, 18cm cyst, TPE, endo from bladder bowel etc, 3 nights in hospital then back to work after 6 resting at home so only off 9 days

I do recover really quick though so not suggesting you push yourself

Good luck!


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## dancingdreamer (Jun 7, 2014)

OMG lilly83, you are one tough cookie! Hope I recover as well as you. 

Thank you


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## Lilly83 (Jan 19, 2012)

I'm not recommending anyone goes back to work before they are ready, I just really bounced back quick, I don't know why I'm sure one day it will catch up with me

After EC I was dressed and packed with 90 seconds of getting wheeled out of theatre, with hindsight I'm so wishing DP didn't know I was like this so I could milk it

It is a very straightforward day case most of the time an hour in theatre max, I would imagine 2 weeks off work would be the norm and a couple of weeks of no heavy lifting after that 

L x


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## dancingdreamer (Jun 7, 2014)

I think it's fab that you bounced back so quick  good for you.

I really hope I don't need 2 weeks off work. It's so hard not knowing exactly what they will find, if anything.


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## LPatt (Jun 20, 2014)

I am going for a lap on monday am pretty nrevous have never had any surgery or a gen anaesthetic before.  i had a very bad uterine infection followed by a hydro which seems to have gone according to ultrasounds however i still have quite a lot of pain so theyre going in to find out what it is.  wish me luck and the best of luck to the rest of you lovely ladies xxx


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## Lilly83 (Jan 19, 2012)

Hello

They were my first ops too and I have emetophobia (vomit phobia) so was terrified of hospital, recovery room and the breathing tube and nausea after but I was fine, they were so good with me x


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## dancingdreamer (Jun 7, 2014)

Good luck LPatt, do let us know how you get on won't you.

Lilly83, pleased to hear you had a positive experience


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## Cloudy (Jan 26, 2012)

Just bear in mind that if you are last in (as a lot of exploratory laps are because they like to do the complicated stuff earlier in the day) you might not always get out the same night: even if you are well enough. Hopefully that won't happen but my Mum got stuck over night because there wasn't anyone to discharge her and she had to wait for 1pm the following day for someone to be free to sign her out!

For me I had lots of endo and sadly am the other end of the spectrum from Lily! I ended up being off for about 4 weeks, and then being on reduced hours for a few weeks, but mine was an exploratory lap that ended up being a treatment lap for endo which was all over the place. I was booked in theatre for 20mins (which is apparently the standard exploration with no problems expected) but ended up being in there for about 2 hours (lucky for me there were several surgeons available so they didn't have to patch me up and were just able to get on with it).

Not wanting to worry you but just make sure you take a book/magazine and a fully charged phone just in case! Oh, and if you do go home the same day you won't be able to drive or be left alone for at least 24-48hrs.

Xxx


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## dancingdreamer (Jun 7, 2014)

Hey cloudy! Thanks for the advice, I will make sure I'm prepared in case I end up waiting around/staying the night. 

I'm sorry to hear you had a rough experience. I guess you just don't know the severity of your case until they take a look inside. I hope having the endo removed has helped your situation. 

Thanks for sharing, it's so helpful!


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## LPatt (Jun 20, 2014)

Lilly83 I have emetophobia as well, big style. if someone says they even feel sick i start to panic.  i am going to ask the anaethetist for some super duper antisickness stuff.  thanks so much for the advice.  i have to be there 7.45 and they say i will defo be done on the morning but you just never know do you these days.  good luck everyone xxx


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## Lilly83 (Jan 19, 2012)

No way have you!

Well the nurses gave me my own private room so i wasnt near anyone, I told the anaesthetist and I was mithering him to death saying you have to remove the tube before I wake up, don't get distracted take it out the minute I'm stirring proper bossing him about, he was laughing! He agreed to give me 5 different anti emetics (I never feel sick I just like the insurance)  

When they took me to the pre med room I was quizzing them all about everything 'will it make me feel sick' 'how do you know' 'how many other people are sick' etc eye

They agreed to put me at the end of the recovery bay with the curtains round so I couldn't see anyone and they ear plugs ready for me 

I had to have a bowel prep too and was so scared of that, but they did an enema instead, they said they had never seen anyone so happy to be told there were having a bottle of fluid flushed up their bum!!

Are your fears due to the emet? What you worried about most? Xx


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## LPatt (Jun 20, 2014)

when i was last admitted due to my hydrosalpinx playing up they put me on a ward with a lady who had the constant morning sickness, bless her she was so poorly but honestly i nearly ran out of there in my nightie. just my idea of hell.  brill idea about the ear plugs i never thought of that. i shall plague them with wanting all the antisickness drugs going.
my biggest fear, i guess is finding out that there is something really wrong and i shall never be able to have another baby, i already have 2 wonderful children but they were a nightmare to get here i have incompetent cervix so had many scares with both of them and did a total of 10 months total bed rest but i know i am very blessed).  its funny the other day one of my hubbys friends has custody of his baby (shes 6 months and her mum does not want her - its a long story) he looked shattered so i took her and rocked her to sleep and u know i didnt let myself as she isnt mine but the feelings were pretty much the same as when my 2 were babies, it gave me comfort to feel this.


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