1. Community
  2. Women's health
  3. Endometriosis

laparoscopy to diagnose endometriosis firs time please help

Posted , 7 users are following.

lilly37798
lilly37798

Hi everyone I am 21 and am getting a laparoscopy to diagnose endometriosis. Honestly I am terrified. I wondered if anyone could put my mind at ease and also give me some tips of things to take to the hospital that I might need but the hospital don't tell you about. can anyone also let me know about what the scarring is like after and how you felt after. Thank you in advance. I am terrified. 

1 like, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • lilly37798
    lilly37798

    Posted

    Also I use my hot water bottle every very night. Has anyone been advised not to use internet after surgery ?.
    • aitarg35939
      aitarg35939 lilly37798

      Posted

      You need to ask your doctor about the hot water bottle, Lilly.

      If all they do is look around, it is a very minor surgery. But if they find things that need to be removed, it takes longer and requires a bit more recovery. The scars are negligible but take a good look at your navel. It may not look the same ever again. Might be better, might be worse. One of the incisions will be there at your navel.

      I would say take some gum & start chewing it as soon as they'll let you. They puff up your abdomen with gas to make it easier to see & maneuver but they don't remove the gas when they're done. Chewing gum may help your body process the gas.

      How long recovery takes depends on what all they do & how old you are. Keep in mind that this is usually just day surgery, in the States, anyway. Follow the release instructions, especially regarding sex and even foreplay. Stay hydrated. You should be fine.

  • yasmin77
    yasmin77 lilly37798

    Posted

    Hi Lilly,

    I had my surgery earlier this year in January and I've been in the same boat. It was terrifying, and I remember thinking whether I really wanted to do this, and everyone around me told me not to. But I needed answers and it was the best decision I ever made. To finally have my mind at peace is better than anything else I could have hoped for. I ended up having stage 2 endo and a large cyst that all my scans missed. Although my pain was extreme. Some have stage 4 and don't feel a thing. Everyone's different.

    If you're going in for a diagnosis, go in with the hopes that it's chronic pain being dysmenorrhea. Because that should go away with giving birth later in life. It is a much better outcome than endometriosis. So do not worry or feel crappy or anything if they say it's nothing. That is the best news you could ever have!

    Going into the hospital. Wear pants that are loose on you. Preferably that are not stretchy on the waistline and has a drawstring instead. Definitely have someone there with you when you wake up and to take you and bring you home. I had my mother next to me and we heard the news together and I cried for an hour in her arms because I was so happy to finally have my answers. Whoever is driving you needs to be EXTREMELY careful driving you home because just the seatbelt touching you will hurt. Hold the seatbelt away from your stomach for ease. Recovery was slow and painful because I ended up being allergic to my pain relief meds. So if there are some that agree with you well from any other surgeries, ask for those. But as long as you're not allergic to them, you'll be fine. Keep someone with you on day 1 and 2 after surgery. You'll need help being able to get up, from a chair, couch or from bed. Keep a bunch of movies, tv shows and books ready to keep you busy. If you're keeping someone with you, keep some board games, and they can help keep you entertained. Keeping your mind busy at this time is also important because you're tired, sore, and emotionally vulnerable, and to stop your mind from going a thousand miles an hour, just keep yourself busy, thats the best thing I can recommend for that.

    Move around as much as you can, but do take rest too, your body will be really dependant on it. The more you move, the more the muscles will get moving which will be painful at the time, but less pain overall, and also the more the gas will start going. Your shoulders will be painful because the gas will move to the highest point in your torso. I used heat packs on my shoulders, not on my stomach because that hurt more. My stomach hurt when i put anything too hot next to it, I wouldn't recommend anything hot on the wounds. Luke warm was all I could handle. But just avoid touching your stomach region as much as you can. Gas will leave you not being able to fit into pants, so for about 1.5weeks. I refused to wear jeans because it would hurt too much to suck in, but around the 2 week mark I could wear my jeans again. The last steristrip fell off about 2 weeks after, and 22 days after surgery when I went to visit my gyno, she pulled off the last of my wound care. I was told to just leave it until they all fell off, but they were barely hanging on so she just laughed and pulled them off.

    As with scarring, if they were just diagnosing and there was nothing or not much endo, I would have had 2 scars. One on my belly button, and one just under where my underwear line is. But because I also ended up having a large cyst on my left ovary, they needed to make another incision on my left which has left a small scar. Not all surgeries will have that. It looks more like a birth mark than a scar to be honest, and its roughly about 8mm by 2mm, really minor. The navel one, you can barely tell there was an incision there. I can tell because I know my stomach, it just looks like more of a fold on the bottom of my belly button. But my partner insists its the exact same as before. And the one above my vagina is about the same as the one on the left, 2mm by 8mm. 

    I hope this helps to put your mind at ease, and message me further with any questions you might have, always happy to help.

    Good luck!! xx

  • jenrees12
    jenrees12 lilly37798

    Posted

    I had laparoscopy to diagnose endometriosis at 29, and that’s what they did; diagnose. Surgery left me with scar tissue that caused me to have issues in my 40s. Try going gluten free and grain free for one month and see if your symptoms reduce/or completely disappear. Endometriosis is about inflammation... surgery is not the answer 
    • rhonda13
      rhonda13 jenrees12

      Posted

      So they found endometriosis with you?  If so did you do that diet and how did it go?  I have had endometriosis since I was12 and I am 40 now. I’ve had 4 laporoscopys and endometriosis cut out and burnt out every time. I believe it is other places but am tired of surgery’s and it just coming back.  I have been on the wheat belly diet for a couple of months now and it doesn’t seem to be helping any.  Just wanted to hear from someone who has done the diet and it has helped. Thanks! Rhonda

    • jenrees12
      jenrees12 rhonda13

      Posted

      I have been gluten free for 5 1/2 years and grain free for a year. It’s hard to remember how long it took for my symptoms to disappear. For 20 years I suffered horrible periods and painful sex . I no longer have either and completely related to removing inflammation from grains. I also have reversed anemia, chronic  constipation, low blood pressure which all were attributed to endometriosis.
  • leanne2402
    leanne2402 lilly37798

    Posted

    I had a laparoscopy last Friday (9th march) I'm going back to playing netball this Thursday (22nd). In my opinion there's just a bit of discomfort for a couple of days and a bit of tenderness on the "wounds". You'll be fine, it really isn't a bad procedure or long recovery time, I was back at work on the monday, three days after. I suppose all this depends on you as a person and your pain threshold though.

  • rhonda13
    rhonda13 lilly37798

    Posted

    I’ve had 4 laporoscopys and the recovery time was different in all of them.   My second one I didn’t have much done so I was back to regular activity in days but the other three it was weeks before I got back to normal. If you have endometriosis cut out then you will not only have to get over the pain of the incisions but also the pain of we’re you were cut on inside.  Don’t feel like a wimp if it takes you longer to get over. Everyone is different and if you need more time to recover then take it!  You can’t rush some things or it will make it worse!  
  • Mandy4795
    Mandy4795 lilly37798

    Posted

    Hi Lilly, I just had my first laparoscopy to diagnose Endo today!

    My experience has been about what I expected. When I woke up I was in a lot of pain, kept asking the nurse to bump up the IV drip. They made me eat some crackers before I could take a pain pill. I also had to use the bathroom before I was allowed to leave which was hard because I felt so woozy.

    The worst pain is where they cut out the Endo. My entire stomach is so sore it is very difficult to move, such as getting up to go to the bathroom. I have been happy to have an appetite because food makes me happy lol.

    I am experiencing a headache and a bit of shoulder pain, but mine hasn’t been too bad yet. 

    Please feel free to ask about anything. I know each persons experience is different but I hope sharing mine can help.

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.