Recovery for laparoscopy?

[callieollie]

I'm getting a laparoscopy and hsg done together in 2 weeks.  I'm interested to hear what to expect in terms of recovery.  And more specifically, when did you feel ready to return to work?  I'm a psychologist so I'm not doing any manual labor but I need to be abl eto sit for long periods of time and concentrate on what people are saying.     The surgery is scheduled for a Tuesday morning/afternoon. I'm scheduled to work Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday. I'm assuming I'll need to take Wednesday off, but what about Thursday? If so, would I be Ok by Friday (3 days later) if I tried to work that day instead?

Also, is there any bleeding afterwards and if so, for how long? Are there any restrictions on tampon use if there is bleeding? I'm supposed to teach a swimming class Thursday (2 days after the surgery) and wasn't sure if I needed to cancel that as well.  

I don't want to work if I'm going to be in excessive pain or unable to do my job well, but I don't really want to take too much time off since I don't get paid if I'm not working!   Thanks!!

[Tear78]

Hi callieollie! I had a laparoscopy a couple years ago, and I remember that three days after the surgery I finally felt good enough to get up and walk around, make soup from scratch, take a shower, but it made me very tired. I went back to work six days after, but that's because at five days I would have had to go on a field trip with 6-yr-olds. My doctor told me at the time that I could go back whenever I felt ready, even the next day, so I don't think you'll do any harm going back earlier than later, but you may not feel up to it for at least 3-5 days. Sorry...hope that helped!

Oh, and I think I had a little bleeding afterwards for a few days (I don't remember), but I also had a hysteroscopy at the same time. I'd ask your doc about that, but you may want to ask about getting your incisions wet that early. It seems very soon to be teaching a class, imho. Good luck!

[Laurucha]

I had mine done Friday morning and on Monday afternoon I was well enough to drive myself to the doctor's office. My doctor was surprised by that and seemed to disapprove of me driving so soon. From what I heard, I recovered quickly, and I needed three days. So it's possible you could be available to work on Friday, but I wouldn't count on it.

It is definitely not OK to go in a swimming pool two days later. I was allowed showers but no baths. The incisions could get infected.

Hope it goes well. Take it easy!

[rcr]

I had a hyst done with a lap, and the recovery was a lot longer than I was expecting. I thought I would be in bed maybe for a weekend, but It really hurt to go to work on Monday. I did it, but I wish I had taken a few more days off. It was pretty painful for the first 5 days or so.

[GaleTX]

I had a lap and hyst done in July.  My RE does the surgery on Tuesday and I was told they normally let people return to work the following Monday, but because of my job there was no way he'd let me go back that soon (lifting and moving patients, etc.).  I had the surgery at 2 p.m. and was home by 6.  I went for a walk in the neighborhood at 8.  That night and the next day I was sore, but never required anything more than ibuprofen.  Thursday I was driving and running errands and Sunday I flew cross country to spend the rest of the time off work (four weeks!) on the East Coast with family.  I had restrictions for two weeks - no tub baths, no swimming, nothing in the vagina, no sex, etc.  I'm not sure if it was the lap or the hysteroscopy, but I bled for about a week afterwards.  Heavy the first day, pretty light the rest.  The most uncomfortable part for me was that I seemed to be swollen in the belly and I didn't want things touching the incision.

[lillylady05]

Back in May I had a laparoscopy done to remove an ovarian cyst from my left ovary. My doctor told me recovery would be a few days but As it turns out my body has a bad reaction to surgery and I hurt way more than she had anticipated. I would say after two weeks I was fully mobile again. I am thankful that I am a stay at home mom and have a wonderful husband to take care of me and my 6 year old lil guy. I had a hard time getting up out of bed, off the couch and things. I had to deal with nausea after coming home from the anesthesia. I also experienced the gas pains in my upper chest shoulder area. If I were to give advice to someone getting laparoscopy done I would say be prepared. Have meal plans ready that includes recipes, fever medication directions in case a child gets sick ( in my house only 1 parent gives medication to avoid any accidental wrong dosages). Have a friend or family member look after your little ones because pain medications they give makes you sleepy. I would also say make sure laundry is done completely and in general REST and listen to your body. You know your body better than anyone don't over due it because you could set back your recovery. I tried to go back to my college classes 4 days after surgery and I nearly fainted from doing too much in one day.  Give yourself a little over a week to try to go back to work.

[lillylady05]

Today is day two of recovery from my second laparoscopy. They went through the same spot in my belly button as last time. This time around the pain isn't as bad. Gas pains were terrible but my doctor did say they really had to pump me up and manipulate my organs quite a bit. I had a 10 centimeter cyst spanning across my abdomen from my left to my right. I had extensive adhesions a lot of them she suspects were from my last surgery and also my cyst  was rupturing. This time around I am able to move around better. It might be because I know what to expect this time around. I am taking a complete week off household duties and school pick ups thanks to my wonderful husband. I made sure to have a heavy blanket tucked inside a pillow case to hold against my belly and it really helps to put pressure on there as I try to move to sit up and walk. I move slowly so I don't hurt myself. I eat soft food and drink lots of water. When taking pain medication it is very important to drink water to avoid constipation. So far I have experienced light spotting from the procedure which is to be expected. Gas pains have pretty much disappeared now. It is much easier for me to cope with the pain if I don't let my pain medication lapse in between doses. I hope my experiences helps someone else become prepared for their procedure.