Laparotomy Recovery, Please Help!!

Hi my name is Anna. I'm 18 years old. I'm graduating from high school in about a week.
I have a benign abdominal cyst. It's huge, 15.4 by 11.3 cm. I just found out yesterday and Thursday I schedule my surgery. Luckily I still get to go to my high school prom which is this coming saturday, but unfortunately I won't be able to attend my Graduation or Grad Night. I'm not really bummed about that, but the thing that worries me the most is I am supposed to leave for London with my family on June 30th and if my operation is June 12th, or so, that only gives me a little bit more that 2 weeks to recover. The worst though, after London, I am supposed to go to Spain by myself for 5 weeks to endulge in Spanish Culture. I am completely devastated and scared and i need some support. If you know anything about this surgery, recovery time, stories to share, please please please let me know. I appreciate it very much. Thank you.

[ticked]

Im sure there will be some people coming along shortly to answer your questions.  Good luck! and congratulations on your graduation :)

Angela

[evollive]

Thank you Angela.

[sbell_lpn]

Thank you for that mom, I am worried that Anna is not being completely realistic about this surgery! It is hard!  Good luck to you!

[Linda J]

I took a trip to Las Vegas 2 weeks after my laparoscopy and ovarian removal. I am 50 years old, which is much different than 18. But, I really wasn't feeling my best on the trip. I was still very tired and sore and the change in pressure on the plane gave me terrible gas, just like right after the surgery. I think you may just have to wait and see how you feel and then decide if you are up to travelling.

Linda J.

[sbell_lpn]

I had a very similar surgery for a very large dermoid cyst on my left ovary.  It was the size of a soccer ball.  The surgery was in December of 2005.  The recovery was hard, the incision was hard because it was a midline (up and down) rather than horizonal (just above the pubic bone).  The air trapped in my abdomen was probably the worst, and it took about a week for it to clear.  It was probably 3 weeks before I felt anywhere close to good, but after 2 weeks I was definately feeling better.  I won't lie to you, removing a mass that big from your abdomen is major, and your body is going to need time to heal, and get back to normal.  Make sure they remove the cyst WHOLE!  I thought my cyst was benign, and it turned out to be cancer.  I just finished my chemo.  I am not trying to scare you, but better safe then sorry.  I wish you the very best for a smooth surgery and a speedy recovery!  Take Care.

[evollive]

it is benign. we did an mri, ct scan and an ultra sound. its pure liquid.
it's not cancer. i'm sorry yours turned out to be malignant.

but im young, and i have more energy and probably a better ability to heal faster. I JUST TURNED 18 MAY 13th.

i'm strong physically and mentally, i work out, i am trying to keep a POSITIVE outlook on this situation and hopefully i will recover in time.

i can do this.

[sbell_lpn]

I am not trying to make you feel bad, or more scared.  I am just reminding you to keep a realistic view on this.  I am only 29 years old, and according to healing, recovery, ect. we are not that different.  As I said I was feeling better after about 2-3 weeks, however, I am a nurse and I have observed in the O.R on major abdominal surgery! Your body will need time to heal and readjust.  In fact you will not even be able to lift anything over 10 pounds for 6 full weeks, if you work your doctor will not let you go to work.  You should talk to your doctor about your plans for the summer and get his perspective. I pray that you will be able to take full advantage of your summer.  You asked for opinion and I am giving you mine.  This is from first hand experience, with the exception of the malignacy, your current situation is very similar to what mine was.

[mom2maddie32503]

No offense but it doesn't matter how old you are. You are basically getting the equivalent of a c-section, if not worse and it is going to take more then 10 days to recover from it, regardless of age. I would skip the family vacation so that you will be well enough to go to Spain. Also, I don't think that your dr can say for sure that something is benign until they open you up and biopsy it.
I have a 20 cm simple cyst which I am having a laparotomy to remove on Friday. The dr says mine is all fluid as well but cancer cannot be ruled out until surgery is done.
Good luck with everything!

[RavenLady]

Happy belated Birthday!  Your right, more than likely you can do it!  I had a laparotomy in Nov. for two benign cysts and given I am 30 years your senior, I could have traveled after two weeks.  Don't plan any footraces when you get to London because although the whole pain thing is generally over by two weeks with no complications, the fatigue is not.  Will your incision be horizontal (bikini) or vertical?  Mine was bikini cut and the incision healed fine but I was strict with myself on the lifting, you have to be!  The travel at five weeks would be doable but without the bag drag.  So do you have friends in Spain?  Make your plans and adjust as necessay Evollive.  Welcome to the forum!  Mary V

[turtledovemom]

Belated HB and congratulations on your graduation!  My thoughts and prayers will be with you during all of this, that's for sure.  I've read through all of the above posts.  They definitely come with a lot of experience that I hope you will weight heavily.  Regardless of our ages, we tend to rush through our recoveries.  I think that comes with being a woman...our minds tend to will us to do things even when we are lacking energy, strength etc.  I agree that mindset has a great deal to do with feeling good.  However, I would caution you to allow yourself to recover completely.  I know that you're feeling confident in the outcome (that's a good thing), however there's really no way to predict how everything is going to go as far as incision etc.  If you rush the process, you'll put your long-term health and stamina in jeaopordy.  I'm not writing this to sound negatively.  You strike me as an intelligent young woman.  I just want to encourage you to be patient with the process.  I look forward to hearing good news from you.
peace,
Anne

[Gatsby]

Happy Birthday and Congradulations!  Yes, I think you can do this if you are carful and ease into things.  The surgery alone will be tough on your body.  Your insides will suffer severe tissue trauma, but if you take breaks and don't lift anything!! (not even your suitcase!)  You should be fine.  Just make sure that you are pampered and waited on.  You should not do anything strenuous.  Your body will let you know if you have done too much.  Pain and fatigue will set in.  I know you are determined and that is good, just don't push too hard or you could suffer.  I hope you and your family have a fantastic trip.  You are very fortunate.  You are in my thoughts and prayers.  Godspeed
~Tascha

[fungirl]

I had a laparotomy for a 9cm dermoid cyst.  The incision was vertical and I healed pretty quickly.  The doctor let me go back to work after 2 weeks post-op.  You MUST be very diligent about the lifing!  Who knows, you may feel up to traveling, but just remember that your body will need lots of rest to heal, so plan plenty of napping time.  CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR GRADUATION!! AND HAPPY BELATED 18TH BIRTHDAY!  Kasie

[evollive]

Thanks to everyone who is in support and thinks I can do this.
Also thanks to the graduation and belated birthday wishes.

To all of you with NEGATIVE thoughts, i'm sorry. You've experienced alot more than me, and yes life is full of negative surprizes. but you know what i think? i've come to a conclusion with everyone's different results that alot of the recovery is mental. if you knew how much determination i have to get through this, you'd understand. this is a once in a lifetime opportunity i cannot miss out on, and dont tell me my expectations are unrealistic because if thats what you think, you shouldn't be here.

back to everyone else, thanks for sharing your experiences and please hope it goes well. i'll update as soon as i learn more.

ciao!

[Anna-maria74]

Well well well my birthday is May 13th and my name is Anna HAHAHAHHA you couldnt plan it could you.

My laparotomy is booked for July 3rd. My doc said to me the main problem is the healing of the muscles. If you try to do to much to soon you can give yourself a hernia. I dont think age had an awfull lot to do with it frankly. Furthermore they can not rule out cancer until after the op, if they could we wouldn't all be in here flapping like headless chickens.

Anna x

[Linda J]

Hi Anna, if you were referring to my post as being negative, it certainly wasn't meant to be. Yes, sometimes mental attitude can hinder recovery and sometimes the body just doesn't heal as fast as we would like. But, I hope your surgery is a breeze and you can enjoy your family trip :-)

Linda J

[SNORCHY]

Congratulations on your graduation and Happy Birthday. I do hope all works out for you this summer.
I also want to say that as someone who works with high school students, your attitude is inappropriate and ineffective if you truly want help and encouragement from the amazing women who responded to you. I understand that you want everything to work out and go your way...I get that...so you probably don;yt want to hear anything that you perceive as negative. You can pick & choose the advice that you get here, but there is definitely no need for the type of response you posted.
Good luck!

[Linda J]

Hi dian, I think sometimes when we are young, we feel invincible. Maybe Anna really only wanted to hear encouragement? But, when you ask a group like this for "help" you are going to get truthful answers from a variety of women and not all of it is going to be completely rosey.

You are a strong woman my friend and I have the utmost respect for you and what you have endured :-)

Linda J

[dian07]

Linda...it was not my intention to offend you. I do take exception to the excuses being made for an 18 year old adult female who asked for info about "recovery time" and information about the surgery as well as  "stories to share"...who turned around and slapped those offering their personal experiences. No excuses for this rude  behavior ...especially since she is 18...we all felt invinveable at some point in our lives, however, I doubt most of us used that as an excuse to be rude.  
Peace.
dian

[gah_70]

I just have to say, YOU RULE!  

Gail :)

[Linda J]

Hi dian, you didn't offend me. I think Anna was rather rude in her response too and it's good you spoke out. I was merely pointing out that her age has something to do with the tone of her response. (Not that that makes it excusable :-)

Linda J

[Gatsby]

I agree with you dian.  She should walk a mile in your shoes and then speak.  Yes, life is full of surprises, some not so nice.  Being 18 does not disqualify you from the hard times.  But, who knows - perhaps this is one of those lessons that we cannot teach, but has to be learned on her own.
~Tascha

[ticked]

wow is all i have to say.  Wow!!! very rude on her part.  she will see is all and she will wished she listened.

[miamigirl000]

Happy Belated b-day and congrats on graduation!!!

Personally i don't think any of these women are being negative in any way. You came to this board to ask their opinion, and their experience. You can't possibly expect them all to be good experiences.

If you care to hear, this was my experience...

In 2003 I gave birth via csection at the age of 30. Recovery was painful and just getting out of bed at the hospital to visit my baby in the NICU was almost to much to bare, (at one point i passed out from the pain). Recovery from that took me about 2 wks, likely because i was so excited to be leaving the house every day to visit my baby in the hospital.

Now, just 3 months ago I had 2 lemon sized endometrimas removed from my left ovary w/ 1/3 of that ovary also. (csection cut to). This recovery was much worse for me than my original section. Why? I have no idea...could it be that i was 3 yrs older and healed slower? i don't know...could it be because the surgery was different and partial ovary was removed??? i don't know. Was it that this was my second section cut? i don't know... It took ME, 2 1/2 wks. to even feel semi normal, was extreemly painful to travel in a car until after 3 wks. By 4 wks I was moving around pretty much normal again, but still w/ some pain, but could function normally. I am now 3 months post surgery, and still do have pain,but it is nerve related pain rather than physical pain now...

Best wishes to you, and i do pray that you recover fast enough to go on your trips! A young girl like you should not have to miss out on these types of wonderful life experiences.

I do also feel tho, that the women here deserve a certain level of respect. They have gone through a lot, many have repeated cysts, endo, fertility issues, and CANCER. My mother is a two time cancer survivor and i would never have told her that her recovery could be based on mental statis or that being truthful no matter how bad the outcome sounds is wrong for her to say if i asked her about it. Just my 2 cents, I will not post again on this subject, i am not here to complicate anyones day.

Good luck to you and with your surgery and your travels!

[gah_70]

Well said.  Thank you!

Gail :)

[dian07]

I'm sure your rude behavior makes your parents quite proud! You should be ashamed....I am disappointed in your lack of compassion, understanding and appreciation in the fact that these women who took the time to post here offered up their experience and concern just to help you.....you have no gratitude? Where do you get off being so disrespectful to women who offer their personal experiences to a young woman asking for help.....remember...you did post "Laparotomy recovery, please help".....foolish women....they thought  you really wanted their suggestions.
I would like to believe you just came across the wrong way and you didn't mean to sound so snooty....you do owe these women who shared their deepest and darkest hours an apology...they offered their experiences for you to review and take away whatever insight you might gain...you owe them respect as well as an apology.
Peace
dian

[LoLoBoBo]

I was reading this and well I am shocked! I am a younging as many of you know. I am 19, just about to turn 20 and I am 3 months post op. I was driving in a week. But Anna not to sound mean. There is no way you will be able to do spain. Sorry... I have my right ovary, tube and cyst removed. I couldn't even walk around my house normally in 10 days. So don't tell me that by you being 18 is going to make it quick recovery. Yes it will be shorter than say you were 50. Unless you got some superhero powers it anit happening. Sorry to be blunt but coming from someone around your age who just had something similar done. Even though our bodies are diffrent, I was even a quick recovery and I still have issues to this day.

so for you saying, "but im young, and i have more energy and probably a better ability to heal faster. I JUST TURNED 18 MAY 13th." doesn't mean squat. You are having major surgery. Your body is going to be cut opened your muscles are going to be moved around. Being young, having more energy does increase your healing time. But does NOT give you an excuse to come here and act the way you did.

These ladies are here to support you not bring you down (unless you do something like you did, by not hearing what you wanted to hear so you slapped them in the faces). These women have given me some of the best advice. They are buried treasure you have to just ask them and they will help. Your 18 you think your on top of the world, but being 18 doesn't give you the right to disrecpect these wonderful women.

I just hope you don't overdo yourself after surgery. Because you could mess your body up for good and cause more issues. What is more important your life or some trip to Spain and London. They will always be there but you wont.

[turtledovemom]

I have the unfortunate feeling that the original author of this thread is not getting the benefit of anything that is being added to it.  
peace,
Anne

[miamigirl000]

I will also comment that one of my closest friends had her first dermoid (one of 3) removed about a yr ago. She was the picture of health, worked out 7 days a wk, ate well, no drinking/smoking, ect. She began her work out with walking, but to soon and ended up creating major adheasions and scar tissue so bad that when she had her second dermoid removed the doc  had a terrible time removing all her adheasions. She was also told that this amount of adheasions would have for sure rendered her infertile.

[Jess079]

Good evening, everyone-

I found out this past week I am going to be having a laparotomy next month to remove a solid mass (she said she is unable to tell on the ultrasound if it is a dermoid cyst or a benign tumor) on my right ovary that is about 4.5 cm. I don't know what to expect. My doctor has assured me this is pretty common and should not keep me from having babies later on. I am getting married next year and we planned to start trying right away. Hopefully my doc will turn out to be right about it not affecting my abilities to have babies. She has so far given me very little info about the surgery so I have been online trying to find out more information and I'm getting pretty scared. If anyone is able to shed some light for me on their experiences with the surgery, I would be extrememly grateful. I know you all may have had different experiences but I would love to hear them all.

Thank you!
Jessica

[turtledovemom]

Hi, Jessica...
I scrolled down here on a whim and found your post. First, 99% of all cysts/masses are benign.  That's a great thing.  On the other hand, there's really no way for a doc to be absolutely sure about whether or not there's a malignancy there.  If you can manage, get hooked up with a gynecologist/oncologist prior to your scheduled surgery.  I understand that you're concerned about fertility issues at this point in your life.  I was in your place when I was first diagnosed.  In fact, I found out that I had a mass when I went for my pre-marital gyn appt...the doc was convinced that I was pregnant because of the size and location.  When surgery was done, the biggest concern was fertility.  When the frozen section came back, the tide turned.  I was fortunate and am a 28 year survivor of ovca as of July of this year.  If you're able to have a gyn/onc take care of you, you'll be guaranteed to be getting the best care on both sides of the coin: someone who is able to safeguard your fertility as well as take care of you efficiently should they find you to have a malignancy (God forbid).

I'm not sure who else is going to find this thread, so if you're interested in joining us on another site where you can get additional, current responses please consider finding us at:
http://groups.msn.com/BulgeBattlingBattalionCysters/welcome.msnw

Try not to be frightened...do your best to stay strong...we're here for you!
peace,
Anne

[Lily73]

Originally my doctor thought my uterus was enlarged to the size of a 23 week pregnancy until the ultrasound diagnosed it was my ovaries.  I am 26 years old and I was just told today that I am full of cyst's through out both of my ovaries.  My left ovary on the other hand has a massive size cyst which my Dr. said is way bigger than a grapefuit.  I go in for my blood work tomorrow and then my CT Scan in two days.  I know what ever I am about to go through is going to be tough. Any words of wisdom from the experienced?

[bella26]

I am 24 years old and my doctor found a 4 cm cyst, which he thinks is a dermoid, on my left ovary 5 weeks ago.  I went for a follow-up sonogram and was told it grew about a quarter of a cm.  It's been causing me some discomfort so he advised a laparotomy (min c-section) would be the best option to preserve fertility because there's less chance of scar tissue forming than with a laparoscopic procedure.  I'm going for an MRI next week to make sure there's nothing else going on but it's definitely a scary time. I am also planning to get married next year and it forces you to put everything into perspective.  Make sure you have lots of friends and family around to pick your spirits up during this stressful time.  After all, laughter really is the best medicine.  Best wishes to all of you who are on the brink of surgery and those of you who have recovered.

[active_sleep]

Although this forum thing was from a while agi, has just become relevant to me so thats why im a late comer :) Just wanted to say thanks for all the stories up here, it's nice to hear about how people recover and what they go thorugh. I have a 13 by 10 by 10cm cyst on my left ovary and my right one is polycystic Both are apparently non cancerous but it's true what they say, you don;t know till they are in there and do the tests! Don't wanna rule anything out. I agree with staying poitive but realistic at the same time...I keep going thru these weird stages of, its no big deal, and its a major deal! Surgry booked for wed, 3 days before my 21st :( Have canceled the party, although it is 3 weeks after the op. You need to give your body time to heal. Even if I'm okay by then I;m happy with the choice, you have to think of the 'what ifs' :)