Sally, do you have some paper work you could do for a few weeks? You could cause complications if you dont give your body time to heal, especially as you had laparotomy. See the bloating as a warning sign, worst case scenario would be further surgeries to correct damage.
Uh.. about the shopping.. Haha.. Id say yes! I got a few pairs of sweats for home wear since my surgery (didnt have track suit bottoms or anything before). I already had some cyst friendly skirts, they are great on days where you need to look or feel a bit better.
Does this give me permission to shop for skirts (I possess hardly any)?!
I really do look like I have done a man v food challenge!
Carrieny - it is getting really hard to do nothing (I have such an active job) however I am worried the life of leisure will become addictive if I allow myself to get used to it!
hi ladies,
i also have the nasty bloating and puffy belly that's preventing me from wearing anything other than sweats :( i'm only about 1 week post-op so i suppose i shouldn't expect to see much change yet. but i can relate to your frustration! careful not to do too much throughout the day or the bloat will really be a lot worse by evening. i guess we're all in the same boat...sit around waiting to look and feel like our old selves again. best of luck!!
Good to hear you got some more recovery time :)
Bloating is very normal after laparoscopy, they fill your abdomen with CO2 gas and it is near impossible to get it all out during surgery. I only had laparotomy, so I didnt have this. From reading here, it is very typical for the bloating to get worse during the day, especially if you are doing too much. I dont recall exactly when people say it goes away, I believe it will be a couple of months for it to disappear completely, although I do believe I read it improves after a few weeks.
In addition you will have some swelling from the surgery, I had that quite bad myself. It took a bit over a month for most of it to go away, steadily improving week by week. I found basic abdomen exercises improved this a lot and slacking off for 2-3 days set me back. Stroking from the pubic bone towards the chest helps as well, especially if the swelling is "stuck" above the scar. Be gentle for the first few weeks.
The infection is probably not helping matters either, but hopefully it will improve soon.
I found tights and skirts/dresses were much more comfortable than jeans.