Ovarian Cyst Surgery

[needhelp78]

Hello

I am going to undergo a laprotomy surgery next week to remove 20cm ovarian cyst . Can anyone please tell me how painful is it after surgery. Do the stiches pain a lot ? How many days will i be in pain?My gyn advised me to stay in hospital for 3-5 days after surgery .Will i be alright after 1 week .Thank you.

[Kolbegirl]

I had an ovarian cyst removed 2 weeks ago. It was 28 cm long and 12 cm wide and was the size of a basketball, so I feel your pain -literally. The surgery was not bad at all. The bad part was that I was bumped by another surgeon and I was 2 hours late getting into my surgery and not having pain meds since the night before, that was very painful. I too did not think that I was going to be able to get out of bed, because I was just absolutely exhausted. I have good days and bad days, but I have developed a seroma since coming home. I am not thrilled about having a small hole in my abdomen, but my doctor has reassured me that it is very common and Home Health is coming out every day to "pack" it with gauze. I have made great strides in the 2 weeks that I have been home. My doctor only kept me in the hospital for 2 nights and since coming home I have not been able to sleep in the bed yet. I am not married, so I have been staying with my mother and she packs pillows around me for comfort and it has made a world of difference in being comfortable to sleep. I am very ready to get back to life as normal...to be able to go to Walmart and drive, which my doctor says I can do as of Tuesday (which will be the 2 weeks after surgery) but I am not quite ready for that just yet. Hope some of this info helped you. Have any of you had a seroma? I had never heard of that until now.

[runnerchick]

I had an emergency surgery of a dermoid cyst almost 2 weeks ago. They discharged me the following day. I was very swollen when I got out. In two days my tummy got relatively flat again with the exception of some bulge in the area. Is this normal? Will it go away? How long does it take to go away? I haven't had my follow up appointment yet.

[kenan]

I had a laparotomy about a year ago to remove two dermoid cysts.  I think the worst part was the first time I HAD to get out of the bed.  My sister warned me b/c she had a C-section and the incision is similiar.  Be ready for that one. Other than that, it wasn't unbearable pain.  More like aggravating soreness.  I mean, I remember my husband and mom talking about something funny and I laughed right into tears b/c it hurt to even laugh.  But, I healed very quickly and the great thing is that my scar is hardly visible.  My doctor did a great job with that.  I had staples and they just dissolved which was nice.  Unfortunatly, I just developed symptoms similar to the ones I had last year when they discovered the dermoids.  I'm going in for an ultrasound tomorrow and scared to death that they have come back.  Anyone had this before?  I posted that question last night and am VERY interested to know.

[motherof2cuteones]

I had a laparotomy almost 4 weeks ago.  I found that waking up right out of surgery was the "most painful" time for me.  Other than that - its just basically sore muscles - nothing horrible at all.  I, unfortunately, didn't take well to any of the narcotic pain meds (either oral or suppository or through pain pump) and spent my first 2 days out of surgery - throwing up.  That was the worst part out of everything.

I do agree with loralai that if you aren't a back sleeper - that can be rough.  I found a "somewhat comfortable position" on my sides - using pillows to keep me "fixed in place".

I really had a rough go of it in the hospital and on the 4th day - my dr. told me i had to go home b/c people who stay too long in the hospital just don't get better.  He was soo right!  2 hours after i got home - i was myself again.  In the hospital - i was listless...I didn't talk to anyone.  But once i was at home - i was joking and laughing and full of energy.

Also - i just took ibuprofen for the pain.  It worked great!  I never felt like i couldn't get on top of the pain.  But everyone is different.  Just do what works for you.
Most importantly - pay attention to your body.  It lets you know what works and what doesn't far better than any of us can.  AND you will be amazed how much quicker you recover the more you try to get up and walk around.  Gone are the days of lying in a bed waiting to get better.  They want you up and moving!  And it does help a lot (mentally more than anything, i think).

Good luck and don't be afraid....its like childbirth...once you are on the other side of it - you don't remember how bad you thought it was going through it.

[loralai]

I just got home from mine which ended up being a full hysterectomy so the incision is bigger. I was surprised to find I woke up not wanting to vomit! Make sure you talk to your anestesiologist (sp?) about this if you are prone to nausea. I slept a lot the first day out of surgery and didn't have to get up since I had a catheter. I am not a back sleeper so laying on my back in one spot was tough and hospital beds are so not comfy. The morphine helps and after the first time I got out of bed and just sat in a chair (with nurses help) I was good. Just take it slow. Every day gets easier. I went in on a Tuesday and came home on a Saturday. Getting in and out of bed it tough now and I can't pick anything up off the floor or reach up too high. It's not that bad...easier than I'd expect. I am glad to see getting staples removed isn't too bad either...I do that on Thursday. Good luck! You'll do great I am sure. Just remember the quicker you get up and get the gases moving the quicker you get to go home!

[dian07]

Who is doing your surgery?  If you haven't been to a gyn/oncologist you should seriously consider it...YOU HAVE ONLY ONE CHANCE TO GET IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME.....you definately don't want two surgeries or to find yourself, postoperatively, wishing you had the best qualified surgeon doing your surgery in the first place.
Peace.
dian

[shazzybow]

my experience was the same as shawn, i had my surgery 2 weeks ago and had the morphine in a pump for the first day, analgesia was offered regularly but i didnt feel i needed it. i felt sore but not a huge amount of pain. i definitely agree waxing is worse! i am now feeling much better,each day gets easier. Good luck.

[ShawnP]

I know everyone is different, but my laperotomy that I had in July wasn't bad itself.  I also had a laperotomy for hysterectomy in 97 and it wasn't that bad either.  You will probably wake up with a "pain" pump that usually has morphine or something in it and you press it when you need it.  Most of the pain you feel is abdominal muscles when trying to sit up or cough.  I was walking around my room the next morning and the pain pump was removed as well.  I was given oral pain medication every 4 hours and other than like I said, the pain in the abdominal muscles are very sore, but tolerable.  Heck, the pain I was in prior to surgery was worse than my initial surgical pain. I stayed in the hospital 2 nights and by the time I was home I was able to basic things like make myself something to drink.  Make sure you have someone with you though as you will not be lifting anything and need to be pampered properly.

My incision both times were staples and they didn't hurt.  Even when they are removed post operatively it wasn't bad.  Having my eyebrows waxed monthly hurts more than that did.  So try to relax and not to worry too much.  Hang in there and you will be on the road to recovery soon!  Best of luck to you.

Shawn