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Removal of Ovary
I have a dermoid cyst on my right ovary. I am scheduled to have the ovary removed next Tuesday. It will be done by laparascopic surgery. I'm concerned about the recovery time. My doctor said most women need only 5 days to recover. But, looking at the posts in this community, it seems like it will take longer. I have toddlers (ages 1 & 2), I live in a townhome (stairs), will only have assistance for one week, and planned to return to work the following Monday. Will I need more than the 5-days suggested by my doctor? How long before I'm able to pick-up my kids? I'm getting a little worried.
I just had a 14 cm cyst and left ovary and tube removed last Tuesday. I spent two nights in the hospital and have been at home recovering since. I lucked out with the timing of the surgery because I am a teacher and do not have to go back to work until August. I'm sure that you will feel up to doing light work and being a little active a couple weeks after the surgery...I'm a little more than a week out and I'm starting to to return to normal as far as light house keeping, drove for the first time today, etc., but I used to be a CNA, so I know how hard your job is and I agree with your doctor that a full 6 weeks is necessary.
I was nervous too! I had never had a major inpatient surgery like this before, but everything went very smoothly for me. The pain was a lot to deal with the first couple of days but it gets better everyday. Just make sure you have a strong support system to help you that first week or so at home. The good news is that I am starting to feel close to normal and have been able to reduce pain medication quite a bit and do some light housekeeping and errands. It's a slow process but I am getting back to normal.
My tips for you:
Get everything ready pre-surgery. Pay bills, make any needed arrangements, clean your house, etc...anything you can do beforehand so you don't have to do it when you get home.
Buy some sweatpants and high waisted underwear. You'll be very swollen and sore and unable to wear your pants. I still can't wear mine. I also bought some dresses and skirts to wear out because I am sick of sweats!
Get some Gas-X. It's true that gas pains are bad after surgery. With that being said, also buy a stool softener. Trust me, you will need it.
Stock up on groceries and anything you may need or make arrangements for someone to do it. You probably won't feel up to getting out and shopping for at least a week.
Hope this helps! Good luck!
I was nervous too! I had never had a major inpatient surgery like this before, but everything went very smoothly for me. The pain was a lot to deal with the first couple of days but it gets better everyday. Just make sure you have a strong support system to help you that first week or so at home. The good news is that I am starting to feel close to normal and have been able to reduce pain medication quite a bit and do some light housekeeping and errands. It's a slow process but I am getting back to normal.
My tips for you:
Get everything ready pre-surgery. Pay bills, make any needed arrangements, clean your house, etc...anything you can do beforehand so you don't have to do it when you get home.
Buy some sweatpants and high waisted underwear. You'll be very swollen and sore and unable to wear your pants. I still can't wear mine. I also bought some dresses and skirts to wear out because I am sick of sweats!
Get some Gas-X. It's true that gas pains are bad after surgery. With that being said, also buy a stool softener. Trust me, you will need it.
Stock up on groceries and anything you may need or make arrangements for someone to do it. You probably won't feel up to getting out and shopping for at least a week.
Hope this helps! Good luck!
HI all am having a 12 cm cyst and both ovaries removed next week...my doctor was realistic and told me to take 6 weeks off work...I am a nurses aide and lifting is a big part of my job. He said if I went back in 4 weeks like I planned and got hurt I could be sidelined for longer. I am a little nervous as he said I would be hospitalized for 3-4 days after. Never done that before. Everything else has been day surgery. I love this site....glad I found it. Good luck to all.
Had the procedure today... I expressed my concern to my doctor about recovery and she also said it depends on me. So we are now looking at 2 wks pff from work. And I feel much more comfortable with that. I have had pain, of varying degrees, all day. The pain in my shoulder is the worst
I had this procedure done on me a month ago. It took me about 4 days to feel good enough that i was able to go to walmart and walk for a short while and pretty much be back to normal. The day after was the worse for me as my whole body hurt. I have recently three days ago had to go through the bikini line incision to remove a dermoid cyst and my right ovary. This one will be a 3-4 week recovery time. I wish you the best of luck! Get well soon.
Thank you ladies for your responses. Very helpful indeed. I guess I will reach out to friends and family for more help. I really like my doctor, but when she was telling me about the surgery, she made it sound like it wasn't a big deal. Considering I'm 36 and inactive, other than chasing the toddlers, I probably should have prepared to be off work longer. 2 weeks sounds more reasonable from your responses and other posts I've seen. I will discuss it with my doctor before the surgery takes place. I'll definitely post an update post surgery.
Thanks!
Thanks!
LetsMango is right, it all depends on the person. Every woman and every surgery is different. After I had a cyst removed Laparoscopically, I went back to work 2 days later. Bad move on my part. I taught preschool, so I had to be up and down a lot. With that surgery, I was doing very well after 5 days. The next surgery I had done laparscopically, I had to take 2 weeks off to recover. It all just depends on YOU. I can tell you that they will not want you to lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk for about 2-4 weeks. You have to let yourself heal on the inside. Things my look good on the outside, but the inside takes longer to heal. You don't want to pick up your child an tear the internal stitches. That would lead to a more invasive surgery. I know how hard it is because I have a handicapped daughter, but you just have to make them do a little more work than they normally would (ex, help dress themselves, climb up on the bed when it is bed time, that kind of thing.) Please let us know how you are doing.
Hi there,
You have very valid concerns about your recovery time here. It is important to know that every woman is different and therefore every woman recovers differently. Five days does seem a bit optimistic. It is important to not push yourself because you don't want to undo the recovery that has happened. I had laparoscopy on March 30th and felt pretty good after 5 days, however I am only 21 years old and that may have helped with that process. I still avoid lifting objects more than 10 lbs.
You have very valid concerns about your recovery time here. It is important to know that every woman is different and therefore every woman recovers differently. Five days does seem a bit optimistic. It is important to not push yourself because you don't want to undo the recovery that has happened. I had laparoscopy on March 30th and felt pretty good after 5 days, however I am only 21 years old and that may have helped with that process. I still avoid lifting objects more than 10 lbs.
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