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Recovery from laparoscopic bilateral salpingo oophrorectomy
Background: I have been recommended to have a laparoscopic bilateral salpingo oophrorectomy as a means of shutting down the estrogen my body continues to produce. I am 48 and had breast cancer 7 years ago which was estrogen receptor positive (meaning: estrogen makes this type of cancer grow faster). However, I was diagnosed early stage and there is no history of breast cancer in my family. I was treated with a lumpectomy followed by four rounds of chemo and 30+ rounds of radiation. I have had no problems since then. However I have been in and out of being peri-menopausal for the past seven years. Early on, I was treated with zolodex, which kept my estrogen levels low. But because my body keeps trying to have periods and my estrogen levels are back to where they were before my cancer diagnosis, I've been advised to have my ovaries removed.
Question: does anyone have experience with this type of surgery? I've been reading a lot of really bad reports about recovery, but I haven't found enough posts from people who have undergone the laparoscopic surgery which involves smaller incisions. Still, what I've read hasn't been pleasant. Intense discomfort from the gas that's injected for a week after, severe abdominal bloating still 8+ weeks after, discomfort at the surgery site, extreme fatigue, etc. Can anyone tell me what they've experienced or know about recovery for this procedure?
Thanks very much in advance.
Question: does anyone have experience with this type of surgery? I've been reading a lot of really bad reports about recovery, but I haven't found enough posts from people who have undergone the laparoscopic surgery which involves smaller incisions. Still, what I've read hasn't been pleasant. Intense discomfort from the gas that's injected for a week after, severe abdominal bloating still 8+ weeks after, discomfort at the surgery site, extreme fatigue, etc. Can anyone tell me what they've experienced or know about recovery for this procedure?
Thanks very much in advance.
P.S. - I'm terribly sorry to hear about everything you've been through so far. I really hope this works for you and helps you in the long run. Stay strong!
I by no means have had the exact procedure you are about to undergo, but I have had several laps to remove endometrial tissue, and my mother (who was 65 at the time) had a lap to remove her uterus and TONS of endometrial tissue).
Do not be alarmed. Laparoscopies are a piece of cake! I didn't have my ovaries or fallopian tubes removed, but I did have tons of tissue and a cyst that was connected to them as well as connected to my uterus removed, leaving lots of places to heal, so I would imagine the healing would be just about comparable.
Generally, with a lap you are home in under 24 hours, and with all three of mine I was home within 2-3 hours after surgery! Within a day of my surgery I was going upstairs just fine, and within a week felt almost 100% with the exception of a little bloating - which wasn't painful, just bloated a bit. I have seen MANY posts asking about laps on the endometriosis and fertility forums, and I can assure you that many other women have the exact same experiences. Some have said they were back to work the next day! That seems a bit much for me, but rest assured that it is not that difficult. The bloating I'd say lasts upto maybe 2-3 weeks, but the discomfort from the gas lasts only a day or two. You may have read about shoulder pain from the gas. This it called displaced pain. What happens is the gas presses on your diaphragm which is connected to a nerve in your shoulder. When that happens you can get a sharp pain in your shoulder - it is not actually the gas trying to escape from your shoulder which is what some women believe. This was never a big issue for me (or for most that I've read who dealt with it the same way I did) - I certainly experienced it, but not often and all I would do is turn over on my other side when it happened, and the shift in my body would shift the pressure and it would go away immediately. It was never a big deal for me with any of my surgeries.
As for my mom, she even had a TON of other stuff done too - they reconstructed her bladder and bowel, and put a sling around her bladder in addition to removing her uterus and the endometrial tissue it was tangled up in. I was amazed that she was up and around in a day or two as well!
Last time the wound by my belly button got a little infected, but it really wasn't a big deal at all - just like any other wound if you cut yourself. I wouldn't say it caused any discomfort or pain. The two lower incisions practically disappeared within a week! They healed immediately! And when I had my very first lap when I was 16 and they went THROUGH my belly button - I had no problems then. It's just that during my second lap they almost had to cut me open, but instead they made about a one inch incision by my belly button (rather than the 1/4 inch to 1/2 one the normally do during a lap). That time it healed OK. It was just when they reopened it during my third one 10 months later that it got infected. Sorry...rambling!
Here's a good website with laparoscopy advice (it's for endo but I'm sure you could use it too!)
http://www.endo-resolved.com/laparoscopy_advice.html
Best of luck to you! I hope your surgery goes well!
Do not be alarmed. Laparoscopies are a piece of cake! I didn't have my ovaries or fallopian tubes removed, but I did have tons of tissue and a cyst that was connected to them as well as connected to my uterus removed, leaving lots of places to heal, so I would imagine the healing would be just about comparable.
Generally, with a lap you are home in under 24 hours, and with all three of mine I was home within 2-3 hours after surgery! Within a day of my surgery I was going upstairs just fine, and within a week felt almost 100% with the exception of a little bloating - which wasn't painful, just bloated a bit. I have seen MANY posts asking about laps on the endometriosis and fertility forums, and I can assure you that many other women have the exact same experiences. Some have said they were back to work the next day! That seems a bit much for me, but rest assured that it is not that difficult. The bloating I'd say lasts upto maybe 2-3 weeks, but the discomfort from the gas lasts only a day or two. You may have read about shoulder pain from the gas. This it called displaced pain. What happens is the gas presses on your diaphragm which is connected to a nerve in your shoulder. When that happens you can get a sharp pain in your shoulder - it is not actually the gas trying to escape from your shoulder which is what some women believe. This was never a big issue for me (or for most that I've read who dealt with it the same way I did) - I certainly experienced it, but not often and all I would do is turn over on my other side when it happened, and the shift in my body would shift the pressure and it would go away immediately. It was never a big deal for me with any of my surgeries.
As for my mom, she even had a TON of other stuff done too - they reconstructed her bladder and bowel, and put a sling around her bladder in addition to removing her uterus and the endometrial tissue it was tangled up in. I was amazed that she was up and around in a day or two as well!
Last time the wound by my belly button got a little infected, but it really wasn't a big deal at all - just like any other wound if you cut yourself. I wouldn't say it caused any discomfort or pain. The two lower incisions practically disappeared within a week! They healed immediately! And when I had my very first lap when I was 16 and they went THROUGH my belly button - I had no problems then. It's just that during my second lap they almost had to cut me open, but instead they made about a one inch incision by my belly button (rather than the 1/4 inch to 1/2 one the normally do during a lap). That time it healed OK. It was just when they reopened it during my third one 10 months later that it got infected. Sorry...rambling!
Here's a good website with laparoscopy advice (it's for endo but I'm sure you could use it too!)
http://www.endo-resolved.com/laparoscopy_advice.html
Best of luck to you! I hope your surgery goes well!
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