Re: Pre-op Appt. Today: Update-to Pam-kinda long
From: Amy (anonymous@obgyn.net)
Fri Nov 3 09:52:41 2006
Hi Pam! I just wanted to respond and tell you to hang in there and stay
positive. I am sorry that the doctor seemed unsympathetic to your pain
and suggested you take alleve instead. PErhaps he suggested it because
alleve is an anti-inflammatory? Maybe you could just try the alleve and
see what happens and if it doesn't help, take your lortabs. Endo pain
is definitely no fun and if you have something to take that helps it, I
say take it. A suggestion too, which you may have tried: a heating pad
or if you need to be at work or on the go, try the ThermaCare patches
for menstrual. You can get them in any pharmacy and most big grocery
chains. I use them all the time and they are great! Like wearing a
heating pad and they stay warm for 8 hours. I keep one in my desk
drawer at work at all times so if the endo acts up, I can put one on
until I can get home and lay down.
Don't be nervous about surgery, although that is easy for me to say! I
was scared to death before my first one but now I have had three laps
and it is really not bad at all. Depending on what they do may depend
on how sore you are after. I usually have tons of adhesions and scar
tissue the Doc burns off so I tend to be pretty sore for awhile and
usually miss a couple weeks of work. But I also have found that the
older I get, the longer I take to heal up. My first lap was at age 24
and I was back to work in three days. The last two I have had have come
in my 30's and I needed a couple weeks to get my strength back and
return to a normal work schedule.
I always find that whatever meds they give me after surgery takes the
edge off most of the pain and after a few days, I feel pretty good, just
have to take it easy. The gas they pump into you can make you have some
shoulder and chest pain too for a day or so afterwards but nothing
extreme. Would just feel to me like I had some weight sitting on my
chest but nothing too severe. As far as bowel prep, I have never had to
do it prior to any of my three laps but I know some doctors have you do
it. I have done bowel prep for colonoscopy but never for a lap.
Everything will be fine! Try to think of it instead of surgery as a way
to find out exactly what is going on inside your body and help get you
on the road to feeling better. I wish you the best of luck. All of
your forum endo sisters are here for you and we can all relate to what
you are going through. I found this forum 12 years ago right after I
had been diagnosed via lap and it has provided so much comfort and
insight to this dreadful disease. It is comforting to know I can get on
here and find some support.
For all reading, sorry this was a long one! I just keep thinking back to
when I was going for my first lap and I hope my rambling may help
provide some comfort to Pam or anyone else.
Hugs to all you beautiful endo sisters!
Amy Meyer
At Fri, 3 Nov 2006, Pam wrote:
>
>I just wanted to let everyone know about my appt today. I don't really
>have much to tell. My gyn didn't really say much about the lap. He
>said that he would be making two small cuts, one below my belly button
>and one above my hairline. He also said that he would use a camera like
>device about the size of a pen to see my insides and another tool if he
>needs to remove endo, if I have any. He also stated that if my cysts
>are still there he would probably drain them. I was told by an ER
>doctor that I had three-fours small cysts on each of my ovaries on Sept.
>26. He done a pelic unltrasound and he said that was something he
>noticed.
>
>I didn't know that cyst can go away by them self. I always thought that
>they had to be removed or drained. I guess I was wrong. He did kinda
>make me a little upset. I had spoke with him about the pain medication
>my PCP doctor had given me (Lortab 7.5 mg). I have to take one around
>every 6-8 hours because I am hurting so much. I will be out soon
>because my PCP told me to take it more, I was taking it every 8-12
>hours. He made a comment that I needed to stop taking the Lortabs and
>take something like alieve. i was shocked by him saying this because I
>had just explained to him that I was taking lortabs 7.5 around every six
>hours and the medication wasn't lasting long enough, and he tells me to
>take alieve. Did I miss something, because I thought the Lortabs were
>stronger than alieve. If something like a Lortab isn't helping me then
>why would alive help me. Should I not being taking the Lortabs for
>pain? I guess I might just be a big baby but before I started taking
>anything I mainly cried all day until my tears had ran out or I fell
>asleep because I hurt so bad.
>
>After he listen to my heart and lungs he sent me to admitting and that
>was it for him. I assume he would go into more detail about the
>surgery. I have read about it online but he doesn't know that so I
>thought he would tell me exactly what he would be doing. He didn't
>meantion anything about the gas or anything.
>
>I was wondering if anyone knew about the cyst because I really thought a
>person had to have them removed. I also wanted some feedback about the
>medication I am using for pain. I don't usually take anything in this
>type of catorgy, until I started having these problems (severe oain in
>lower pelvic area, heavy periods, extreme craps during periods, pain
>with intercourse and bowel movements, etc.) I went to the ER because I
>was hurting so bad and the ER Dr. gave me Lortab 5, which was the first
>time Ihad every took anything like that. As I said that was on the 26
>of Sept. I took the Lortab 5 for a few days and it just seemed like it
>stopped working I couldn't even tell I had took anything, and it wasn't
>helping the pain at all. I went through a few more pain medications
>(all which did not work after the first day or two) and I was finally
>put on Lortab 7.5 which as started to stop helping like the other
>medication except for I started taking it on Oct. 26. So it has lasted
>longer than the others. I don't really understand why he made a big
>deal about it. He said that he has completed over 2000 laps in his
>career, if so then shouldn't he know that it can be very painful for
>woman.
>
>I also wanted to know about the bowel prep. I know what it does
>basically but why do some women have to do it and some don't.
>
>While thanks for letting me get some of that off my chest. I have my
>Lap on Nov. 14 I will let everyone know what he found and what
>happened.
>
>I also wanted to say Thank You to everyone for listening to me. It has
>really helped me out a lot. I think I am more confused and worried
>about this whole thing. Hope all is well with everyone. Hope to hear
>from someone soon.
>
>Thanks a bunch, Pam
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