Laparoscopy: My Endometriosis Journey
Hello, friend! You’re probably here because either you or your loved one is thinking about having a laparoscopy for endometriosis. I hope my experience will be helpful to you! This post about my laparoscopy is the second post in My Endometriosis Journey, so make sure you check out my posts about my diagnosis and laparoscopy recovery, too! If you’re planning to have a laparoscopy yourself, take a look at my Must-Haves for Laparoscopy Recovery!
Important Note
This post chronicles my experience of my first laparoscopy with my general OB-GYN. At the time, I did not know there are endometriosis specialists better equipped to handle my surgery. I also didn’t realize how advanced my disease is.
Here, I cover my first laparoscopy, which was only partially successful. Stayed tuned for another post soon about my second surgery with a specialist. To find the best endometriosis surgeons in the world, check out Nancy’s Nook on Facebook and visit her website.
My decision
After I was diagnosed with endometriosis (learn more about that here), the next step was treatment. I chose to have a laparoscopy because I had a large mass on the left side of my uterus and I wanted it OUT. I wanted to have kids in the near future, and I was nervous thinking about the damage the mass was causing.
Since I had a lot of digestive issues along with my endometriosis, my doctor wanted me to have an endoscopy and a colonoscopy first. I’ll spare you the details, but it was not fun.
Luckily, all of that checked out and we went ahead with the surgery.
I scoured the internet to read about other people’s experience with laparoscopy. The blogs I found were so helpful and put me at ease.
The Day Before My Laparoscopy
Of course, the day before my surgery, I got my period. Convenient, right? Let me tell you, it was a doozy. It was as if the endo knew I was about to cut it out and it just wanted one last hurrah.
I was in horrible pain all day and I couldn’t take anything for it because of my upcoming surgery. By evening, I had a mild fever. Pretty common for me during my period.
That night, I couldn’t sleep. Not because of nerves, but because of the pain. My sweet husband stayed up with me watching Friends reruns and at some point I fell asleep.
Sometime in the middle of the night, I got up to get some water from the kitchen and collapsed on the floor in agony.
The Morning of My Laparoscopy
In the morning, the pain and the fever were still there. I started freaking out that they wouldn’t do the surgery if I had a fever, so I put an icepack on my head the whole way to the hospital.
At the hospital, they put an IV in and took my vitals. No one said anything about a fever, thank goodness. Thanks, icepack!
My husband got to stay with me until they took me back and we talked to various doctors as they came through and explained the procedure.
Waking Up from Surgery
When I woke up afterwards, my husband explained to me that they had to remove my left fallopian tube because it was too damaged.
At that point, I didn’t feel upset about it. I think I expected that they wouldn’t be able to save it.
I was in and out of consciousness for awhile, but I do remember Dr. Z coming in to tell me how the surgery went.
First, she told me the endometriosis was very advanced and she was surprised I didn’t end up in the ER once a month from pain. That statement felt strangely validating.
Then she told me that they removed as much of the fibroids as they could, but the left fallopian tube was too damaged to keep. She also said that there was a lot of endometriosis on my bowels, but they were not able to remove it. Cool.
Once I was able to get up and walk around, I was discharged and sent on my way. The surgery only lasted a few hours, and I did not need to stay overnight in the hospital.
I don’t remember much about the drive home, other than the fact that it was not a stroll in the park.
I am so lucky my husband and my parents were able to take care of me post-surgery, because I needed a lot of help!
To read about my recovery, read my next post, My Endometriosis Journey: Laparoscopy Recovery.
More Helpful Posts About Endometriosis:
15 Must-Haves for Laparoscopy Recovery
How My Endometriosis Improved During a Global Pandemic
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