This past May marked my third laparoscopy surgery for endometriosis removal. So, you can say I’m no stranger to this procedure by now. While it sucks to have endometriosis, and it sucks even more that I’ve needed three surgeries to treat it, the positive here is that I know how to prepare for this procedure. And I generally know what to expect from endometriosis laparoscopic surgery recovery.
I will say this most recent surgery was the most difficult of the three I’ve had to recover from, and fewer endometriosis lesions were found than in my previous two. But there are reasons for that.
One, this was a semi-urgent exploratory surgery with my local OB-GYN (who did amazing, but they only perform ablation surgery, and I prefer excision surgery). Second, I was gifted the absolute treat of coming down with the worst GI bug the day after my surgery. I was so sick and in so much pain that I had to be hospitalized.
But don’t let this scare you. Even being really sick and hospitalized this time, I returned to my daily routine (except for exercising) by two weeks post-surgery. My doctor had me wait a month before returning to exercise, and even then, I started slow and listened to my body.
So, if you’re about to have your first endometriosis surgery — or you’re considering one — and are feeling anxious about it, keep reading. I’ll share my list of must-have items that have helped me during my endometriosis laparoscopy surgery recovery, as well as some tips I’ve learned from having this surgery three times.
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Endometriosis Laparoscopic Surgery Recovery Must-have Items
Before your surgery date, consider having these items on hand to aid your recovery and make you more comfortable as you heal.
Nightgowns and loose dresses
I really underestimated the value of nightgowns and loose clothing before this endometriosis surgery. But this time around, my belly button incision was super sore. I also had a giant bruise in the middle of my pelvis. Both areas got very irritated from the button on jeans or an elastic waistband. So, wearing pants was too painful for a solid two to three weeks.
For the first few days of my recovery, during which I mostly stayed in bed, I got rid of waistbands altogether and solely wore nightgowns (this is the exact one I bought). I even bought another one because I wore them so much and didn’t want to do laundry. When I started going out and about more, I opted for loose dresses, leggings without tight waistbands (no compression), and athletic shorts that I could wear very low on my hips, well below my incisions.
So, make sure you have comfortable clothing to recover in after your surgery! Your incisions and sore, bloated belly will thank you!
Gas-X
One of the worst things to deal with immediately after an endometriosis laparoscopy is the gas pain. Your surgeon will inflate your abdomen with carbon dioxide gas at the beginning of your procedure so they can see and work better. Some of this gas can linger after surgery, causing pain and discomfort — even as high up as your shoulder and collarbone!
For my second surgery, the gas pain afterward hurt worse than the surgical pain. I felt shooting, sharp pain in my ribcage and collarbone. To help relieve this gas, I took Gas-X every day the pain remained, and I walked around as much as I comfortably could to get things moving. Still, it can take several days for this pain to fully subside, at least in my experience.
Peppermint tea
Since I’m already talking about gas, let me add peppermint tea as another helpful tool for combating this post-surgical pain. Peppermint tea can help you pass gas and relieve bloating. This might just be me, but I also find it to be really soothing, and I love the smell of it. I drink this tea all the time in my normal day-to-day life whenever a meal leaves me feeling bloated.
Stool softener and/or gentle laxative
It’s not uncommon to get constipated after endometriosis surgery from the drugs you’re given, especially if you’re prescribed an opioid painkiller. You also want to keep your stool soft and moving easily so you don’t need to strain to have a bowel movement.
My go-tos for this are Colace stool softener and MiraLAX laxative powder. I would ask your doctor for dosing recommendations here, as this really varies based on how backed up you are or how painful it is to go to the bathroom. I typically took one dose of each every day until I could go without pain. If I’m remembering correctly, for my second surgery, I took this for at least two weeks after my surgery. For my most recent surgery, it was not needed because I got that nasty stomach bug.
OTC pain relief
For all three of my endometriosis laparoscopies, I piggy-backed Advil and Extra Strength Tylenol for pain relief. I prefer this method because I get really nauseous and throw up from prescription pain meds. You can ask your doctor for specific instructions on how to piggy-back Advil and Tylenol either before your procedure or before you leave the surgery center. Just make sure you don’t miss a dose!
Heating pad and ice wrap
My heating pad gets the most use out of anything when it comes to pain relief. That didn’t change after my laparoscopy. I used it on my lower back and abdomen to help with pain and cramping for most of my recovery. I also used a gel ice wrap on my stomach to help with pain and swelling, especially in the first few days after surgery. Having one or both of these items on hand can help manage your pain as you recover. (I alternated both depending on what felt best in the moment.)
Sanitary pads
It’s normal to bleed or spot after your surgery, so make sure you’re stocked up on sanitary pads and/or panty liners beforehand. Keep in mind that while some bleeding is normal, the nurses told me that heavy bleeding that fills up a pad in an hour or less would warrant calling my doctor immediately for guidance. Luckily, this has never happened to me.
Compression socks
After my last two endometriosis surgeries, I’ve worn VIM&VIGR compression socks during my recovery to help with circulation. It also gave me peace of mind that it would help prevent any blood clots from forming during my days spent on bedrest. The stress of undergoing a procedure also tends to flare up my POTS symptoms, so that’s another reason why I wear compression socks while I’m healing.
Iron supplement
I always like to take an iron supplement after an endometriosis surgery to boost my stores, especially if I have extended bleeding or spotting after surgery. Plus, you lose some blood during the surgery itself (which varies by person and how complicated their surgery is). I’ll typically wait until my bowels are moving post-surgery before taking iron since it can worsen constipation. However, I’ve found a really great iron that has not constipated me, unlike every other iron supplement I’ve taken in the past, so this is less of a concern for me now.
Fun activities to distract yourself with
You’ll spend a lot of time resting during endometriosis laparoscopic surgery recovery. The prospect of this — at least for me — can be a drag. I found it helpful to line up a few fun things for me to do during my recovery to help pass the time and fend off the boredom of lying in bed all day. For me, this involved buying a book (or two!) that are high up on my TBR list so I had some exciting reading to look forward to. I’ve also recently purchased a paint-by-number project that I’ll spend the next five years of my life finishing. Some other ideas:
- Crafting projects
- Coloring books
- Crosswords or other puzzle books
- A new video game
- Lining up a show to binge watch, or a new movie you’ve been itching to see
- Waiting to listen to new podcasts (like a few episodes worth) until after your surgery
Silicone scar sheets
These aren’t necessary during your initial recovery phase, but they are great for treating your surgical scars once they’ve healed enough. Over the years, I’ve tried Mederma cream and Bio-Oil for my various scars, but nothing has worked better than silicone scar sheets (which you can cut to fit your scar shape!) to flatten and lighten my scars over time.
Helpful Tips to Remember for Endometriosis Surgery Recovery
Before ending this post, I want to share some final quick tips that I would want to know before having surgery to remove endo.
- Make a medication schedule for everything you need to take and when post-surgery. If you’re only taking Advil and Tylenol, write down either on paper or on a note in your phone the exact time to take your next dose. Don’t miss overnight doses! Set an alarm to take your dose during the night. Trust me, you don’t want to go all night without pain relief and wake up feeling really sore.
- If you have to sneeze or cough in the early days of recovery, hug a pillow tightly to your abdomen while doing so to give yourself support.
- Side sleeping can be extremely painful in the first few days after surgery, so it may help you to sleep on your back on a couch or a recliner if you have one. This helps you from tossing and turning or accidentally rolling over. Sleeping with a pillow under your knees and/or a heating pad can also help with back pain or stiffness.
- Get up and walk around often for a few minutes at a time as soon as you feel able. Movement helps with the gas pain you’ll feel after the procedure. In each of my surgical experiences, the more I was able to move, the quicker the gas pain resolved.
- Avoid using your stomach muscles to sit up from lying. If you don’t have someone with you who can help lift you up, roll slightly onto your side, bring your opposite side arm down onto your bed, and push yourself up, letting your arm do all the work and keeping your stomach muscles completely relaxed. You may want to hold your belly for support with your free hand.
Your Endometriosis Laparoscopy Surgery Recovery Kit Shopping List
To sum it up, here’s a quick recap of what I have prepped before an endometriosis laparoscopy and links to the products I used.
- Nightgowns and loose dresses
- Gas-X
- Peppermint tea (I love Celestial Seasonings Peppermint Tea and Tazo Mint Tea)
- Colace stool softener
- MiraLAX laxative powder
- Advil
- Extra Strength Tylenol
- Heating pad
- Ice wrap
- Sanitary pads
- Compression socks
- Gentle iron supplement (non-constipating!)
- Fun activities
- Silicone scar sheets
I hope this post is helpful if you’re prepping for a laparoscopy for endometriosis! If you’ve already had a surgery and have recovered, what other tips helped you get through it? Share in the comments below!
Until next time,
Laurie
