My Guide: What To Expect After Endometriosis Excision Surgery

Having Laparoscopic Endometriosis Excision Surgery is like jumping into the unknown. I had a vague idea of what to expect from it but it wasn’t enough. Here’s what I went through and maybe it’ll help you understand what to do and expect after surgery.

As always, please remember that I am patient who is sharing her experiences. I am not a medical professional so please seek professional advice from your endometriosis surgeon before following anything mentioned below.

If you would like to see a video version of this post, then you can right here. If you prefer to read then you can scroll down:

Let’s begin with…

What To Do After Laparoscopic Endometriosis Excision Surgery

Here are some common pointers explained.

1. What to Wear After Endometriosis Surgery

– Loose comfortable clothing is your best bet. Be careful of elastic bands that could add pressure on the stomach and the stitches.

2. Additional Care on Your Ride Home After Surgery

– In my earlier post, ‘How To Prepare For Endometriosis Laparoscopic Excision Surgery’, I’ve explained the importance of keeping a cushion on your stomach and the seatbelt on top.

It’ll help reduce impact and unnecessary pain.

3. Why is Walking Important After Laparoscopic Surgery?

– Walking reduces cramping and helps dissipate the gas that has been pumped in you during surgery.

Otherwise, dealing with gas pain, especially the one that travels to your shoulder is sharp, stabbing and very uncomfortable.

What you do not do is you do NOT bend or lift anything heavy for at least six weeks or until your doctor allows you to do so. The same goes for abdominal exercise – not advised.

4. Why is a Hot Shower and Drinking Hot Tea Helpful for Recovery?

– My doctor explained that a hot shower and having hot tea helps to mobilise the bowels and also helps to get rid of gas pain.

My favourite is Ginger Turmeric Tea that has anti-inflammatory properties.

I always get my teas from Bushwick Tea. They’ve kindly offered to give a 10% discount to all of you on any of their organic teas if you use my code: ATE10. Please note, Bushwick Tea currently only ship in the US.

5. Why Do You Need to Have Pain Killers After Endometriosis Surgery?

– Apart from the obvious fact that you have had major surgery and that it will hurt, but it’s also important to have reduced pain so that you can get sleep.

Sleep and rest are very important parts of recovery so don’t fight the desire to do either.

Give yourself the time you need because we all have different issues, the extent of our surgery will be different and our bodies will react differently so best to listen to yourself and take extra care.

6. The Importance of Taking Laxatives & Anti-Gas Medicines After Excision Surgery

– You don’t want to be pushing your bowel movements – you’ve had surgery, your insides are sore and my doctor has always advised me to not push.

This is where the doctor’s suggested laxatives and anti-gas medicines help. I was also taking my natural concoction of salt & ajwain and psyllium husk as mentioned in point 6 & 7 in this post of mine: Endometriosis & Adenomyosis Natural Pain Relief Remedies – My Journey

Take the doctor’s recommended medicines as instructed and as mentioned earlier – have the hot tea and the hot shower. It’ll be the best thing you would’ve done for yourself in the first few days after surgery.

Don’t worry if it does take you a couple of days to get the bowels going – it’s perfectly normal.

7. What to Eat After Endometriosis Surgery

– Initially it’s always best to stick to foods that are non-spicy, light and easily digestible. Based on your own diet, you will be able to identify what those are.

For me, it was homemade soup and lentils that fit my endo-friendly anti-inflammatory diet. I’ve written about this so if you wish to know in detail about my diet changes, then check this out.

8. How to Lay After Laparoscopic Surgery

– I had stitches in four areas, my belly button, lower abdomen, towards my left hip and towards my right hip.

You’re expected to lay on your side, which I thought was ridiculous for me – I didn’t have a side which didn’t have stitches so I had to sleep on my back. It was the only way to avoid excruciating pain.

I kept a pillow under each side of my hip which covered only 50% of the pillow. This propped me up a bit, gave me support and assistance to help me get off the bed.

It takes quite a bit of core strength to get yourself seated so please take it slow and take help from a loved one if possible.

9. After-Care of Stitches

– Initially stitches have a dressing to cover them, which my doctor removed and cleaned up for me five days after surgery.

Stitches usually dissolve on their own so there isn’t a need to have them removed, but it’s always best to keep it clean.

Be gentle around the area when in a shower and it’s also advised to keep your belly button area dry by using soft tissue or cotton wool after a shower.

My doctor advised me to apply some coconut oil on and around the stitches six weeks after surgery to help soften the skin.

More Helpful Reading:

• How Much Does Endometriosis Laparoscopic Excision Surgery Cost?
• How to Prepare for Endometriosis Laparoscopic Excision Surgery

What To Expect After Laparoscopic Endometriosis Excision Surgery

1. Expect Complications & Expect the Obvious

– This is a complex multi-organ surgery with a lot of unknowns facing the surgeon. Let me explain…

Here’s the obvious expectation of what to feel, see and hear when you wake up from surgery in the recovery room:

Grogginess, dizziness, nausea, a heavy head, very sore in the stomach, attached to an IV, being able hearing the heart monitor beep with a nurse looking over you and saying ‘hello’.

But here is the one major thing I did not expect.

I did not expect to wake up and go home with a foley catheter attached to me.

Complications or errors during surgery can occur – that’s why you’re made to sign so many consent forms, but I guess I didn’t know what it would mean to have one.

During surgery, a bladder defect occurred – a small hole happened which needed to be repaired during surgery and so I was attached to a foley catheter for five days. The worst five days ever (trust me, by using the word ‘worst’ – I’m downplaying it).

It’s unfortunate that doctors don’t explain the possibility of what can go wrong and what they may do about it – but then again, maybe I’m being too harsh, maybe there is too much to explain yet I still feel some common complications should be explained.

What is even worse is, when you’re explained how to handle a foley catheter you’re drowsy from multiple pain-killer dosages and are still recovering from your anaesthesia, yet you need to understand everything being explained to you.

You’re not given any written instructions either… hmmppfff!

But you deal with it and you scream and shout for five days… and you generate immense respect for everyone who has to go through a foley catheter.

Maybe I should do a post one day explaining a catheter – put out the information that I never got.

2. Is it Normal to have Vaginal Bleeding after Endometriosis Surgery?

– Sadly it is. My doctor had told me that it is normal to have vaginal bleeding for upto two weeks.

3. How is the First Period After Laparoscopic Endometriosis Excision Surgery?

– It is painful. If I thought endometriosis pain was bad, this was the worst ever pain, plus the bleeding was heavy too.

A week into the bleeding, when I saw no possibility of it reducing, I called my doctor and was explained that I should expect a reduction 10 days into the period and typically this first period lasts around 14 days.

Day 14 – it all stopped. Thankfully.

But even my second period post surgery was just as painful but at least this time, it only troubled me for seven days.

So please be well prepared to place your hot water bag. I had to keep two – one on my abdomen and the other on my lower back. This was the only way I could get through my days.

4. How Long Should I Expect Before the Pain Reduces?

– Doctors say the abdominal tenderness starts to reduce after three days.

I believe this is relative. I have Ehlers-Danlos syndrome so my doctor was very clear that it would take me a lot longer because EDS patients are slow healers.

It took six weeks for my tenderness to reduce and feel a bit normal – that’s how slow my healing was.

Today, as I type this, almost four months after surgery, I still go through pains. So yep, it’s all relative – based on our other medical conditions, the extent of the surgery, the organs involved and also how careful we are in our recovery.

It all matters, it all plays a role.

Update: My entire recovery took 1 year! Here are two posts I wrote explaining how I felt six months and then a year into it:

• Six Months On: Endometriosis Laparoscopic Excision Surgery – Am I Better?
• One Year on from Endometriosis Excision Surgery – Was it Worth it?

5. How Long Does it Take to Heal From Endometriosis Surgery?

– Healing depends on how well we rest, how well we follow doctor’s instructions and the extent of our surgery.

There’s no one-size-fits-all.

Initially I was told that I would feel better after three months, but two months into recovery, my doctor explained that I need six months before I should expect to feel better – even that would need to be re-assessed to know if we’re on the right track.

I was explained that a lot of this is down to two factors 1. slow healing from Ehlers-Danlos syndrome 2. the surgery was deep and extensive.

So please get assessed regularly by your surgeon and keep her/him in the loop if you face any issues. Don’t suffer in silence.

That’s about it from me on this post.

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Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. I am a patient and have created this platform to share my experiences. This is all purely informative and in no way am I providing medical advice. Please consult a medical professional.