My endo story part 2: the surgery

Once I found out that a chocolate cyst on my right ovary was the cause of my pain, I was relieved. I certainly wished it would have been the type of cyst to go away on its own, but at least I had a diagnosis—and an end to my pain and discomfort was in sight (or so I thought).

The day of my laparoscopy, my husband and I arrived at the hospital bright and early for the usual surgery prep, which always seems to involve a lot of sitting around and waiting. Once I was wheeled back for surgery, I remember talking to my doctor for just a moment before the anesthesia hit.

The next thing I (vaguely) remember is that incredibly frustrating state where you're trying rather unsuccessfully to battle your way out of the murkiness that comes from waking up from surgery. I've only had anesthesia a couple of times in my life, but every time I grow increasingly frustrated at those first few moments when I desperately want to stay awake and lucid but just keep slipping back under.

Soon after I woke up, my doctor came in to tell me that she had successfully removed a rather large chocolate cyst but that she had to take my right ovary, too. She also told me that while she was in there, she spotted a few spots with scarring that were signs of endometriosis on both sides of my body. None of this really sunk in at that point because I was still so groggy—later, I had to confirm with my husband that what I thought my doctor said was actually what she'd said.

At that point, I didn't feel remorse over the loss of my ovary or concern over mention of endometriosis. At that point, I was just incredibly happy the surgery went well (surgery, and all its inherent risks, scares me). At that point, I was just glad that my doctor was able to remove the cyst and ovary without opening me up more. At that point, I just wanted to go home and recover!

Even though a laparascopy is a minimally invasive outpatient surgery (I only have three tiny "band-aid" scars to show for it; and one is hardly visible in my belly button), it's still not fun to recover from.

For one, as usual I suffered from nausea from the anesthesia, which lasted quite some time and prevented me from being able to stomach the thought of food, even though I desperately needed nourishment.

I also struggled with discomfort from the gas trapped in my body from the surgery, which manifested itself in shoulder and chest pain for a period of time.

Then there was the fact that the surgery was right around my abdomen—which you don't realize you use for pretty much every movement. It was incredibly difficult even to sit up to take a drink of water or get up off of the couch or out of bed to go to the restroom for the first couple of days.

Should you undergo a laparascopic surgery, I recommend a few things:

1. Have someone on hand to help you sit up and to bring you nourishment and water and such the first few days. My husband was around some and my mother-in-law was kind enough to stop by a few times, too, but in hindsight I should have insisted someone be more available because it really is painful to even get up at first by yourself.
2. Ask for a stool softener. Trust me on this. I had no idea I would need one after surgery and the result—shall we try to say tactfully—was rather painful.
3. Remember that just because your surgery isn't minimally invasive doesn't mean it's not going to take its toll on your body. Recovery will take a while. Don't expect to be back to your usual tricks within a couple of days, as I did.

I had no complications and recovery from the surgery went well, despite the fact that my high expectations for how quickly I'd recover were dashed rather quickly.

At my follow-up appointment with my doctor after the surgery, she gave me some information on endometriosis and mentioned that if my husband and I started trying for kids and had trouble, she could refer me to a fertility specialist who could assist.

I still didn't think much of=n the diagnosis at that point, honestly. I figured that the cyst was the problem, that it was a bit of a fluke, and that now it was gone I'd be back to normal. The scarring she showed me didn't seem like much to worry about, and if my doctor wasn't concerned, neither was I.

Sure, the fertility concerns that accompany endometriosis gave me pause, but my husband and I weren't quite to the point where we were worried about that yet, and I figured there was no use stressing about that until the time came.

Little did I know that I'd be thinking about endometriosis a lot more—and a lot sooner—than I expected.

Next up: The pregnancy and beyond.
Previously: The cyst.