Hi Ladies. I have not been getting on here much lately at all. It seemed that focusing on IF so much was making me feel worse. I see that there are still many of you on here that I "know", Deluka, Holly, Mapia. I am glad to see that you all are doing well, though, I wish you were pg. and no longer dealing with this hell. But, here we all are and I have come to a point in this journey where I am actually terrified and I wanted to see if any of you could offer any support or advice for me.

My lap is scheduled for one week from today at 1:30 in the afternoon. I feel like that is a bad time. (I would rather get it over with in the morning) But, that is beside the point... I am so nervous about it. I am mostly nervous about being put to sleep. The only other time in my life that I have been put to sleep was when I was about 8 or 10 for a surgery to remove some teeth. I know that things have changed since then, and I am scared that something will happen to me during the surgery.

I read that eurokelly is having a lap done soon, too. Maybe you could help me feel a little better. Also, I would love to hear from those of you who have done a lap and let me know how yours went. Was it bad? Was being put to sleep scary or dangerous for you? How was the recovery?

The other concern is that I am afraid that doing this still isn't going to provide us with any answers. But, I just can't keep going without making sure that everything is free of blockages up there. I can't even let myself do an IUI until I know that it is possible that it could work.

Thanks for any advice or support you ladies can offer.

ALM

ALM~

I have had 2 laps done, with a third possibly shortly if current situations do not improve. Mine were specifically for endometriosis with the added bonus of all the other fun stuff they do in there (hysteroscopy, D&C etc). I will be honest, I WAS PETRIFIED for my first one, as I had never been under anesthesia before.

It went quick, and I was waking up before I knew it. I was sore for a few days for both with getting up. However, I recooperated pretty quick as surgery was Friday and I was back at work on Monday. My major complaint was the CO2 (I think- or whatever gas they inflate your abdomen with), because it rested in my shoulder and felt like I had been in a fight. My shoulder hurt more than anything.

Think optimistically, because when your doctor is in there, he can correct many issues you may have. Of course, we all hope you have none, and all is perfect, but if there are any... :) It will all be over before you know it...

I wish you the best of luck, and will keep you in my prayers. Keep us informed!

Laurie

Thank you Laurie. I appreciate your response so much. It made me feel a little better to know that someone else was terrified of being put to sleep. I guess I am actually hoping that he finds some problems and corrects them so that can be the reason that I haven't been getting pg. Then, maybe we will get pg. the next month!

I am sure that it will be over before I know it. I have heard other women mention that gas getting up under their shoulder blades and causing pain.

ALM

Hey ALM.

I was a nervous wreck before my lap. i am just a scaredy cat when it comes to surgery. and it wasn't bad at all. i worried myself sick for nothing.

i had it done on thursday and was back to work monday. even went to a family party sunday. i really needed about 3 days to feel better, just because every time i moved i felt a pulling where the incision was. the worst part for me in any procedure is getting an IV. it makes me sick to my stomach. after that it was smooth sailing. my RE got all the gas out of me so i never felt a single pain from it. and i only took tylenol for pain. didn't need anything more. i had a lap with a D&C and a tubal lavage all at the same time. i think my lap was scheduled for 8am and i was home on my couch by 2pm and that included a 30 minute drive.

unfortunately for me the doc didn't find anything wrong with me, so i was kind of annoyed at first that i had it done but then i realized that if i hadn't i would never have known, and my old RE wouldn't do any IUI's until the lap was done so i was just holding myself back by being stubborn about it.

so take it from me, i am a big baby, i can't even do my own injections, but i made it through ok.

and this is one more step in the process to bring you a baby. Good luck.

Hi Anna Leigh!!!

So nice to hear from you!! Just the other day I was telling Mapia I was wondering about you and how you were. Sorry to hear that still not BFP for you either and that you have to do a lap. I wish I had some advise but I have not had one done but many of the other girls have so I know they will help you feel better!! :) I just wanted to say hi and that I am your ok. Not sure if you know that Holly and I are both doing out 1st IVF cycle. Talk about :eek: :rolleyes: :dizzy: :D a mix of emotions!! I really hope your lap is a breeze and all goes well for you!!! :angel: :angel:

kathy

Hi Anna Leigh - I've actually thought about you quite a bit over the last few weeks wondering how you were doing. As for the lap, I just wanted to say that my experience really wasn't all that bad. I have found that being put to sleep is very easy... and coming out you just feel groggy like you have been napping, but I never have felt sick or anything because of the medicine. The only thing that bugged me with the whole thing was the discomfort I had afterwards from the gas they use. It really kinda bothered me in my shoulders and made me feel very bloated for a few days. (sounds just like Laurie's experience!) If they do use the gas on you, I'd recommend your DH give you a nice massage from your fingertips to your shoulders ... just kinda running his hands up and down your arms in one constant motion to move the gas around. That helped me A LOT.

Good luck with the procedure and let us know how it goes next week.

Hi. I've had two laps and both were pretty uneventful. Recovery is pretty easy, but don't cough. :) You never realize how many stomache muscles you use when you cough until someone puts a little incision there!

As for the anesthesia, I was nervous too. I have a heart murmur, so I kept thinking bad thoughts. It was really no big deal though. I did ask them to put something in for nausea the second time b/c the first time I was so sick. The second time with the nausea prevention meds I felt pretty good.

Good luck!

Thanks CBB and Kathy! CBB, thank you so very much for your support! It makes me feel so much better to hear that someone who sounds like they are as much of a scaredy cat as I am, survived it. I know I will get through it and like you said, one more step towards getting that precious baby that I am longing for so much.

Kathy, it also great to hear from you. I have been reading the boards on and off and I knew you and Holly were getting into an IVF cycle. I wasn't sure how far along you had gotten in it. I was trying to catch up this morning on the boards, but that IVF thread is like over 60 pages!! WHEW!!:eek: You ladies have been talking. Anyway, I am so happy for you that you are to this step in your journey (and Holly too!!). You two really deserve a BFP and I just know you will get one from IVF!! I have so much respect for you that you are so brave to undertake the long journey. RE mentioned to me the last time I had an u/s that if we ever had to really stimulate my ovaries, like for IVF, that they would respond. That scared me to death!!

Good luck to you!! How are you feeling through everything? Have you started stimming yet?

Anna Leigh

Thanks Kari and Vik! It was so nice to hear that you were thinking about me. I have thought about you all as well. I just starting finding it so hard to get on this IF board. It was like I was defining myself as "infertile" and that was making this whole thing very hard to deal with, especially since a lot of my friends are getting pg. like it is in the water they drink!

I am thankful to hear that both of your experiences were not that bad. That is some good advice about the nausea med. For some reason, vomiting is one of my biggest fears, so I might need something for nausea as well. You ladies didn't mention if your RE's found any blockages. Did they?

Thanks again.

Anna Leigh

Hi Anna Leigh wow we have missed u girl.Like Deluka said we were talking about u just the other day.Well I can understand how nervous u are about surgery I mean who isent.I just hope u get some answers as to why u arent getting pregnant.I keep u in my prayers and hope u will get ur BFP soon.Unfortunetly there are alot of us still here trying to get pregnant and this long road has been very emotional but thank god we have eachother here on the boards.I wish u luck and please stick around we missed u girl.:)

Mapia

Hi Anna Leigh.

I had a lap to remove both my tubes back in March and everything went as expected. As many have said the gas that remains in you was the worse part for me. I had the shoulder pain & felt bloated for a few days. Just do not lay flat on your back as that made the pain worse.

The anesthesia I was fine with and when I woke up from it I just wanted to eat, I was so hungry! I had to be at the hospital at 6:15am and I was home by 11.

Good luck with the surgery and just try to relax beforehand.

Jody

Hi Anna Leigh.

I just remembered something i wanted to tell you. i usually get a little queasy from being put under, i even get queasy if i take a pain pill like oxycodone. so for my egg retrieval coming up this month my RE prescribed Zofran which helps with nausea. and i already picked the vial up at the pharmacy to bring with me that day to be put in my IV. so if you are worried about feeling queasy you might want to ask for a prescription like i have to bring with you. i am hoping it helps me.

Hi again!!

Thanks Anna Leigh!! That is so sweet of you to say. It has been a difficult few months for me but I am hoping things are getting better. Holly is a head of me, last month my cycle got XL due to high FSh or else I would have started last month. I am really at the beginning right now. Start lupron shots next monday if all goes well with CT scan I had today. Then the following week I should start stims. I am feelinf pretty good had 11 follies when AF came and they are supressing me so I hope the will still be there nice and healthy and a good size for egg retreival at the end of this month beginning of next. So we will see. I will be taking the same regimen as Holly 4 shots a day but it will be well worth it if it works!!!! I hope your DH and DD are doing well!!!

kathy

Hi Anna Leigh! :wave:

I was just wondering where you went into hiding and how you were doing! :D Good to hear from you, although I'm sorry to hear you still aren't pg. I also had two laps, and both were not bad at all. The first one, I just felt sore for a few days, and the second one was about the same, but with the gas pains the other ladies have mentioned. Try not to worry - in terms of surgery, the lap is pretty minor. You will do great! :) And hopefully you will get some valuable answers and be on your way to your BFP.

Like Kathy said, we're both starting our first IVF cycles. I just had my baseline u/s this morning, and I will start stimming on Thursday. I'm nervous, but at the same time, I can't wait to get my BFP!

Let us know how everything goes...

Holly

Thanks Mapia, Jody, CBB, and Kathy! I really appreciate how you ladies are offering so much support. It sounds like I am getting scared for no reason on the lap. All of you sound like you get through it pretty well. That is good advice, CBB, on the med for nausea. I have heard of the Zofran. A friend of mine had to be on it for morning sickness that lasted all day long. It really helped her. My RE did mention the possibility of nausea so maybe he will ask me if I want anything for it.

Mapia... you are so sweet to tell me that you have missed me. I have missed you all as well. I think I started thinking that it was just going to happen with these last two cycles of Femara. DH and I even used preseed this month and I felt so good about it. Guess not!! I needed to get on here again for the support. So, your beta is tomorrow, right? I hope this is it for you!!

Kathy, so sweet of you to ask about my DD and DH. Both of them are doing fine. DD is really talking about a baby brother or sister now. She is asking me when I am going to have a baby for her. It makes me so sad! She had a wonderful third birthday back in March. The older she gets, the more she notices that other children her age have brothers or sisters. Hope you and your DD are doing well, too!!

Anna Leigh

Hi Anna Leigh,

Glad DD and DH are doing well. I know it must be hard to hear DD saying she want a little brother or sister. I am sorry that the femara has not done the trick so far. I always thought once I saw RE all would fall into place and I would be pregnant in no time. Come to find out it's so much more complicated then that. I wish it didn't have to be for any of us.

DH is doing well thanks for asking he just finished his 1st semester of grad school and got A's in both his classes!! :) I am so proud of him considering all we are going through. I can't imagine studying right now. I have been reading the same book for 3 months now b/c I can't focus enough or really get motivated enough to sit and read like I use to love to do. Oh well this to shall pass. Again glad to hear from you wish it was with good news of a BFP but you'll get there!!

kathy

Hi ALM,
I just wanted to ease your mind. The only other time before my lap when I was put to sleep was during the extraction of my wisdom teeth. I had a lap in Feb. and was also scared to be put to sleep. I am a chicken when it comes to pain too. I just wanted to let you know that it was not bad at all!!!! They can discover a lot when doing a lap. I hope your's is a breeze and you get some answers. My recovery really was only about three days. I had it on a Tues. and felt better by Friday. I still layed low after Friday. Don't rent any funny movies because it hurts to laugh. Let us know how things go.
Jill:)

Hi Anna Leigh, I am right where you are as you said and it is a bit scary, the whole thing really - the expectation, the anaesthetic and the recovery and results. Of course it would be better not to have to be doing any of this but if we have to then at leats it is a step inthe right direction....as you said, there is nothing they will do until you have this procedure and that makes sense I guess.

I know you have good support and information already in this thread but I promise I will come on and tell you as soon as possible about the whole thing. For me it is a bit strange. I had a lap last year which was specifically to deal with an ectopic and remove my right fallopian tube so not entirely new to the whole thing - and had anaesthetic a couple of months later to have a D&C so definitely know about that bit of it. With the lap first time though I was so traumatised to be losing the pregnancy and the risk to my life that I didn't really focus on the procedure. All I know for sure is the bloating and pain from the gas was pretty bad but gone within a couple of days. I also had some other scars from the tube removal which were worse that the entry point for the lap so can't even recall that ~ hopefully not too bad. I have made my plan to go in to hospital tomorrow, hopefully be in bed the same night and maybe stay there on Friday. I am hoping to be up and about a bit by Saturday and definitely back at work by Monday.

I know it is a bit scary but we are all here and will be here every step of the way for you xx

kelly xxx

Hi,
I had my lap just 8 days ago. And I too was scheduled at 1pm. For me the staff really talked with me and put me at ease. And when they started to wheel me back they put the versead into the IV. I didn't even realize I was out it was that quick. The cuts are already healing, stiches weren't even necessary. I would recommend having some chloraseptic spray at home. For a few days my throat was sore from the breathing tube. Cough drops didn't do anything at all for me only the spray worked. I only used pain pills for 3 days and mostly that was because DH harped at me. I probably would have taken them the first day and a half on my own. I wish you a quick recovery.

Thanks for the more replies, ladies. I am trying to stay as calm as possible about it. It feels good to hear that so many of you have come through the procedure just fine. I am sure I will too. I can't wait to hear from eurokelly. I guess her lap is today, from reading her post to me.

Kathy, I am glad to hear that your DD is doing great and that he did SO well in his classes! That is excellent!! Now, you are ready for some more good news after you finish your IVF cycle with a BFP!! Good luck!!

I started BCP this morning for this month b/c of the lap. I hated thinking about taking those again, but I know it is for a good reason. They want everything to stay really quiet for the month of the surgery.

Anna Leigh

Hi Anna Leigh,

Thanks so much... yeah it was nice to get good news. I hope it continues :) Yeah being on those darn BCP pills really annoy me. I am on the nuvo ring right now which is similiar but I get off of it next week and hopefully with start injectibles in 2 weeks. When is your lap scheduled for??

My lap is next Tueday at 1:30. You would know where I am doing it at, if I could mention it. It will be easier than having to go to a hospital.

Do you know if I will have to finish the pack of BCP's after the lap? I just started them this morning, cd3. My lap is in only 6 days and I was wondering if I could just stop them after that. I have an appt. with RE on Friday to discuss the lap procedure, so I was going to ask him then, but just wondering what you thought.

Thanks so much for your concerns.

Anna leigh

Hi Anna leigh,

Actually I am not sure I thought he did it at the hospital that he is affiliated across from his office. Hmmm not sure.

Sorry, I am not sure if you have to continue with BCP after lap I would think not but can't say for sure. That's good that you will meet up with him Friday to dicuss you can have all your questions prepared and answered. I hope all goes well. I know your nervous but all I have seen on the board from women who have had the lap is that it is a lot easier and less painful than they thought. You went through labor girl!! So I know you can do this!! :)

Good luck sweetie!!! :)

kathy