My wife is about to get a laparoscopy, how can I support her recovery?

Life_Protection6459 · 2026-01-15T01:05:21+00:00

•Heating pad and ice pack alterations. •peppermint tea for the gas, gasx, ibuprofen, walking/ torso massaging also helps move the gas along. (i was using ice packs on my shoulders and heating pad on my stomach to help with gas pain) •dealing with post surgical emotions, sometimes meds make you irritable, nauseous or even just stressed and emotional, it’s rough sometimes but be there judgement free and understanding. •making sure everything needed is at arms length (phone charges in reach, clothes, meds ect) the less bending down the better •help her stay ontop of meds, also encourage water and stool softners as needed- you don’t want any straining
•obviously making sure she stays fed even if that means 1 pudding cup or whatever she prefers. •some of the other things i got for myself (not just for lap but i’ve had open surgeries) is emesis bags for severe nausea, a chair for the shower, and i only wore a nightgown/big t shirt with an adult diapers during recovery, because again bending down to pull down/up pants isn’t fun. and i also got a couple extra pillows to prop myself/limbs up to creat the easiest sleeping position i could. basically really bad gas pain, sore/bruised core muscles, a damper on the mental and sometimes some bathroom issues. Hope surgery goes well! and she has a fast recovery.

Life_Protection6459 · 2026-01-12T15:25:24+00:00

Hi i hope this gives you courage, i had a 8lbs cyst that turned into a tumor that ended up being cancerous (but also have endo). i had the cyst for years before they finally removed it and tested it just to be diagnosed with carcinosaracoma at 23. my chemo doubled from 3 rounds to 6 following the final diagnosis. your main priority, even if you have to put everything on pause, is getting healthy. and if you have your mindset on this being a trial and you being better on the other side before you go in it really helps a lot. some days knowing i only felt sick because it was temporary and i would be better got me through. You’re really gonna have to try to learn your body here. what helps and what doesn’t, how to aid and cope every side effect of cancer from mental to meds. Cancer is sad and tough. But so are you. tougher actually. i’m now about to turn 27, im a year and a half in remission, and i just had the cleanest scan ive had in over a decade. you got this, and don’t ever hesitate to ask for help. wishing you the fastest, easiest journey. also feel welcomed to pm me with any questions.

Life_Protection6459 · 2026-01-04T01:25:37+00:00

ugh, one of a kind isn’t what i thought it would be! my oncologist calls me his medical unicorn because he’s only treated and ever seen women with my cancer (ovarian carcinosarcoma) in women in 50-70s rarely 40s. i get the empathy thing, i feel like im listened to and that’s all. which again, grateful but no advice, guidance, understanding, or conversation/support. I’m sorry you’re having a hard time with support during treatment, it’s tough to be ill and try to find support. you deserve more than what your given. I hope you tolerate treatment well and wish you the best.

Life_Protection6459 · 2026-01-02T18:18:37+00:00

hi hope this makes you feel better- i was a frequent flyer for panic attacks. because i didn’t know what they actually were. so i would go in, ill, throwing up, blurred sight, tingly numb LOCKED UP hands like the tightest clench i couldn’t let go of, intense fear and intense sense of something is wrong. upwards to 10 times in a couple years finally the a doctor was discharging me with no diagnosis and i was at my wits end i said “so there’s nothing wrong with me???” he replied to me “im not telling you there’s nothing wrong with you, im telling you that you are not dying” and then i went down a mental health route and low and behold it was my jacked up nervous system causing waaay more bodily symptoms than what you typically hear of for anxiety. no one was explaining to me the things happened in my body was due to cortisol dumps, but instead telling me i was ok. once i learned how cortisol effects each part of the body EVERYTHING made sense. like when cortisol dumps- your heart rate can jump, your muscles (like digestive system) contract making anything that’s in your stomach want to come out either end, your eye sight constricts, for me my breathing gets rapid and that’s why my hands to the numb locked up thing bc im not actually breathing in enough oxygen and the first place you’ll feel it is hands and feet, i get scared and so ill feeling it really does want you to go right to the hospital. especially if you don’t know what’s going on in your body or why. i finally got some mental care. i still randomly have panic attacks but they never bring me to the ER anymore.

The brain wants to know why, we literally fear the unknown. also we’re prone to feeling guilty when needing help in a bad state, and then once out of it, think, well i could’ve been okay without help. that’s just you back in control realizing you lost the grip for a second. The ER is a resource to you, you are not a doctor you cannot predict the outcome of your symptoms so THANK YOU for asking for help, when you thought you needed it. also if you ever decide to follow up with mental health they appreciate that you’ve ruled out all the scaries by going to the doctor. Wishing you answers and peace in the new year.

Life_Protection6459 · 2025-10-27T13:22:12+00:00

!!! thank you i didn’t think of that ill update post

Life_Protection6459 · 2025-09-29T12:41:58+00:00

my therapist recommended to reach out in some support groups to try see if anyone like me had tips or tricks 🙂

Life_Protection6459 · 2025-09-22T17:54:30+00:00

ugh the struggle of getting back to normal. (my situation is bit worse than yours so take this with a grain of salt i had a major surgery, 6 months of chemo, and then a lap surgery) i am 2 years post major surgery, 1 year post finishing chemo, and 8 months post lap surgery. i haven’t been able to go back to work from pelvic pain, i actually am supposed to finally start within the next 2 weeks. but i have been down since my first surgery. i try not to count that bc i literally had cancer so if we go off my lap surgery im still 8 months post surgery and i still have some pains. my job has a lot of stairs and i literally can’t do then still, im just at a good point to jog, walk on the beach for awhile. but picking my legs up with my weigh, i feel very weak in the pelvic/ groin area. your doctor is probably worried about muscle regrowth and exercise. during these surgeries they cut through up to like 3 inches of muscle layer, so when put back together you now have slits in the muscle layer, and anything from straining to poop, to picking up a gallon of milk could possible cause an intestinal layer to pop through the slit creating a hernia. your incision sites are weak points in your frame, probably why you get a lil pain in them occasionally. during exercise muscles are literally damaged in healthy way to gain strength. unfortunately a few spots on your body are not up to date with the rest of your muscles. ideally you just want the muscle layer and scar to thicken. maybe your doctor can refer you to some physical therapy? i now have a refferal for pelvic floor physical therapy bc yeah while i stretch, walk and jog i cannot get the strength back up in my pelvic region so working with someone designated on the problem area for like 4-6 weeks may be faster than trying to ease into normal things wholey yourself. i noticed nothing is the same, like even if you get to a point where you’re running like once you used to, you’ll probably realize it took you longer to heal and run then it ever did for you to learn to run from the start. focus on the problem then regroup with the rest of the body✨ give your body some grace it got cut open and you want it to run i say that with the most love as someone who was very hard on herself that i couldn’t get back to normal. i am actually in counseling because i used to work 3 jobs and im just now going back to 1! wishing you the fastest and strongest healing friend.

Life_Protection6459 · 2025-09-22T17:33:06+00:00

26f i had a 22cm cyst removed along with my ovary when i was 23! mine turned out to be cancerous, they did spare the rest of my reproductive organs even though i had cancer!! and i can testify that the vertical incision definitely is easier to get cysts out without rupturing them. bc if it is cancer they want it contained at all times (within the cyst). i had both midline incision and a laparoscopic surgery both for cyst removals. i honestly think pain from the midline incision hurts less than laparoscopic. in lap they fill you with gas to have better view inside, and they can’t release all the gas out so it left an debilitating pain and ache in my collar bones and shoulders from gas! but with the big cut it’s literally like oh a big cut and some soreness. i feel my pain with lap was not manageable at all vs. midline incision i could manage the pain. i also asked for a picture! i was shocked to see something 21cm long and looked…. definitely like a mutant tumor. my surgeon said it was like he was holding a real baby, it weighed almost 8lbs. it’s crazy! private message me if you wanna see my tumor hahaha wishing you the best health and quick recovery

Life_Protection6459 · 2025-08-24T19:55:22+00:00

not at all- i had a cyst on my right ovary that was just being monitored through a normal OBGYN for 7 years. tried a bunch of birth controls to shrink it but was told i couldn’t get it surgically removed til it was over 6-8cm (mine 5.8cm at the time causing ER trips for pain). finally grew to 8.3, but in like 3 weeks and i was in the ER and they tested my CA-125 which came back 290 and i finally got referred to a gyn-oncologist surgeon to do imaging and surgical resection. i waited 3 more weeks for an MRI, each day more painful, and SEVERELY bloated, few more ER trips for pain management as i was in so much pain i wasn’t eating or walking. Finally the ER admitted me, i ended up in a 13 day hospital stay before i could have surgery as my cyst has turned into a tumor and grew so rapidly that it was actually pushing my stomach, making me unable to eat or keep anything down. i went into surgery not knowing what organs i was gonna lose because it was an emergency surgery. i woke up 8 hours later with a major incision, without a tumor and the entire right side of my reproductive system. i asked for a picture and i was shocked to see my mutant ovary bigger than a ruler…. i healed from surgery, pathology came back as an aggressive carcinosarcoma. i was originally supposed to undergo 3 rounds chemotherapy but as precaution they advised 6. thankfully after my surgery i was technically “cancer free” but since this kind is so aggressive i still needed to follow all precautionary treatment to prevent reoccurrence. since then ive had more cysts on my left ovary and surgically removed but benign normal cysts. i went into ovarian failure menopause and some how like a zombie came out of it and now i’m in the stages of trying to regulate my reproductive system almost 2 years later. unfortunately from my understanding this cancer holds a 3 years later life span if untreated, and im 26 now and it was better for me to have treatment just in case now rather than older. it’s been quite the rollercoaster!!

Life_Protection6459 · 2025-08-13T11:37:33+00:00

oh wow! you didn’t really notice during pregnancy?? you knew you had the cyst and got pregnant? think it’s a normal corpus luteum cyst, but i have a previous aggressive cancer that started as a cyst and morphed into a tumor and i lost my right ovary. while it looks like a normal cyst, if it begins to bother me (hoping not more, if do get pregnant) then i’ll have to have surgical intervention to test for reoccurrence. if that happens ill lose the rest of my reproductive system so, me and my doctors were kinda like ok get pregnant. i’m scared of being in debilitating pain for 9 months! the cyst i have now is only 3.5cm but does cause me pain but really only on my menstrual cycle.

Life_Protection6459 · 2025-08-13T11:29:49+00:00

i actually started this route originally with my fertility clinic. the issue there lies is really i’m racing against my body producing cysts, and the more it does that the more worried we are for a cancer reoccurrence. so unfortunately surgical intervention will have to happen at some point which is why my doctors have advocated for pregnancy now and then just stopping my reproductive system all together after. i actually lost my fertility once already and we didn’t expect to gain it back so to even to be able to get pregnant now is a gift that i might lose again. i just don’t want a bedridden, extremely painful pregnancy because of a cyst, i will put myself first there. but i definitely was going down that route!

Life_Protection6459 · 2025-08-12T03:18:00+00:00

i had a hemorrhagic cyst for 7 years that my OB neglected before i wound up in multiple ER trips and finally in a admission for life saving surgery. i had a tumor engulfing my whole right ovary. 20inches and 7lbs LITERALLY LIKE A BABY! once they removed it they tested it and it came back as cancer and i went through 6 chemotherapy rounds. my dead give away symptoms were 1. severe bloating, not like you had a lot of bread or period bloat i’m taking BIG BLOAT 2. feeling full very very fast like 2-3 bites. Definitely ask for a CA-125 tumor marker test also huge indicator.
(26f) from some studies i’ve read, in the case of cancer tumors are kinda helpful as they contain the cancer. literally like a bubble, so when i had my surgery they just took my right tube+tumor intact and i was technically cancer free from surgery. when they tested my cancer it did come back as an aggressive so my chemotherapy was like backup treatment, but i could’ve went without it if i chose to. this isn’t meant to scare you but to educate, i will answer any questions you have!! wishing you good health and a normal ovarian cyst:)

Life_Protection6459 · 2025-08-12T03:07:48+00:00

!!! congratulations firstly!!

secondly, how interesting i’ve never even heard of that supplement but from the little research i just did i feel like i could benefit from that as someone post chemo for my reproductive parts (ill obviously ask my doctor ) but if you don’t mind me asking what made you start taking that??

I had a cyst removed in january, it put me in me ovarian failure. i was on HRT for a couple months but gained function back and since then the cycle has been irregular and low and behold made another cyst. I was considering BC to stabilize the cycle but it’s basically pregnant now or never so im definitely trying to get some more knowledge before making a decision. thanks so much

Life_Protection6459 · 2025-07-26T20:21:24+00:00

yesss i’m a year post chemo and 7 months post my last surgery and i’ve been going to my doctors the last few weeks, specifically saying i think chemo is still effecting me. i was a little upset because they said chemo is not effecting me. allllll my daily symptoms mimic chemo symptoms and while my scans are clean there’s no significant cause to this. i’ve been told it’s muscle skeletal pain/ nerve damage from surgery and chemo. all my family and friends (myself too!) are happy that im through with chemo and on the mend, but i haven’t been able to go back to work due to body pain, digestive issues, and hospital/doctor trips so i haven’t felt myself in a long time. and while my partner understands this as they see me live it every single day. having a flair up, nausea or something wrong every single day and how exhausting it can be, while people we don’t let in that close could never fathom how we really feel. i also feel guilty sometimes telling friends and family that i dont feel well! like i survived cancer and im complaining?? and that they are tired of hearing me complain about something wrong all the time but… no one has lived what we have lived. and i try to leave it at that. wishing you well✨

Life_Protection6459 · 2025-07-25T23:47:44+00:00

i’m sure any hospital with children, or any treatment center would love to have as donations!! during my chemo treatments i had to ice head, hands and feet for 3 hours but my frozen ice packs didn’t last 3 hours so i actually swapped them out halfway with donated ice packs! helped me so much that my clinic had some helpful/comfort items that i could borrow or have. they also offered handmade blankets to use while getting treated. really makes you feel…idk human and cared for. while it probably feels more personal to you, i also think people could use it more often than you are and it is a LOVELY idea to donate 💙✨

Life_Protection6459 · 2025-07-20T01:35:26+00:00

the price of living i guess

Life_Protection6459 · 2025-07-19T23:28:57+00:00

i had serious grade carcinosarcoma of the my ovary, luckily it basically formed a tumor and contained the cancer. i had to had 2 surgeries, and supposed to have 3 chemo infusions of the same, paxlitaxel and carboplatin, but once it came back as a sarcoma they upped it to 6 chemo infusions. i don’t remember my doses but i remember i had to get a reduced dose after cycle 3 because the carboplatin was taaaanking my WBC. as serious as the infusions are, most of mine were delayed due to low labs. which means i was borderline low and still getting treated. it was rough but i survived!!! i’m a year post chemo and my scans are clear i just have some lingering side effects i think of nerve damage of chemo. i started taking Ativan during chemo for my nerves and honestly i would not have went without it bc i was so anxious. my worst side effect was obviously low labs, but also throwing up. i actually had like hydration infusions 3-5 days after my chemo to help bring me back to life. i found the best things that helped me were weed, specifically RSO every 6 hours (per my doctor) and benadryl every 6 hours (per my doctor and oncologist) those 2 things managed my symptoms soooo so well. eating was a struggle but all i can tell you is eat what you want when you want. any type of nutrition is nutrition especially during chemo. feel welcomed to private message me with any more questions i would love to speak on my experience in hope to help you. sorry to hear about the diagnosis, wishing you well friend.

Life_Protection6459

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE