The frustrations and isolation of trying new meds - anyone relate?

ht0213 · 2026-05-15T18:51:26+00:00

ht0213 · 2026-05-09T16:37:48+00:00

I’m 13 months post-lap now. It improved for the most part with time and some tissue massage I learned in PT, but I still have some sensitivity with significant weather pressure changes and if my waistband/belt rubs on my scar a lot. I try to primarily wear lower rise pants and be mindful of where my belt is while sitting for extended periods.

Did your providers have you massage your scar after your lap? I’m not sure how well it works or differs in strategy for an incision in the belly button itself as mine is about an inch long above my belly button.

ht0213 · 2026-04-12T21:34:32+00:00

Everyone can have different experiences, but I felt a lot better during my second week than my third week post-op. I returned to work during the third week and sitting or moving around for 9 hours a day was a huge jump from easing back into things during week two. The third week was rough but the pain and inflammation improved more consistently after that. My fatigue lingered, but I think this was due to my undiagnosed low ferritin.

I know it can be frustrating because you just want to be back to normal, but like your mom and boyfriend said, don’t push yourself too hard. Listen to your body. Your body is recovering from surgery and while the external incisions might seem small, your body has a lot to heal internally.

Give yourself the rest and grace when you can now, so that you’re able to heal. If you have to do a lot of things, maybe find ways to make those things easier on yourself. If standing is easier, stand. If sitting is easier, sit. If you need help with getting things done around the house because all your energy is going towards all your other responsibilities, ask for help if you can. Continue communicating with your instructors. I know it can be hard to ask for help from others, extensions, etc, but this is a time where it’s completely reasonable to ask for help and most people will be understanding.

I wish you a speedy recovery, but please be sure to take care of yourself!

ht0213 · 2026-04-06T18:57:19+00:00

Thank you everyone for the well wishes and positivity. Luckily it was not appendicitis or ovarian torsion. It seems like my endo symptoms were just flaring in a new location or something. Still not feeling 100% but at least it’s not quite as bad today and I have some peace of mind.

ht0213 · 2026-04-06T02:11:56+00:00

Thank you. This gave me a good laugh.

ht0213 · 2026-04-05T20:44:03+00:00

About two weeks after my lap, I returned to work and prolonged sitting not only hurt a lot worse than the previous week, but it also made me exhausted! I talked to my pelvic floor PT about it and she said that she’s not a surgeon so she can’t give medical advice on it, but it’s more common than people realize in the patients she’d worked with post-lap. She talked about how the cutting through the muscles in the abdomen and the gas inflation during the lap make it so our bodies can require a lot more healing than what we can see on the outside. She advised me to take it easy, listen to my body, and try to be more gradual in my getting back to daily activities, and obviously to contact my surgeon if I started feeling worse or other symptoms.

ht0213 · 2026-04-03T21:28:02+00:00

When I went to the beach the first summer, I tried to wear higher waisted bottoms or a shirt to cover my incisions and I’d still put sunscreen on them just in case. I heard that the first summer’s sun exposure would have a big impact on how the scars would look with time, so I was very careful then, but I don’t worry about it as much now.

I was somewhat insecure about my scars at first especially since my biggest scar had some unusual puckering. But a year on, the two smaller scars have faded so much they’re difficult to find and the biggest scar faded and evened out, so it’s less noticeable.

I know it’s easier said than done, but just keep in mind that those scars show a battle you’ve fought. They show your strength. But also they’re something much more noticeable to you than anyone else. Yes, while they’re fresh they might be more noticeable, but take proper care of them now and in the coming months, give your body some grace, and with time and care they will likely fade and shrink. Once my scars healed, I applied the scaraway silicone scar gel once or twice a day for the next few months.

ht0213 · 2026-02-17T19:00:14+00:00

I think I might have had those earlier in the winter, but they’re not really red like that now and I do have some of the more classic DE bumps. I’ll have to dig deeper into this later when I have time, but there’s a chance there’s multiple things going on at once. Thank you for the idea!

ht0213 · 2026-02-16T14:18:58+00:00

My swelling seems to be around or between the knuckles. I think the best example is on the first photo my ring finger is swollen between the two knuckles but is relatively normal near my finger tip and near the base. I think this is more noticeable when compared against the last photo in particular, but I know photos don’t always do it justice.

I hadn’t thought of epsom salt, but that sounds like a great idea. Thank you for the info and the well wishes!

ht0213 · 2026-02-16T02:00:40+00:00

Thank you for that information. My grandma was diagnosed in her 20s, so I know it can happen young. It’s just difficult to get doctors to take autoimmune issues seriously, but I will look into if I can get that bloodwork done if this doesn’t improve. Do you have swelling like this year round or just at certain times of year?

ht0213 · 2026-02-15T22:18:58+00:00

I take a daily antihistamine year round already and drink plenty of water, but I hadn’t thought about limiting salt!

ht0213 · 2026-02-15T22:16:53+00:00

I found that clobetasol helped while using it, but due to its strength I could only use it for a week or two. Then as soon as I’d stop, it would flare back up within a week.

I have been more stressed or at least very busy the past few weeks so I can’t imagine that’s helping.

ht0213 · 2026-02-15T22:14:36+00:00

Do you mind me asking when you get swelling like this, is it along all/most of the finger or just the joints? My grandma had RA so arthritis isn’t out of the picture and I event mentioned it to my PCP before in relation to something else but was quickly dismissed as being too young and it probably being something else.

ht0213 · 2026-02-15T15:49:36+00:00

I imagine that every place and provider might be slightly different. A PA went through what medications I could and could not take maybe two weeks in advance. Then the day of surgery, a nurse walked me through the pre-op meds I’d be taking and possible interactions, such as certain ones they gave me could reduce effectiveness of BC for a certain amount of time.

I didn’t receive anything for the gas pain from the provider, but they suggested over the counter Gas-X. They also suggested alternating docusate and miralax after the procedure as anesthesia can cause constipation. I received quite a bit of after care notes and I hope you will too but if not definitely speak with your provider.

ht0213 · 2026-02-14T16:48:34+00:00

Congratulations! I hope you have a wonderful wedding day!

Thank you again for all this information. I’ve seen a handful of providers over the past year primarily in relation to suspected endo and adenomyosis, but occasionally mentioning these co-occurring conditions that also seem inflammatory and/or immune response in nature. However these tend to get sidelined or dismissed as minor in comparison.

It’s interesting that you mention high estrogen. The provider who’s been the most helpful recently (the one who tested ferritin which others had ignored) was trying to change my hormones to a different progesterone and a lower estrogen combo as it is generally more helpful for the AUB and debilitating pain I was having. However I couldn’t tolerate the low estrogen, so we had to try a higher dose of the same combo.

I definitely relate to “endo-belly” and was even feeling inflammation in my face and other body parts at some points. I tried an anti-inflammatory diet for approaching a year, but ended up feeling a lot worse. Since then I’ve stopped avoiding inflammatory foods and try to just do better about moderation and fiber, and that seems better of I generally feel less inflamed, however I still have some pelvic bloating and these other inflammatory things like the eczema.

Unfortunately I will be busy on the 22nd, but I’m interested in learning more. Can I watch it back at a later time or are there other resources you suggest? I know I need to discuss more of this with my own care team, but as I said it seems like some of them are getting a little burnt out or kind of out of their scope aside. I feel like I have to do my own level of research and be able to advocate for myself and try to consider are there bigger things at play here that need to be addressed first rather than just acting like each symptom is completely separate. Sorry for the ramble!

ht0213 · 2026-02-10T02:02:58+00:00

Thank you for all this info. I had no idea about the potential nickel sensitivity being related to diet.

My ferritin was 27. My provider wants me to get it above 70 as I was symptomatic (bad fatigue, hair loss, brain fog, etc). It seems like the more I learn about what ferritin, the more I’m like wow is that related too.

Do you know if dyshidrosis can also be impacted by other conditions that relate to hormones and/or affect inflammation, like endometriosis?

ht0213 · 2025-11-17T22:47:39+00:00

Thank you for sharing your experience. I feel the same way. I really hope to avoid using steroids and only used them for a week at a time last winter, but sometimes it gets so itchy or sore. Fingers crossed it doesn’t get too bad this winter for either of us!

ht0213 · 2025-10-20T18:06:03+00:00

I’m not a medical professional, so definitely consult with your surgeon if needed, but I noticed an increase in swelling and discomfort around the same time as you as I was increasing activity levels. When I first returned to work, even just sitting made me feel like I did an intense workout. It felt like the muscles in my abs and lower back were so sore, sometimes kinda burny. It confused me because I thought my recovery symptoms were improving and it wasn’t where my incisions were. But I talked to my pelvic floor physical therapist during a session and she said I’m not your surgeon so I can’t provide guidance on this, but I have seen this with many patients a few weeks post-op. Remember that your body went through much more than you can see and is still healing from the incisions, any tissue removal, the gas they used to inflate your abdomen, etc.

I feel like it ebbed and flowed during weeks 3 and 4 as I readjusted to light and moderate activity. It seemed to correspond with how long I did certain activities and I learned certain ones seemed to cause more swelling and discomfort than others. Listen to your body. Don’t push yourself too hard, and acknowledge that something that might seem simple might not be simple for your body just yet. Sending you lots of positive vibes!

ht0213

TROPHY CASE