I’ve tried lots of things to get through the pain over the years. Ibuprofen works better than Tylenol. But if you are in a lot of pain you can rotate between Tylenol and Ibuprofen every 2 hours. Essential oils were the next amazing thing. I used doTERRA. Lavender, eucalyptus, and peppermint are my favorites. I put them in the bathtub whenever I take a bath, I get it as hot as I can stand and that always helps. Another oil that I like is deep blue, I didn’t put it in the tub but rubbed it directly on the area that hurt (my lower back). you can also rub the other oils on the area too.
Next I used icy hot in the form of rub and patch, I mostly used the patch on my lower back. You take it out of the package, pull both ends to stretch it a little and activate it and then peel off the protectors and then stick it to the area that hurts. They have all kinds of sizes, I mostly used the large.
They also have back braces with a hot/cold pack. I used this a few times but it was difficult to keep hot and I don’t like the cold, but if you are more into the cold than this would be a good buy.
I really enjoyed my portable heating pad. My husband bought me an expensive portable charger that I kept in a fanny pack and I connected it to the heating pad and I was good for the whole day without it dying. However I over used it because it wasn’t meant to be used 10 hours a day for months so the charger broke.
My Bassett hound was very helpful by sitting on my lap, well after that I discovered pressure really helps the pain. So I found a weighted pillow that turned out to be a life saver. In bed I would lay on on my back on a heating pad and then put the pillow on my belly to help me sleep. I know it’s not the most comfortable, especially if you like to toss and turn in your sleep but it was the only thing that kept me asleep. Then I would take it on car rides and hold it on my belly. I would squeeze it going over bumps. Also after surgery I would keep it on my belly in my chair and it helped with the pain. Especially when sitting up, I would hold it tight and it would relieve some of the pain of sitting up.
Also eventually I was in so much pain and very desperate that when A coworker told me about CBD rub I tried it. I put it on my lower back in the morning and it helped me get through the day. Of course this is not an option for everyone. I only used it as needed and as soon as I had my surgery I never used it again.
There’s some things I’ve learned to do while in recovery at the hospital. If you get cold easily, ask for some heated blankets Not only does it feel amazing but you do not want to be shivering after surgery.
Another thing that I wish I had known of before which was a huge embarrassment to me because nobody told me: You bleed after surgery and it doesn’t usually start until you stand up. And then by the time you realize it, its too late and you bleed all over the floor. And every time the nurses are just as shocked. So before you go to the bathroom ask for a pair of underwear and a pad to put on so you don’t leave a trail for them to clean up (nothing is worse for me than having someone else clean up after me.
Also holding a pillow to your stomach while in the hospital helps too. And sleep whenever you can. Don’t feel bad for sleeping, the nurses will wake you If they need you. They come in and out at all hours during the night so just sleep whenever you can.
What should you wear? I have a pair of stretchy pants that are not draw strings or buttons. They are flexible and very comfy and I always wear them to surgery. They slip right over my incisions without hurting. For shoes, my favorite pair was tied on the top but they had a zipper on the side which made it very easy to put on because even with help you do not want to push your feet into shoes. You could always wear crocks or if you are like me and don’t like crocks and don’t want to spend the money on a one time use, you can find similar shoes at dollar general or amazon for less. Of course if it’s summer you could wear flip flops or house slippers. My last surgery was in winter and I shoes had broke so I took my normal shoes and my husband unlaced them and helped me put my feet in but it was still difficult. Also they give you non-slip socks when you first get there and I do recommended putting them on even though for me they are uncomfortable, but you don’t want to take any chances slipping in the hospital.
Things to help you get through recovery at home. My husband is a very good “nurse”. He stepped up immediately after the first surgery when he quickly realized I was incapable of keeping track of my meds myself. He set alarms on my phone for all my meds. I could hardly stay awake and most of the alarms I slept through so he slept in the living room too and gave me my meds when I needed them. Also label each alarm with which medication you need so you don’t have to completely wake up and check the paper. Before surgery I prepared what my husband calls my “nesting area”. I set up a TV tray by my chair. I buy all my favorite crackers and Sprite and water. You never know what your stomach may be able to handle so I get varieties. I set everything I may want on a tray. I had game books like sudoku and word searches, And then I bought a portable DVD player. Make sure it has a wall adapter and not just a car adapter so you can watch movies at home too. I set out all the different movies and TV shows I thought I was going to watch. Because you may get bored of one or you may finish it and need a new one. Of course most people these days have cable and or a smart tv and you don’t need a DVD player but we only watch DVDs and therefore I needed one I could easily access. It was also great in the long car drive so I could try to turn my focus off the pain. Also I had a lot of projects from work that I could finally have time to finish so I took all that home too. I set up a fan on me at all times so that when I had my hot flashes I could cool off easier. I also had my heated blanket on me mostly because it’s comfy but also Incase I get cold I could turn it on.
Because I had a medicine tube going straight into my stomach I set up a TV tray in the bathroom so I could set it on there while I got up and down. Also the first couple times getting up and down off the toilet you may need help. My toilet is so low my husband considered getting a toilet lift for me (I insisted it was unnecessary for me, because I only need help a few days).
However, one thing that he does on a normal basis that would make a wife’s dreams come true, that is really difficult for a wife after surgery is he puts the lids down when he’s done and then when I have to go I have to bend down and lift it up and it’s very painful (I left a sticky note on the wall kindly asking that he not put the lid down). Now showering can be difficult depending on what type of shower you have. Of course a walk in would be ideal with a seat. We have a bathtub/ shower combo so it’s very difficult to get in and out of by myself and we don’t have a chair, so my husband helps me in and then he puts a lawn chair in there for me to sit on. Of course you could buy a medical chair but again I hate spending money for a one time thing. Once in the shower I washed my self, and ignored shaving, but my husband washed my hair for me because raising your hands up hurts). Its also important to have someone around when you shower because all the meds, and hot flashes you don’t want to pass out.
The pain is worse when you sit for a while so make sure you walk a little every couple of hours.
When it comes time to take the tub out, do not do it right after waking up, eating or taking meds. Wait about an hour after all three. Close your eyes and have someone else take it out. Keep a puck bucket near Incase you through up not just after that but always.
Try to eat something with your meds even if it’s just a cracker to keep from throwing up. Try your very hardest to keep up with your meds because if you get off by even 30 minutes it can really screw up your pain.
Before surgery you should find someone that can braid your hair for you. It will keep your hair from knotting during surgery and recovery. I also always sleep with a sleep cap so I just kept it on during recovery at home and that helped prevent tangling and knotting.
What should you do about meals? My mom always made me a tater tot casserole. It was my grandmother’s recipe and all we had to do was put it in the oven. Then we would get frozen meals from the Walmart and all that your spouse or whoever is taking care of you has to put it in the oven. My husband is also able to cook so we made food whenever he could. Also I’m sure your church or work would be more than willing to bring you meals, some may even offer without you having to ask. Always take them up on it, Because not having to worry about what’s for dinner takes one more thing off my husband’s very busy plate.
Also I know it’s easy to let your endometriosis pain get in the way of your everyday life but I made it a point to not let it stop me from doing the things I really wanted unless it was just an overly bad day. Because otherwise I wouldn’t have done anything the last 7 years of my life but rot on the couch. So try to still do things that are important to you but don’t over do it. Maybe instead of going out on a date and sitting in the uncomfortable booths at your favorite restaurant why don’t you order it to go and enjoy it from the comfort of your home. A couple of times my husband even let me eat dinner in bed and we watched a movie that is still to this day one of my favorite dates (his very sticked on no eating in bed). It’s always been important to him that we eat dinner together at the dinner table he learned very quickly that it was more important to him that I actually eat then be at the table so he moved my chair near the table so we could still be close and he also bought me a plastic craft tray from hobby lobby that has a cup holder to hold my plate. That little table came in very handy after all my surgeries too because I could do my crosswords on it and I could work, I could play games with our at the time little one and all sorts of stuff so if you don’t have one I would definitely consider getting one!
I wasn’t able to lay on my stomach again for almost a year after my last surgery but I was able to lay in bed after a couple weeks just as long as I had my weighted pillow.
Bloating is normal after surgery. The first surgery my stomach bloated the second surgery by lower back bloated. It’s uncomfortable and looks awful but it will go down after a couple of days. reaching my hand back and feeling the boating on my back was the craziest feeling. The other thing is pain in the shoulders that’s the gases and they will stop hurting after about a week or so.