I had my gallbladder removed laparoscopically some years back, and I’m trying to remember how soon I was allowed to drive. I know it was no more than a week and a half, because that’s when I went back to work. Definitely better than the month I had to wait after regular abdominal surgery.
Have you or someone close to you ever had laparoscopic surgery? How long was recovery? How soon were you/they driving? Can you still see your scars? Six years later, mine are barely visible. What an amazing technique!!
I had laparascopy for the ailment I described in this thread. I had it when I was 17 and I am 24 now. From what I recall, the worst problem with my recovery was kicking the morphine - the laprascopy stuff was pretty easy. Just do your breathwork to squeeze out that extra CO2. Yes, I still have the scars - my bellybutton will never be the same! The scar in my pubic region is less-noticeable.
I was moving around pretty quick - I went to Disneyworld the following month for ten days, and I remember my sister complaining that I better not have to get hauled off to the hospital while we were there. Turns out, she was the one carted away in the ambulance (for asthma attack).
I wasn’t driving at the time so no estimates there, although I recall I helped a friend push his car that was out of gas up a hill. In July. 104 degrees or so. About a week later. Yeah, I whined. But it was not so bad.
Sorry, I am CHOCK FULL of useless side-tangents.
It is an excellent procedure and I would recommend it to anyone. Quick, easy, etc.
I have had 3 laproscopic surgeries: gallbladder, ovarian cysts, endometriosis treatment.
When could I drive? As soon as I wanted provided I was not taking narcotic pain relievers (in these cases, would have been 4 days, the day after surgery for the other two procedures). There was no restriction on driving due to the surgery, only the drugs.
Recovery varied. Gallbladder was about a week of discomfort and the other two were no more than a couple of days.
I had a donor nephrectomy done lapro. The surgery was on Wednesday. I gave the morphine button a workout on Wednesday and Thursday, but by Saturday I could force a cough and it only hurt a little. I was released on Sunday and didn’t need any pain medication at home.
Two weeks after the surgery, I talked the doctor into releasing me for desk work. I still felt a little woozy, but sitting around the house was driving me nuts.
I had a simple lap chole (gallbladder) a few years ago. I took a total of one tab of Vicodin during my “recovery”. I was up the next day, trying not to laugh cuz that’s what made it hurt the most. I drove right away. I have a little shimmery scar on my abdomen where the biggest incision was, the place where the gallbladder was removed. Dr. said I had a lot of scar tissue from so many attacks
(had been sick for months before my HMO would even approve an ultrasouns to diagnose it) and it was good that I had it removed then instead of later.
Yeah, both my parents had “open” surgeries back in the days of old, and they were hospitalized and laid up for weeks. Not mention cut open from side to side.
My dad had a post-op infection and almost died.
I registered at the hospital at 6 AM and was home in bed by noon.
As I recall, the worst part of my gallbladder recovery was not being able to lie flat in bed for the first few days - I slept in the recliner because it was more comfortable. It was also slow going up and down stairs for a few days. But all in all, I was impressed with how fast I was back to normal.
After my dad had his gallbladder out laparoscopically about 4 years ago, he was back driving an hour commute each way within a week. My mother’s favorite memory of his recovery (in a manner of speaking) is of watching him lie down to go to sleep. He aparantly would sit bolt upright, lean back slowly, then kind of fall down.
I had one about 2 years ago. The doctor had told me I’d be back to work in 4-5 days, but I think I was still pretty tired at that point, and ended up staying out a full week. Didn’t get back to full energy level until about a month later.
Trying to learn to sleep on my back and painful laughter were the worst parts for me. I took a couple of percocets in the beginning, but soon decided that it was better just to sit still than to dope up.
For what it’s worth, before the surgery, I worried a lot about the “air in the abdomen” stories I’d heard. That never happened to me. No shoulder pain, no breathing exercises, nada… However, I have had a very interesting digestive system ever since, and I still get a little nauseous if you push down on where the surgery was.
Probably about a week. As I mentioned, I didn’t take pain meds very long, so the only thing stopping me was the motion of getting into the car (which hurt a lot at first).
You can see them, but they’re pretty small. If I were a guy, they’d probably just blend into stomach hair.
I didn’t drive until 9 days after my op, because that was when I went back to work. But the doctor didn’t give my any timeframe with regards to driving. I didn’t stop hurting entirely until 3 weeks after my op. The last thing to stop hurting was the hurting when I bent over. I suppose it depends what the surgery is for how long it hurts for - mine was fairly invasive inside, I think.
I had trouble laughing, coughing etc. I could sleep on my side the whole time. Whenever I changed position (sitting to standing, standing to sitting, sitting to lying) my stomach hurt - it felt like everything had to settle into a new position.
I have 5 scars. They’re still pink, but I only had the op a month and a half ago. They still hurt a little if I press down on them.
I think that it’s either the norm these days or it’s becoming the norm. The surgeon that pulled mine (a cocky guy) said there was absolutely no chance that he would need to do a radical surgery. The kidney came out through the navel. I have a scar that runs an inch above and an inch below there. It’s amazing how far skin can be stretched.
Thanks! Honestly, I have to say that the recipient was the real brave person here. I’m not sure if I would go through what he has.
I had the surgery (gall bladder removal) this past January:
Surgery on Monday
Pain-free on Wednesday
Driving Thursday
Back to work (office job) following Monday
No heavy lifting for a month.
Percocet prescription filled but not used
Four minor (2cm long) scars are the only visible proof that anything was done.
It’s not been done to me yet, but the standard restriction for laparoscopic gastric bypass is one week of light activity; after two weeks full activity as you can manage. Driving is somewhere in between.
I had a laparoscopic choleosystectomy too, in 2001. I think it took about a month for my incisions to heal completely. My bowels were very irritable for the first year afterwards, though, and sometimes still are. I can still see my scars, but they are very faint, and white now. I think it took them about a couple years to go from pink to white. The one on my upper abdomen is the most prominent, the two small ones on the lower right abdomen are almost invisible. The one above my navel is ony visible if I push down on my navel; otherwise it puckers up into it.
I drove myself home the day after my gall bladder was removed. The day after I had my tubal ligation in February, I was driving.
I only took Tylenol #1 and regular old ibuprofen for pain with both of them. The first surgery, I was a single parent and had to deal with my son; this time around, I was nursing.
