Recovery from combined tubal ligation & ablation?

Hi - I was diagnosed last month with endometrial hyperplasia as the cause of my increasing heavy and painful periods. After a vag u/s, sonohysterogram & endo biopsy (negative :-) ), we've decided on ablation and tubal ligation in a few weeks. For the ablation, my doc prefers ThermaChoice, and because I have wonky allergies to many things including metals, my tubal will be with bands through a laparoscopy. Thus I'll be under general anesthesia (my first) as an outpatient in the hospital.

Anyone have a tubal lap & ablation together? What was the recovery like? My doctor mentioned that the two will be a little tougher than either one apart, and that I should plan on about a week's recovery. I'm 43 and in otherwise good health and am not overweight.

Any tips or suggestions for game day?

Thanks!

I had an ablation, lap to remove endo and adhesions at the same time. It's not exactly the same.

I had the surgery on a Monday and went back to work the next Monday. During the ablation they removed an endometrial polyp as well.

I was still crampy, and had to wear pads for several weeks. But I was functioning pretty well.

I hope this helps!

A week should be ok but plan to take it slow in the beginning.
My tubal went great, but my novasure failed and took a chunk out of my uterus- so my recovery took longer. I wasn't offered another type of ablation, I think the practice only does the one.
You sound to be in great health, so you should be fine. Best of luck! Keep us posted.

Leanne

It took me two weeks to really feel like doing anything. I didn't have any complications or pain. I just had no energy. I would have to rest after doing things as simple as showering.

Thanks all for the information & experiences! I have a date - finally - July 30th. Not the greatest - I'll be out of work for a week, then back 3 days, then on vacation, then the semester starts. But since I'm a professor it's not like I can do this once the semester starts.

I'm most worried about driving. I live in the country and am about 20 min from anything (not kidding - even gas), and 50 miles away from the university. I'm hoping to be back after a week's medical leave but am not sure I'll be up for the drive so I may try to work from home. It would be really bad if I can't make it back to campus before vacation, and it would really suck if I'm not better for vacation

A few q's - I'm a wuss when it comes to pain. Will I get a script for decent pain killers? (not Tylenol/Codeine or motrin which never works for me, but Vicodin or something equally strong).

Suggestions for surgery day? I'm worried about nausea & vomiting, and the very long ride home (about an hour). Blanket/pillow in car?

Suggestions for meals to prep in advance - what tasted good/felt good afterward? I'm thinking chocolate, mashed potatoes, and flavored seltzer

I had a really crappy period this month - lots of bleeding and pain, cramps AFTER my period ended and lots of spotting. Joy oh joy but it was a nice reminder of why I'm doing this.

Any suggestions for nice things to have around during recovery? I'm planning on binge watching Netflix quite a bit. I've bought pads, and I have Aleve (the only OTC painkiller that works for me besides aspirin) on hand.

Oh, and how long did your ablation last? I've heard 3-4 years at best?

Thanks all!!

Has your doctor suggested natural bio indentical progesterone to treat your hyperplasia?
When I was diagnosed with the same thing last year my doctor had me try it.
It is very compatible with your body and it helps balance out your hormones.
It might be worth a try. My GYN is very much into natural common sense ways to treat her patients. She believes in trying the least invasive things first and then moving forward from there.
Hyperplasia is a very common thing that is easily treated by bringing hormone levels back up to normal levels. Progesterone is the lawn mower that keeps the lining(grass) from over growth. With out enough the lining grows too thick. That's how my doctor explained it to me.
If your doctor failed to explain this and tries to push you into two procedures that could lead to a hysterectomy later it might be a good idea to find another doctor. Especially if natural progesterone in oral or cream form can easily fix it.
It's very important to remember that doctors are in business to make money.
Procedures are big money makers so you have to be your own best advocate.

Thanks for the suggestion - I'm not comfortable taking hormones (BTDT). All of my hormone levels were normal, including progesterone, so my doctor did not feel that hormone therapy would help. Since I'm 43, I thought originally this was pre-menopausal problems but because of my levels, it's clear I'm at least a few years away from that.

We're also done having kids, so it doesn't make sense for DH to have a vasectomy while I still struggle with increasingly painful, heavy periods.

I trust my doctor and I did my research and am very happy with our decision. I'm nervous for sure, but am looking forward to moving on with hopefully less pain.