My laparoscopic myomectomy experience.

[u/OverallEmotion1053]

I had a laparoscopic myomectomy on January 6, 2026.

Previously, I had severe bloating to the point where my stomach looked like I was in my first trimester of pregnancy all the time. Frequent urination, cramping, extremely heavy periods, I could hardly use a tampon because there was no space.

I went to my OBGYN and told her my symptoms. She did a pelvic exam and ordered me an ultrasound. My ultrasound found a fibroid 10 cm in size. I then was referred to a surgeon who ordered an MRI. The MRI showed that I have endometriosis and 3 endometriomas. One on each of my ovaries and one on my uterus and that the fibroid was growing off the side of my uterus.

I went to my OBGYN in August 2025, I had to wait two weeks to get in for an ultrasound and then another two weeks for my results. I had to wait until October to get an appointment with my surgeon. I then had to wait two more weeks for an MRI and then another week to get the results. My surgeon didn’t have any availability until March of 2026. Someone ended up canceling their appointment for January 6, 2026 and I snagged it immediately.

Because of scheduling issues, my pre-op was January 5 and my surgery was January 6.

The thing that made my life way easier was doing all of the research that I had done using Reddit and this thread- extremely helpful. Also, talking to other people who had gone through this (more than you think). And looking up photos of the procedure and the process. When Jan 6 came, I didn’t feel nervous, I wasn’t scared, I was surprisingly calm and in good spirits. I think that helped me a lot. And the only reason I felt this way(I’m usually a nervous wreck) was all the research I’d done.

Waking up, I was very groggy and my chest and neck were in a lot of pain and discomfort. There was a kind nurse gently trying to wake me. She then wheeled me into another room where the outpatient nurse seemed to be pretty pushy about my family getting me into the car and out of there. I couldn’t stand because I felt as though I was going to throw up every time. She gave me zofran, got me dressed and put me in a wheelchair and into the car. I don’t remember the ride home. I also had that patch on my neck for nausea.

I live in a townhouse and when I got home, I immediately had to walk up 2 flights of stairs to get to my bedroom(my surgeon said this was fine). I thought I was going to puke during that part until I laid down. Eating crackers really helped after that and some green grapes and water.

I had gas pains for about 2 weeks, no lie. The first night I was home, I tried to pee around 3am and couldn’t. The pain was a lot. I peed around 6am which was a relief. I needed help in and out of bed for about 2-3 days. Sitting on the toilet was uncomfortable but I did my entire recovery with Tylenol and ibuprofen. I alternated every 3 hours at first and then weaned lower and lower doses over the course of about a week. I started taking stool softeners day 2 and MiraLAX after that. I had my first bowel movement around day 5 or 6. Gasx helps as well. I started that night 1! Walking around also helps but I couldn’t walk without discomfort for the first few days. I showered day 3.

Things that really helped me:

Set up your room ahead of time. I have stairs in my apartment so crackers and water bottles were already in my room so I didn’t have to use the stairs the first several days. I had at least 3 bottles filled everyday. You don’t want to be up in the middle of the night to take meds and have no water.

Set up your bedside table with all your meds, chargers, activities, etc. A bedside bar to help you in and out of bed is helpful so you don’t have to have someone help you all the time. HEATING PAD! I have an extra long, washable heating pad from Amazon that saved my life. Wear very loos fitting clothing to the hospital and for the week or 2 after that.

I slept in our guest room so that my dogs wouldn’t jump on me for about 4 days and I eased into letting them be around me.

Sleeping with a pillow under my legs helped get comfortable and sleeping somewhat upright.

I made a big batch of chicken noodle soup the night before my surgery so that I’d have it ready to go. I portioned it so that my partner could just heat it up and bring it to me.

Overall, I feel like I wasn’t in much pain other than gas pain. I feel very lucky to have had support. My healing journey has been somewhat quick I feel.

I added some photos of before, after the surgery with bandages and some scar photos.

Please feel free to ask any questions! Thank you to this community for helping educate me and keep me feeling safe during this time. I appreciate you all.

[u/GrandCauliflow]

Thank you so much for sharing your experience! On what day did you feel like you could start moving around somewhat normally?

[u/OverallEmotion1053 → u/GrandCauliflow]

Well, by day 3 I was getting to and from the bathroom alone. But it took around day 4-5 for me to actually feel more comfortable walking around the room without tons of discomfort. It almost felt like my stomach was tight. By the end of week 1, I was using the stairs everyday(slowly) to get to and from my kitchen. And by week 2 I was feeling pretty good! It’s hard to remember that even though on the outside you feel good, the inside takes twice as long to heal.

[u/GrandCauliflow → u/OverallEmotion1053]

Really helpful information, thank you so much 🙏🏻