Greetings. I had a laparoscopic cyst removal surgery last week, and I was searching for posts about people's experiences and using them almost religiously as a guide of what to expect (yeah, I know, experiences vary but I love to doom-scroll) so I thought I would provide my own experience. This is in Texas, United States.

The cyst was observed almost a year ago when I was getting an IUD removal and reinsertion. We decided to monitor it rather than just remove it. It grew a little, and I got the opinion of a second doctor, so we decided to proceed with the removal. Both doctors thought, from sonogram, it was near the left ovary, and that the left ovary would need to be removed as well as the left fallopian tube due to the size of the cyst, which ended up being around 6cm (grew from 4).

8/31: Pre-Op appointment at the hospital. They took my blood pressure, weight, urine sample, and did a COVID test. They also gave me some Hibiclens to shower with the night before, and day of, the procedure.

9/1: anesthesiologist called me to go over the procedure and ask some basic health questions - allergies, had I ever undergone anesthesia. One thing that I was surprised by, but I've never had surgery or anesthesia, he told me they would be inserting a breathing tube once I was asleep. I wasn't expecting that, but it was good to know, because my throat was sore from that.

9/2: arrived to the hospital at 5:30am for 7:30am procedure. Again, they took my weight and blood pressure, asked some basic questions, and eventually inserted the IV. Made me confirm what I was there for, DOB, etc. They did also put some compression wraps on my legs and gave my mum my belongings to hold on to. Doctor and anesthesiologist came by to talk to me as well.

Got wheeled into the operating room at exactly 7:30. Anesthesiologist was funny and told some jokes as they began to give me the stuff that would knock me out. Shortly thereafter, I was out. I woke up around 10am, which I found surprising, because the procedure was only supposed to take an hour to an hour and a half. More on that later. Had some shoulder pain from the gas immediately. Got wheeled back into the recovery room. Tried to go to the bathroom a little while later, and immediately felt nauseous. They gave me something in the IV to help with that. It took me like an hour to use the bathroom, but they need to make sure you can pee at least 100ml before you go home. They did also insert a catheter during the procedure, so combined with the anesthesia, made it difficult to go. The nurse did also take me for a short stroll around the ward. They prescribed hydrocodone and 600mg ibuprofen as well.

In talking to the doctor, it turns out my cyst was actually behind the uterus rather than near the ovary. So from the sonogram, it appeared to be on/near the ovary, but it actually wasn't. Because of this, my ovary was saved, and the cyst was removed, but the surgery took a little longer because the doctor wanted to confirm with a general surgeon before proceeding.

When I got home, I slept a lot and tried to watch some TV. I didn't really have much of an appetite, but I ate some soup and later a sandwich. They recommend a bland diet to begin, but said you could revert to a regular diet with spicy food and such about 2 days later. I did struggle with using the bathroom throughout this day, and would need to walk a little before being able to start the stream. That was the most challenging thing for me. I took (1) hydrocodone before bed. Only walked around the hallways of my house.

9/3: some shoulder pain, anesthesia fully wore off and so I was able to use the bathroom more comfortably. Watched a lot of TV. Not a huge appetite, again, but I drank a lot of water and the throat pain went away. I did take ibuprofen on this day, but none of the hydros. Replied to some work emails, but could have gone without LOL. I was able to go for a short walk in my neighborhood, about 10-15 minutes, which I think was helpful.

9/4: still some residual shoulder pain, and little pain around the incision site. Went for a longer walk on this day, but I still didn't have a huge appetite. Just ibuprofen on this day. No pain meds.

9/5: was able to go out to get coffee with my parents, shoulder pain was pretty much gone at this point. Incision sites are more discomfort than pain, and I am just walking a lot more slowly than I am used to. Longer walks seem to help. No pain meds.

9/6: this is the day I really got my appetite back and was able to hang out with some friends for labor day. I've been standing more than sitting, and felt comfortable sleeping on my side. No pain meds.

9/7 and 9/8: working from home this week. I tried driving a short distance yesterday, and the seatbelt does kind of irritate the incision site. You are allowed to drive once you're not taking pain meds, so the actual driving is fine. I was pretty active before the procedure, so I think that helped me a lot in being able to walk around after and feel more normal. Just my experience, but the first 2-3 days were definitely the most taxing as someone who is pretty active.

I have the post-op appointment on 9/16, but I was told no activity greater than walking for 4 weeks. So it sucks, but it's for the best. Let me know if you have any questions.