Ongoing pain one week after surgery

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Hi everyone,

I am one week post surgery, I had keyhole surgery and they removed my left Fallopian tube.

I am being woken up in the night every night with terrible pains and needing to go to the toilet, it feels just like the pains I had in the run up to the ruptured ectopic and is so hard to deal with both physically and emotionally. These pains then continue throughout the day and are quite intense. I am taking iron tablets and co-codomol.

Did anybody have this, and do you know what it is? I feel like it’s trapped wind but I don’t think that it’s normal to feel the after effects from the surgery for this long, or perhaps it’s from the tablets I’m taking?

Any advice or suggestions much appreciated. It’s so hard to even try to process what has happened when I am reliving the same pain I had all over again. I just need to know that at some point I’ll feel normal again.

Thank you, wishing you all well x

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Dear tasha,

I am so sorry to hear of your ectopic pregnancy and loss,

Experiencing an ectopic pregnancy is a huge ordeal and you are in the early stages of recovery. Your body needs time to heal from your surgery which is in itself a gruelling task. You have also had to process the loss of your baby and been through an immense rollercoaster of emotions - all of this will take time to come to terms with.

You should take it very easily for about six weeks after surgery. Your body will be using its energies to heal internally. It is normal to feel physically and emotionally exhausted during this time and please do be kind to yourself. Recovery can take time and some days will be better than others, one day you maybe ok and the next you maybe in discomfort or more emotional. This is perfectly usual and the healing process will go back and forth in this way for however long you need. It is important to listen to your body’s signals and pain and feeling tired are your body’s signs to tell you to rest. We suggest keeping a healthy balanced diet, drinking lots of water and resting. Once your wounds have healed, very gentle exercise such as a short walk can help, but please do take this slowly.

Unfortunately I am not medically trained so cannot give you specific advice, however if the pain is worsening, you develop a temperature 37.7 or over, or unusual vaginal discharge, please seek media advice as this can be signs of infection. Also needing to pass urine frequently coupled with tummy pain could be a sign of a urinary tract infection, so again I would speak to your doctor, just to be on the safe side.

Sending much love,

Karen x

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