My detailed Bilateral Salpingectomy experience from consult to post-op (including surgery prep / recovery tips)
One of the most helpful parts of deciding to get a bilateral salpingectomy was reading the personal experiences and advice you all have shared in this group. For that I thank you! Here is my detailed experience getting a bisalp from consult to post op. I included tips for preparing for surgery at the end.
FINDING DOCTOR / CONSULT
I live in the United States. 27F, married, no kids. I found my doctor through the childfree doctor list. She was located at my normal obgyn office, but I had never met with this particular doctor before. I was able to schedule the consultation about three weeks out from when I called. My husband came with me to the initial consultation. The appointment only took about 15 minutes. I had put lots of planning into notes, questions, and how I would defend my decision to be sterilized. I realized immediately in this consult that I wouldn’t need to defend myself at all. The doctor was incredible and approved me right away. She thoroughly explained the procedure, how she approaches the surgery, drew me a little diagram of the planned laproscopic incisions, and we discussed recovery expectations. She told me about the ovarian cancer risk reduction. She allowed my husband and I to ask questions and she was very patient and kind. I asked if she could take photos of before and after during my surgery and she said yes. I also asked if she could remove my birth control implant while I was under anesthesia and she said yes. She didn’t question my decision for sterilization at all. She fully trusted me to choose this. She told me the next step would be her surgical scheduler calling me by the end of the week. She sent me home with paperwork (including the diagram she drew, a Q&A form, and a next steps checklist)
SCHEDULING / INSURANCE
The surgical scheduler called me a few days after the consult, and I was able to schedule the surgery for two and a half months later. The scheduler told me to keep the entire surgery day open, because they will call the day before surgery with the arrival time. I also scheduled a pre-op appointment for two weeks before my surgery during this call.
The scheduler emailed me the next day with detailed pre-surgery instructions, billing and insurance codes, and directions to the surgery center. The scheduler also emailed me a link to complete an online health profile. This consisted of about 50 health questions, and required me to list all my medications, health concerns, past procedures etc. I did it online and it took about 30 minutes.
The next step was to check with my insurance to confirm the bisalp would be 100% covered. I made sure to ask over email (and chat portal), so that I would have the answer in writing. I sent the insurance company the codes that the scheduler provided me and insurance confirmed in writing that the bisalp would be 100% covered.
PRE-OP
My pre-op appointment was two weeks before my surgery date and consisted of taking vitals and blood work. I had to fast for this appointment (nothing to eat or drink after midnight the day prior). I am a fainter, and since I couldn’t eat or drink prior to the blood draw, I fainted. The staff was really nice about it and helped me feel better. After the blood draw, my doctor came in and talked with me, confirmed the bisalp and birth control implant removal, and I signed the surgical consent forms. I also signed a photo consent form for her to take pictures during my surgery.
A week before surgery, an anesthesia nurse gave me a call to discuss my health profile that I had completed online. She went over my health information and asked a few questions about certain things. She confirmed that I have never had an issue with anesthesia before, and asked if I had any questions. This call only took about 10 minutes. She also went over the pre-surgery instructions.
The day before surgery I got the call that my arrival time was 8:50am
The night before surgery I was required to do a special shower with Hibiclens soap (purchased at the drug store). I was told to use half the bottle of soap that night, and repeat in the morning with the remaining half. I made sure to put on clean pjs after my shower that night and I used freshly washed bedding. It felt so surreal knowing my surgery was the next day! I was nervous and excited. I felt I was on the precipice of a major life milestone. I was not allowed to eat or drink anything after midnight.
DAY OF SURGERY
The morning of surgery I repeated my Hibiclens shower. I put on clean, loose, comfy clothes, and shoes that were easy to slip on without bending. I removed all my jewelry. No makeup or lotion on my skin. I arrived at the surgery center at 8:30am. My husband came with me, and we checked in at the front desk. A nurse came to get me about 10 minutes later and took me and my husband to a small, private pre-op room. Here, I changed into a gown, socks, and hair cap. They gave me a bag to put my clothes and personal belongings in and put it in a locker for me. My pre-op room had a comfy reclining chair. A nurse came and showed me to the bathroom across the hall to collect a urine sample (for pregnancy test). I went back to my pre-op room and the nurse inserted my IV. My husband was still with me and he held my other hand as she inserted the IV. Thankfully, it was fast and didn’t hurt, and I didn’t feel faint. I had a mild burning sensation in my hand where the IV was until they started a saline drip. The burning subsided quickly. The nurse gave me a pill for preventing nausea. I was in this pre-op room in my chair for a little over an hour. During this time, my surgeon, anesthesiologist, and the OR nurses came to talk to me one by one. My surgeon came in with a purple marker and labeled my skin at the surgery site. The anesthesiologist came in and explained how the anesthesia would be administered through my IV, talked about intubation, and asked me some more questions about my health. He looked down my throat with a flashlight. The two OR nurses came in and dismissed my husband to the waiting room. They walked with me, arm in arm, directly into the OR. I was a little nervous at this point and these nurses holding my arms and walking by my sides was such a comfort. The OR was bright and clean, with the operating table in the middle of the room surrounded by monitors and machines. The nurses positioned me on the table with my arms lying outward like a cross. There were about 10 people in the room bustling around, getting everything ready. It was slightly overwhelming but everyone was really kind. They put an oxygen mask over my face and had me breathe deeply while the anesthesia was put in my IV. After about 10 seconds I began to feel a little dizzy (not like fainting, it felt more like the spins from alcohol) but it wasn’t painful or scary. It was peaceful. The next thing I knew I woke up in a recovery bed. (The surgery only took about 40 minutes total).
The recovery bed I first woke up in was in a small alcove in a hallway. My first memory after waking up was saying to the nurse that I missed my husband. This nurse was bubbly and very chatty, and asked me if I felt any pain. As I became more awake I did feel sore in my abdomen (mild cramps) and one of my incisions was burning slightly. I told the nurse this, and she put a dose of fentanyl through my IV. I almost immediately felt better (but it made my face itchy). Once my pain was under control, she transferred me to a wheeling bed and moved me to a private recovery room. The recovery room looked exactly like my pre-op room, with a comfy reclining chair and privacy curtain. This is where they brought my husband back to see me. The nurses gently moved me into the chair, and brought me apple juice and crackers. I was still groggy so my memory of this is a little hazy. My surgeon came to the recovery room to report that the surgery had gone perfectly, and she asked me how I was feeling. I remember crying a little as I spoke to her. I think I was emotional from the anesthesia. I gave her a thank you card I had written. I stayed in this recovery room for about an hour. It was required that I pee before leaving. At first I felt no urge to pee, so one of the recovery nurses brought me a warm cup of coffee. She was so sweet to me and said the warmth of the coffee would trigger the need to pee and she was right! She then walked me to the bathroom across the hall. She went in the bathroom with me and helped me sit on the toilet. She stepped out of the room while I peed. I rang a little bell when I was done for her to reenter. She helped me wash my hands and then walked me back to my recovery room. I stayed another 20 minutes or so. My pain was returning (still very minimal) so they gave me one pill of oxy which took about 10 minutes to kick in. I felt great after that! Another nurse came in and went over the at home instructions and medication instructions (they did not order prescription meds for me, I was told to alternate tylenol and ibuprofen) She gave me papers with written instructions to take home. My husband got my clothes from my locker, and helped me get dressed. The nurse asked if I could walk to my car, but I opted to be wheeled out. My husband pulled our car around out front and a nurse wheeled me to my car. We drove home! I put a pillow between the seatbelt and my stomach which was very helpful.
RECOVERY
My recovery was very smooth. Please keep in mind that recovery will be different for every body. I began taking stool softeners and gas x when I got home from surgery. These were a life saver for me, but please consult your doctor.
DAY ONE (DAY OF SURGERY)
Incision pain was 3/10 (slight burning), cramps 3/10, gas shoulder pain and pain under ribs was 4/10 (more uncomfortable than painful)
Soreness increased towards the evening as fentanyl/oxy meds wore off.
I Rotated Tylenol and ibuprofen which mostly helped. Heating pads helped my shoulder pain tremendously!
I was able to sleep on my side with no increased pain.
Mild burning when peeing (tolerable).
Mild vaginal bleeding
DAY 2
Woke up very sore (felt like intense ab workout) but had very little shoulder/rib pain.
No incision pain except occasionally when sitting up or twisting.
Soreness/bloating when walking around was 4/10. I was only able to walk back and forth to the bathroom.
Mild vaginal bleeding.
DAY 3
No incision pain, no shoulder/rib pain.
I had soreness when moving or changing positions/walking.
I was still pretty bloated which was uncomfortable.
Mild vaginal bleeding.
DAY 4
I had heavier, period-like bleeding. (Keep in mind I also had my birth control removed so this may not be from the bisalp alone)
I finally pooped this day and I’m not going to lie, it hurt a lot and had some blood in it.
I showered this day (I was allowed to shower after 24 hrs but I chose to wait because standing was uncomfortable)
No shoulder pain, no incision pain unless twisting or bending.
I was still very bloated.
DAY 5
Soreness when standing or walking
My Incisions were itchy (from the glue)
Still slightly bloated.
No bleeding
DAY 6
Sore when bending, standing, walking. No other pain!
Less bloated
No bleeding
DAY 7
I felt pretty good! Occasional soreness, especially when standing, walking, or bending.
No longer bloated. No bleeding.
Incisions still had glue on them.
I was able to take a week off work for recovery, which I definitely needed. It took me about two full weeks to feel back to normal. The first full week I only ventured to walk around my house or my yard. I did not bounce back in a day or two like some others do, and that’s okay. Listen to your body! It will tell you what to do.
POST-OP
I had a post-op appointment two weeks after surgery. This was a short appointment during which my surgeon asked how I felt, checked my incision healing progress, and she cleared me to resume all normal activity (including sex and weight lifting). She told me to resume life as normal, and simply listen to my body. She said if I felt sore after an activity, that was my body telling me I had overdone it.
SURGERY PREP / TIPS
I stopped drinking alcohol a month before surgery. This was not directed by my doctor but was my preference so I could feel my healthiest.
consider outfits for returning to work/life after the first few days of recovery. I found jeans/leggings/any fitted pants painful to wear for the first two weeks. I wore loose flowy linen pants, or anything that didn’t squeeze or rub my stomach.
I meal prepped several soups and froze them for easy to eat, healthy meals for post surgery
I compiled a basket of supplies to have next to my bed for easy access. I put Tylenol and Ibuprofen, Gas X, stool softener, a barf bag (thankfully didn’t need this), tums, cough drops, chap stick, bandaids, and my post surgery instructions in the basket.
I bought menstrual pads and disposable underwear/diaper with pads. The disposable underwear was perfect for my post surgery bleeding especially overnight
I deep cleaned my bedroom prior to surgery. Having a clean space to recover in helped me feel better
I washed all my pjs and all my bedding prior to surgery
I arranged pet care for the day of surgery, since I didn’t know how long we would be at the surgery center
this one is weird but was SO helpful. Clip your toenails before surgery!! It may be hard to bend over to do that for a while, so do that while you can!
I packed a small bag to have in the car after my surgery that had a pillow (to put between the seatbelt and my stomach), an apple juice, and some pretzels for the ride home.
I made sure to buy lots of fresh fruits, fresh veggies, apple juice (no added sugar), cranberry juice (no added sugar), ginger ale, and tea (peppermint tea helped with bloating) for post surgery meals
I made sure I had a good book to read during recovery
I gathered heating pads and had them next to my bed
I didn’t tell any family about my surgery (nor will I ever). I only told my husband and a few very trusted friends. I told my boss I needed time off for “abdominal surgery” but I did not give any further details nor did he inquire.
INCISION HEALING PROGRESS
I am now several months post surgery. I feel 100% back to normal. My belly button incision is invisible. I have two incisions on my right side (one by my hip bone and one on my stomach) these two incisions are dark pink (quite visible against my pale skin) but my doctor said they should be nearly invisible by a year. My two visible incisions are both so small, about the width of a fingernail.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I am so thankful I had the opportunity and resources to get sterilized. I feel relief, security, and freedom having had my bisalp. It was one of the best decisions I ever made.
If you made it this far, thank you! I’m happy to answer any questions you may have!
Don’t let fear stop you from pursuing a bisalp. It’s normal to feel anxiety or apprehension even if you know it’s the right choice. Follow your instincts, trust yourself, and do it scared ❤️
Edit: I forgot to say that my surgeon printed the surgery before/after photos for me to take home. I proudly hung them on my fridge. She also had my fallopian tubes sent to pathology for routine testing which I believe is standard procedure.