Una, don't worry too much about about the open laparotomy. The healing time is longer, yes, and you will have a bigger scar, but it's really not a big deal in the long run -- an extra two weeks of your life, maybe, that will involve not doing much.
I chose a laparotomy over laparoscopic surgery for several reasons, the main one being that I wanted them to save my uterus if possible (it wasn't; the fibroid was too big). But there were other reasons. The other medically important one was that when the surgeon opens you up, (s)he can carefully examine your other reproductive organs. This is much harder to do using a tiny camera. I was very gratified to hear that my ovaries and fallopian tubes were healthy.
And on a completely superficial note, I actually preferred the idea of a low scar (which isn't really that big!) that would be completely obscured, even in a bikini, versus a puncture wound much higher up. I've seen them on other women; it leaves a dimple in your abdomen, unless your torso has no fat at all. My scar is now a thin line, no longer raised, and barely noticeable. The only weird thing is that there is still a small area above the scar that is numb!
