Surgery complete and recovering well.

Just to let you know I had my surgery on 13th as planned and it all went well...eventually. A very very tense morning after receiving a phone call at 7.00 am asking me not to set off as the anaesthetist was ill and a replacement was being sought. I don't really know what I did for the next few hours until we got the phone call to say all was now well and could I now set off. Went in for surgery at 2.00 pm and woke up on the ward at 6.30 pm. To our relief the surgeon reported that there was no obvious visual signs of spread of any disease which has made me feel really hopeful. We await histology in about 3 - 4 weeks time. I continued to recover really well and was back home at the end of the very next day. Had a tricky week though with an infection set in to my arm where the cannula had been and the Nurse couldn't get the stitches out very well on Friday. I am going back to the surgery at 3 o clock for her to check the wound but I can already see myself that it looks infected and I think I can see a bit of black stitch still in there (YUK). If she is not satisfied that she has done it after today she will send me back up to the hospital, I really hope she can do it locally as I don't feel up to travelling to the main hospital in this heat together with the inevitable waiting around that it will probably involve.

Apart from these two blips I have got up and about really quickly, I managed a walk around the park yesterday , just about 20 minutes but it did finish me off for the rest of the day. It is all feeling quite tender, and it feels like a weight pulling down inside me when I am up and about but I have been assured that moving around will aid my recovery so as long as I don't feel dizzy I will do it.

The course of antibiotics I had for last week run out today, but with this new problem with the stitches I am going to ask them to prescribe more (if they don't suggest it). Am I right in thinking it is better to continue antibiotics for longer than to stop and then possibly have to start again in a few days? I don't want any more set backs. I want more walks in the park and I want to drive that car soon

Elaine

x

[HerThing]

Hi Elaine,

Fantastic news that they feel they removed all the visible disease. That is an important element and generally improves the outlook. It is good to see too that you are able to move about. A word of caution though, don't over do it. Recovery from the physical trauma of surgery is so important. I hope they sort you out with the infection and you are soon able to get in that car!

Best wishes

Andy x

[Hidden in reply to HerThing]

Thanks Andy

[Hidden]

Great news but please take it easy. A number of women on here will testify that you are at risk of causing an incisional hernia inside your body if you do too much too soon. Get your family and partner to do all the running around and enjoy the rest. Good luck with the remaining treatment. Love Paul and Sandra xx

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Thanks

I hadn't heard of incisional hernia's but I understand what you are saying. In view of what you say I think I will keep my walks small and not try to progress the distance for a while. I only did a 15 -20 minute walk to the park and back with a rest on a bench in the middle so I'll just keep it at that level for the next week or two.

[Hidden]

Sending my best wishes and echo what has already been said take it easy.

Love x G x

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Thanks

X

[Hidden]

As friends have said .. Try to avoid any strenuous activity. The fact that you're home doesn't make us any fitter than we are when we're recovering in hospital. Do you have help at home tp make drinks and prepare meals? Love Tina x x

[Hidden]

As friends have said .. Try to avoid any strenuous activity. The fact that you're home doesn't make us any fitter than we are when we're recovering in hospital. Do you have help at home to make drinks and prepare meals? Love Tina x x

[Hidden]

As friends have said .. Try to avoid any strenuous activity. The fact that you're home doesn't make us any fitter than we are when we're recovering in hospital. Do you have help at home to make drinks and prepare meals? Love Tina x x

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Hi Tina

I have had lot's of help at home for the first week so haven't had to do a thing, week two is trickier now but we have planned for it and all our meals are ready in the fridge/freezer to reheat. My friends have been brilliant and even though they haven't told me, I know they are taking turns to pop in every day

even though I don't normally sit still long enough to watch a film, I have been given a few box sets to watch so I do sit and watch TV a lot more than usual. I hate the Jeremy Kyle show! Never really seen it before. I think he is a good presenter but I can't believe the participants!

Elaine

X

[dawnieg]

Dear Elaine, glad you are doing well, I had my surgery recently too and was walking several miles a day within days of coming out of hospital. I am sure it helped me to recover more quickly though I am still avoiding heavy lifting. Keep in touch, glad you found the site and sure you will find lots of support here. Love from Dawn xxx

[Hidden in reply to dawnieg]

Hi Dawn

I think the walk lifts you mentally and makes you feel good, but I will be very careful of any lifting. I tried to make some soup on Sunday because I fancied it and I wanted to, I was OK chopping up the softer veg like peppers and tomatoes but when it came to the Butternut Squash, well, there was no way I had the core strength to chop that up! Hubby finished the job for me, so I won't be trying that agin for a few weeks.

Elaine

x

[Whippit]

Dear Elaine

I'm absolutely delighted the surgery went so well and you'e come out with no obvious visual sign of disease. This is great news!

I wasn't aware these days that women could be out of hospital the day after surgery. I think things must've have changed a lot in the last two years or it may be that techniques are different across the country. It is a sign of hope for me as it demonstrates what progress has been made in surgical techniques. I was considered quite unusual being ready to come out three days after surgery. I know I couldn't have walked several miles within a few days of returning home but I did work up to in over the course of the following few weeks. I'm sure you've been given a leaflet and advice on how to recuperate and what you should or shouldn't do. Mine said not even to lift a kettle and my surgeon said to lift nothing heavier than a credit card.

I enjoyed the six weeks free of housework and doing a bit of online shopping for treats!

Hope the recuperation continues to go well and the infection in your arm clear up pdq.

Take care! Love Annie xxx

[Hidden in reply to Whippit]

Hi Annie

I was out of hospital very quickly and I think my Husband and Mum were a bit worried about this. But that said, I think they are looking very closely at how you recover from surgery plus what support you have at home. I was off the IV fluids, pain was manageable, I was walking well and able to go to the toilet and have a wash etc. so medically there was nothing more to be done at hospital, it was just a case of resting. They said the bed was mine for as long as I needed it so they didn't force me out or anything like that. I did question the wisdom of the early getaway when I got the infection in my arm but it would of happened anyway regardless of where I was, and may possibly have been worse if the cannula was left in any longer if I had stayed that extra night. But the infection is looking clear on my arm now, the Nurse successfully retreived the lost stitch yesterday and even that bit looks miraculously improved overnight.

Elaine

x

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

The thing is Elaine we don't know what's best for us, I feel you were home too soon, you will need to be careful, because like Paul says, it is easy to get an incisional hernia,( I have one) so please rememer no lifting, stretching (like hanging washing on the

line) and do try to take things slowly, because we feel well we feel we can do anything (I did) but we can't love x G x

[Whippit in reply to Hidden]

I bow to your massive enthusiasm and stoicism. I'd have loved to have left hospital earlier. They seem to me to be places to catch infections and you're right, nothing major happened after the first 24 hours. I too was walking round the day after surgery and champing at the bit to 'be normal'. On the 3rd day I took myself off the length of reputedly longest corridor in the UK to the staff café at the other end. I had a staff card as it was a university hospital. My! That chicken jalfrezi was good compared to the luke warm Kennomeat Pie I would have had on the ward and did wonders to disperse any remaining wind. lol (Sorry, too much detail!)

Now I realise I'm not quite normal. Other women really do suffer terribly through no fault of their own and are less likely to be up and running as soon as you and I were. Having said that - absolutely no running for you yet!!!!!

Loads and loads of love xx Annie

[Juliee]

Dear Elaine, I am glad to hear the surgery went well and hope you are better soon.

Julie x

[Hidden in reply to Juliee]

Thanks Julie

By the way, glad you had a good result!

Elaine

x

[Hidden]

Just thought I would add to this conversation by saying I feel you were sent home to soon, hence the problems you are now having, they have a duty of care to you and I feel they are nt fulfilling this duty of care, I wonder if you are in a specialist unit i.e. a team of specialist that deal with Ovarian cancer it is essential that you get the right treatment,it is also a government requirement that Ovarian cancer patients are dealt with an OC oncology specialist (not in a general hospital) I am shocked that you have been sent home that soon after a major operation, and I don't call it progress but a step backwards in my book. I am sorry that you have been dealt with this badly.

Best wishes love x G x

[Juliee in reply to Hidden]

Gwyn, I agree they send people home far too quickly these days. When I was on the ward the woman in the next bed had had a double mastectomy plus keyhole removal of her ovaries and they tried to send her home the next day still with her drains in place! I had open surgery and they tried to send me home after 2 days but my parents wouldn't take me because I couldn't stand for more than a couple of minutes without being sick.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Hi Gwyn

I was discharged after 48 hours following debulking surgery and I must say I didn't feel fantastic!

Anne x

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Hi Gwyn

I think you are probably right and whilst a longer stay may not have prevented the infections, at least they could have treated me on the ward rather than us having to contact the GP. I think it would be fair to say the GP gets a bit fed up too when they have people needing prompt treatment the day after a hospital discharge. My surgery was performed by the Gynae- Oncologist and I checked him and his credentials and the Hospital out online beforehand.

Love

Elaine

x

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Hi Elaine,

I was first diagnosed by a Gynae-Oncologist but not a specialist in Ovarian Cancer, he dealt with early OC or cervical, womb cancer etc ( not advanced Ovarian Cancer ) I was then transferred to a specialist multi disciplinary team that dealt with Ovarian Cancer and for this I am grateful. Love x G x

[Hidden]

Hi Elaine,

Glad operation appears to have been successful.As everyone else has said do not do too much at first.

Take care

Anne x

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Thanks Anne

Elaine

x

[Hidden]

Dear Elaine

Delighted it went well but a bit worried you are overdoing things ALREADY. Now will you please sit down and stop walking too much - and accept you can't drive for a while! I agree it sounds like they let you go a bit too early - but you can exacerbate that if you don't watch it. We all know that feeling, however, it's v frustrating to be an invalid.

It's SO good that there was no visual spread, it informs you a bit. The histology results will tell you even more. Then at least one knows what it is one has to fight. Now: I'll say it once more: put your feet up!

Love

Sue xxx

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Dear Sue

Ok, you lot win.

yours sitting still

Elaine

[Hidden]

Hi again.. just me. Have read some of the posts from friends here. I was just wondering if your op was keyhole? Love Tina x x

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Hina Tina

It was a bit of both. I have three keyholes and one longer at the bottom, but only about three inches, so not too bad at all. Plus all look to be healing really well now, it's going in the right direction.

Elaine