Hope you are all doing well , I've had my ovarian debulking surgery on the 25th Sept, I walked down to theatre not worried about anything even joked with the anaesthetist about having bottles of vodka hiding in his canisters for later.When I came round WOW !!!!I felt like a lorry had drove through my tummy. There had been complications during surgery, the tumour weighed a stone and half and was the size of a small caser 3.5 litres of fluid had to be drained from it to be able to start removing it. Whilst carrying it around all this time it had crushed the urethra tract (which is the pipe that carries unwanted toxins and waste that have been turned into urine from your kidney to your bladder) and caused damage to my bladder I had to undergo reconstructive surgery to make a new pipe with stent inserted and entrances to kidney and bladder. My large bowel had been severely crushed and the surgeon said it took a lot of time and patience to try to straighten this out luckily enough I did not end up with a colostrum bag. i was kept on a catheter for 6 days to see if the urethra tract had worked and was told that i may have to wear one for the rest of my life if it doesn't work. Lucky for me all is going well catheter was taken out and I am peeing on my own all seems well. Wont get all clear till have another CT scan to check how it is holding up. My scar was stitched from inside so no staples thank god and was only cut from belly button down . I've had allergic reaction to the painkillers so am just on paracetamol and ibuprofen which are not brill at killing the pain but help. I was in hospital for a total of 7 days . The ward I was on was staffed by very friendly helpful nurses who were very kind and nothing was too much trouble for them .My Surgeon has said 99% certain its not cancer but wont know for definite till biopsy results come through next week she will call me directly . I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping she is right .
In the meantime I'm resting and resting and resting! I have plenty to keep me busy and family support . I am having a lot of problems with opening my bowels ie, pain when going due to constipation I have movicol the district nurse has given me . Is the pain normal ? I have felt quite poorly since coming home but the district nurse assured me it will pass and most of the spaced out feeling was due to the painkillers I was on were not agreeing with me.
I am only eating soft mushy foods and soups now and fruit as cant take the pain when having a bowel motion . Could some one let me know if this is normal and how long does this go on for ? Also did anyone have a numb feeling at base of back going onto top of buttocks ?I can not feel this area feels like a bruised tingling sensation , again district nurse has looked at this and said could be due to surgery and might be internal bruising. My tummy is turning all shades of blues purples yellows and greens and is itchy so I guess this is a good sign .
I would just like to thank you for all your kind wishes before I went in for surgery and even though I'm still not feeling great I'm sure will start to feel better as the weeks go on. I will let you all know the results when I receive them .
My biggest soft hugs to you all love and best wishes lena XXXXXXXXXXXXXX :))
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brunette0311
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Hi! Well done for getting through such a big op. I can only speak from my experience, but the pain from constipation and getting bowels working normally again was worse than anything else I had, when I got home. The weird, sharp pains inside are also familiar, I was told its just healing. I remember it too! I also had the itching as my scar began to heal. It sounds as if resting and resting and resting are just what the doctor ordered Keep doing that! I found that peppermint tea was very soothing and helped to regularise the bowel stuff. You may have tried it as a lot of women on here recommend it. Also pears are very good for helping the bowels to work better.
You have had a rough ride. (I am glad you've been able to get rid of the catheter. I had to have one for two months and hated it.)
Bowel problems are more common after the op. I didn't go for 9 days after the hysterectomy. Hope the Movicol will help. I did get pretty desperate at times. Make sure you drink plenty of fluids. Eating fruit and veg didn't seem to help me but they are good for you anyway so try to keep up the intake.
This is a huge operation even without the complications you have endured so you do need to carry on resting. It does take time to recover but you will gradually start to feel better.
Let us know what the surgeon says when you attend your next appointment.
Many thanks for the update. I also had a huge mass removed and how and what you are feeling is exactly how I felt.Your poor little body has been through a lot and it all takes ages to recover from.
Fingers crossed your monster mass is not an invasive cancer...mine was borderline and nearly four years on ...touch wood...I am fine.
Love and hugs
Charlie xxxx
In 2006 I had a cystadenoma removed. I was 17lb lighter a few days after the op. The surgeons removed the fluid first. I had no problems with my bladder when the catheter was removed. I did have to have a small bowel resection at the same time as the cyst was stuck to it and there was 'suspicious tissue'. Funny description on a lab report which I read once I'd got my records. Cystadenomas can grow quickly and can become very large but are benign. The illness I have now is not the same cell. It's normal to be sore which I am post a laparotomy done 4 weeks ago. It's hard to deal with the pain I know but the opiate family of drugs slow down peristalsis which can mean the removal of too much fluid from the stools making them difficult to pass. I find that after 4 hours, the effect of paracetamol runs out and I struggle til the next dose. I eat normally because I was told to do that by the surgeon. A little but often is best for me as I get sore if I eat a normal sized meal. This is because the op line goes from about 3 inches above the navel down to the base of my abdomen and I've had quite a section removed at the top and I have disease progression. To avoid constipation, I eat nectarines and prunes, drink plenty of warm water and massage my abdomen gently. I try to listen to my body and any inkling of peristalsis, I head for the loo and stay there. The main point is to avoid straining. I was on Movicol for 2 and a half years but the surgeon has now taken me off it. You don't sound like you have a blockage and you're being monitored by your District Nurse but if you're concerned, you could always go to see your GP and chat through your symptoms. If it's just reassurance you get, well that's good too. You've been through a huge truama and I'd say to take it easy and avoid doing stuff at home. I don't always take my own advice though! Take very good care and all good wishes are sent your way. Love Tina x
Wow, that is incredible, well done you for being up to posting on here, took me ages to even want to look at a computer. You must be so relieved they believe it to not be cancer, the body takes a long time to heal but when it does the job is good, the best advice I had was listen to your body and there is no such thing as too much sleep.
As has already been said the bowel problems can be worse than pain from the surgery! The trouble with both anaesthetic drugs and painkillers other than the ones you are on, they tend to make you constipated. I was also given Docusate Sodium alongside Movicol to help with the constipation. When you are on the loo try holding a cushion to your stomach, I found this helped. It seemed to lessen the pain of any 'straining'. I know that doesn't sound wonderfully hygienic, but I put it in a polythene bag which could be disposed of. As has already been said, more fluids than you would probably normally drink and lots of fruit. I know this is a horrid experience but it will pass.
The bruising and pain is all pretty normal in my experience. Rest is good but also short walks even if it's only around the house. This again will help your bowels to become less sluggish.
Well done for getting through such major surgery. The constipation was one of the worst things for me and can remember been in agony, the bowels are very sensitive and don't like being disturbed so it's a double whammy with the surgery and drugs which cause constipation.
I did complain to my surgeon at my 4 week post op check up that I had lots of pains especially in my lower back, he said he wasn't surprised as I was on the operating table for along time and he had to be quite brutal so I was probably very bruised internally and with time it would go, it did take a few weeks but he was right it did go.
Bet Pip is happy to see her mummy again even though she can't have a cuddle yet. I've got everything crossed for your results to come back as benign. Take it easy and rest, rest, rest.
I can't add to the good advice here - just sending you best wishes for a speedy recovery and I'm hoping the news is good once you get your results. Keep resting. Your body needs it. xxx love Annie
Hi all thank you again for your kind response, at the moment i am sitting up in bed typing this as my sleep pattern is all over the place. I have gratefully took on board all your advice, thank you again love and soft hugs. lena xxxxxxxxxxx
Hi Kena. What an op!!! Like me I had debulking surgery November 12 and 10 hours later woke up groggy but not in pain. The morphine pump (that I couldn't over dose on) was marvellous. I cried when they room it away. Unfortunately I woke up with a permenent colostomy and am still trying to adjust to if after 10 months!! I was having trouble going to the loo through my colostomy bag and had the usual movicol plus glyserine suppositories inserted in my stoma YUK!!! My doctor told me to get chewing gum. Apparently the saliva stimulates the bowel. Your scar, like mine, belly button down. I used to bathe the area 3 times a day with warm salt waster and my GL gave me Fuciden cream. I now only gave a faint scar but i had staples so it may be different. Don't lift anything heavy for at least 6 months. I am a lot stronger now but still need to take it easy. Let your support network do everything for you. Hope all goes well for you. Live Izzy xxxx
Sorry to hear you're having such a rough time! I had a large borderline tumour removed at the end of May, with full hysterectomy, tubes, ovaries, omentum & appendix removed. The tumour was the size of a rugby ball, so the scar goes nearly 4 inches above my belly button as well as the expected part below. I was in for 7 days too; I got pneumonia, & my bowel had twisted. They left it to right itself, which it gradually did. I still have a lot of grief from my bowels; I am still taking Laxido once a day, as without it I just get so uncomfortable! The worst thing I find is the build up of wind - sometimes it's agony! I have found that there are certain foods I just can't eat - cauliflower, cabbage, etc. When I get tired it seems to get worse. Many of the foods everyone was telling me to eat to avoid getting constipated are those that cause problems - I had to go back to eating white bread, as I couldn't tolerate anything else. Could any of your problems be wind? If I get full of wind, I can't go to the loo. I found that a heated "wheatie" bag helps with wind. Hope it eases a bit soon! Helen F xx
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Keep doing that! I found that peppermint tea was very soothing and helped to regularise the bowel stuff. You may have tried it as a lot of women on here recommend it. Also pears are very good for helping the bowels to work better.
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