Operation

[wright68]

Hi I want to say thank you to everyone who replied to me. I had both ovaries and the growths removed on the 2nd Jan this year, its been two weeks yesterday and I was phoned today to say a letter from the specialist is on its way, so now I am sat waiting and worrying not sure what it will say. they tried key hole but due to scar tissue from previous 3 C-sections with the kids and the hysterectomy 2 years ago it was not possible it took him 2 hours to cut through the scar tissue and another 1 hour to remove both ovaries I had two growths on my left ovary and I on my right the left ones were quite large and one burst during the surgery so I had to have a drain put in. I did phone on Wednesday this week and they said the results were not back but if it was clear the doctor would be sent a letter and if there was anything they would send me a letter, so now after been told I am having a letter its quite worrying just hoping and praying its all clear. I must be honest its been two week yesterday since the operation and I am still feeling very ill, I feel really hot all the time and my body feels hot to touch I did go to the doctors and saw the nurse she said my temp was fine, so not sure if I have gone into the change. my scar feels really painful and I feel so weak all the time and I am sleeping and I am not sure if that's normal after this type of operation as I didn't really get much information from the hospital. If anyone had the same operation could you let me know if this is all normal after this type of operation. Also is it normal for them to send me a letter with the results, they did say it takes 2 weeks for the results to come back.

thanks

[wendydee]

Hi! The hot feelings you're having are very possibly hot flushes, as you will have gone into the menopause if your ovaries have been removed. It doesn't sound as if you've been given much info on what's expected and what will happen by your hospital. Have a look at the fact sheets on the Ovacome website (ovacome.org.uk) they are under the resources heading. There is also a helpline that you can ring (Mon to Fri, 10 to 5) on there. I hope you've been told to take things very easy after your op. You will take a few more weeks to heal, I expect. It took a few weeks for me to get the histology results after my op, so don't worry if it takes a while. Concentrate on getting over your op and eating healthily and maybe getting a little gentle walking in if you feel like it.

All the best

Love Wendy xx

[vipervictoria]

You'd think someone could read the letter out to you. But medical protocol says no. I hope the waiting isn't too tough and you get a good result. Vxxx

[sharonforce]

The symptoms you are feeling sound very normal after such an operation. When I had my first surgery and the doctor came to my bedside the following day I said that I thought I had a temperature as I kept feeling really hot. He said you have gone into clinical menopause and that was the reason why. The results usually take two weeks to come through I am surprised they are giving you the results by letter and not seeing you in person. If you are worried and are still waiting I would phone the hospital and ask again.

Hoping the results come back soon and all is benign.

best wishes

Sharon

[Whippit]

I'm really sorry you seem to have been left in such a muddle after the op with no real information as to how you should feel and what to expect. Wendy's suggestion of phoning the nurse-led helpline at Ovacome is a really good one as they have so much experience and will be able to reassure you and advise you. Another course of action would be to phone your CNS at your local hospital. Were you allocated a specialist nurse and given a phone number to contact them. They're often very busy but I've found they always ring back if I leave a message. I think in your shoes I'd be phoning my hospital and asking the nurse whether I couldn't have an appointment to discuss the outcomes of my operation rather than relying on a letter as they'd be able to explain anything you might not be clear about.

There are so many things you could ask a specialist nurse that would reassure you. It's so difficult to know really what to say from afar but generally I was very tired after my operation. I did get hot flushes within a couple of weeks of leaving hospital but I felt I knew what these were as they were accompanied by perspiration and mostly happened at night. I don't remember the scar being painful but it was a bit itchy. I think if it's painful and red I'd want someone like a GP or nurse to check it out to reassure me there was no infection setting in.

I hope you feel some reassurance from the various replies but keep posting and we'll do our best to help.

Love Annie xxx

[Izzystep]

Hello. Sorry to hear you are not feeling too good following your surgery. We must remember that our bodies have been pulled apart, had bits removed and sewn back up again. I had my big op in November 2012 and had ovaries and other bits n pieces removed. Stage 3C ovarian cancer. It took months for me to feel anything like 'normal' again. You need to rest as much as you can. Don't lift anything heavier than a bag of sugar and be prepared to be waited on. The hot sweats could be a sign of menopause but try to talk to your specialist nurse or oncologist. I bathed my scar every few hours in salt water and the GP gave me cream to out in it. I now have a very thin line which hardly shows. If I never had a colostomy I would wear my bikini (only joking).

I hope you get some good news in your letter when it arrives. Just not fair to make us ladies waiting and adding to our worries.

Love n hugs Izzy xxxxxx

[Hidden]

Hope you feel a little better today! It does sound very much like that hormones-just-fell-off-the-cliff hot rush I had - keep an eye on your actual temperature though. Fans, water sprays and ice packs may seem odd when it's so chilly out, but it is worth tooling up as you may well need them in the next few months.

Sorry you must twiddle thumbs while awaiting letter these processes suck, don't they? The point is:you are in a better state now, regardless. They took out the nasties, so whatever is going on has been severely halted. A delay now of a few weeks will make little difference. Try to focus on that, on getting well, and keeping a positive frame of mind, which actively helps you recover in this scenario, I promise!

Love

Sue xxx

[Onge23]

Hi! I really feel for you waiting for your results - as others have said I would definitely phone the hospital to chase them up.

The symptoms you're describing sound very much like I had - a surgical menopause is pants and nobody seems to warn you about it. You may be allowed HRT depending on your medical history and if the ovaries were benign. I can highly recommend it - I felt so much better. However, when it was diagnosed with OC I was taken off the HRT but they replaced it with antidepressants, Evening Primrose Oil and Clonidine which stops the sweats completely. Don't suffer in silence - speak to your GP.

I remember feeling dreadful after my first op when I had both ovaries removed. It doesn't help that your hormones are all over the place as well! Rest as much as you can and try to move about as much as you can, I know it sounds like a massive effort but it really does help. If the weather is too cold and horrible to go out (and putting on shoes and a coat feels like too much effort) then move around inside - I used to go into every room in our house and touch the windowsill several times a day - at least you're moving. It took me a many weeks until I was feeling properly well again, but hang on in there, it does get better!

I hope your get your letter, or better still, get to speak to someone really soon, and that it's good news.

Keep us posted

Love Andree x