Stage 3C ovarian and peritoneal cancer

[Bwebster]

Hi everyone I am new to this site. I was diagnosed in Jan with stage 3C ovarian and peritoneal. I have had 6 rounds of chemo. My CA125 is down to 36. I am scheduled for a CT on July 6 at Cancer Treatment Ctr of America. My surgery is scheduled for July 11 for hysterectomy and debulking. Surgeon said he cant get it all but need to get what we can,. Can someone tell me how bad is this surgery. Really getting worried about it. Dont know how long to expect to be in tbe hospital. Any input appreciated. Thanks

[Lyndy]

Hello and welcome. Well done for getting through chemo 😊. I think you will find the surgery is ok but you will need to go with it and be prepared to rest lots and be looked after at least to begin with. I was certainly on my feet and pottering about within 4 days but also getting tired and having to sleep too!

The hospital should give you lots of info and advice..do what they tell you. All the very best with it..such a relief when it's done xxx Lyndall

[Hidden]

Hi as lyndall says you will have to rest lots and take things slow when you are up and about, I was up in 3 days walking very very slowly and carefully. Your medical team will give you some information and will tell you what to expect and talk to you about pain medication to. I think everyone is anxious when they have surgery but you will get through it just like you've got through chemo.

Good luck and let us know how you are doing. This site is full of lovely ladies who will offer good advise and support.

Karen xx

[Gleedy]

I had my surgery three weeks ago today. Everyone is anxious and scared. I was walking about the the ward the day after the op. Just be prepared for a lot of discomfort at the site of the wound but you will be given pain relief. I still need rest but week on week getting stronger. I slowly walked around a garden centre yesterday.....and I mean slowly but a trip and that was an improvement. My wound still is very uncomfortable but much better. Sneezed today and didn't go through the roof. You will be so pleased the op is over that the anxiety goes and you will concentrate on getting well. Good luck. Xx

[Yoshbosh in reply to Gleedy]

Sneezing - <shudders>! You should have seen me desperately holding back a sneeze yesterday!

[Gleedy in reply to Yoshbosh]

Haha. I know what you mean. It involved a lot of panting and nose rubbing!!! Make what you will....lol x

[Choski in reply to Yoshbosh]

Don't forget to hold a cushion against your abdomen when you cough or sneeze- it does help!

[Yoshbosh in reply to Choski]

Also useful when doing a number 2, too 😄 (Sorry!).

[Choski in reply to Yoshbosh]

I never thought to do that! I was too busy taking in a shawl to wrap around me for the extended periods of time I was on the Loo to keep me warm!, a book to read and a small footstall to raise my feet!!

[27-359]

Hi. I too was diagnosed with stage 3 in Jan, but do not start chemo til Friday this week, so things seem to have moved quickly for you, which is all good.

I had a hysterectomy (everything out!) 8 weeks ago, and am pretty much back to normal except that I get more tired than previously.

I was given enough pain relief to ensure that I never suffered, then when I got home followed instructions to the letter re. regular exercise (walking) regular afternoon naps and not doing any housework that might strain the abdomen.

Personally, the hysterectomy was a piece of cake. It's the chemo that is scaring the ---- out of me!

Hope all goes well for you. Just don't get home and try to get back to normal too soon.

[hunkydory]

Good luck to you and don't worry too much. You will do fine. I was out of bed the next day after my surgery. They do give you pain meds so take them if you need them. I was in the hospital only 3 days. I went home and did laundry. Not to bad as I had a washer and dryer so it was not a strain on me. I had very little pain after I got home so I didn't even need the take home pain meds.

[Katmal-UK]

Hi. I had a radical hysterectomy nearly 9 years ago. To be honest it was no where as bad as I was expecting/fearing. I had surgery on Thursday, was home Monday and started chemo 6 weeks later. All in all not the terrible experience I was expecting and I consider myself a wimp! Your hospital staff will advise you on what you can and cant do post surgery, be kind to yourself and heed their advice. I hope it all goes well for you xxxkathy

[Choski]

A quick reply but I'll also send a longer one later, I had a full hysterectomy and removal of Omentum and a surprise appendix removal in March this year. Op went very very well, out of hospital in three days, and I had an 8" vertical incision which was glued afterwards and healed fantastically well. Pain killers for the first week and loads of pillows to prop,me up in bed while my incision healed enough for me to be confident to sleep on my side! 6 weeks of no or very light activity, walking around after 1 day ( gentle walking but still walking!) . I logged on to the US site HysterSisters which was fab, it allows women who are having all,kinds of hysterectomy or lap ops to talk together, ask question, get reassurance etc. Have a look.

I'll post more later but it will be ok

Take care

Clare X

[Hidden]

Hello I can't add much more than the other ladies have already said just wanted to wish you well xx

[Lynn_B]

Hi.I had hysterectomy,debulking in 2014. I healed rather fast.I started walking as soon as I could in the hospital.Then slowly walked a couple of blocks a day..The faster you get around the faster you will heal.Before my surgery I was walking 5 miles a day,so this could be another reason I healed fast.They said I was inoperable and that they did not think they could get all the cancer also.Well my surgeon took a chance and at that time they got all the cancer.I did have a relapse 10 months later.Stated chemo again.Just had my scan and everything is stable .No changes since last scan.Feeling really good.Good luck with everything.Stay Positive.Be around positive people.This will help with your recovery.Lynn💙

[thesilent1]

Hi, welcome to our 'club'. I had my surgery 3 years ago. I had an epidural for pain relief and it was very good. I recommend you take a couple of nighties in with you for first coup!e of days. Make sure you folloifolloiw the instructions of the physio and don't ghgho lifting anything heavier than a kettle when you get home.

You've had a great result from the chemo. Good luck with your surgery.

Ann

[Hidden]

Hi Great advice from everyone.

I had surgery 6 weeks ago and recovering well except wound not healed yet so chemo delayed.

My only prob after surgery was wind!! So lots of walking to try and shift it. Peppermint water and bending over the back of the sofa for relief!

Drink lots of water too to avoid constipation!

Glad you had great result re chemo

I hope everything goes well for you.

[linderruth]

Hi.

I'm glad you've heard so many upbeat reports about the debulking surgery. However, I'd hate for you to be totally in the dark as to the more difficult situations that some of us have to face. Because my cancer was widespread through my abdomen and was covering some of my organs, although it had not invaded them, my surgery involved a lot of scraping. etc., as well as the radical hysterectomy, appendectomy, and removal of the omentum. . My reproductive organs were so fused together with the cancer that the entire complex had to be removed as a whole. A spleen specialist came in and held my spleen while my surgeon scraped all the cancer off f it. The surgery was 5 1/2 hours long and I was in the hospital a week. I have a high pain threshold and have been held up as a "poster child" for my rapid healing and recovery from the other surgeries I've had, but this one was much more painful and debilitating. By day 5, I felt I had turned a corner and things moved much more rapidly after that. I ultimately recovered well and am very grateful for my surgeon's amazing skills that allowed her to remove all evident disease from such a mess. So it was all well worth it, but it wasn't "a walk in the park" or a "piece of cake." I truly hope that yours will be, but don't get discouraged if it's a bit tougher than that.

[Bwebster in reply to linderruth]

Thanks for your reply - had my surgery 8 days ago. Complete hysterectomy. Surgeon removed all cancer in my stomach visable to the eye including a softball mass above my naval that was not seen on CT. I am having terrible stomach spasms and cramping. Bowels still trying to wake up. Pain from these spasms are terrible. Then I find out that unseen cancer cells still alive, my 6 chemos apparently have not responded as well as I thought. Surgeon starting me on avastin in 4 weeks with my chemo. Do you know anything on this. Thanks Barb

[linderruth in reply to Bwebster]

I'm glad the hysterectomy and debulking is all behind you. Don't worry too much about the left over cells. I know of women who were told they were "not optimally debulked," but who have done just as well as the women who were. All my disease was gone, but it came back in three months. So while we can't live without some generalizations and expectations, each person's case truly is individual and each of us deserves hope. As far as the Avastin, I know that there have been good results from combining it with the frontline drugs. I was scheduled to have it with doxil for my second line treatment. and my CA125 was going down nicely. But the combo was very toxic to me and I had side effects that kept worsening month by month. While the doxil was definitely more to blame, my doc thinks the avastin exacerbated the doxil effects and feels now that she doesn't want to use either of them on me again. I'm disappointed about the avastin, since I had hoped it would work out for maintenance. But the good news is that she tried on a low, weekly dose of taxol (3 weeks on, 1 week off), and my CA125 has continued to go down and I am tolerating this regimen very well. Good luck, and keep us posted.

[Bwebster in reply to linderruth]

So glad u are tolerating well. I was just diagnosed in January and my surgeon in Pgh said too much cancer fir surgery so did 4 chemo's with him then he tried to do surgery while in for Laparoscopy and said too much cancer. He said not successful unless you get all of it and he said he couldn't. So came out to Goodyear AZ to Cancer Treatment Centers of America and was told 2 more chemos then surgery. Amazing how Dr's look at this so different. So glad I came here. Need to return in 4 wks for chemo then every 3 wks. When I have completed my ninth he will do a CT blood work to see if I can do maintenance Avastin. Not sure what trmt plan is at that point. Just know that I need as many years as I can get. Too young for this. Thank you and good luck. Pls keep on touch will keep you in my prayers. Barb

[Bwebster]

I was wondering, I am going to be starting up with chemo on Monday folowing my surgery July 11. Dr is adding Avastin to my chemo Cocktail and if it goes well after 3 rounds going to put me on it for maintenance. I heard it is a rough drug. Has anybody been on it and how did you do. I don't know what to expect.