I am 2 weeks post interval debulking surgery and physically & emotionally up & down.
Physically I feel extremely bloated much of the time, like I could literally split open. My appetite has reduced massively although I am trying to eat some healthy foods when I can. With the help of senna I have been 'going' every day, but my insides are very sore when I do. Most of my pain is down my left side, and I have to hold my stomach to walk.
Emotionally I have felt very low this last week, I have read its to be expected. My surgery gynae, nurse hasnt come back to me all week. I did speak to my consultant gynae nurse and she will arrange my follow up with my surgeon next week.
I just wondered what others have experienced.
Btw my scar is healing well so no issues there 🙏
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Kazzh
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A Well done for getting through! Give yourself a big pat on the back.
I am not surprised that you are sore and feeling a bit bloated. Have you made sure you have the right painkillers? Ask the nurse to review and suggest anything further you could take.
The anaesthetic can really upset your system so keep reminding yourself that you have been through a lot and if you feel down, it’s ok and it won’t be forever.
The only thing you can do is allow your body to dictate what you feel you can do. Accept help and make a real effort to go slowly.
Hi Kazzh, like Lyndy says, be gentle with your body as it has had one heck of a battering internally in addition to the emotions we all experience with such major surgery. I found it took some weeks to work out which foods, in what small quantities and how frequently my body could manage whilst keeping a good eye on liquids which i could enjoy too. I came to look on it as a learning process to help my body, mind and feelings work together with kindness so i was growing healthy cells gently and slowly. This isn't easy when there are demands on your life from those with whom you share it.
It is always worth looking at the resoures offered by Ovacome, their Support Team, information leaflets, webinars and Groups which meet virtually for information, unconditional acceptance and support. ovacome.org.uk/ Take care, gentleness and kindness to yourself isn't always easy so warmest wishes for keeping trying. xx
You're doing brilliantly even though it might not feel like it all of the time. I echo everybody saying you've been through so much already and to really take it easy. Don't do what I did and start pushing yourself too hard or you'll set your recovery back. (I ridiculously tried to fit a draft excluder on the front door 7 days after surgery and as you'll imagine it was not pretty!! FFS I'm such an idiot!) Re the ups and downs. Remember, you've gone through the menopause overnight. Your hormones will be rapidly disappearing and this will affect your mood ( I read it takes 4 weeks and then all of the oestrogen has left your body for example). Lots of rest and self-care. And try not to strain at all with the no 2's. So much healing is going on inside it doesn't take much. I actually got a poo stool and it really helped. It straightens you out so it comes out easier. Toilets were invented by the prudish Victorians and it's not natural to sit with feet on the floor and do a poo!
Be kind to yourself. It’s still early days and I know that it’s frustrating when you want to get back to normal. Physically, your body has been through a lot. The bowels in particular don’t respond well to handling. Everything in your abdomen is shifting and settling and your incision layers healing. This takes time.
Don’t beat yourself up for not running a marathon 2 weeks after surgery. Take laxatives if you need them, ditto for painkillers, eat as healthy as you can whilst allowing for treats, go for short walks and other gentle exercise when you feel up to it.
Is there any hobby or new skill you could do so you feel that you are doing something? Post op for me was the first time, other than holidays, that I had been off work for more than a week. I started learning a new language, did 2 work related on-line courses, read a lot and knit a sweater to keep myself occupied as I hated the feeling of doing nothing.
Hi, like the others have said go easy on yourself it’s only been two weeks. Good as well that your scar is doing well so keep up the good work there.
You might find something like Laxido or Movicol gentler on your bowel as it’s not an irritant. One for discussion with the nurse though.
Sadly I had no appetite issues (and didn’t during chemo either!) but good hearty soups are gentle on your system and if you have a batch in a flask, something you can dip into when you feel like during the day. Do make sure you’re drinking plenty too. X
Hi Kazzh, I don’t know what a normal recovery feels like because I developed a collection of fluids which became infected and I ended up back in hospital. Im not sure how common this is.
Keep an eye out for symptoms. Mine included being very sore and bloated and constipation/pain going to the toilet. But these are probably also normal recovery symptoms. What you need to look out for is a fever (my temperature was very high) I also completely lost my appetite and could hardly eat at all.
Don’t worry, It most likely isn’t this but I would like people to be aware. I was very late getting medical help because I thought my symptoms were normal and ended up getting sepsis and being very ill.
Hi Mintybiscuit, I also had a ‘collection’ which became infected. Mine ended up resting on the tube from my kidney to bladder, which caused my kidney to swell and terrible back pain. My leg swelled up and I also got sepsis. You’re the only person I’ve come across so far that had this. I also had an open wound for a year and they found 3 DVTs when they scanned the collection. Basically everything that could go wrong did. I still can’t believe I’ve now healed and lived through it. I hope you are also doing well.
Hi TeddyC, that sounds awful. Perhaps these “collections” are not as common as I thought. Thank God, because it was a truly grim and scary experience. Glad you’ve now healed and are doing well.
My goodness, what an experience to go through. I am seeing the surgeon and my consultant Tuesday for a review. I feel I need more reassuring. The bloating is still a major issue and I've also had diarrhea. I have a little hole where a scab on my wound popped off with the bloating and its a bit yellow and smelly. Being bank holiday weekend my only option if it gets worse is A & E, which I will try & avoid! My mood had improved but has reduced again with all this. I hope you are doing ok? Hugs xx
Good luck on Tuesday. I spent a lot of time in A&E! I dreaded going but didn’t want to take any risks after I foolishly left it very late the first time I had an infection and ended up with sepsis. I just really didn’t want to go back into hospital. I usually checked with my CNS first or rang the chemo line to get their advice before going in . X
I had my surgery in last September. One thing my oncologist advised me was to do excercies with youtube videos and I did find one which I liked. It helped a lot with bloated stomach. Its only couple of more weeks before you feel like yourself so accept as much as help you can get. I didnt carry anything more than 1 kg for four months.
I felt after surgery was worse than the six chemo I had gone through beacaus you need longer time to heal and get better.
I wished someone was brutally honest with me. If you want to as well, please read further...
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It took me a good 4 months try recovery post surgery. I was told things will look better after 15 days. They don't. Apart from surgery I had HIPEC as well, so that added to recovery time, so it might be 3 months for just the debulking recovery itself.
I could not stand up straight for a month. I cried after I walked to the end of my street after some 15 days, since I wanted to sit down somewhere but had to walk back. My legs had that nervous twitch and couldn't sleep at night. Mega bloating for few weeks and straining to pass motion.
Now the good news...
It will pass, I promise you. In a week, it will be 2 years since my surgery and I run 4kms or do dance workout every day. I do light weights and yoga too. I am on a career break, travelling and enjoying with my family. And NED so far !
Just think of your favourite things in the future and the days will go by. I focused on good food, small victories, time with my teens and fur baby, movie time with hubby, learning pranayama and meditation etc, rather than the pain.
hang in there it will get better. That said I wanted to share something because you talked about being bloated. After my surgery I was very bloated and had eating issues for five weeks. I assumed it was just part of healing and then one morning the strangest thing happened I started to leak a clear liquid. And I mean a lot. I ran to the doctor who examined me and said everything looked ok and she then Sent me for a scan to find I had ascites in my belly causing the bloating and when it built up too much it just started leaking out. This continued for about a week but afterwards I felt so much better. I guess this is a very rare occurrence and tends to happen in younger and healthier patients but just wanted you to know in case that is what is happening to you.. the doctor said my immune system was had an extreme reaction to the surgery In any case I hope you feel better soon the bloating is suppose to improve within three weeks but it does take time so don’t be hard on yourself if it stays longer than that it may be something to ask the doctor about
You have received some excellent advice already on here which I hope gives you some encouragement.
I just wanted to add a tiny bit myself as I have only just discovered this recently and it’s made a world of difference to me - PRUNES I take 2 or 3 prunes before bed and it’s made such a difference, so much nicer and more natural than any powders I used to take before!
I hope you feel better physically and emotionally soon remember it’s a marathon not a sprint and we all get to the finish line eventually xx 😘
since those muscles have been cut, that’s all to be expected. It is miserable to go through but you will hopefully feel better each day. Try the stick-on heat pads, they can soothe and relieve gas. Glad the Senna is working. Just rest. Mild exercise only. I went on a mild antidepressant which helped me deal with the whole cancer diagnosis and experience. Best of luck.
Hi kazzh. Well done for getting through. It's a big operation and it will take time to recover. I likened it to being hit by a bus! I was in hospital for 18 days. Please make sure you are getting appropriate pain relief. Anaesthetic affects your system fir some time. The bloating will reduce and you will feel better in a while. It is only 2 weeks and you have had a major operation so please try and be kind to yourself. If you can walk a few steps every day you will find each day if you can do a few more it does get easier but there is no rush. Eat little and often when you can and although the food drinks are not great try to get through them as they help build you up and are gentle on your digestion.
Glad your scar is healing well that's so good
Your emotions are bound to be all over the place but go with it, there will be ups abd downs but its not forever , accept help and take baby steps. Well done so far.
So much good advice already. It's only two weeks! I was six weeks before I felt I was beginning to recover (I was allowed to drive then, and I took a short drive and gave a big tin of biscuits to the nurses on the ward where I was treated - I got big hugs and exclamations about how well I was looking!). Rest lots, but walk a little every day and increase the distance until you can do a mile (half a mile there and back, always remember you have to get home too!), drink lots of water and make sure you stay on top of the pain. It's early days, be patient and you'll be fine. Sending hugs!
Hi KazzhWhere would we be without our knowledgeable friends on here. All of the advice on here is from personal experience and although there are differences, there are similarities as well. My experience with first op was not bad, one week in hospital & then "normal" recovery. Second op, three years later, was not so good with one month in hospital & a long recovery time. I think I just expected it to be similar to the first op and therefore, I was very impatient with myself. As most have said on here, be kind to yourself. Remember how much you have gone through & give yourself a big hug & thumbs up for that. If anything is really worrying you & you can't get on to your team, talk to your GP, they also have a lot of knowledge. Remember also that inflamation is the body's defense against tissue damage so unless it lasts too long or temp too high, then it's natural to feel very sore. In regards to food, try eliminating all gluten foods from your diet so your gut doesn't have to work so hard. A big plus for you is that your bowels are working. 💩
Hang in there. One day you'll be giving someone on here some really positive feedback on your experience. Love & hugs 🥰
Thankyou all so much for taking the time to reply. Such good advice and encouragement. I think I do need to reframe my thinking & be kinder to myself rather than getting frustrated, annoyed with myself & ultimately then feeling down & very negative. Its a tough journey, and next week I get to see the surgeon for a review so he can reassure me, which will help 🙏😘
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