Hi guys - havent been on here in a while, guess you try & forget about it for a bit… anyway it seems like the longest journey of them all! Doc was VERY booked up but finally booked in for trach on 28th Oct. Had extra MRI/CT scans done & they think bit of residual left over after first doc did cone biopsy & got clear margins (not hugely clear but clear) so Im glad i got a 2nd opinion! Cant say im looking forward to the being put to sleep bit but im hoping it’ll be fine & ill wake up all lovely in recovery. And i might finally be able to move forward… 2017 to be a better year please!
Anyway, Im afer some advice for surgery in general/anyone whos had a trachelectomy;
- any tips on staying calm? When you hate hospitals/have to stay in them… this hospital is not my local its a couple of hours away. Ive got my first Counselling & Reiki session next week… not afraid to say I need a little help. Waiting list was long! Hopefully these might help?
- how long have people stayed in for with a trach? Guess we’re all different. Ive heard some out within 24hours? Others a few days/week… if longer, why?
- time off work… suppose to be back after my maternity but now booked 6 weeks off sick pay… should that be long enough? Marketing office job.
- driving 4-6 weeks?
- not picking up my baby 4-6 weeks?
Anything else i should know? Sort before i go? Thanks guys much love & positive thoughts to you all. Xx
Hi I didn't want to just read and not comment so thought I would let you know how the trachelectomy went for me.
i had radical vaginal trachelectomy and lymph node removal at the same time last February - went into hospital Monday morning and left Thursday evening. i wasn't in much pain at all after the operation (I opted for an epidural for pain relief would not recommend it now tho! constant back pain). As it was keyhole and they went through my stomach my stomach muscles absolutely killed struggled to sit up and back but just felt like I had done a million sit ups!
after I had the catheter and stomach drain out I was up and about day 4, a bit shaky but otherwise ok. I was really pleased my stomach didn't bloat that much as I heard they pump it full of gas during the op - fast forward to about day 7 after the op and back home my stomach was absolutely massive and heavy I looked 9 month pregnant!
All I would say is it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, jumper remember nighties (not pjs) as your stomach will be too tender, plenty to keep you occupied and remember your bath stuff as they forced me to have a shower the next day - not my favourite memory being butt naked in front of complete strangers!
i have a desk job and took 6 weeks off, probably could have got away with more but I felt guilty haha!
Any other questions let me know always happy to share the experience :) xxz
Hi tinker bell sorry to message but was just wondering how your doing after having your lymphnodes removed xx
Hi don't worry I don't mind any questions :)
i have been fine had some leg numbness which is nearly back to normal but apart from that no problems :) x
Thanks for your reply - has made me feel more at ease! Yes I had an epidural for pain relief during labour & had back pain for months after so I know how that feels. Glad it all went well for you. Theyve booked me in for 3 night stay so guess thats pretty much standard procedure then for a Trachelectomy... all being well.
Did they tell you how long your op was? 6 hours or less?
Did they tell you that everything went well afterwards? Or do you get told that at a later date? X
Hi chloe
Just wanted to say that i had my radical trachelectomy last monday and was under about 6 hours but they said it took a bit longer than they expected as i had 2 previous lletz procedures afterwards. After the operation i felt ok on the monday night, had a catherer in and pain relief drips in, i got up on the tuesday afternoon for a few hours sat in the chair then on the wednesday morning they took the catheter out and i was up and about from then and out of hospital on the thursday.
Tuesday was the worst day for me just emotionally wise not pain wise, and in my head i am feeling fine now and keep thinking i can do lots but if i do im tired and in a bit of pain by the evening so just trying to learn to take it easy.
i have to go back up to london next wednesday to get my results and a check up which is about 2 weeks after surgery.
Hope everything goes ok for you x
hi Chloe I think it was about six hours.
when I went in they planned a vaginal trachelectomy but said depending on what they find it might end up abdominal or a hysterectomy depending on the margins etc once they are in.
they tested the lymph nodes they took out during surgery and they came back clear so luckily they continued as planned.
As soon as I came around and saw the consultant they said they were happy they had got everything :)
Aww bless you thats amazing! Thanks for letting me know hoping mine all goes well now. Xx
Thank you for your reply. Did you get your results? Hope all went well. Im off to London tomorrow for Fridays op!! Hoping all goes well. Thank you for sharing your experience with me has helped me so much. All the ladies on here are amazing!! Xx
Hey Chloe
i had a radical trachelectomy and lymphonde removal done in two separate ops in 2013. Both times I was out and back home within 24 hours. I had a catheter for a week. By day 10 I was able to get out and about. I'd say 6 weeks is long enough off work but just remember to take it easy and try not to lift anything too heavy. Difficult if you have kids!
Try not to worry too much about the op itself, you will be in very safe hands. Take some headphones and try to zone out before hand.
I wrote a blog last year which has some more details of the operations on it if you fancy a read link below
good luck with it all
x
