Not posted in a while, or even been on the forum - had a bit of a meltdown and just not coping well with diagnosis, etc. Anyway, have been in for my pre-op assessment and a chat with my consultant and am booked in for radical hysterectomy on 14th Nov. I’m sh****ng bricks!
I just wanted to write that down cos I can say it to anyone - friends and family are all commenting on how well I’m coping and I don’t have the heart to correct them. I feel like I’m losing the plot.
Consultant reckons he can do laparoscopic surgery and whip all the bits out of my hoo-haa before stitching it up (the road to nowhere indeed!!!) so if any of you smashtastic ladies out there can share their experience of same that would be fab.
Hi Debs - just wanted to say Im scared too its natural, my trachelectomy is booked in for this Friday after waiting months since my diagnosis I cant wait for it all to be done & touch wood all be sorted out but is very real now & the panic is setting in. Im sending positive thoughts to you. We can get through this. Best of luck. Xxxx
Thanks for the positive thoughts - I'm sending them right back at you. I hope everything goes to plan tomorrow and you'll be on the road to recovery very soon. I can only imagine how I'll be feeling when I get to the day before my surgery - but I reckon panic is about right and also natural.
Take care, stay strong, and let us know how it all goes. xx
Just wanted to say you're allowed to shout from the rooftops that you are sh****ng bricks. It's a big op and you will feel pretty ropey for quite some time afterwards so everyone you know has to treat you like a fairy princess - that's in the rules ;-) Mine wasn't laparoscopic and it didn't come out through my hoo-haa, I was disembowelled by bulldozer but that was a long time ago now. Oh look! I'm here laughing about it, as you will be a bit further down the line :-D You just have to remember to take it slow for a couple of months, so if I were you I wouldn't lift a finger till after Christmas, get everyone else to do it for you :-) (Of course you will most probably feel fit and well well before that but no need to let them know ;-) )
I had a laparoscopic simple hysterectomy at the end of May. All the bits and pieces were removed via my vagina. My surgery went really well. I went into pre-op at 7:15am, had the surgery at 8am and was back in my room by 12:30pm/1. Catheter came out the following morning and I was home by mid-afternoon that day. Had some big hitting pain meds which I took a couple of doses of and then I was on OTC stuff. Took almost a week to have a bowel movement, but I didn't get much gas. I did take some Gas-ex, but the whole thing was much easier than I had anticipated.
I think it may be a little different with a radical hyst, as most women on here talk of going home with the catheter. Maybe that beats up the urethra a bit more ( the bladder is right next to the uterus apparently. Gas seems to be big problem too, so don't forget the peppermint tea.
One thing I would emphasize is to take it very very easy for several weeks after your op. The only downside to a laparoscopic hyst is that the outside looks fab very quickly, so the tendency is to do too much too soon. I was told not to lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk for the first 2 weeks. No housework etc etc ( hate that!) Gentle walking, the pace of a romantic stroll. Nothing in the vagina for 8 weeks. After that, you're good to go.
5 months later, I am back to normal. I do all my usual stuff and I have 4 teeny pink scars on my belly.
You'll do fine. I am also 100 years old, so you young chicks will bounce back good as new.
Not much to add to that really. I had lymph nodes removed as well and my ovaries, so a general laparascopic clear out, but was discharged the next day! A tad early I felt. Follow what your body needs, walk a bit more each day and rest lots in between. I resumed yoga when my treatment was all done which I find great on so many levels, and I'm sure it helps to prevent adhesions and to work those old core muscles. All the very best though, and good luck to Chloe Simone for her op today too. Take it easy both of you x
Hi Deb, I just got home from the hospital for a radical trachelectomy and lymph node removal. I went into surgery just before lunchtime on Wednesday and was up on the ward about 530pm completely spaced lol. i did have some visitors but was pretty useless. Managed to get up for a bit on Thursday evening but by this morning I was able to shower and walk around. I was out by 1530 because I could pass urine. Still very bloated and a bit sore but I'll keep on top of painkillers. Just take your time with it all, getting mobile when you are ready really helps although I've been shouted for trying to lift things lol
honestly much better than I thought so good luck to you and bring peppermint tablet or gum to help with the wind- I had it really bad around my shoulders!
Hiya - all went well, will here properly tomorrow from doc but 5 hour op & everything ok. They did think they found a dodgy lymph node but when sent off for testing it came back negative... yay! So far so good, hoping all good news tomorrow from doc.
I admit panic did set in when they took me down & i saw the theatre bed, i started to get a bit teary but the docs & nirses are amazing, put me at ease. Once you're in recovery have a nice cup of water threw a straw. I couldnt move, still cant really feels like ive done 1000 sit ups!! Hopefully tomorrow ill be able to get up & walk about. Best of luck for yours xx
I had a laparascopic hysterecomy and lymphnode removal with conservation of the ovaries back in July. I posted quite a lot about my experience at the time so feel free to look back at my previous posts for lots of info. I wasn't given the same advice as Teresa about not lifting things or doing very much, my consultant was very much of the opinion that I'd be back to normal quickly and could even be back at work after 4-6 weeks. In the end I took 9 weeks off work and really needed that time. The recovery wasn't awful in the slightest, but it's a big operation and it does really floor you. I got tired very easily, not the sort of tired where i want to go to sleep, but sudden utter exhaustion which overwhelmed me and made me feel quite panicky at times. I still managed to do a lot while recovering though (perhaps I pushed myself too hard, but that's just the way I am), for example I went out to a local comedy night (and was back on the wine!) 9 days after my surgery and two days after that I spent the day on Brighton beach with my husband (I live in London). So while you have to take it relatively easy and adapt what you do, you won't be a total invalid. Well, not for more than a few days.
In lots of ways the whole experience of having cancer has been a positive one for me. It really has made me realise how much fabulous support i have from friends and how fortunate I am. So try not to be too frightened. The surgery isn't horrendous and as people keep saying on here, if you have to get cancer, then cervial cancer is the good one to get as it's so treatable.
Hi deb, I had a RH Thursday just gone and was terrified beforehand too but so far I'm doing ok. I was home the next day and physically I'm coping a lot better than I thought I would. I've been lucky in that I don't have any shoulder pain from the trapped air, sleeping is tricky because I normally sleep on my front and doing the blood thinning injections myself is a bit of a challeng.
I would say it's ok to say that you're scared, this whole experience is really hard going but you will be ok again, life will feel good again and the people who love you will help you through it.
Ladies, thank you all so much for sharing your experiences and for your words of advice. I think I might have been being a wee bit unrealistic about the whole thing - have said to work that I'll be back in 2 or 3 weeks which they sounded a bit shocked at so maybe I'll need to rethink that one.
Had a mini meltdown at the weekend and decided I wasn't having any of it - cc could go **** itself, I was keeping my bits and pieces and to hell with it all. felt very sorry for myself which is really not like me and got very annoyed at a friend for whinging about the size of her ironing pile (not to her face though cos I get that other people have problems too!). Back to normal today and burying myself in work to keep my head occupied.
That sounds familiar! I threatened cancelling my op at least twice leading up to it! :) You get conflicting information on recovery time I found, it ranges from 4-6 weeks from what I've seen, although the docs said I could go back to work in 2 weeks when I was seen after my op while also telling me I can't drive for 6 weeks?!??
Hi Deb, I am pretty much in the same situation as you. Been staged at 1b1 and hoping all booked in for the 25/11. Do you know what you are having done? I have been told lyphnodes removed and while I am under they will do a frozen section on them to see if it has spread if not they proceed with the hysterectomy. DI'd most you know exactly what you are having done or is it the norm wake up with a surprise? Today I feel full of questions and worry. I have finished all the crying and just want to get on with my life as it all seems on hold. The one thing that keeps me busy is Xmas shopping (I've jacked work in) as I am trying to get it all done before I go in on Black Friday of all days. I better not miss any mega deals! I have been told to completely rest for 6 weeks, I don't think you should think of returning any sooner, you will need to give your body time to adjust. I have been told no lifting or driving for 6 weeks.
