I had my EUA on Thursday along with a lymph node excision via laparoscopic surgery . If the nodes comes back clear then I am due to have my trachelectomy this upcoming Thursday (26th) which is exactly a week later. Whilst I’m glad that they are getting this procedure over and done with and are moving quickly I am struggling from the surgery that I’ve just had and am getting a bit down about the fact that I have to put my poor body through it only a week later!
I wasn’t prepared for the anti-coagulant injections into my stomach (which I have been a massive baby about) and so have had to get my partner to inject them as I can’t bear to do it myself! I was also not prepared for the immense amount of shoulder pain that I had due to the gas - in some ways this was worse then any abdominal pain!
If all goes well there will be no spread to the nodes and they aim to perform the trach and have one overnight stay only. I just wanted to know if anyone had any wise words or had gone through a trach themselves and that could prepare me for what to expect when I come to!
While I’m doing my best to stay positive, today was a pretty miserable day and I protested quite whole-heartedly that I didn’t want to go in and have the second operation! Though I don’t have much choice on that front!
I had my trach and lymph node removal just over 8 weeks ago. Is the lymph nodes you have just had removed as a seperate op?
I know how you feel, I hated those injections! Although I thought that getting them in the stomach wasn't as bad as in the thigh. I was lucky I didn't have to take the injections home to do cos I wouldn't have been able to do them myself!!
Feel free to ask or PM me any questions you have about the trach :) x
Yep the lymph nodes were taken as part of a seperate op. I thought last Thursday was just going to be the EUA but when I had the consultant appointment they said that they would do the lymp node excision at the same time. If things are clear than they are going to do the trach this Thursday. They should be calling me Wednesday evening to confirm if the nodes are clear and then will confirm the appointment time for the next day if they are carrying on as usual.
They are going in laparoscopically which should mean a quicker recovery time and not as much healing which is good but I'm not looking forward to be pumped full of gas again as that really hurt afterwards. Did you have it done laparscopically or abdominally? Also I know it varies for each person, but I'm not worried about the procedure as much as I am about the recovery and any pain/discomfort.
How did you find recovery in terms of pain etc.? The consultant thinks I should only spend one overnight in hospital and I just was wondering if this seems reasonable! Also, how long did you take to recover/ go back to work? Did you find it hard getting around afterwards? I've got friends who have had hysterectomies but I don't know if there is any difference in recovery from one to the other. I also feel like I need to prepare myself for any bleeding etc. which I am not at all good with!
So sorry for all the questions! They explained the procedure to me but not so much about what happens after and how I'll feel!
I had mine done abdominally which from what I've read can mean slightly longer recovery. I was in hospital for 3 days. I was a bit ill with the morphine. I would say pain improved in a few days but I was on max amounts of paracetamol and ibuprofen for a couple of weeks. It took me a good week to start being more mobile when home even then due to the incision it was hard to bend and to walk to far so I stayed at home most of the first couple of weeks. By week 3 I was feeling a bit better.
In terms of recovery I had some bleeding in hospital but nothing unmanageable at all. It subsided when home to a normal to light amount and then after a couple of weeks got heavier. My bleeding stopped after about 4 weeks but then came back for around 3 weeks and has just subsidised now. Nothing too heavy.
I have heard others who have had there done larascopically just staying 1 night so that seems pretty normal I think. Do you have someone who can help you st home? Even though you are not getting it done abdominalmy there'll be a lot of healing going on inside so take it easy and don't lift much etc. Xx
Thank you so much for answering my questions, I really appreciate it!
My partner is taking time off work to help me out and my mum will be staying a week as well in the second week of recovery so will have her help as well!
It's so frustrating as I've had tomorrow booked in for ages but have received a phone call this afternoon from the consultant's secretary saying that they have changed my operation to Saturday now as he has two on the list and they are moving the other person to my surgery tomorrow so are giving someone else my surgery slot. No explanation as to why or anything so now I'm worried that there is a delay with my lymph nodes and that's why they've moved someone into my surgery. Apparently a doctor was supposed to call me earlier this week but hasn't done so there's that worrying me now as well!
This is definitely not a good process to go through and its even worse when these things crop up! I just want to get it over with now! xxxxx
I can really understand your frustration! Getting yourself all psyched up for surgery only to have it postponed is very difficult to deal with. Doctors tend not to do this on a whim. If somebody has been moved up the schedule it usually means that they are now classified as an emergency. Certainly you don't want to be delayed but you sure as hell don't want to be re-classified as an emergency. Look at it from the other patient's point of view and count your lucky stars that you are still well enough to be delayed.
Ah I suppose I didn't think of it like that, that they might have moved someone up due to emergency. I was more panicking that they found something they weren't expecting in the lymph nodes and so that's why there was a delay or that they somehow had lost them or had lost my medical records with the notes for them! I've had medical records lost before an operation but that was when it was my wisdom teeth and so wasn't quite as important!
I think I'm just more frustrated that I found out because the consultant's secretary called to confirm my Saturday appointment and then she very quicky cottoned on to the fact I had no clue what she was talking about. She was very lovely and apologised as a doctor was supposed to have called me earlier the week to explain that I was no longer having the surgery Thursday. There was probably supposed to be an explanation as to why they moved me to Saturday which would probably have soothed my fears but I had the secretary tell me 'there's two of you and I heard them say that they will do the other lady first' which sent me into a spiral of panic! I think I was so psyched up to have the surgery that to be told the day before it wasn't happening had me bawling my eyeballs out a bit and worrying that it meant something worse.
I guess yesterday was just one of those 'bad days.' xxxx
Hi Gerry sorry I didnt reply earlier, I haven't been on much.
Sorry to hear that your surgery was delayed! I think Tivoli is right it is most likely someone who needs seen asap and that is probably why they moved yours. Is it next saturday you go in or the one just passed?x
It turns out that the pathologist looking at my lymph nodes was away for a few days which caused the delay! However the most important thing was that the lymph nodes results have come back clear which I am so happy and relieved about I can't even explain.
I had the operation on Saturday so am 3 days into recovery. Feeling battered and bashed about and oddly exhausted but I'm taking it easy, trying to keep on the pain management and making sure I take time to properly recover! The operation went well and they just need to check the tissue they took away to make sure all is fine but I'm being very hopeful.
I thought I would be constipated like I was after the last surgery but it seems to be the opposite this time round so am dealing with some stomach problems at the moment, not sure whether it's a side effect of the operation, the painkillers or if I've picked up a mild stomach bug but I'm just so relieved that the operation has happened! I've had some wobbly days since the op, the first night home I was in the worst pain and was trying to not take the painkillers because I thought I could work through it but I've since learnt to just take them!
Just so glad that the op has happened. So so glad! xxxxx
Yes, you will feel bashed about and exhausted. It's an enormous operation! Your body is now going to spend the next six weeks or so doing its best to heal itself and that requires lots of energy. You allow it to use that energy to do exactly that and don't try to take it for yourself. Just like stealing the bedclothes, if you grab your energy for yourself that means the healing process doesn't get enough so understand that being tired means your body is getting well.
Yeah I felt exhausted after for about 3 weeks and even now I feel more tired than normal. Take it easy, get plenty of rest. Sleep is good for your body so don't feel guilty about having long lies!
I tried some short walks but probably not as much as I should have I just wanted to be able to drive again! Do you have anyone at home to help you with things?x
I have my partner at home this week taking care of me and acting as nurse! He's doing a brilliant job! Next week my mum is coming to stay so that my partner can work for the week. As he is self employed any time he doesn't work he doesn't get paid but thank goodness that he could be around this week and that my mum is around the next.
I think I did myself a minor mischief yesterday - doh! Because I was feeling better I think I over-exerted myself and slightly pulled something internally as there is fresh bright bleeding and it's now quite sore even if I move one leg a little too far to the side. I definitely need to heed the advice of not over-doing it! As it's all internal healing it's easy to forget until you do something wrong!
