Facing surgery LAR for rectal

Sharronoffaith · January 2016

Hi everyone. It has been a while, but I really appreciate the support here and so I would love some insight on my upcomimg surgery. Don't scare me, I am not sure I won't chicken out--lol.

I see the surgeon this thursday and he will do a sigmoidoscopy to check on the tumor. I had neoadjuvant chemoradiation, and a follow-up ct scan showed good response and tumor shrinkage. I also know the thing is smaller, as I had this really gnarly looking snot thing pass during potty time.

they are calling me stage two, not sure IIa or IIb. The biggest concern is depth, i am supposed to be having the sphincter saving surgery, so I am probably looking at a LAR with TME.

does anybody have experience with this surgery, and what the recovery is like? Also, if you think of any questions I should ask the surgeon, or any discussion that you would recommend, I would love the feedback. I am looking at a temporary ostomy, and have an appointment with the stoma folks prior to the surgery meeting.

Mostly I would like to know what the recovery is like. How long I can expect to be laid up after. I am pretty good about bouncing back after small surgerys etc... And, I am just s tad over 50.

thanks in advance. Many well wishes and prayers for all,

sharron

Moesimo · January 2016

I had this surgery waaay back

I had this surgery waaay back in 3/03. stage 3 rectal cancer. I will be honest---first couple of days rough and then gets easier every day. I was in the hospital for about a week. I had an epidural for pain control/ It worked pretty good. Dilaudid then became by best friend. Best pain med ever. I used to sleep on my belly. Havent been able to since that surgery. I am now a side sleeper. Walking helps your recovery. I ended up doing laps around the nurses station. I was 46 at the time of surgery. good luck and let me know if i can be of any more help.

Maureen

db8ne1 · January 2016

It depends

Sharon,

All doc's and hospitals differ - as do patients. I had an LAR for Stage 3 (tumor was T3 so pretty advanced) in April 2013. Chemo/radiation just about eradicated the tumore pre-surgery. I spent 1 week in the hospital for surgery. Recovery time until I went back to work (desk job) was 6 weeks. Incision was belly button to pelvis - and I had a bonus hysterectomy during the LAR procedure. They couldn't tell me going into surgery if I would have an ostomy or not. I ended up not needing one.

I would have to say pain management the first day or two was the worst for me. I had dilaudid - but it didn't work for me until they added Toradol. That helped a LOT. Everyone is different and has a different chemical make-up - so don't be afraid to have them add or change your meds until you find one that works for you.

I was up walking pretty quickly - within the 1st 24 hours. The more I walked the better I felt. (Not DURING the initial walking, though :-). Wasn't allowed to eat or drink the first few days - but didn't feel like it anyway. Once I could have soft foods the GI tract took a day or two to start waking up.

6 weeks or so after surgery I started FOLFOX chemo. I almost wished I would have had an ostomy as FOLFOX did a number on my GI system. (I had a friend with an ostomy and we were going through the process together, so we compared notes/side effects). There are pros and cons to an ostomy - the con being that you have it reversed later - if it's the temp kind. The pro being that dealing with FOLFOX GI side-effects may be easier...).

A year following my surgery for CRC I had a partial nephrectomy for RCC (Kidney Cancer). That was robotic assisted and I was out of the hospital within 24 hours. Different doc - different hospital. So, you never know.

All the best for you and praying your surgery and recovery go well.

Keep us posted.

J

Jen1988 · January 2016

Husband just had surgery on

Husband just had surgery on Jan 11 for Rectal Cancer stage 3. Surgery was done robotically. He was discharged on Jan 15, and now still recovering at home,.. still not able to walk without walker. It is difficult adjustment for us with ileostomy life but we take one day at a time ... sending prayer for your successfull surgery

danker · January 2016

surgery

When I had the resection,including an ileostomy, I was only in the hospital a few days. Six weeks later they reversed the ileostomy and reconnected my plumbing. A fistula requiring a bag healded itself from the inside out after 5 weeks. NED ever since then. Don;t be afraid Sharon,it is doable!!! Good luck to you!

Sharronoffaith · January 2016

danker said:
surgery
When I had the resection,including an ileostomy, I was only in the hospital a few days. Six weeks later they reversed the ileostomy and reconnected my plumbing. A fistula requiring a bag healded itself from the inside out after 5 weeks. NED ever since then. Don;t be afraid Sharon,it is doable!!! Good luck to you!

Thank you so much!!!

Thanks so much to everyone who replied. I am just so independent that the thought of being in a vulnerable state like this freaks me out pretty much. I appreciate the up-front replies! I'm really into mindfulness type stuff, so prior to surgery I am going to try to ready my body for this. I think the body just sees it as an injury, and then inflammation and pain result. I have an Ipod and love listenting to Hillsong United, and so I plan on blasting that in my head pretty much most of the time.

I see the surgeon today, and if the tumor appears to have a complete response to the chemoradiation, it is going to be tough to sign on for a surgery when I would just rather "watch and wait." But, I have done a lot of reading, and I see that surgery is recommended for all rectal cancers pretty much no matter what. So, I guess I would rather do that now than face something really bad later.

Thanks again. I am scared, but I have my questions ready and will ask about the pain control. I don't mind being a little zombie like for a day or two rather than feeling abominable adominal pain!

Danker, so glad to haear that you are NED. And again, thanks for all the heart-felt replies.

Sharron

Sharronoffaith · January 2016

Jen1988 said:
Husband just had surgery on
Husband just had surgery on Jan 11 for Rectal Cancer stage 3. Surgery was done robotically. He was discharged on Jan 15, and now still recovering at home,.. still not able to walk without walker. It is difficult adjustment for us with ileostomy life but we take one day at a time ... sending prayer for your successfull surgery

Thanks...prayers your way also!

Thanks Jenny, and I wish your husband many blessings in his healing. I did decide after a while that even if I needed the bag permanently, that I would do that rather than face a worse situation down the line. But, I didn't like the way the bag looked, the color etc...and so I saw they have some nice looking bag covers online that fit right over the ostomy bag. I am planning on making my own, and have turned it into a little art project, and in some ways I like the idea of having something that doesn't look so medical, but more like an accessory. I mention that as I notice they have many styles, and that maybe this would be something you or someone here might find useful.

Best of luck. Many prayers. And, thanks so much for sharing your story. Another reason I decided to have the surgery is that it is for the greater good, and that we are all in this together, and the more they learn from us going through this, the more there is a chance for cures and better surgeries going forward. I have to have a good reason, as I am a big chicken!

Prayers and well-wishes,

Sharron

Facing surgery LAR for rectal

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