Hysterectomy and colon cancer
Hi,I usually read posts on colon cancer forum,but maybe I can get some opinion or advice here. I have a rectosigmoid colon cancer stage3 (T4N2),low grade,which had been treated with chemo (Xeloda) and radiation this spring. Because CT scan (done in February,before starting the treatment) showed the tumor being invasive into my uterus and left ovary,my dr's team decided to do not just colon resection,but hysterectomy as well. My surgery is scheduled for May 31st.
I was wondering if some of you has an opinion on this,or an advice or suggestion. My questions are: is it going to be a difficult surgery,with long healing? The plan is to do it by robotic laparoscopy with possibility for open surgery. Had some of you have such a surgery? What can I expect afterwards?
Thank you for any reasponse,
Suzy
Comments
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Pre-and post op
Pre-op:
Has your colon surgeon discussed with you who is going to assist him with your surgery? They never operate alone and it would be a good idea to know who's going to be working with him. A gyn-oncologist is an ob-gyn's specialist and they tend to have the best expertise for hysterectomies, especially for handling tissue to avoid spread of cancer cells. My gyn-oncologist had a urologist assist him to avoid damage to my ureters and bladder during the surgery. There's a high risk of that happening, so there's another specialist that would be good to have helping. Bladder incontince on top of everything else you'll be dealing with would be a big deal to cope with, so that risk needs to be taken seriously.
Discuss post-op pain medication ahead of time with your surgeon, too. I don't know how laproscopic surgery will impact how long you are in the hospital because you are having so much done. If you end up staying in the hospital a while, ask what your options other than opiods would be. They are very constipating and if there are other options, discuss them ahead of time so that your surgeon understands that you are concerned about taking opiods. I had open abdomen surgery and was on IV dilaudid which made it hard for me to get up and around (help was almost non-existant) and I ended up with a condition called Ileus (paralyzed bowel). They switched me to IV Toradol (IV ibuprofen) and it was like a miracle...better pain relief without the fogginess or bowel issues.
Post-op:
Laproscopic recovery is generally easier than open surgery, but you have to remember that there's a lot of internal healing that needs to occur. You need to do what needs to be done ahead of time so you can give yourself the 4-6 weeks of rest and lifting restrictions you are going to have. Be prepared for the possibilty of having drainage tubes (urinary and/or abdominal). Not everybody gets them, but given all that they are doing, you might and those really make it hard to do much until they are removed.
Have a pillow or belly binder for the ride home....you will feel every bump.
Have loose fitting clothes like sweat pants or pajama bottoms for the ride home. Your belly is going to be distended from the gas they use to aid visibility during surgery.
Have gas X on hand to help with gas pains. They can travel to odd places like your shoulders.
Drink a lot after surgery to help clear the anesthesia from your system. Be prepared for some foods to taste off or metalic for awhile. The anesthesia does that.
Be prepared to have a comfy chair or some way of sleeping elevated till the gas pains go away. Sleeping flat can make them worse.
I'm probably forgetting something, but if I have, I'm sure somebody will let you know what helped them.
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Suzycruise76
Sorry to hear you are going through this. You will receive lots of good advice here. I would like to add that you might have some hallucinations from the oxycontin if you take it. I did and I did have some vague dreamy type stuff happen to me. I think if you know it is from the medication it is not intimidating. And you will probably be prescribed anti coagulant injections. You will go home with them. I found them stingy but I gave every one to myself. I had laparoscopic surgery, but then they did an incision to remove my uterus. I had very little pain after. Following your post op instructions especially with regards to moving will help your recovery. Keep in touch and let us know how you are doing.
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Forherself,Forherself said:Suzycruise76
Sorry to hear you are going through this. You will receive lots of good advice here. I would like to add that you might have some hallucinations from the oxycontin if you take it. I did and I did have some vague dreamy type stuff happen to me. I think if you know it is from the medication it is not intimidating. And you will probably be prescribed anti coagulant injections. You will go home with them. I found them stingy but I gave every one to myself. I had laparoscopic surgery, but then they did an incision to remove my uterus. I had very little pain after. Following your post op instructions especially with regards to moving will help your recovery. Keep in touch and let us know how you are doing.
thank you! I am so happy to find these forums (uterine and colon cancer). It opened my horizons with so many life experiences and advices. So many people suffer from this agly disease,many more than I ever thought so. I was diagnosed in January this year,and at first thought it is going to be fast and easy process just to remove the tumor inside my colon.Well,I had been mistaken...4 months later,after getting more information and reading a lot,I know it could be a life-long fight.
I still believe to win this fight! And I wish you all the best in your fight!
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Thank youMAbound said:Pre-and post op
Pre-op:
Has your colon surgeon discussed with you who is going to assist him with your surgery? They never operate alone and it would be a good idea to know who's going to be working with him. A gyn-oncologist is an ob-gyn's specialist and they tend to have the best expertise for hysterectomies, especially for handling tissue to avoid spread of cancer cells. My gyn-oncologist had a urologist assist him to avoid damage to my ureters and bladder during the surgery. There's a high risk of that happening, so there's another specialist that would be good to have helping. Bladder incontince on top of everything else you'll be dealing with would be a big deal to cope with, so that risk needs to be taken seriously.
Discuss post-op pain medication ahead of time with your surgeon, too. I don't know how laproscopic surgery will impact how long you are in the hospital because you are having so much done. If you end up staying in the hospital a while, ask what your options other than opiods would be. They are very constipating and if there are other options, discuss them ahead of time so that your surgeon understands that you are concerned about taking opiods. I had open abdomen surgery and was on IV dilaudid which made it hard for me to get up and around (help was almost non-existant) and I ended up with a condition called Ileus (paralyzed bowel). They switched me to IV Toradol (IV ibuprofen) and it was like a miracle...better pain relief without the fogginess or bowel issues.
Post-op:
Laproscopic recovery is generally easier than open surgery, but you have to remember that there's a lot of internal healing that needs to occur. You need to do what needs to be done ahead of time so you can give yourself the 4-6 weeks of rest and lifting restrictions you are going to have. Be prepared for the possibilty of having drainage tubes (urinary and/or abdominal). Not everybody gets them, but given all that they are doing, you might and those really make it hard to do much until they are removed.
Have a pillow or belly binder for the ride home....you will feel every bump.
Have loose fitting clothes like sweat pants or pajama bottoms for the ride home. Your belly is going to be distended from the gas they use to aid visibility during surgery.
Have gas X on hand to help with gas pains. They can travel to odd places like your shoulders.
Drink a lot after surgery to help clear the anesthesia from your system. Be prepared for some foods to taste off or metalic for awhile. The anesthesia does that.
Be prepared to have a comfy chair or some way of sleeping elevated till the gas pains go away. Sleeping flat can make them worse.
I'm probably forgetting something, but if I have, I'm sure somebody will let you know what helped them.
Thank you very much MA for your priceless advice. I haven't mentioned in my post that the surgery is going to be in 3 parts:first my colon surgeon,after that gyn-oncologist,and at the end the colon surgeon to "put it all together". I met all of them and discussed some issues,but I still feel unsure of everything. The idea of having an urologist present is great,but was not mentioned in our discussions.
Another thing:I am going to have a stoma-hopefully just temporally,so that is going to be another thing to learn how to handle. The drs told me that I am going to get all info and training before being discharged from the hospital. My stay should be 3-4 days if everything goes well,or up to 10 days if some complications happen.My surgeon sounds very optimistic,but I am 76 years old,and life taught me to be more realistic ;-).
Thank you again MA for your help,and wish you a great success in your treatment,
Suzy
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MAboundMAbound said:Pre-and post op
Pre-op:
Has your colon surgeon discussed with you who is going to assist him with your surgery? They never operate alone and it would be a good idea to know who's going to be working with him. A gyn-oncologist is an ob-gyn's specialist and they tend to have the best expertise for hysterectomies, especially for handling tissue to avoid spread of cancer cells. My gyn-oncologist had a urologist assist him to avoid damage to my ureters and bladder during the surgery. There's a high risk of that happening, so there's another specialist that would be good to have helping. Bladder incontince on top of everything else you'll be dealing with would be a big deal to cope with, so that risk needs to be taken seriously.
Discuss post-op pain medication ahead of time with your surgeon, too. I don't know how laproscopic surgery will impact how long you are in the hospital because you are having so much done. If you end up staying in the hospital a while, ask what your options other than opiods would be. They are very constipating and if there are other options, discuss them ahead of time so that your surgeon understands that you are concerned about taking opiods. I had open abdomen surgery and was on IV dilaudid which made it hard for me to get up and around (help was almost non-existant) and I ended up with a condition called Ileus (paralyzed bowel). They switched me to IV Toradol (IV ibuprofen) and it was like a miracle...better pain relief without the fogginess or bowel issues.
Post-op:
Laproscopic recovery is generally easier than open surgery, but you have to remember that there's a lot of internal healing that needs to occur. You need to do what needs to be done ahead of time so you can give yourself the 4-6 weeks of rest and lifting restrictions you are going to have. Be prepared for the possibilty of having drainage tubes (urinary and/or abdominal). Not everybody gets them, but given all that they are doing, you might and those really make it hard to do much until they are removed.
Have a pillow or belly binder for the ride home....you will feel every bump.
Have loose fitting clothes like sweat pants or pajama bottoms for the ride home. Your belly is going to be distended from the gas they use to aid visibility during surgery.
Have gas X on hand to help with gas pains. They can travel to odd places like your shoulders.
Drink a lot after surgery to help clear the anesthesia from your system. Be prepared for some foods to taste off or metalic for awhile. The anesthesia does that.
Be prepared to have a comfy chair or some way of sleeping elevated till the gas pains go away. Sleeping flat can make them worse.
I'm probably forgetting something, but if I have, I'm sure somebody will let you know what helped them.
You are such a wise and informed source for our ladies, I am in awe of you. Thanks for all that you do for this forum.
Denise
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Hi Suzy
Hi Suzy
sorry you have to go through this. I have gone through many surgeries mine was kind of opposite of yours my origina diagnosis was endometrial adenocarcinoma in my uterus cervix and left ovary Last year I had a recurrence Ended up having a bowel resection near my rectum While they were in there I had a mesh from original hysterectomy which infiltrated into my small intestine So they had to remove the mesh and part of my small bowel too That resulted in me having an ileostomy. My surgery took long due to having previous surgeries and I had a lot of scarring. About a month later I had my ileostomy removed Back to work after that I only missed 12 Weeks of work. Just give yourself time to heal. Also. Get up and walk around as soon as you can. It helps with digestion.
Thinking of you on your upcoming surgery.
Kathy
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Hi Kathy,Kaleena said:Hi Suzy
Hi Suzy
sorry you have to go through this. I have gone through many surgeries mine was kind of opposite of yours my origina diagnosis was endometrial adenocarcinoma in my uterus cervix and left ovary Last year I had a recurrence Ended up having a bowel resection near my rectum While they were in there I had a mesh from original hysterectomy which infiltrated into my small intestine So they had to remove the mesh and part of my small bowel too That resulted in me having an ileostomy. My surgery took long due to having previous surgeries and I had a lot of scarring. About a month later I had my ileostomy removed Back to work after that I only missed 12 Weeks of work. Just give yourself time to heal. Also. Get up and walk around as soon as you can. It helps with digestion.
Thinking of you on your upcoming surgery.
Kathy
thank you for your response. Gee,you have a really hard life. I read your "About Me" story-it is unbelievable what you have been through. I really appreciate your positive attitude and your avoiding places with negativity....I am the same. From the moment I got my diagnoze I knew I was going to fight-but I assumed it was going to be easy. After my treatment (chemoradiation) and reading a lot here on boards I realized that it is going to be much harder-and maybe a life-long fight.
I am surprised by your ability to seek second and third opinion,and being personally involved in your treatment. I noticed this in more people's posts. This is new to me. Since my GI dr. gave me the diagnoze after she had done my colonoscopy,I got everything sort of put on my plate without any discussions. Next was an appointment with the colon surgeon,MRI,CT scan,oncology dr.,and they "cooked" the plan for my treatment. I had not been asked to look for a doctor of my choice(not that I would had been able to find one),nor there had been discussion what kind of treatment I would prefer.
I do NOT complain,the opposite;I had been pleasantly surprised by all personel in cancer departments of hospitals in my city. Very nice,friendly,knowledgeble, understanding of my situation....I can be just happy with all of them. Hopefully they have been choosing the right treatment for me,and hopefully the surgery will bring good results.
Just this afternoon I got results of my new MRI,which shows that my tumor shrunk for about 1/3,there is some small improvement in its position,and most importantly that there are no new growths. It's a little success and I am happy for that. On Saturday I have CT scan of my whole torso,and I just hope that it doesn't show any mets anywhere (I never had any prior to treatment).
Sorry for such a long writing;English is my second language,and sometimes I get my thoughts and words mingled ;-)
Thank you again for your kind words,and wish you the best outcome of all your treatments.
Suzy
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Thank youBluebirdOne said:MAbound
You are such a wise and informed source for our ladies, I am in awe of you. Thanks for all that you do for this forum.
Denise
What a lovely compliment!
The thing is, though, it's this group that is so awesome and giving of its collective knowledge and wisdom.
Everyone contributes something by sharing their experiences and research and we all try to keep that going by repeating it for new members on the journey no matter how many times that needs to occur. We all leave a bit of ourselves when we post here and I hope I honor those no longer with us when I pay forward the advice and caring that I received from them when I was the new person here.
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Hi Suzy & welcome!suzycruise76 said:Hi Kathy,
thank you for your response. Gee,you have a really hard life. I read your "About Me" story-it is unbelievable what you have been through. I really appreciate your positive attitude and your avoiding places with negativity....I am the same. From the moment I got my diagnoze I knew I was going to fight-but I assumed it was going to be easy. After my treatment (chemoradiation) and reading a lot here on boards I realized that it is going to be much harder-and maybe a life-long fight.
I am surprised by your ability to seek second and third opinion,and being personally involved in your treatment. I noticed this in more people's posts. This is new to me. Since my GI dr. gave me the diagnoze after she had done my colonoscopy,I got everything sort of put on my plate without any discussions. Next was an appointment with the colon surgeon,MRI,CT scan,oncology dr.,and they "cooked" the plan for my treatment. I had not been asked to look for a doctor of my choice(not that I would had been able to find one),nor there had been discussion what kind of treatment I would prefer.
I do NOT complain,the opposite;I had been pleasantly surprised by all personel in cancer departments of hospitals in my city. Very nice,friendly,knowledgeble, understanding of my situation....I can be just happy with all of them. Hopefully they have been choosing the right treatment for me,and hopefully the surgery will bring good results.
Just this afternoon I got results of my new MRI,which shows that my tumor shrunk for about 1/3,there is some small improvement in its position,and most importantly that there are no new growths. It's a little success and I am happy for that. On Saturday I have CT scan of my whole torso,and I just hope that it doesn't show any mets anywhere (I never had any prior to treatment).
Sorry for such a long writing;English is my second language,and sometimes I get my thoughts and words mingled ;-)
Thank you again for your kind words,and wish you the best outcome of all your treatments.
Suzy
Hi Suzy & welcome!
Sounds encouraging your tumor has shrunk...let's pray it continues in that direction.
My uterine cancer was caught early so surgery was the only treatment required. I had the robotic with no complications whatsoever! However, it does take time to recover...I remember napping everyday and not having much energy the first few weeks. Pretty typical of any surgery...
I did want to point out I had a temporary stoma from an unrelated surgery. It was not as bad as I expected. I had to learn what foods would cause a problem...thus potential leakage. I learned to carry a spare bag with me just in case. But overall managing it became as routine as brushing my teeth.
I can't say I wasn't happy to have it removed, but if necessary I could have lived with it lifelong with no concerns.
Best of luck with your treatments.
Kathy
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Thank you Kathy,Kathy G. said:Hi Suzy & welcome!
Hi Suzy & welcome!
Sounds encouraging your tumor has shrunk...let's pray it continues in that direction.
My uterine cancer was caught early so surgery was the only treatment required. I had the robotic with no complications whatsoever! However, it does take time to recover...I remember napping everyday and not having much energy the first few weeks. Pretty typical of any surgery...
I did want to point out I had a temporary stoma from an unrelated surgery. It was not as bad as I expected. I had to learn what foods would cause a problem...thus potential leakage. I learned to carry a spare bag with me just in case. But overall managing it became as routine as brushing my teeth.
I can't say I wasn't happy to have it removed, but if necessary I could have lived with it lifelong with no concerns.
Best of luck with your treatments.
Kathy
for your kind words and for mentioning the stoma you got. I am expecting to get illeostoma,hopefully just temporally,but it is good to know how other people had learned to manage it.
It sounds like you are NED after having just surgery and no other treatment. Am I right? Wish you all the best,
Suzy
...and I like your cheerful picture of daisies
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Thinking of you today Suzy
Surgery must be over and your first day of recovery Prayers that all goes well.
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Forherself,Forherself said:Thinking of you today Suzy
Surgery must be over and your first day of recovery Prayers that all goes well.
thank you so much for your post from June 1st,and I am sorry I missed it. Yes,my surgery happened on May 31,been discharged from hospital June 7th.I haven't been on Oxycontin at hospital,and haven't had those injections you suggested. As people on this forum always say-every patient is different,and there are many different ways of treatments.
I had never been in much pains,but the stay in hospital had not been a walk in the rose garden
. I still have JP drain attached to my abdomen,and I got temporary ileostoma,which I expected. I am slowly getting better-one day at a time....The surgery lasted almost 12 hours (colon tumour removal plus complete hysterectomy),but the surgeon told my son,who had been waiting for the results,that they got the whole cancer out! I try to believe it.
A few days ago I got my pathology results on my computer,and I cried tears of joy: all negative for carcinoma,all 14 lymph nodes removed negative for carcinoma,and no metastasis.
Tomorrow is my "D-Day":an appointment with my oncology dr. and my surgeon-first time since the surgery. I expect not only to discuss the results and my recovery,but I hope to be told that there is NOT going to be need for more chemo (as I was told BEFORE the surgery).
If anyone of you have a comment or suggestion I will gladly read and accept it.
As you can see,English is my second language,so please bear with me
.Thank you all for being such a wonderful and helpful group of people and wish you all the best!
Suzy
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Congratulations!
Thank you Suzy for coming back and letting us know how you are doing. It's so wonderful to hear you getting good news. I had that darn JP drain for four weeks after my surgery and I hated it more than the catheter that I had, too. It feels really weird when they pull it out, but it didn't hurt. Congratulations on getting through it all. It sure was a big surgery!
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Congratulations on asuzycruise76 said:Forherself,
thank you so much for your post from June 1st,and I am sorry I missed it. Yes,my surgery happened on May 31,been discharged from hospital June 7th.I haven't been on Oxycontin at hospital,and haven't had those injections you suggested. As people on this forum always say-every patient is different,and there are many different ways of treatments.
I had never been in much pains,but the stay in hospital had not been a walk in the rose garden
. I still have JP drain attached to my abdomen,and I got temporary ileostoma,which I expected. I am slowly getting better-one day at a time....The surgery lasted almost 12 hours (colon tumour removal plus complete hysterectomy),but the surgeon told my son,who had been waiting for the results,that they got the whole cancer out! I try to believe it.
A few days ago I got my pathology results on my computer,and I cried tears of joy: all negative for carcinoma,all 14 lymph nodes removed negative for carcinoma,and no metastasis.
Tomorrow is my "D-Day":an appointment with my oncology dr. and my surgeon-first time since the surgery. I expect not only to discuss the results and my recovery,but I hope to be told that there is NOT going to be need for more chemo (as I was told BEFORE the surgery).
If anyone of you have a comment or suggestion I will gladly read and accept it.
As you can see,English is my second language,so please bear with me
.Thank you all for being such a wonderful and helpful group of people and wish you all the best!
Suzy
Congratulations on a successful surgery! My surgery last April they removed 2 lymph positive lymph nodes plus the positive tumors and a 2 mm positive spot at the vaginal cuff and I did NOT have any treatment. Hopefully the same for you. I had my ileostomy for about 6 weeks
Sending you happy hugs!
Kathy
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I am so happy for your good newssuzycruise76 said:Forherself,
thank you! I am so happy to find these forums (uterine and colon cancer). It opened my horizons with so many life experiences and advices. So many people suffer from this agly disease,many more than I ever thought so. I was diagnosed in January this year,and at first thought it is going to be fast and easy process just to remove the tumor inside my colon.Well,I had been mistaken...4 months later,after getting more information and reading a lot,I know it could be a life-long fight.
I still believe to win this fight! And I wish you all the best in your fight!
I pray tht your recovery is swift. And you get more good news. Thank you for updating us.
0 -
Thank you
all so much for your kind words. My new report follows soon-right now I am too exhausted.
Suzy
0
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