Questions about surgery

forme
forme Member Posts: 1,161 Member
in Ovarian Cancer #1
Hi All,

I keep coming up with questions, that I did not think to ask the onc about. Maybe you have some answers.

I am having major debulking surgery and wondered if I will have any type of drains after the surgery. I guess I mught have a catheter, but any thing else that might be a possibility. I know that everyone is different, but I like to know ahead of time what might be possible. That way, I hopefully won't be to shocked.

Thanks for any advice or words of wisdom you may have.

Hugs
Lisha

Comments

  • kikz
    kikz Member Posts: 1,345 Member
    #2
    I did have a drain
    for a few days. I was in the hospital for 5 days. I went in on a Monday and was scheduled to be released on Friday but I told surgeon I was leary about going home so he let me stay an extra day. I can't remember what day the drain was removed. The surgeon told me "I sailed through surgery" and it wasn't really that bad. I had some pain but it was my fault because I didn't tell the nurses. Looking back I don't know why. After a few days at home, I felt really good and had a quick recovery. Best of luck to you, Lisha and I will keep you in my prayers.


    Karen
  • Felicia_205
    Felicia_205 Member Posts: 79 Member
    #3
    I always have a catheter and
    I always have a catheter and a JP drain after surgery but if they have to do any resections you could have more stuff. When I had a bowel resection I had a NG tube in. The drain and catheter never really bother me too much usually by the time it becomes irritating they take it out.
  • Felicia_205
    Felicia_205 Member Posts: 79 Member
    #4
    Felicia_205 said:

    I always have a catheter and
    I always have a catheter and a JP drain after surgery but if they have to do any resections you could have more stuff. When I had a bowel resection I had a NG tube in. The drain and catheter never really bother me too much usually by the time it becomes irritating they take it out.

    Sorry I just thought of one
    Sorry I just thought of one more thing. My first 2 surgeries I had a pain pump and the most recent 2 my anasthesiolgist(sp?) recommended an epideral. I would highly recommend the epediral if they offer that to you. There was a huge differance in the amount of pain I was in. I also had less nausea with the epideral since you require less meds to ease your pain than with a pain pump. Good luck with your surgery!!
  • Tethys41
    Tethys41 Member Posts: 1,382 Member
    #5
    Drains
    Yes, of course there was a catheter for the first few days. No drains for me, everthing was sewn up tight. I also had an NG tube for a few days, which is pretty common if you have a bowel resection. I suppose it is different for each patient, but my doctor told me there was a possiblilty of a colostomy, but that it would probably be reversible sometime down the line. I managed to dodge that bullet.
  • Felicia_205
    Felicia_205 Member Posts: 79 Member
    #6
    Felicia_205 said:

    I always have a catheter and
    I always have a catheter and a JP drain after surgery but if they have to do any resections you could have more stuff. When I had a bowel resection I had a NG tube in. The drain and catheter never really bother me too much usually by the time it becomes irritating they take it out.

    Sorry I just thought of one
    Sorry I just thought of one more thing. My first 2 surgeries I had a pain pump and the most recent 2 my anasthesiolgist(sp?) recommended an epideral. I would highly recommend the epediral if they offer that to you. There was a huge differance in the amount of pain I was in. I also had less nausea with the epideral since you require less meds to ease your pain than with a pain pump. Good luck with your surgery!!
  • ktamp
    ktamp Member Posts: 81
    #7
    I've had 4 abdominal
    I've had 4 abdominal surgeries in the past 2 years. Two colon resections for colon cancer, my debulking surgery for ovarian and a hernia repair. The hysterectomy and debulking was the most difficult for me. While my cancer was confined to my right ovary, I had endometriosis everywhere that had to be debulked. I only had a drain for the hernia repair and that nearly drove me over the edge as I had to come home with it. I was fine with it until I was told I had to take that stupid thing home. I had a catheter for 24-48 hours after each surgery. My tips for surgery (and I am a pro after 4 ;) )Take your pain medicine as often as you need it. Don't try to be a hero. It hurts. Get up and walk several times a day and sit in a chair. It will help to get your bowels moving again after which you will be allowed to eat. Ask for an abdominal binder and use it. It is so helpful in pain control. It keeps you from straining your abdominal muscles during recovery. Good luck to you! Hang in there!
  • leesag
    leesag Member Posts: 621 Member
    #8
    Hi Lisha,
    As you can see,
    Hi Lisha,

    As you can see, everyone's experience is different. I did not have any drains, but because part of my bladder was resected, I had a catheter for 2 weeks. Since I clearly wasn't going anywhere when I got home (went in on Wed. went home on Mon.) my husband hooked me up with a bucket to carry around so I wouldn't have to carry the bag. (We called it my "Bucket O'P)

    I did wake up with an NG tube (Not sure why, could be because my bowel also required a slight resection), but the doctor removed that first time he saw me in ICU after surgery.

    I can tell you this....if you have ANY questions or concerns...CALL your surgeon immediately!

    Hugs and Best Wishes for a swift recovery!

    Leesa
  • 2timothy1 7
    2timothy1 7 Member Posts: 345
    #9
    Hi there
    I just wanted to
    Hi there
    I just wanted to mention not to overdo things once you get home. Once home & I started feeling good, I overdid things and pulled a muscle in my abdomen. Be sure to take it easy and slip back into things gradually.
    Pray all goes well
    Shawnna
  • Glad to be done
    Glad to be done Member Posts: 569
    #10
    I had a complete
    I had a complete hysterectomy in January of this year. My doc offered the epidural and since I had one with a c-section I knew what to expect and took her up on it. So glad I did. It helped alot with pain relief. I had surgery on Monday morning. They removed the epidural tuesday morning and I went home on wednesday afternoon. I did not have any drains after surgery. Not even a catheter (sp?)

    Good luck with surgery.
  • Glad to be done
    Glad to be done Member Posts: 569
    #11
    I had a complete
    I had a complete hysterectomy in January of this year. My doc offered the epidural and since I had one with a c-section I knew what to expect and took her up on it. So glad I did. It helped alot with pain relief. I had surgery on Monday morning. They removed the epidural tuesday morning and I went home on wednesday afternoon. I did not have any drains after surgery. Not even a catheter (sp?)

    Good luck with surgery.
  • Glad to be done
    Glad to be done Member Posts: 569
    #12
    I had a complete
    I had a complete hysterectomy in January of this year. My doc offered the epidural and since I had one with a c-section I knew what to expect and took her up on it. So glad I did. It helped alot with pain relief. I had surgery on Monday morning. They removed the epidural tuesday morning and I went home on wednesday afternoon. I did not have any drains after surgery. Not even a catheter (sp?)

    Good luck with surgery.
  • kayandok
    kayandok Member Posts: 1,202 Member
    #13
    Surgery
    The first debulk surgery I had, I woke up and was shocked to be intubated. I wasn't told about that possibility, and was frustrated that I couldn't talk to the nurse to find out what was going on. My surgeon ended up going late into the night and I think it was a safety precaution. When my surgeon got there soon after I woke up, I was unplugged. I had a NG tupbe (not sure what it stands for but it is a tube going into your nose down to your stomach to drain any fluid build up. I had it for a week.) I also had two JP (Jackson Pratt) drains. I had them for about 5 days until there was no blood/fluid coming out. I had 10 inches of my bowel resected, along with a lot of cancer, the surgery was 5 hours. I was in the hospital for 10 days, and had the chemo on day 10 of my surgery before going back to my hotel. The main reason, I stayed so long was because I was away from home, and my doctor was being extra careful. A few days later, I crawled onto a plane to go to my Mom's to recoer. A week later, I flew back to Japan. My recovery was very smooth and I only needed pain meds for a week after going to Mom's (so really 3 weeks or so total). I do agree however, with not being a "hero" with the meds, if you need it, take it! It helps you sleep and relax, which is what you need for healing.

    As Leesa mentioned, there is no one protocol for treating OVCA. It seems to be very unique to each person. I think one reason is because it usually spreads "like spray paint" in the abdomen, as opposed to through the lymph system. So, a small tumor can be ON the lymph node but not IN the lymph node. (Although, in some cases it seems to go into the lymph too.) At leaast that is the explanation my doc gave to me.

    Wishing you smooth sailing and a quick recovery!

    Hugs and prayers,
    kathleen

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