Normal recovery time?

njprncss4216
njprncss4216 Member Posts: 11
edited March 2014 in Gynecological Cancers (other than ovarian and uterine) #1
Is there a normal recovery time for wide margin local excisions?

I had a wide margin local excision on Wednesday, 3/1/06. Monday was the first day I woke up without swelling. I still have pain and a burning type discomfort. Have also been experiencing seepage with occassional tinges of blood. Seepage is a weird yellow-orange. Called my gyn-onc got the resident on call and she said come on in we'll take a look and make sure it's not infected.. The problem is I live 75 miles from the hospital and haven't been able to sit upright for more than 1 hour since the surgery. I am not fit to drive to Wal-Mart right now let alone Philadelphia. Whats normal during this type of recovery?

For swelling try condom slushies!

Condom Slushies Rock!!!

Post vulvar biopsy and post wide margin excision of the carcinoma I experienced both pain & swelling.

How to Make Condom Slushies

1. Pour approximately 1.25 inches of rubbing alcohol into a condom, and then fill rest of the way with tap water leaving room to tie into a knot at the end.

2. Gently roll another condom onto the liquid filled condom and tie into a knot.

3. Make at least 4 of these Condom Slushies and place in freezer for 2 hours, overnight is even better.

4. Remove one Condom Slushie from freezer, wrap in wash cloth and place on vulva

5. You will now experience bliss

Swelling is a normal physical reaction to an invasive procedure. What no one tells you is how to comfortably apply ice to this area! As a matter of fact no one mentioned ice at all. It has been my experience that when any body part swells up after an injury or a surgery you ice it.

*This may also provide relief for women experiencing pain after an episiotomy.

Comments

  • fightforit
    fightforit Member Posts: 11
    #2
    I had a wide margin local excision done in jan. 2006. A lot of pain and swelling. Also busted my stiches so be careful! I found that sitz baths as hot as you can stand helped alot. I also used a plastic syringe filled with part water and part hydrogyn peroxide to keep the area as clean as possible. There will be some seepage and blood. I didn't experience the colors though. But if you are on pain meds. becareful they can make you constipated. And that makes the situation even worse. Use a stool softner not a laxative. My surgery was january 10, it is now march 8 almost healed. It does get better but it takes time. See if they will call you in some antibiotics first before you travel all that way.
  • njprncss4216
    njprncss4216 Member Posts: 11
    #3
    fightforit said:

    I had a wide margin local excision done in jan. 2006. A lot of pain and swelling. Also busted my stiches so be careful! I found that sitz baths as hot as you can stand helped alot. I also used a plastic syringe filled with part water and part hydrogyn peroxide to keep the area as clean as possible. There will be some seepage and blood. I didn't experience the colors though. But if you are on pain meds. becareful they can make you constipated. And that makes the situation even worse. Use a stool softner not a laxative. My surgery was january 10, it is now march 8 almost healed. It does get better but it takes time. See if they will call you in some antibiotics first before you travel all that way.

    I have been rinsing the area with a spray bottle of warm distilled water which they recommended in the hospital. Gee thats odd, I was told the exact opposite of what you were. I had also asked about sitz baths as I had read they could be helpful online before the procedure and the recovery room nurse said absolutely not! She then added no baths of any kind and that I needed to keep the area dry.

    I had to stop taking the Percoset Saturday it was making me have weird hallucinogenic type dreams. I have been alternating between Motrin and Tylenol today. The motrin broke my fever, so I feel that I can make the trip into the city tomorrow. It's looking ugly and I don't want it to start healing incorrectly.

    I had a laparoscopic myomectomy in Dec. 98 which was my first ever surgery. That was a walk through the park compared to this.

    So other than the cancer thing how are you?
    What state are you in? I lucked out and was referred by a friend at work to a great gynecologic oncologist at the UPenn Medical Ctr.

    I am an e-mail junkie so if you ever want to chat, vent or compare battle scars I'm here.
  • Sister63
    Sister63 Member Posts: 1
    #4
    njprncss4216 said:

    I have been rinsing the area with a spray bottle of warm distilled water which they recommended in the hospital. Gee thats odd, I was told the exact opposite of what you were. I had also asked about sitz baths as I had read they could be helpful online before the procedure and the recovery room nurse said absolutely not! She then added no baths of any kind and that I needed to keep the area dry.

    I had to stop taking the Percoset Saturday it was making me have weird hallucinogenic type dreams. I have been alternating between Motrin and Tylenol today. The motrin broke my fever, so I feel that I can make the trip into the city tomorrow. It's looking ugly and I don't want it to start healing incorrectly.

    I had a laparoscopic myomectomy in Dec. 98 which was my first ever surgery. That was a walk through the park compared to this.

    So other than the cancer thing how are you?
    What state are you in? I lucked out and was referred by a friend at work to a great gynecologic oncologist at the UPenn Medical Ctr.

    I am an e-mail junkie so if you ever want to chat, vent or compare battle scars I'm here.

    I was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma in situ on 6/6/06. Saw the oncologist the next week and they did the wide local excision the next day. I am still in the recovery process, but they said they think they got it all. I go back next week to check on the healing and hopefully go back to work on the 10th of July. My experience has been a LOT of pain. Especially if I stand too long. I have found that the good old "donut" from childbearing days has helped me be able to sit at my computer and enjoy learning the new things and experiences that everyone else is going through and know that I am not alone. As for help with the healing, good pain pills are a first and at the hospital they gave me these huge pads that actually had an ice-pack built into them. What a lifesaver those were when they sent them home with me! The swelling was so bad I could barely go to the bathroom and thanks to those it went down very quickly. I am only 43 and I fear recurrence of this cancer. What have you experienced or been told as far as that goes? I too am an email junkie, so please give me your thoughts on this.

Discussion Boards