Newly diagnosed pending surgery

goal4me
goal4me Member Posts: 1
edited March 2014 in Uterine/Endometrial Cancer #1
Hi -

Feel fortunate to find this site as a hit when googleing nutrition and uterine cancer!

I was diagnosed 10/26/09 with uterine cancer following an entrometrial biopsy.
They say it is Grade or Class 1 (not sure which, maybe someone on the board will know!?!?)
and PAP normal, pelvic ultrasound normal. I just turned 59 and periods stopped about 15 years ago. Surgery is scheduled for 11/23/09. The doctor I went to want to wait for a gyn oncologist to assist and the scheduler says thats the first date for both of them to do the operation.

The nutrition information I have been reading on the posts is great...

Appreciate any and all info. on what to ask the doctor, what to anticipate or really any words of advise.

I'll post picture and see more about this site as I'm able in the next few days or so.
Thanks in advance for being an open resource and support group!!!

Cheers,

Mary Jane

Comments

  • daisy366
    daisy366 Member Posts: 1,458 Member
    #2
    Great that you will have the
    Great that you will have the GYN/ONC doing surgery. That is what we all should have. Hopefully you will have stage 1/and or grade 1 - I think these have the best prognosis but I'm not any expert on this.

    It sounds like you are in good hands. I would just suggest that you not worry yourself sick before the surgery. And remember that YOU are NOT cancer. You are a young woman who needs to have surgery and then continue to enjoy life!!

    My best to you and yours, Mary Ann
  • california_artist
    california_artist Member Posts: 816 Member
    #3
    Hi, Mary Jane,
    You emailed me, but I thought I would answer you here. Oddly the thing that helped the most after surgery was something I did before surgery.

    You'll find when you come home and while you're in the hospital that you need really strong upper arms. No, I'm not kidding. You won't really be able to use you stomach muscles due to the stitches. So, I recommend you strengthen your upper arms like crazy between now and the date of your surgery. You'll be thankful afterwards. this is the exercise I did.It's quite simple. You stand about two feet away from you kitchen counter, lean forward putting your hands about torso width on the counter and with your knees very slightly bent push slowly til you are again at arms length, then lower yourself to the counter again. Do this about fifty times a day for the first few days and increase it to fifty times each three or more times a day. I also added a sort of lowering my butt with arms extended and then pulled myself up using my glutes.

    After surgery be very careful when you go to sit that you have something behind you to support you or you can really strain yourself. When my daughter came to pick me up at the hospital, she had put the seat back on the car so I could lie down on the road home, thinking it would make me more comfortable. Unfortunately, I didn't notice and when I got in and went to lean back I had no abdominals to hold me, but tried to use them anyway and pulled some muscle that bother me for weeks. It was a horribly painful experience.

    The other thing is to lie in bed and look around, thinking of yourself not being able to get up very easily, and consider what it is that would like to have that getting is usually easy and put it there prior to going to the hospital.

    I'm not in the words of wisdom mode right now as I just got back from taking my youngest daughter to the doctor and my thoughts are with her. I think this is good practical advice and wish someone had mentioned these things to me.


    Welcome, we'll do all that we can for you. Ask us anything. If you look at the very fine print on the bottom of the page you will see all we say is for informational purposes only and you shouldn't rely on us for final decisions But we'll lovingly share what we know.

    Claudia
  • lindaprocopio
    lindaprocopio Member Posts: 1,980 Member
    #4
    california_artist said:

    Hi, Mary Jane,
    You emailed me, but I thought I would answer you here. Oddly the thing that helped the most after surgery was something I did before surgery.

    You'll find when you come home and while you're in the hospital that you need really strong upper arms. No, I'm not kidding. You won't really be able to use you stomach muscles due to the stitches. So, I recommend you strengthen your upper arms like crazy between now and the date of your surgery. You'll be thankful afterwards. this is the exercise I did.It's quite simple. You stand about two feet away from you kitchen counter, lean forward putting your hands about torso width on the counter and with your knees very slightly bent push slowly til you are again at arms length, then lower yourself to the counter again. Do this about fifty times a day for the first few days and increase it to fifty times each three or more times a day. I also added a sort of lowering my butt with arms extended and then pulled myself up using my glutes.

    After surgery be very careful when you go to sit that you have something behind you to support you or you can really strain yourself. When my daughter came to pick me up at the hospital, she had put the seat back on the car so I could lie down on the road home, thinking it would make me more comfortable. Unfortunately, I didn't notice and when I got in and went to lean back I had no abdominals to hold me, but tried to use them anyway and pulled some muscle that bother me for weeks. It was a horribly painful experience.

    The other thing is to lie in bed and look around, thinking of yourself not being able to get up very easily, and consider what it is that would like to have that getting is usually easy and put it there prior to going to the hospital.

    I'm not in the words of wisdom mode right now as I just got back from taking my youngest daughter to the doctor and my thoughts are with her. I think this is good practical advice and wish someone had mentioned these things to me.


    Welcome, we'll do all that we can for you. Ask us anything. If you look at the very fine print on the bottom of the page you will see all we say is for informational purposes only and you shouldn't rely on us for final decisions But we'll lovingly share what we know.

    Claudia

    I got a great book on Hysterectomys written by GynOnc.
    The book suggested that you build up your iron prior to a hysterectomy, and so I took Slow-FE (available without prescription) the weeks before my hysterectomy and also took ColdEase (or that other anti-cold fizzy table I can't think of the name now) so I wouldn't get sick before my surgery. I upped my fiber intake with high-fiber cereal and spinach salads and lots of nuts and grains and fruit, so my digestion would be at peak before surgery. The book recommended that you not EAT anything the days right after your surgery, until bowel function returns. Unfortunately I ate the food the nurses brought me, and deeply regretted it when the projectile vomiting started. The book also recommended getting right up and WALKING (with help) the day after your surgery. I did that, and am glad I did. I also suggest that you take as FEW pain pills as possible, as they delay bowel function and you will want bowel function more than anything a few days after surgery. I drank lots of glasses of warm water after my surgery and that was the most soothing thing for me. ((((BIG HUGS))))
  • susie1143
    susie1143 Member Posts: 105
    #5
    Upcoming Surgery
    I was fortunate to have robotic surgery on Aug 26th and home the next day. One thing I remembered from previous surgeries is loose clothing to go home in since you don't want anything on your ab area. I went to a thrift store and brought 3 loose dresses that button up the middle. This made it so much easier and more comfortable.

    Also, I drank a lot of water and ate high fiber foods. It took a few days to have that first bowel movement but wasn't too bad. Also, warm prune juice helps in that department. Walking as soon as possible is key so that gets your intestines moving.

    Hope this helps.

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