My surgery stay was most uneventful. There was a lot of pain associated with this surgery. It was very extensive. As you may have seen they opened up my abdomen. The incision is from just below the sternum to just below my belly button, approximately 9". They then had to go approximately 1/2 way through my body to get to the lymph node. The lymph node they took out had grown to 25 mm, approximately the size of a quarter. It was determined to be the same strand of cancer we have been battling since 2012, cervical cancer adenocarcinoma. When they were doing the exploratory portion of the surgery it was determined that a portion of my bowel seemed thin so they brought in a general surgeon in and stitched on a layer to the bowel.
I feel fortunate, I'm fortunate that this surgery was an option. This is my third fight with cervical cancer, which is rare. The second fight typically doesn't end well so I am thankful that mine worked out well, even if I was only cancer free for a few months.
The doctor felt like the surrounding lymph nodes were clear, as determined by the exploratory surgery. He suggested we would need a scan in about a month and would determine if we needed to do additional treatment.
I went, along with my husband and mother, to see the nurse at my gynecologic oncology office on July 22nd and had the 24 staples removed from my abdomen as well as having my catheter removed. I went home with my catheter after my five day hospital stay due to the fact that I couldn't void urine. The 22nd I had to stay close to the office and prove I could void on my own. If not, I was going to have to get my catheter put back in. Thankfully, I was able to! I also got clearance to work partial days which is big. This surgery is a 6-8 week recovery. The agreement was that if I went back to work it had to be on a more clerical basis during this recovery time and only partial days.
On Monday my doctor will take my case to the cancer boards again and discuss if further treatment is needed.
I feel fortunate, I'm fortunate that this surgery was an option. This is my third fight with cervical cancer, which is rare. The second fight typically doesn't end well so I am thankful that mine worked out well, even if I was only cancer free for a few months.
The doctor felt like the surrounding lymph nodes were clear, as determined by the exploratory surgery. He suggested we would need a scan in about a month and would determine if we needed to do additional treatment.
I went, along with my husband and mother, to see the nurse at my gynecologic oncology office on July 22nd and had the 24 staples removed from my abdomen as well as having my catheter removed. I went home with my catheter after my five day hospital stay due to the fact that I couldn't void urine. The 22nd I had to stay close to the office and prove I could void on my own. If not, I was going to have to get my catheter put back in. Thankfully, I was able to! I also got clearance to work partial days which is big. This surgery is a 6-8 week recovery. The agreement was that if I went back to work it had to be on a more clerical basis during this recovery time and only partial days.
On Monday my doctor will take my case to the cancer boards again and discuss if further treatment is needed.
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