Pre and Post Op

Busy week of pre Op, then operation, then post Op.  In August I was diagnosed with Endometrial Cancer or cancer of the uterus.  Although it is unknown what causes this cancer it was interesting to me that I had none of the risk factors typically associated with it.  The treatment recommended was a radical hysterectomy including removal of the ovaries and nodules around the aorta.  The testing required leading up to the surgery was intense and included pap smears, ultra sounds, pelvic exams, then a visit to the oncologist, Dr. Suri, and then EKG's, echocardiogram, urine and blood analysis, a mammogram, and rounding up all previous test done a year ago for comparison, then finally a visit to the anesthesiologist.  The day before the surgery a clear liquid diet was needed including digesting a gallon of sodium chloride, sodium bicarbonate and potassium chloride or White Recon or yukky stuff (I managed about 1/2 of it). Upside: I hit a weight level I hadn't seen in a decade :)

My sister Sue decided to fly to Houston to be with me which turned out to be a godsend and I'll be forever grateful for her presence during this time. 

During the visit with Dr Suri (which I joked with him and called him my middle son as he's 35 years old) he told me about a relatively new system for performing this procedure which was developed in the last 5 years or so called the da Vinci system which allows this surgery to be performed robotically.  Because of this system the surgery would be far less invasive and the recovery time much quicker.  The gynecologists that worked on me during surgery which began at 1:15 pm on Wednesday October 22nd, were Dr Paul Cook, Dr Ziad Melhem, and the lead doctor, Dr Roz Nanda.  Each of them took a quadrant of the overall procedure and then Dr Suri removed the ovaries and nodules around aorta.  The actual surgery took just under 2 hours and they all seemed quite pleased with how it went. 

I was in my own room by 8:00 pm that evening and Doug and Sue were there to greet me and presented me with a Get Well balloon and a stuffed toy that reminded me of Gem. 

Sue stayed the night (and had to sleep on two chairs pushed together) and provided much needed comfort.  The two things that helped the most throughout the first night were water and the feel of the toy.  Within 12 hours of the surgery I was shifting from side to side and within 36 hours was on my feet and took some steps.  Twenty-four hours post the surgery I still had some of the anesthesia in my system and wasn't performing all of the functions needed to be released so ended up staying a 2nd night, again Sue was there the entire time.  Release finally came late in the day on Friday and I came home to flowers and gifts from neighbors and family.  Thank you everyone for your thoughts, calls, well wishes and prayers.  Pathology report will be available next Wednesday and hope to hear that all's clear and life as normal.