I have only 6 days until my surgery! Dr. Bahador managed to bump his schedule around. He said considering my daily life limitations currently, it was necessary to move it up from Sept 29.
He is performing a surgery that is much more complex than the total hysterectomies he typically does. My surgery will be 4-6 hrs long. I will have an incision from just below the sternum to about to the top of the pubic bone. He will be removing lymph nodes (where the torso meets abdomen, and upper abdomen), uterus, fallopian tubes, ovaries, etc. He will have to see what else is going on inside. The incisions will have to have what he referred to as "clear margins." In other words, he may take some healthy tissue along with the cancer to be sure he took out as much cancer.
A possible side effect of the surgery is a condition called "lyphedema." Because he is removing some of my lymph nodes my circulation will be affected. Depending on my reaction to the surgery I could be required to wear compression stockings for this condition on a long-term basis. The stockings provide support on the legs and prevent fluid from accumulating, thereby avoiding looking "puffy." I will be going to a "lyphedema clinic" a little while after the surgery for some education of the condition and preventive care instructions.
Tomorrow I will get my pre-operative tests - EKG, chest x-ray, blood tests. On the day of surgery I will check in at 6 a.m. and surgery is due to start at 8 a.m.
I also called my work supervisor today and advised that I will not be coming into work for a conference re: changes to my leave of absence. (This is before I found out about my surgery date). She is aware that it will be quite sometime before I will be in contact with her.
The immediate family is in the works to see how they can help with my care when I come home.
It is possible that I will have visits from a home health nurse after I get home.
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