Post surgery recovery

FormerMember
FormerMember
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In October '20 I could feel a large mass in my abdomen I thought was my bowel. As I have IBS I thought it was due to constipation. I was also suffering with bloating,  lower back pain and reflux.

My gp requested an emergency ct scan. A week later gp told me it was a large mass coming from the ovary. 

Consultant told be it was a large tumour 18th Nov. On 18th December I had surgery to remove the mass ,ovary and fallopian tube.

I was informed it was one of the largest to be seen, a rugby ball in fact but it was removed whole. It had adhered to my bowel, bladder and ureta. The mass had to be scraped away.

I'm very lucky the mass , which was a cyst containing a cancerous tumour was removed whole. It was decided I need no further treatment. 

I am 9 weeks post op today. It still feels surreal. It hasn't fully sunk in. 

I have a lengthy wound which seems to be healing well on the outside. Every so often I get painful twinges. Sometimes the wound tingles stings. 

I've been doing the exercises for recovery. I'm not sure if I'm on par or not. Just when I feel almost normal I start to ache.

Also I get emotional for no reason . I still don't think its sunk in that I had cancer. Its still surreal. I find myself in tears with no explanation and having flashbacks to conversations and events in hospital and during recovery. 

I'm wondering if this is normal and where do I go from here? I live alone and I'm finding it  hard to process the last 5 months. 

  • Hi Phoenix66 and a very warm welcome to the online community

    It sounds like you've been through a lot and it's natural to feel emotional. After all, it's only been a few months since your operation and your body will still be healing.

    The online community is divided up into different cancer support groups so I hope you don't mind me recommending that you have a look through this list and join whichever one is appropriate for you. You'll then connect directly with others who will have had similar surgery and be able to tell you about their recovery. Alternatively, if you tell me what type of cancer you had I'll provide a link for you.

    It would be really useful if you could pop something about your journey so far into your profile as it really helps others when answering or looking for someone with a similar diagnosis. It also means that you don't have to keep repeating yourself. To do this click on your username and then select 'Profile'. You can amend it at any time and if you're not sure what to write you can take a look at mine by clicking on my username.

    If you have any difficulty navigating the community just drop me a reply and I'll be pleased to help.

    x

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     "Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"