Stage 2 Bowel cancer

Sorry to hear that you have joined “our club” but welcome! Between us we have a wealth of experience, including of laparoscopy to remote tumours. My own experience ( I’m 73) was entirely positive. I was in hospital for 5 days, up and walking around the ward the first day after the op ( they like to get you moving asap). Once home I took a walk ( starting with 10 minutes, and building up to 30 minutes over the course of a week) up and dressed and outside. Stitches came out after ten days I think. As usual with abdominal surgery avoid lifting anything heavy for up to six weeks. Food wise, avoid fibrous foods for a while. You will be given all this information and support when you get to see the surgeon and anaesthetist. This is a very routine procedure, and you’ll be in good, and expert, hands.

I had single port laparoscopy for a larger operation a panproctocolectomy .just a couple of stitches in my navel.I think it certainly cut down the recovery time once I was home.(ileus held things up but that often happens anyway as the bowel doesnt like being messed with)

All the best

Kath

Chris

Thank you

Post operation did you experience discomfort and  pain which required Morphine etc 

Would you know if you had Single Port Laparoscopy surgery, or the more invasive 

multiport laparoscopy, and where was the hospital located which carried out your operation 

Regards

Mariner 

Hi, the only pain I really had was in my left shoulder for a couple of days. This was likely from pressure from the carbon dioxide they inflate the abdominal cavity with to ensure a good view,,and some separation of organs, on the phrenic nerve, which gives referred pain in the shoulder. The pain was easily controlled with paracetamol.

i certainly didn’t need morphine for any pain. I had the more traditional laparoscopy approach, 5 small insertions around the navel area ( my tumour was at the splenic juncture) plus an exit below the “bikini” line about 3 cms long, to extract the tumour and 45 lymph nodes. None of these caused any pain that needed medication. 
The hospital is in Sagunto, about 30kms north of Valencia. 

Not identical because mine was the sigmoid colon, but I’m a week out from laparoscopic surgery to remove the affected part. I had multi port surgery - five incisions, 2 of perhaps 1cm, two about an inch across, and quite a large one across the bikini line about 4 inches. 
I’m not going to lie, the first couple of days were very painful. I had self-administered morphine which helped a lot. They get you up and moving the day after surgery which is difficult to start with but does help get you back to normal. I had my op on Thursday and they kicked me out on Sunday so I wasn’t in long. 
As I said, it was only a week ago but I’m getting a little better every day. I bought a wedge to prop myself up in bed because I find that more comfortable than trying to sleep flat, I’m eating ok, obviously I’m not doing anything too strenuous but I’m pottering about doing bits and pieces. I do tire quite easily though.

Thank you for that information

It appears that my local hospital in South Essex is unable to undertake single port ( I wonder why ?) so therefore it looks as if the op will be of the multi port variety 

Hopefully I will be prescribed Morphine or similar for the resultant pain relief 

However the operation may be in abeyance due to the impending Junior Doctor's strike, which I understand will be intermittent between now and year end 

Oh gosh I forgot about the strike, I hope it doesn’t delay your surgery! 

Yes, you should get morphine, it’s pretty standard after an op like this I believe and it’s a godsend.