Post op exercise

My swelling is already reducing a bit, luckily. I didn't try to get my work trousers on last week as they are tighter than my cut-offs, so did my first week back in mufti, but I'm going to try the work trousers today. I have had a few twinges on the opposite side to my surgery, low in my abdomen - nothing bothering, but I'm just puzzled because if anything it's near to where my hysterectomy hole is from two years ago but I didn't have any twinges from that; until about 4-5 weeks after this latest surgery on the opposite side...I think it might be either referred 'pain' from a nerve running across my abdomen, or maybe somehow I've been carrying myself slightly differently when walking, and have tweaked a muscle there as a result. It doesn't bother me. I am just curious. Still no date for my "six week" follow up which was cancelled, and I'm now 7 weeks in. At this rate it's going to end up a 12-week one!! I will ask about this twinge when I finally get there, but he probably won't know any more than I do what the reason is.

You absolutely should have your routine follow-up. Chase it! It is the consultant's opportunity to tell you how it all went and your chance to ask questions. I am 6 months in now and still get some aches and very strong twinges. Including some sensations that make me shout out.. like someone is zapping me internally with an electric prod! I also still have considerable numbness on my operated side and these  sensations may be bits coming back to life apparently. Who knows ?! Not sure anyone does really! 

It was cancelled due to "unforeseen circumstances" and I have since found out that one of the two kidney nurses is on long-term leave (not sure why and I didn't ask) so they are very short staffed. My consultant wrote me answers to the questions I relayed to him via the other kidney nurse, and he indicated that it "could be a couple of weeks yet". This was a week ago. So I'll leave it one more week and then chase up. I am on holiday in six weeks and I don't want to leave it that long. 

I feel rather abandoned also on the hysterectomy front. I had that surgery two years ago. I had three three-monthly follow-ups. Then the next one was six months even though I was told at the start it would be every three months for a year then every six months for the next two years. At the six month one I was told (and this was just 15 months after the surgery) that from then on, it would be by phone only, not face to face. That should have been January and I was starting to wonder if I'd missed a phone call. I chased them up in March before my kidney surgery and they apologised it was late. Had a chat on the phone with the nurse and she didn't tell me anything I didn't already know...basically, less than two years after surgery the ball is firmly in my court to report any new symptoms but the only symptom they keep telling me to report is bleeding. No suggestion of scans or internal exams. I'm not a medic but as I see it, if I am bleeding down there it's already come back for definite. Surely prevention and early detection is better?

I was told by my consultant as soon as the lab results came back, that this was very early stage and he obviously isn't concerned it will return and is confident he has got it all - but, I don't see how he can say that for certain. I have no idea what the future plans are - do I get regular scans? Nobody has told me anything about this. Are they thinking they can push me to the back of the queue because I had early stage, it has been taken out with a good margin, I have no ongoing problems (except this darn allergy that still hasn't completely gone from one incision) and am fit and well again now?

So yes, I will chase them next week. The speed of treatment in my health authority area seems pretty good, but the aftercare is what I am starting to doubt, and this is the second surgery/cancer I am having doubts over their aftercare. 

I am sorry you are still getting pains, and numbness. I feel very fortunate in that respect, and hope that it doesn't all suddenly hit me in a few weeks or months - have you had these pains and numbness throughout, or were you feeling 100% and then they came on later? I do have a very high pain threshhold mostly. But I don't even have any pain to be able to judge any threshhold of. The only thing concerning me is this lower incision which is still a bit itchy and being managed by a steroid cream, which is due to stop after tonight. If it returns in a few days I shall be off to the GP again; that will be the 4th or 5th time in four weeks (I'm losing count now!!) - nobody seems to know if it's an allergy to the surgical glue which is on my records that I'm allergic to glue on some hospital dressings!!, or if it's a bacterial infection. It's not completely healed yet, compared with the others. Consultant in his response letter, said that the lower one can sometimes take a few weeks to a couple of months to heal. I'm now 7 weeks in and wondering if he is right in saying that in 6 weeks I will be able to swim, given that he hasn't yet seen this incision!

I am 74 and I wonder if my age may play a part in how long it is all taking to finally get back to "normal"! But I think they do tend to downplay the after effects of these big ops...and yes, aftercare is increasingly poor. It all seems the norm now sadly and we can feel a bit abandoned. I began to feel a bit better after about 10 weeks, then went backwards a bit with increased abdominal pains and swelling, and now it has all eased. I feel much better now at 6 months! I think we each have entirely different experiences really.. so being given very generic info about what to expect and how long etc is quite unhelpful. Someone to ask/check with along the way and reassurance that we are doing ok is important. My cancer nurse team are nice but overstretched and not available face ti face, nor always hugely helpful on the phone (once they do get back to me after I have left a message). We have to self-advocate and keep politely insisting! It is all a bit wearying. But be patient.. it does get better and easier. X

Well, I rang my GP surgery this morning for the results on the swab the doctor took last Tuesday - and the result is that it is clear. No infection or bacteria etc so the cream has evidently worked. My neighbour says that's typical that if there's no problem, they don't bother to put your mind at rest! (No excuse really - I have a page on the MyCare for Test Results and every darn thing usually gets put on MyCare, even things that I would prefer a hard copy letter for, such as appointments. If I can't get online for any reason, I can't access MyCare!)

So armed with that info, I rang the consultant's secretary and left a message and  explained I have no 6-week date, seven weeks on, and have the all-clear on incision infection but it is still a bit itchy and not looking completely healed like the others. And that I haven't a clue if or when I've to have regular scans or how often because nobody has told me anything about what the procedure is from here.

She rang me back and asked me if next Weds was too soon!! (I think she hoped I'd say yes!!) - I said, I'll take that appointment. 

So my 6-week follow up will be at 8 weeks but at least I will get to see the consultant, with my list of questions (he's answered some already by letter, but I still have another two or three that have arisen since) and be able to show him this incision. I am worried about going off to France with this still looking the same as it did a few weeks ago minus the spottiness - it's not the language that would be the issue, but the fact that if I had to see a doctor I might have to fork out money up front even with the EHIC, plus I want to book my holiday insurance and would prefer to be able to honestly state on the form that I am healed, rather than have to state that there is an incision that doesn't look "right" but hasn't yet been seen by my surgeon!

So, thank you Tilly for your little 'nudge' which actually pushed me to not only ring for my swab results, which was on my to-do list anyway for today, but to go further and ring the consultant team today rather than in another few days. They could have left me sitting here another couple of weeks or more if I hadn't pursued this here and now! - so, thank you!!

As regards age, I think it's true that mostly the older we are the slower we are to heal, for everything not just surgery. I am ten years younger than you and have always healed very well, even from my hysterectomy two years ago. That's why having this stubborn incision is bugging me. However, at two years older than I was last time, maybe that has made the difference - who knows?

I am hoping I don't have a "relapse" - I didn't last time, but then again I am two years older than last time so I shouldn't perhaps rely on my body being good at healing itself. If I get a setback, it's going to fall when I'm in France, and whilst I know where the doctor is in the village we stay in, for the above reason I would prefer not to have to contact him! 

At work (only been back a week already) we have lost another staff member since I went back!! So now I have just been asked to do extra on Monday because after everyone covering for me for six weeks, now others are starting to burn out and get ill!!! We only have a tiny team anyway - 5 of us to cover seven days a week 12 hours a day. And I am adhering strictly to no lifting anything heavier than one 4-pints of milk in each hand, so I won't be emptying the cages of delivery on Monday and have told them that!! Otherwise I probably will end up with a relapse!!

So glad you achieved some progress. Well done. And I really hope you have a lovely trouble-free holiday. X

Totally agree on that.

Well said.