Robot surgery

Hi. I had robotic surgery last March and had everything removed plus some lymph nodes. Like yourself as I live on my own I wasn’t allowed to go home. However, there was a slight complication during the procedure and as a result I ended up staying in an extra three days. The catheter was in overnight and I was glad of it as I have arthritis and it would have been hard to get up in the night. 
I may have been on a drip overnight too though vagina wasn’t packed. I wore a pad anyway but don’t recall bleeding. I was on liquid morphine that evening so memory not great as I was well out of it according to my ward mates. 
I was also on oxygen for a few days just one of those little cannula things up my nose.

Uncertain how long the operation lasted. Certainly a few hours, I was told it could be up to 5 but I was in post operative suite coming round about 3.5 hours  That was with the extra time to fix the issue. Hope this helps. 

Every operation is different even if there are general guidelines. I would avoid Dr. Google as there’s a lot of misleading information on the net. 

Hi Poppy, I hope you don't mind if I join you as I have similar questions before the same op scheduled in January. I was diagnosed in July and had to lose 4 stone before the op (not so difficult with such a big incentive!). I was so focused on getting the go-ahead that I didn't actually think much about the op itself. I can't imagine the shock you must have felt being told you needed the op and being rushed through it so quickly. 

As well as the questions you've raised, my biggie is do I need to do anything to clean my vagina afterwards? Also, apart from sanitary towels, do I need to buy any dressings? Top tip - apparently Lil-lets maternity towels are very good, I've just bought a load from Amazon.

My CNS is an absolute star but very difficult to get hold of as I work FT and can't take phone calls. I'm going to call her next week as I'm off and will let you know if I get some answers.

I was originally told I could go home the same day but I expressed my concern at my pre-op as I am still overweight and live with my 83yo mum. They've now changed me to in-patient. Hopefully you'll get your CNS soon to discuss it.

I don't know if you've had the chance to look through some of the other threads on here. There's loads of good info. A lot is conflicting - entirely expected as we're all different but also different advice given by medical professionals. 

By the way, no need to apologise for asking personal questions - we're all here for the same reason! 

Thank you for your reply on your experience, I hate hospitals and really don't want to stay in but will do as I am told!  One thing the surgeon quickly said was due to the position they tilt you in for the operation its more difficult to keep lungs inflated which scared me a bit and he mentioned my bmi was higher making it more difficult to operate and possible complications. I didn't get chance to question it before he had to rush off and left me with the consultant doing the clinic.

Hi Unstablemate, good to hear from you and that someone else is about to start the journey like me. I have been fast tracked as in 2018 I had breast cancer and had surgery, chemo and radiotherapy and after 5 years of follow ups I was discharged and clear of cancer. I was elated only to find out 3 months later I had a cancerous polyp in my womb!  I have been assured this is a new primary cancer and NOT a recurrence or any connection to my breast cancer so just very unlucky!!  I am sorry you are also on this journey and have had to wait so long for your surgery, we are very similar, I work full time too, am 63 and whilst I don't live with my father he is 90 so I do visit or phone him nearly every day but I will only be able to phone post op and its just not sinking in with him. I think he will only realise when I actually go to hospital. I also have a high BMI but as my operation is urgent they are going ahead but mentioned the operation may be more difficult but I think I will ask the anaethestist next week as the surgeon mentioned being tilted backwards on the operating table and keeping the lungs inflated for a long time is difficult in larger people.. A cancer nurse is contacting me next week as I have had to be sent to a specialist cancer hospital now as where I was diagnosed they don't do cancer related hysterectomy's. I will try and get more detailed information and let you know. I hope your surgery goes well and keep us posted on how you are doing, I believe my surgery is currently scheduled for the 9th January but they are trying to bring this date forward which I should find out next week. Good luck.

Hi Poppy58, exciting times but before I say anything more PLEASE STOP GOOGLING! You will get all kind of wrong, irrelevant, inapplicable and out of date information which may scare you -  and it sounds like it already has! Dr Google should be struck off as he’s so unreliable. You have us here, and you have the Macmillan website and helpline.

For me mine was laparoscopic not robotic, but the op is the same. I wrote a diary thread when I had my op and I will post the link in a separate post. But to answer your questions: I walked down to theatre just after midday - I had arrived at 7.30am but was the last one in. I started coming round in the recovery area about 3.30pm but wasn’t fully conscious and drinking and talking till about 4.30pm when my bed was wheeled up to the ward. No drip, catheter was still in (this varies from hospital to hospital) and absolutely no packing - just a sanitary towel underneath me (not stuck to anything) with one tiny drop of blood on it - smaller than my little fingernail. No dressings on my tummy and the wounds were small, neat and dry with a little bruising. I had compression pads on my lower legs which tightened and relaxed to help prevent blood clots but I found it annoying so I asked for them to be switched off which the nurse agreed to do. For me I much preferred to twiddle my ankles and bend my legs. Many women can’t feel the catheter but I’m quite small inside and felt it, and it was quite uncomfortable. My tummy was tender and felt bruised but wasn’t painful. However I took pain relief (paracetamol as I didn’t want opiates) to ease the discomfort of the catheter, I found the ward noisy and couldn’t rest - my lovely consultant came to see me about 6pm and got me moved to an empty 4 bed ward which was much better. I asked the nurse to find my iPad and charger, and to plug the charger (I’d bought a long one specially), and started playing my word games which was very therapeutic. What with the discomfort of the catheter and nurse checks I didn’t get much sleep (probably 2 hours in all) but the highlight for me lol was being able to have my catheter removed at 6am at my request - and as soon as it was out I carefully got out of bed and started walking around - up to the nurses station, to the loo, and to the chair by the window. It was wonderful to have freedom after having had to stay in bed all that time. Once the catheter was out I didn’t need any pain relief at all. Went home just after lunch. Took a couple of paracetamol at night for the first two days as a precaution but didn’t really need it. All this was January 2022. Feel free to ask anything at all but DON’T GOOGLE!

Gosh you've been through, and are still going through, such a lot! Are you having support for your mental health? Macmillan has really helped me with this.

I had to get my BMI down from 55 to 45 before they would operate. It's not quite 45 but, as the gynae said, the weight is well distributed but the anaesthetist would not be happy because a lot of it is up-top!

I keep telling myself that the robotic surgery is designed for larger ladies so the tilting table rakes this into account. And, most importantly to me, nothing is risk-free and the experts have decided that the risk of surgery is less than the risk of not operating. At this point, they could have done another hysteroscopy to check if it's spreading at all, then left me to lose more weight. They decided not to do this so they arre satisfied with the level of risk in operating. What will be will be, and I have to trust the experts as I don't have a choice. 

That is my personal way of dealing with it, after several months to consider it. I really appreciate that this is all a shock for you.

My op is scheduled for 2nd Jan - I am more worried about it being cancelled than the op itself! I will let you know how I get on but always here in the meantime.

Hi Unstablemate

Although my hysterectomy wasn’t robotic, I am very overweight (BMI 41) and I was terrified of having a GA because of my size, my consultant wasn’t worried at all, my op was straightforward and I went home the next day…I did suffer from trapped wind just after the op and that was horrible and quite painful but once I’d “let rip” a few times (thankfully the woman in the next bed was snoring away so wasn’t subjected to the strange sounds from my side of the room) I felt much better.

I am now fully recovered and glad all the worry is behind me.

Hello Poppy58

Welcome to the Online Community.

I am sorry to hear that you have had a diagnosis of endometrial cancer. If you want to see my journey, feel free to click on my name and my profile will come up, but I had endometrial cancer in 2022.

Different hospitals sometimes do things slightly differently but I had my hysterectomy done laparoscopically. It is basically the same op that you are having but in yours the surgeon will use his hands to control the robotic arms that are holding the instruments whereas when it is done laparoscopically the surgeons hands are directly on the instruments. I found the surgery was pretty straightforward, I had very little pain and recovered quickly from it.

On the day I had to get to the hospital for around 8 am, I went down for surgery around 12, I woke up briefly in the recovery room around 5, I then had top up meds and woke up again about 630. I was then taken to the ward. I stayed in overnight and went in the following morning.

I had no drips post op. There was no vaginal packing. I still had the catheter in as was given an epidural plus the GA so the epidural had to wear off first. I was able to walk around the bed within a couple of hours. I had the catheter removed during the night. By 530 am I was able to have a wash and went for a walk around the ward. I felt a bit stiff/achy and a bit washed out but other than that was ok. In the morning before I could go home they had to do a bladder scan to make sure that you can empty your bladder and make sure that I could walk to the toilet unaided. I was then given paperwork to take home, some paracetamol and shown how to do the anticoagulant injections. 

I would advise against using google, it's not particularly accurate at times and can be scary! I will pop a link to some Macmillan info that I found really helpful.

Womb cancer booklet | Macmillan Cancer Support

We also have a Support line that you are welcome to call if you feel like talking things through would help. You can also ask the nurses any medical questions. 

Hope this helps a bit, but if there is anything else you need or want to ask, then please do so.

Jane

Thank you MarmiteFan59, I am beginning to feel bit better now about things now I know what to expect as I felt my hospital appointment was rushed as they were running late and then I was quickly rushed around the other appointments for the pre op, ecg  etc. No more googling now for me

Hi unstablemate, I wish you well and the very best of luck for your operation on the 2nd and yes please do let us know how it goes. I haven't had any mental help and to be honest with working full time and keeping an eye on my 90 year old father who lives on his own I don't have a lot of time to dwell on things except late at night when its quiet and I am on my own then it hits me. I keep trying to tell myself it will be fine but the breast cancer treatment I had was gruelling and went on for almost a year but I made it though and am thankful that I'm still here and free of that. Just can't believe how unlucky to get another cancer that is not related so soon after the 5 year discharge. Still onwards and upwards if I can do it once I can do it again.