Hello - sharing my story and looking for answers

Tinazzie

Hello - I'm new here.  I'm 58 years old and my life as I knew it changed in December.  I was diagnosed with IDC breast cancer and with Ovarian cancer two weeks later.  So, the last few months have felt unreal.  I have since then had a single mastectomy in January and recovered relatively well from that surgery.  

Last week I had a total hysterectomy surgery for the OC.  What an ordeal!  I feel I’ve been through the wringer and back.  The actual surgery went as expected but then things started happening as I lay in recovery.  My blood pressure kept falling; blood count did not look good and I kept feeling an intense pressing on the abdomen.  At first they said that that was expected, but when the other symptoms did not improve, the surgeon came in again and examined me and took me right back into the OR.  They had to open me up again – apparently there was a leaking blood vessel, so…that was stitched up, the blood pumped up and I was stapled back together again.  If that was the end of it, I’d still be thankful.  But the next morning, my body, especially my right leg was almost completely numb.  Worse still, I had almost no control in some of the right leg and left arm muscles.  For the first time I started hearing the term “nerve damage”, however the surgical team seemed to minimize what I was feeling and called it “internal bruising”, which they assured me would lessen over the next few days.  I stayed in hospital for a total of 4 days.  After a couple of episodes of “buckling” – legs giving away while trying to sit down and stand up, I was referred to the internal physio therapist who showed me a couple of exercises that might strengthen the legs following nerve damage.

I am home now.  There is no improvement in the numbness and weakness – and I now also have excruciating pain all through my back, legs and arms.  It’s worse when I lie down, so it’s hard to get any rest/relief which is impeding the recovery.  If all this are the regular expected side effects of coming through a hysterectomy, I’ll try to stop whining and hope things subside.  But, I haven’t heard about any of this these sorts of reactions. 

My next appointment will be with my family doctor next week to have the surgical staples removed.  Hoping she may be able to provide more information on possible causes of this intense pain and numbness.  In the meantime, if anyone has been through similar or have any advice or recommendations, I’d appreciate to hear about it. 

Thank you!

Flowergirl

Hello @Tinazzie - thank you for your post. My goodness you are right - what an ordeal.
I hope you are healing well now and each day brings something better. Rest and recovery are the focus for you now.
Yes, be sure to describe and address the intense pain and numbness to the medical team and I hope you can gain some relief.
All I can share is that I had numbness down the whole front of my abdomen - the vertical incision line - for quite a while and my guess is that would be expected. I estimate it took 6 months for me to recover that. Hoping time, physio and medication coping techniques can help you.

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Tinazzie

Thanks @Flowergirl