Early last week I was unfortunately given a cancer diagnosis after being a day surgery patient the week before. I'm going back into hospital for further surgery this week to have it removed - good news is they say it's very small and at a very early stage, a small collection of cells and it should not require anything beyond the op I'm having (keyhole hysterectomy). No further treatment would mean a 98% chance of it not coming back. I've been told I'll be an inpatient for between 2 - 5 days, it will just depend on how quickly I get over the op.

The surgeon has told me someone will visit me in hospital to speak about any psychological trauma I may be experiencing, but I don't really know what to expect from the visit.
When I had breast cancer back in Scotland 15 years ago I had family around me and access to the Maggie's Centre in the grounds of my local hospital, also access to another Maggie's in Edinburgh and a referral for counselling.

I'm disappointed this has happened as it was totally unexpected (surgeon apologised and said he was very surprised at the outcome). About to turn 60 in 12 days and by October I've had a full 15 years remission from my other do, the surgeon said as the 2 aren't linked I could safely forget about that one now. He also said the BC I had was very, very serious compared to this. Felt better after having another consultation with his as my OH came in with me, but I've been a bit flaky over the weekend as my previous experience years ago has made me a bit afraid of anything surgical (and first time I was misdiagnosed, told no cancer, then 3 weeks later it had escalated to being serious).

Has anyone else here faced cancer surgery whilst being far from family and friends? I hated having to tell my sister about this as she was working in the M East at the time of my diagnosis 15 years ago, and of course now it's me who's overseas

Oh, I'm so sorry to hear this news.

Since the surgeon said that someone will visit you in hospital, and if you feel the need to speak to someone, might you perhaps be able to find out who that would be, and contact them beforehand? The surgeon will know, and the hospital will know, what that service is.

There's also this (in English), of the Basel Cancer League:
https://basel.krebsliga.ch/beratung-...cancer-league/

Here's hoping your surgery goes well!

Have sent you private message

So, so sorry to hear this, hopefully the doctors are right and it's been caught early.

I has a keyhole hysterectomy in my mid-fifties and the main advice I can give is to accept all help offered; no stretching to reach things, no lifting stuff.... no being brave and insisting to everyone that you're totally fine.

It's mayor surgery, even if the scars are tiny, and you'll be wobbly for weeks.
I wasn't offered any help afterwards a brief chat with a very young psy beforehand was as far as it went..... and tbh I could've done with discussing things through afterwards with someone as I felt rather bereft. Stupid in many ways as I didn't actually 'need' my womb any more, but it was a part of me; although suddenly it was trying to kill me and the doctors wanted it gone.
So if there's a chance of talking to someone grab the offer with both hands.

Hugs, A

So sorry to hear that. Hang in there, Cherub!

When I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010, we were living in Bern. So yes, I was far from my family and most of my friends. I used a lot of online communication, Facebook, email, and phone calls. I kept a blog throughout treatment. I had a few visitors from the US. It wasn‘t always easy, it was exhausting. Hopefully psychological support will be available. I think they recognize the importance of this more than 15 or 10 years ago. My surgery was a lumpectomy....in the hospital one night, not a long recovery, so quite different.

Once I finished treatment, and we moved to Winterthur, I became active in Cancer support Basel. The group is not active at the moment, because of Corona and some losses. Hopefully, it will be again. The Basel krebsliga is actually quite good and has provided folks with a lot of support.

I hope your recovery will go well.

The surgeon did say it would be OK to postpone until after my birthday as it's a very slow growing type, but I decided to get it out of the way. The gynae lady I see for smears etc every year emailed me to say she'd had a letter so I'm seeing her the day before admission.

I had keyhole surgery to remove my gall bladder back in Scotland about 7 years ago, the surgeon has told me the ache I'll get to my mid section will feel the same (it felt like doing too many situps), obviously the other pain will be managed. He's assured me I won't leave until I'm fit enough.

Thankfully OH is working from home all the time at the moment. He had a private conversation with his boss last week and has been told he can go down to reduced hours for a bit.

Totally get the "bereft" bit - we chose not to have children, and I've been post meno since I was 46 but it's still part of my body.

English Speaking Cancer Association. https://www.cancersupport.ch/
is in Geneva.

I'm so very sorry to hear this.

From what you have written, I believe we had the same type of cancer.. Mine was 5 years ago - my trusted gyn did the surgery and was absolutely kind and caring throughout. I chose to have it done in a private hospital since she did not work at the local hospital. Sure it cost me more, but it was the right decision.

I was very nervous since I had never had surgery before - because the hospital was not busy, my husband was able to stay with me. To my surprise, many of the nurses and attending doctors did not speak English and I was in no state to try my best Swiss German. Having someone there who can help translate is really helpful if you have a language barrier - my husband was there for that.

Sending you so many hugs and warm wishes. Feel free to PM me anytime, I am here for you.

I know a lot about having breast, cervical, uterine, ovarian cancers in the US, UK and CH.

I can tell you that you are in very good hands in CH. The UK national health is famous for being good at cancers compared to other western health systems. I think there can be even more of a "personal feel" to treatment here than in the UK.

The most important thing is to choose your surgeon wisely.

While it's not as much the custom here and more often doctors here can seem to get slightly offended, I am a huge advocate of checking out several surgeons, getting several second opinions and not just going solely blindly down the path of what your gp or gyn sends you without checking things out for yourself. Find a couple of surgeons, even if it means traveling to another canton, ask them the same questions, get that solid feeling like "yes, this is my person" and "I'm informed and have checked out my path well" in your gut.

Feeling great about your surgeon, along with feeling solid about you surgery choices, is 90% of the game.

One thing most people don't talk about with hysterectomies, is that studies have shown that with the process of emptying your bladder, followed by post surgery strong course of antibiotics, all wipes out your good gut flora and more than 60% of women end up with a mild, undiagnosed irritable bowel syndrome for 4-6 months after surgery. So it's a great idea to stock up on stuff to go easy on and build up a good gut afterwards .... lots of good bacteria, pro-biotics, good yogurt-like products, fermented products, take care of your digestion. Doctors don't discuss this much and this byproduct falls further down on the list of worries and gets brushed aside, but you might notice your digestion needs a little care and help afterwards and then will normalize. Generally take it easy, be good to yourself and don't overdo walking, lifting, etc for a while after surgery and you will be fine.

Be extra good to yourself and you will come out of this experience an even stronger person.

MakeABigWish



Correction above: I said you "empty your bladder". I should have said you take a special solution to completely empty out your entire digestive tract the night before surgery (not just your bladder).

You will then be under anesthesia during surgery and then afterwards antibiotics and a pain killer, probably with a variant of morphine, which often brings constipation. The nurses will probably have you do some gentle walking nearby with some type of walker to kickstart and get your digestive tract moving again. All of this is part of the deal and will come naturally and it is a good idea to help your digestion out where you can along the way.

Yes! This is the probiotic I take and it has been life changing :

https://ch.iherb.com/pr/Culturelle-P...B&gclsrc=aw.ds

I haven't experienced any of this, Cherub, so I can't answer any questions.

I just wanted to embrace you tightly and wish you all the very best and a speedy recovery after the successful surgery.

And if you need any distraction, I am always up and good for a chat!

Aues Guete!

EE

I take on board the gut thing - I'm very careful as I sometimes have a mild case of what's referred to as bile acid malabsorption - a legacy of having my gallbladder removed a few years back. You also don't want to see the enema in a bottle I've been supplied with to use 2 hours before my admission time

The gynaecological oncologist treating me has previously done 2 day surgeries on me before. He's very approachable and I would say I have a good rapport with him.

The past 3 weeks have been one thing after another - firstly OH suffered anaphylactic shock, was taken to A and E in an ambulance and kept there for 10 hours. He has allergy tests next week. Prior to going in for my recent day procedure I was warned by the surgeon to get my blood pressure checked out and the anaesthesia department referred me for 24 hour BP testing and an ECG. ECG was ok, except for a small thing they found which goes back to having had both radiotherapy and Herceptin years ago, they said I need an ECG every 3-5 years for this and put me on BP meds (I've since lost over half a stone as they are part diuretic).

All in all a bit of a rollercoaster, but as my late dad would say we all get dealt a hand and we have to play with it.

I am very sorry to hear about your diagnosis and wish you all the very best. I don't personally have any experience of cancer, but had a laparoscopic vaginal hysterectomy the week before last (due to a perforated uterus). My fallopian tubes were also removed (as is the norm, I think) and I opted to have my ovaries removed as I am 61 and all medical advice suggested it was a sensible precaution.

I hope I can reassure you in that I really haven't found the recovery from the operation to be as bad as I exected. I stayed 2 nights in hospital. I had a bit of pain immediately after the operation, but certainly no more than I experienced following my gall bladder extraction. I was given an infusion of painkillers which was removed the next morning and I haven't had to take any painkillers since.

My operation was on a Tuesday and on the following Saturday and Sunday I was out enjoying a couple of glasses of wine down by the Lake with my family. I have felt a bit tired, and feel a bit of pulling as my wounds heal but nothing more than that. Although advised to do nothing for 2 weeks, I have been cooking for the family and doing the washing and ironing etc.

Although I don't mean to negate anyone's feelings, I personally haven't felt any sense of loss at all. I am of an age where I obviously can't have more children and I haven't dwelt on the matter at all. I have to say, I am rather practical and matter of fact. I could imagine things being very different from woman to woman.

My husband had kidney cancer a couple of years ago and his tumour was surgically removed and, so far, his scans have all been clear. I can imagine that a second diagnosis of cancer may well feel rather overwhelming and having had to be informed by my brother recently that he has been diagnosed with lymphoma, I can also understand how very difficult and heart wrenching it is to have to give upsetting news to your sister and other family members. Your husband sounds very supportive and I hope very much that everything goes well for you.

Thank you for that kind post, it's good to know you are recovering well. As I've been post meno since my late 40s now and know my ovaries etc are completely dead I obviously no longer need them for anything. I'm sure I'll feel better once I've admitted myself on Wednesday, it's the anticipation of what's to come at the moment more than anything else.

Wishing you all the best Cheriub and will be thinking of you! If it is any consolation, I often think of my late Mom - when I have faced moments of doubt/uncertainty(notwithstanding childrens' issues - and there have been many) and her words of wisdom. "This too shall pass!" That said, I am sure many here on EF will keep you in our thoughts/prayers...

Hang in there!