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**dadmo** · 10-18-07, 07:56 PM

Oneballer:
Welcome to our forum. While an RPLND is a major operation in the hands of a skilled surgeon your recovery shoul be quite smooth. The first few days will be rough but in a few weeks you'll be back to normal.
Can you tell us anything about you tc diagnosis? What were your markers and when did you have your I/O?

Oh I moved your post so that it would stand alone as an introduction.

**Jay68442** · 10-18-07, 08:40 PM

Hey OneBaller,
Many of us here could go by that name, so you are not along in this. Recovering from a RPLND is very rough for the first few days but like any operation you soon begin to go back to normal. Your quality of life will not change and before you know it you will be back to your favorite activities. I'm not going to lie to you. The first steps they make you take after the operation hurt like hell but the more you do the sooner you will be released from the hospital. Try and relax. If you have any questions just fire away.

**Karen** · 10-18-07, 08:47 PM

Welcome oneballer,
You have a lot of comany here with the RPLDN experience so ask away. Scary as it is, it is a temporary state, and come Jan 1,2008 you will have put a lot of nasty stuff behind you and be getting back on track with life. If you poke around this site you'll find a lot of tips from the guys to help others through the recovery.

**kfo9494** · 10-18-07, 09:08 PM

If I had thing to do over again, I would want RPLND, I went through chemo and the lymph node that had cancer is still in my body. I kinda wish that it had been removed.
Hope that things go well for you.
>

**RTC** · 10-18-07, 10:05 PM

I also might need a RPLND within 4 to 6 weeks and I am very anxious about it
. . . . at some days I feel pretty scared . . .

. . .

wonder if I would be in extreme pain and would Morphine pump (PCA) do the job for me since my tolerance for pain is probably very low . .

I did some research online, read about Patient-Controlled Epidural Analgesia
It seems that it offers better pain relief . . and probably have less gastrointestinal effects. . . Maybe it is something to ask your anesthetist.

http://www.clevelandclinic.org/health/health-info/docs/3300/3309.asp?index=11307

I also just read an article that says chewing gum may help seemed to speed up the return of normal bowel function.

Patterns: Chewing Gum Along the Road to Recovery (Published 2006)

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/28/health/28patt.html

Dr Kenneth Waxman, Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital surgical education department director, leads small-scale study that suggests chewing sugarless gum helps surgical patients recover bowel function faster; research, which is published in Archives of Surgery, was done on patients who had colon operations (M)

I heard Zinc supplement would help with recovery from surgery . but dunno how true is that . . .

Also read a bit about taking L-glutamine . . . . after surgery might help ..
but I am not really sure and I guess I need to read a bit more about it . .

I read a bit about preventive analgesia . . . not sure if it is used commonly today . . . but maybe it something to be discuss with you anesthetist.

That's all I know . . . and please let me know how it went.

**Jay68442** · 10-18-07, 10:55 PM

Pat,
I can't comment on the breast pain, never had it. You should make your doctors aware of it if you haven't already.

Pain:
Well it hurts. LOL Sorry bad joke. Its only temporary. They will give you meds as needed. The worst part about having this surgery is your inability to move around the first few days. Your abs control every movement you make and believe me a simple task like turning over in bed is almost impossible the first day or two. But trust me it fades away fast. Within a week you will be in pretty good shape.

This leads me to the Kids part. You may as well come clean with your children. You will not be able to hide it from them. I have a 5 year old and she doesn't miss a thing. I imagine 10 year olds see even more.

Wife:
She is your life line. The one that will be by your side and feel as much pain as you. Try to keep that in mind. She doesn't need any more aggravation on top of all that is going on.

Let me break this down for you. A RPLND will bring one step closer to being cured. Put your fear aside and charge forward.

Best of luck to you.

**mstlyn** · 10-19-07, 12:56 AM

The post about chewing gum brought only one thing to mind. I have never heard about the chewing gum thing btw.. however,

After RPLND, DO NOT eat or drink anything for several days. You will want to drink really bad, but just wet your mouth with a disposable mouth swab. Soak it in ice water first.

My son was given water and juice about 4 days after his RPLND, and he paid for it. The bowels were not "awake" from surgery and narcotics, so everything he drank backed up on him and caused severe pain and hard projectile vomiting.

Walk a lot. It will help wake things up, and you will heal faster.

You will be up walking by the first day after surgery too

your doctor will see to it.

If you're in pain, let the nurses know. My son was started out on a morphine pump, but it didnt really help him much,so they switched to dilauded, which works better for him.
We found that out in 2005 after he fell in a fire, and in the ER they gave him 2 or 3 injections of morphine in a 30 min time frame and it didnt touch his pain.

The dilauded worked better, much as possible anyway, but burns are a different kind of pain.

Anyway, the nurses can call the pain management team in to work on the best way to handle your pain.

It's major surgery yes, but it can also offer a higher cure rate

Just make sure you have a good surgeon and you will be fine.

**dadmo** · 10-19-07, 05:34 AM

Pat:
Often with tc the glands behnd the nipples become sore. It usually get's better after the I/O. I would mention it to you doc.
You think we're going to tell you to suck it up? I'll tell you what, if you stick around this site you will find 40-50 people a year who get an RPLND, all have done really well and all said it s**ked. They give you plenty of pain meds and you'll do fine but the first 2-3 days are tough.
I hope you let you wife know that you think you've been an jerk. Just let her know you're scared, she will understand. I was my son who was sick so I don't know what I would do about telling the kid's but my gut feelng is to let them know what's going on and that you will be fine.

**Adrr-Atta** · 10-19-07, 09:19 AM

I was scared like hell before my RPLND. It's a big surgery so it's normal to be scared. You can't avoid it. First couple days after RPLND are really tough. It's really painful but you will get a lot of good meds for pain. Remember to try walking as much as you can - it will help a lot. It was really pissing me off that nurses tried to get me stand up short after surgery, and get me to do a little walk. The pain was unbearable. Now I know it was the right thing to do - move. After a week or so you will probably go back home. That's what made me want to walk and move a lot - I just wanted to go back home. I got released from the hospital after 5 days.
After the surgery I thought that it was the worst kind of treatment I could have, but later I found out that it wasn't that bad - there are much worse things.

Good luck !

**Racing for life** · 10-19-07, 04:16 PM

My husband didn't have to have a RPLND but we did have to deal with telling the kids about what was going on. We made a mistake by thinking we should wait until we had a definite diagnosis and not just that Daddy has a growth in his tummy thing and we aren't sure what it is. Well, our oldest over heard family and friends talking about it and mentioning cancer where we had just told them that Dad's tummy was hurting and we were trying to get him better. So then out of the blue we get "I know he has cancer and is going to die". You can imagine our shock. Here this little girl had been trying to deal with all these scary thoughts by herself. We sat down and talked to both of them for 3 hours that night until we were all calmed down. I think it really helped us come closer to get ready for the battle that was to come.

Good luck with you surgery. We will be thinking of you and pray for a speedy recovery.

**MRMRSU** · 10-19-07, 06:01 PM

Hey Pat: Sorry to have to welcome you here, but know that there are plenty of guys on this site, my hubby included, that have successfully undergone RPLND surgery. My best piece of advice (like TAMMY said), DON'T EAT or DRINK TOO SOON POST-RPLND. Despite Andy's complications with chylous ascites, he has always said he would do it all over again to hear the answer that his lymph nodes were clear. He's back to work, his workouts, his 8-mile runs, etc. You'll get through this hurdle too, I know it.

Andrews AFB, huh? You didn't ever happen to cross paths with a Capt. Scott Ulwelling, USAF did you? My brother-in-law...he served and made it back safely from Afghanistan. God bless our military boys...you all have such special places in our hearts.

Best of luck and keep your chin up. Feel free to ask any questions. You should encourage your wife to come to the site too...she'll find good support here. Be well, and know that RPLND might just be your next step at being that!

**Russell's Mom** · 10-19-07, 08:31 PM

Russell's experience was the same. The first few days were difficult, but each day was better and better. For me...and I can pretty well speak for him...it was/is nice to know what was in there. Keeping patients cofortable after surgery is a major medical iniciative. If you feel uncomfortable, talk with your nurses...there is always something to try. sometimes meds have to be adjusted this way and that. Wish I could lift some of the anxiety for you....it is just so difficult when you are in front of it! You will find a lot of support here...great people!!!! take care, Sharon

**Scott** · 10-19-07, 08:39 PM

Originally posted by MRMRSU

He's back to work, his workouts, his 8-mile runs, etc.

That is so great to read, Maria!! Enjoying the occasional gastronomic indulgence, too, I hope.

**oneballer** · 10-20-07, 11:46 AM

Hey everyone it's Sat morning I'm feeling OK just want to let out some thoughts . My wife thinks it would be good for me to get away and see my friend from the NAVY they all live in Denver .It would be just for the weelend but I feel like I would be running away from the problem at hand .Either way I still have to have the RPLND .I don't want to burden them with my issues ....

I'm home this weekend by myself the house is empty no kids and the silence killing me but it's also makes me think about what's in store me for in the next 2weeks. I can't put the fear aside I mean I'm truly scared to the point of tears sometimes. I can't shake it I know this is the best thing for me but I worry about the bills ,stress on the family my wife and what I'm about to put her through it's a large load to bare . Are all these feeling normal ??? Not to mention I cant keep anything down .I eat and 10 min later I'm sick to my stomach. I'm so tired of this already and I have not even had the operation.

I know I'm not alone and most of you have had this done and you have come out OK. It really hit me the other day that I'm going to do this and have made the choice to see it through ,but the fear factor is the big FREAKING 900lbs gorilla in the living room that keeps looking at me . To everyone who has given there input I thank you it really does help to know that I'm not alone Hope everyone has a good weekend

"Courage is doing what you're afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you're scared"

Pat

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