Another RPLND...

[Tatt]

...or 'ruplund' as i've taken to calling it as it smuch easier to say.

Seem to be a few people facing RPLNDs at the moment - and now I can add myself to that list. After being left in limbo a bit longer than I liked, I finally have a date for my RPLND - I go into hospital one wekk today, and the surgery takes place on the 31st Jan. I was feeling fine about it until they actually gave me a date, and now the nerves are kicking in! My I/O was my first ever time in hospital and this is pretty major surgery to add to my experience! Trying to focus on enjoying the time off - thinking about catching up on lots of reading and relaxing. So far, I've been trying to do "Things I can't do after RPLND" to keep me distracted - tenpin bowling, dodgems(!) and ice skating - all good fun.

I've seen lots of mention on here about diet before and after RPLND< but my doctors havent said anything to me - i think i go in to hospital the day before the surgery to go on fluid and laxitives, but they've not mentioned how i should be preparing otherwise. I've cut down on fatty foods, and bought in lots of soup for afterwards, so hopefully that will do the trick. Will they give me exercises to do to help recovery?

Good luck to all the others out there facing this too. Hope to be posting back here in a few weeks time to report a good recovery and a clear histopathology!

Tatt

[Lori]

Tatt, you'll do fine with the RPLND. My husband had his done at Indiana University and that doc doesn't suggest any certain diet beforehand but I do know the doc at Sloan Kettering suggest low fat diet for a few weeks leading up to the surgery. The guys who have been through this will post suggestions and there are a lot of old posts talking about experiences. Again, you'll do great!

[Savin16]

Hi Tatt,
First of all good luck with the RPLND, you'll do fine. My brother had his surgery on a mon. Two day before (Sat.) he was allowed just liquids, puddings, milkshakes, and jello, then on Sun. just clear liquids, in addition to this drink the doctor perscribed to be drank every 5 minutes until his bowels were coming out clear, (thank god it was a Sunday and my bro stayed home to watch football, because he was running in the bathroom every few minutes) So anyways he ended up finishing the entire drink and drank water the rest of the day (gatorade too) Even though beer is a clear liquid, that doesn't count) LOL my brother asked the dr. on that one, he wasn't amused. So then nothing to drink after midnight, and then surgery was at 7:30am mon. Then after the surgery he had a tube in his nose giving him nutrients, that came out 3 days after surgery (that's longer than most) I forgot why, but then he just gradually worked back up to eating started with clear liquids, then bulky, then food, he was a good eater, but he now gets full very quickly, his surgery was Dec. 11th. Hope this helps.

[boyce]

My RPLND

I was a Sloan patient so here's what they asked of me:

Clear liquids only the day before surgery (no big deal)

Nothing to eat or drink (NOTHING) for 5 days after surgery. No water...no ice...no Jell-O...not a thing!! (Bitterness intended)..

2 weeks after surgery was a No fat diet - Veggies, pasta, potato..but no meat and no fat of any kind. They want the fat digestion system to get used to working without the abdominal lymph nodes in there to assist. That also stinks!!

However. I healed very nicely and am glad they were so strict. Very sore after surgery for a couple of weeks where the incision is: from just below the sternum to below the belt line (around the all-important belly button)

It is not easy surgery by any measure, but mine was not nearly as bad as I expected it to be. The restricted diet is a bummer, but it is a heck of a diet program ( I lost 30lbs.) Though I don't recommend this diet to many other people ;-)

Hang in there...each day post-surgery is a little better than the day before, unlike chemo where I found each day worse than the previous one. You'll be encouraged to walk extensively as soon as the day after surgery..do it! It is miserable, but it gets the digestive system moving again, and until that happens..no food for you.

Best decision I ever made was the RPLND and all they found was scar tissue. Now I sleep at night knowing that I am cancer free....You can get there too!

[pvarela07]

Tatt, I had my RPLND done on four weeks ago and the doctors told me to eat normal until 12 hours before surgery, so I had a big meal the afternoon before the surgery.

My doctor started me on a bland diet the day after the surgery in very small quantities. One thing I noticed is that having soups or lots of fluids made me nauseous, and when I had solid food (especially bread) my body tolerated it a lot better.

I agree with Boyce that even though it is a major surgery, it is not as bad as you expect it to be. So hang in there, stay positive, try to do as much walking as possible after the surgery, and you should be out of the hospital within a week.

I was back to two and a half weeks after the surgery and slowly getting back to my normal life.

[Tatt]

Been back at home from the hospital for a week now. I had the shortest known stay in that hospital for the RPLND operation (7 days) and the doctors were really impressed with my recovery. Only blip was when I first tried to stand a few days afterwards, and my blood pressure went right through the floor and I almost collapsed. But they think that was morelikely an effect of some of the epidural, and I've been OK since. Fairly mobile, in that i can get around the house and in and out of chairs without too much difficulty now, but not tried walking any real distance yet

Wound is healing OK, but certain parts split, so instead of a straight line I'll have a few wider bumps. They cut through my belly button for some reason , so I have to keep washing it out with saline. 33 cm scar, but with the marks form hte staples either side it kinda look like some mutant centipede

Hope to find out next week the rests from the histopathology of the lymph nodes they took out; surgeon seemed positive from what he saw.Apart from a little stir crazy from being more-or-less house-bound, I'm feeling good. Would rather do 10 of those than the chemo again. WOuldnt have thought I'd say feeling good after all this but I am!

[Savin16]

Glad to hear your doing ok from your surgery. Give yourself time to heal. It is beneficial to try to walk as much as possible. And I'll be wishing for good news from the path report for you.

[Tatt]

Thanks for the support - i found out yesterday that the node excised only contained dead ceels/differentiated teratoma, so I'm looking forward to a nice relaxing weekend and putting this behind me!

[Fed]

Very nice! Enjoy the weekend, mate!