#16 RECUPERATING AFTER THYMOMA CANCER SURGERY

Welcome Back!  I thank God Thymoma Surgery was extremely successful.  I took a month off work to recuperate.  I am still amazed that I was dismissed the day after surgery. 

They sent me home with an oxy prescription which I did not want to take.  However, I was told if I stayed ahead of the pain that was better.  Once the pain would get bad, then it would take more medicine to overcome it.  In addition, they had me alternate Tylenol and Ibuprofen.  I typically do not take pain medication.  I tried to take less than they suggested.  However, one day the pain got to 6 out of 10.  That was when I realized I needed to take closer to the recommended dose of the Ibuprofen and Tylenol.  I had already stopped the Oxy after just a few days.

I had to stay bandaged for a couple days.  We were amazed at how well the incisions looked after the bandages were removed.  I was bruised in some places but that was normal.  Because of the location of the incisions, I went several weeks without wearing a bra.  It went right over the incision which was uncomfortable. 

The week after surgery I felt fairly good.  I moved freely around the house and did whatever I felt like doing.  My husband continued to do the cooking for several weeks, but I would help here and there.  I made sure I rested which meant watching TV frequently to help recovery.

Christmas was different that year.  Because of Covid and my surgery my family did not get together.  So, on Christmas day my husband cooked and just my mom joined us. 

On December 29^th, I went to my local regular doctor.  He removed the one stitch from the drainage tube incision.  He said it was looking great.  He was amazed at how well I was doing. 

I thought the stitch looked really weird!

It looked a lot better and flatter after the stitch was removed.

He always had been amazed at how well I progressed through this cancer experience.

On December 30^th, my husband and I met online with the IU Surgeon.  Through the computer she looked at my incision.  She said it was healing very well.  She sounded like I had bounced back from the surgery very well and did not need to take precautions like many other patients.  She gave us great news that the pathological report after surgery proved that the tissue, they removed was all dead and that they had gotten good margins.  The surgeon had told me before she never would tell a patient they were cancer free.  The reason for that was because there always could be tiny cancerous cells floating around in the body.  What she would say was that I was a “complete responder”.  That meant that I had responded completely to the treatment and surgery.  We discussed when I would return to work.  She basically left it up to me.  We agreed a month would give my body time to heal.  I had been through so much physically and emotionally the previous eleven months that I really needed a break.  The month off from work really helped me rejuvenate.

While I was off recuperating, I had several medical procedures and doctor visits.  Because I had already gone over six weeks without my port being flushed, I made an appointment with the oncology office to flush my port.  I had my 6-month dental cleaning.  I usually get a good report.  I basically did this time, but I could tell from his reaction that they did not look as well as usual because of the chemotherapy I had just gone through.  On January 14^th I had my routine echocardiogram.  A couple weeks later I saw the cardiologist to get the echocardiogram results.  The test results were good.  He had wanted to re-evaluate my situation after surgery.  By then the chest pressure had improved greatly.  I had feared I would have to go on blood pressure medicine.  He said I did not and that he would just continue to monitor it.  I was incredibly grateful for that decision.  He told me to get an echocardiogram in April.  As long as the results were good, I did not have to see him again until June.   While I was off, I began the radiation planning.  In the next post, I will explain about that in a lot more detail.

The month off was refreshing.  I was grateful I took that time off because the week before I went back to work, was very tiring with many medical appointments.  Last year I had been told by my oncologist and acupuncturist that once surgery would be over life would be a breeze compared to what I had been through.  I had been looking forward to that.  However, the week before I started back to work, reality hit.  The medical appointments had returned.  The next week, I was expected to return to work which was going to be an adjustment.  That same week I had to start radiation treatments.  I will say what they thought would be easy street was a miscalculation.  Once I returned to work, life became very difficult again once the thirty radiation treatments began.

Check back next time as I begin several posts explaining the radiation process.  I had no idea what that experience was going to be like.  I took several pictures to give you a better understanding of what the radiation machine looks like and I will explain the process.

If you happen to be weary and need rest, I want to leave you with this scripture.  Jeremiah 31:25 (NLT) “For I have given rest to the weary and joy to the sorrowing.”

During that month off God gave me the rest I needed and restored my weary soul.