You have me worried now

My surgery was on Jan. 18th and was told that there was NO CANCER due to a tumor I had on my rt ovary. Having had a total hyst. with ovaries out I was relieved. But now Ive read on several post that gals are getting a final lab report as they go in for there post op check up. I thought they would know if one has cancer before they even sew you back up.... Im scared now after reading these post that when I go back in I might hear bad news.As I said , in the hospital , after my surgery they reported NO CANCER... So why do we get the lab reports later if its already determined that all is okay... confused....... Just read also that one sister got a bad report when she returned for her check up after also hearing she was Cancer free. Can someone please explain so I dont have to live now in MORE FEAR... I was started to be a peace. OH NO!!!!

Hi There!

I don't think you have to worry. My DR told me before my surgery that we would know before I got to my room from recovery what the path report showed. Unfortunately, the pathologists decided to send everything off to be biopsied for a second opinion. That's what the hold up was on mine.

At my 1 week post op visit, my DR STILL didn't have the results, and (long story short) I didn't have my results for nearly 4 weeks! UGH! If the tumor had been easy to diagnose at surgery, we would have had the results that day, but I suppose they decided to fly my tumor across the country to get additional opinions before giving the final word on mine, which was very scary for me!

I'm thinking, based on my experience, that they would not tell you the result of their findings until they were absolutely certain.

If you are still uneasy about this, please give your DR a call, or better yet, request a copy of your surgery and pathology reports.

Best wishes, and HUGS,

Call your doctor and ask if your report if back. It doesn't take very long. Ellen

While I was still in the OR for my tah/bso they sent down samples to be biopsed before I was sewn back up. This was critical in my case because if is was cancer the doctor had told me that he would be doing more intensive work (lymph node removal, removal of some of the lining, and an organ wash or pelvic area wash). He was able to provide a preliminary report to my sister and to me when I woke up. I asked at the time if it was definite. He told me they still send samples out for verification but that in my case he could tell me with a 99.99999% probability. I don't think your doctor would tell you the results unless he was confident. My secondary sample testing showed the same as the first. Maybe that is why some people are getting results at the post op check. I know I didn't get to see my actual report until my post op check when I requested a copy based on advice I had received on this forum. I wouldn't worry if I were you.

One of the pre-op questions that I asked was, "Will there be a pathology report and will I get a copy?" I didn't get a copy, but the DR called the Saturday following my surgery the previous Monday and said that the pathology report was fine. No cancer or other surprises. If DR doesn't call you, call them. The advice nurse would most likely be able to look it up in your chart.

Hang in there.

The initial pathology report tends to be correct, but some of the pathology tests take several days and can show a cancer that hadn't shown. Check with your doctor - he should have your final pathology report by now - it usually takes about a week depending on how busy the lab is.

I'm not familiar with Texas hospitals. I had my surgery done at Yale which has an outstanding pathology department and was told that 90% of the initial pathology reports are correct. Still, I do remember not feeling like I could breath that sigh of relief until my final pathology report was in. And, of course, my surgeon - who is a great surgeon - turned out to be totally ditzy about returning phone calls. In my case, my possible uterine sarcoma turned out to be a massive degenerating and benign fibroid.

Call your doctor so you can put your mind to rest. There is no reason to wait for a 4 or 6 week check-up worrying. My prayers are with you.

Just a reminder: When the final pathology report is prepared, make sure you get a copy from the hospital and keep it in your personal medical file at home. Also, you might like to obtain a copy of your surgical report. Both these reports contain important information that you might need several years down the road, especially if you move to another city. It is much easier to pull it from your file than it is to get it from your doctor and hospital years later.

To obtain copies of these reports, call the Medical Records Department of your hospital and request the copies. They will call you when the copies are available and you can go pick them up. There is a minimal charge. My hospital charged $1 per page.

Also, you may want to ask the clerk in Med. Rec. to review your chart and determine if there are any other test results that you should have copies of. They work with patient charts daily, and they would know what would be important.

I hope you get the results of your final path report soon. Let us know what you find out.

Blessings and s