Very Obese - what was your outcome???

Hi - I am scheduled for surgery on Monday - July 12 at 10AM. I will be having the surgery at IU Medical Center in Indianapolis, IN.

I am traveling approximately 3 hours from home for the surgery because of my size (325) and the type of problems I am having.

For the past month, I had been diagnosed with pneumonia in my right lung and had fluid removed from around the lung 2 times.
Finally, my pulmunologist had a CT scan done and included my abdomen/pelvis. He discovered that I have what appears to be a very rare condition called Meigs Syndrome. He referred me to a gyno here in town.

I went to see her on Tuesday. She comes into the room and says "So you have Ovarian Cancer." My mouth dropped. She could tell I was surprised by this and then admitted that she really hadn't understood what the referring physician had told her nor had she looked at any of my test results other than the dictated findings of the CT scan.

Anyway, she said regardless, I have a very large (23 cm) mass that has to come out and she would feel better if I went to IU.

She proceeds to make arrangements for me to go there and draws blood for a CA125 test.

I went to IU on Thursday and met with my Gyno-Oncologist whom I am VERY pleased with. After my history, reviewing my test results, and her exam, she tells me she believes I have a benign mass which will be removed along with everything else. She does not believe that it is malignant, but of course will not know until she gets in there.

So I am scheduled for surgery a week from Monday.

By the way, my CA125 came back an 11.

My big question is I seem to be at a greater risk because of my size. I have lost (on Atkins) 92 pounds since January. So I am a great deal smaller than I was, but still at 325 I am "obese". Has anyone out there who was my size had an experience they can tell me about to help ease my fears????????

Tana

Hi,

I don't have any experience with this , but I did find a thread with posts that address this:

https://www.hystersisters.com/vb2/sho...hreadid=124210

I hope this helps you some until someone comes along to offer more for you.

s

Hi Tana,

Congradulations on your weight loss!

I have surgery in August but my mom had a TVH about 15 years ago and there was no change for her. If anything she lost some weight and had no complication in surgery. She had severe bleeding and cervical cancer. My dm is about 100lbs over weight and she had no problems.

I think you'll do fine. I think you will feel better and be able to continue your mission.

best wishes



k9

Hi Tana,

I weigh 285, so I think that's close enough to give you some piece of mind.

I had my surgery last October when pathology found cancer cells in a large fibroid I had removed the previous month. I had a vertical incision, they removed everything, including lymph nodes and some fat around the uterus.

My only set back after surgery was a small opening in my incision due to an infection. The opening was bigger on the inside than the outside. I had a visiting nurse come every day who cleaned it out and repacked it (they use this thin gauze like material and literally shove it into the hole. It doesn't hurt really, just feels strange and looks strange.) I had to see my doc once a week, so he could also check the progress of my healing incision. It took me almost 2 months to heal. When I first got the infection and they first started treating it, it was really nasty. It oozed a lot of green stuff, I mean literally would pour out of the opening. Freaked me out at first, but they said it was normal so I took their word for it.

I now see my gyn every 3 months, and my oncologist every 6. I was told that would change after a year, so we'll see. I was out of work for 2 months after my surgery, and went back feeling better than I had in years.

Good luck with your surgery, if you have any questions please feel free to email or message me.

Mary Ellen

Hi Tana - At my last surgery, I weighed about 250, I had an abdominal laparotomy (a very similar incision to what I will be having for a TAH next month). There were no complications then. I think it took me a little longer to get back on my feet than it might have taken someone smaller (about 8 weeks off of work) but overall no problems.

melissa