Surgery Tomorrow - The Breakdown
Tomorrow is a very big day for Stephanie because the surgery that will fix all of her current plumbing issues will take place. The surgery she will be having is a ureter reimplantation.
Steph's right ureter was severed during her initial surgery and it has caused her to leak urine into her abdominal cavity. As a result, she has had multiple drains and tubes placed over the last two months to relieve her abdomen and pelvic cavity of the urine. Finally, the procedure tomorrow will reconnect her ureter to her bladder and allow her urinary system to function normally.
The procedure is an open surgery that will be performed through the same incision that was made during her debulking surgery in September. The surgery could last as long as 6 hours and as few as 3 hours. This procedure would normally be much shorter but Stephanie's abdomen is filled with scar tissue and adhesions that will need to be delicately cut, removed, and manipulated in order to get to the damaged ureter. The process of removing these adhesions can be tedious and time consuming which is why the surgery could take so long.
Once the urologist is able to reach the area in need of repair, he will cut the tip off of the ureter that is damaged in order to expose healthy tissue. He will then place a stint that connects the bladder to the end of the newly cut ureter and he will sew the ureter to the bladder around the stint. I think he will then attach the ureter to surrounding muscle tissue in order to stabilize it and create a stable and secure environment for the stitches to heal appropriately. If they are unable to stretch the ureter to the bladder, there is another process used that involves cutting tissue from the bladder and forming it into an extension. (We did not cover this procedure much and providing an accurate written description of what it entails is way above my paygrade.)
In addition to the urologic repairs, the Gynecologic Oncology (GYN ONC) team will come into the surgery to "have a look around her abdomen." They will be looking for any visible cancer that can be removed or other anomalies. Partnering with the urologic team they will remove any infected areas or fluid gatherings in the abdomen and pelvic areas. When all this is complete, the GYN ONC team will place an intraperitoneal port that will be used to administer chemotherapy directly to her abdomen over the next several months.
The doctors expect Stephanie to leave the surgery with a catheter and her nephrostomy tube. The nephrostomy tube will remain until she leaves the hospital but the catheter will stay in for 3 weeks. The other two pelvic drains will be removed during the surgery. The doctor's expect her recovery in the hospital to be at least one week.
I wish she was in ideal condition for surgery but she has battled an infection for the last week and she has a weakened immune system from chemotherapy. Because of the chemo, her hemoglobin levels were low and she is anemic so she has received two pints of blood today. However, Stephanie's spirits have been high and she has been flashing her beautiful smile to everyone that walks in the door.
This is a necessary surgery and it is a substantial surgery. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers tomorrow.
Steph's right ureter was severed during her initial surgery and it has caused her to leak urine into her abdominal cavity. As a result, she has had multiple drains and tubes placed over the last two months to relieve her abdomen and pelvic cavity of the urine. Finally, the procedure tomorrow will reconnect her ureter to her bladder and allow her urinary system to function normally.
The procedure is an open surgery that will be performed through the same incision that was made during her debulking surgery in September. The surgery could last as long as 6 hours and as few as 3 hours. This procedure would normally be much shorter but Stephanie's abdomen is filled with scar tissue and adhesions that will need to be delicately cut, removed, and manipulated in order to get to the damaged ureter. The process of removing these adhesions can be tedious and time consuming which is why the surgery could take so long.
Once the urologist is able to reach the area in need of repair, he will cut the tip off of the ureter that is damaged in order to expose healthy tissue. He will then place a stint that connects the bladder to the end of the newly cut ureter and he will sew the ureter to the bladder around the stint. I think he will then attach the ureter to surrounding muscle tissue in order to stabilize it and create a stable and secure environment for the stitches to heal appropriately. If they are unable to stretch the ureter to the bladder, there is another process used that involves cutting tissue from the bladder and forming it into an extension. (We did not cover this procedure much and providing an accurate written description of what it entails is way above my paygrade.)
In addition to the urologic repairs, the Gynecologic Oncology (GYN ONC) team will come into the surgery to "have a look around her abdomen." They will be looking for any visible cancer that can be removed or other anomalies. Partnering with the urologic team they will remove any infected areas or fluid gatherings in the abdomen and pelvic areas. When all this is complete, the GYN ONC team will place an intraperitoneal port that will be used to administer chemotherapy directly to her abdomen over the next several months.
The doctors expect Stephanie to leave the surgery with a catheter and her nephrostomy tube. The nephrostomy tube will remain until she leaves the hospital but the catheter will stay in for 3 weeks. The other two pelvic drains will be removed during the surgery. The doctor's expect her recovery in the hospital to be at least one week.
I wish she was in ideal condition for surgery but she has battled an infection for the last week and she has a weakened immune system from chemotherapy. Because of the chemo, her hemoglobin levels were low and she is anemic so she has received two pints of blood today. However, Stephanie's spirits have been high and she has been flashing her beautiful smile to everyone that walks in the door.
This is a necessary surgery and it is a substantial surgery. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers tomorrow.
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