Post-Op Appointment and Pathology

It is now 3+ weeks post-surgery.  I am getting better slowly. I have to remember that this is a marathon, not a sprint.  I am eating a low fiber diet, though not consuming as much as I should be to maintain my weight.  When I went for my post-op appointment on Friday, I had lost 12 pounds.  As someone who is always watching her weight, I was wondering how much weight was tumors and small intestine that had been surgically removed and how much was fat, muscle and water that represented real weight loss.  The largest tumor, called a liver lesion, was hanging from my liver, not on or in it.  It measured 11.5 x 11.5 x 6.7 cm and weighed 485.9 grams or 1.1 pounds (as per the pathology report)!  I’m not sure what the rest of the removed items (see below) weighed.  Pre-surgery, I was about 10-15 pounds overweight so this weight loss is welcome.  I have an appetite but it is not as strong as pre-surgery.  I am not having any cravings for anything!   As someone who spent a lot of time thinking about food, this is quite unusual for me and will take some getting used to.

In addition to the large liver lesion above, there were 2 segments of small bowel, one that was 71 cm in length and when opened, showed multiple (over 20) nodules ranging from 0.2 cm to 2.1 cm.  The second segment of small bowel was 13.4 cm in length and when opened revealed approximately 5 nodules ranging in size from 0.3 cm to 0.6 cm.  Within the mesentery, there were 7 nodules ranging from 0.8 cm to 6.6 cm in size.  Finally, the right ovary and fallopian tube were removed and a 1.0 cm tumor was found on the ovary. 

In one of my prior posts, I said that around 100 cm of small bowel was removed.  The pathology report showed 84.4 cm as shown above.  Dr. Clancy said that the small bowel shrinks when removed so that is why the pathology report shows < 100 cm.  He did say that 90% - 95% of my tumors are out now.  I asked about bowel obstructions due to adhesions/scar tissue and he said that happens in about 5% of cases.  Should that occur, it would not necessarily require corrective surgery.  I also inquired about hernias. Doctor Clancy said they sometimes happen and not to lift anything heavy for 3 months. 

My labs showed elevated ALT (SGPT) and AST (SGOT).  Dr. Clancy was not surprised by that.  I hope they get lower as I recover.

My chromogranin A (CgA), however, was much lower.  Pre-surgery, the CgA was 236 (reference range <93).  Post-surgery, the value is now 43.  That’s good news!

Meanwhile, I’m still very fatigued and my bowel movements are random but mostly under control.  I haven't ventured too far from a bathroom yet. I’m getting bored with the low fiber diet but need to continue at least for a while until my recovery progresses.  All in all, the surgery was less painful than I expected but I’m not sure about the longer term damage to my quality of life.  It’s too early to tell.