DaVinci Robot vs Conventional Laparoscopy Radical Hysterectomy

• By Eimaj
• Posted February 12, 2009 at 10:08 pm
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I just had a radical hysterectomy for stage 1b1 Adenocarcinoma. I didn't have the option of either laparoscopy or DaVinci Robot, but wish I had. I have a dear friend who was able to have the DaVinci Robot surgery for prostate cancer. He said is was a great experience, but that you need to make sure that the doctor performing the surgery is very experienced with it. Your recovery time will be cut in half for sure. It should only take you 3 to 4 weeks instead of 6 to 8 weeks. I would also think that you would not need further treatments. My post op path report showed no signs of cancer any where and I don't need any other treatments. Best of luck..

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• By taylor1
• Posted February 13, 2009 at 7:32 am
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my dear kiminmo,

I am sorry to hear that you are going through this and need to have a hysterectomy. I am glad that your doctor is offering you the DaVinci method. I did have a hysterectomy for my CIN2 and Carcinoma in-situ in July 2008. My GYN/Oncologist had already have over 110 hystercetomy done with the same method and was very experience. Before my surgery, i was very nervous and was worried about complications and pain after surgery and of course i had heard many bad stories from other ladies who had hysterectomy so i was very anxious and nervous about it. However, i did have faith in my doctor.

The surgery went very well. I woke up with no pain and stayed a night at the hospital and went home a very next day. He told me to take aspirin if i had any pain. I did not have to take anything. He cut very small 4 incisions which he glued them after wards so i don't have to be worry about stitches. The only problem i had was the gas in my tummy which was due to the gas he pumped into my stomach before the surgery but, that did last long only 4 weeks and then regressed after i used the bathroom. Some people would recommend you to take gas reliever but keep in mind that they do not work as this gas is due to what they pumped you into stomach but make sure to eat fruits and stool softner because once you have your bowl movement, the gas will go away too. I did not have problem having bowl movement but i was nervous about it but it was all okay. so please do not be nervous. If it makes you feel better, I have to say that i went to the Mall shopping 10 days post hysterectomy with my daughter.

Try to walk around as much as you can but do not over due it. I started walking very slowly the very next day. I have to tell you that the recovery is very fast vs traditional hysterectomy. I am glad i did it. Although i am glad i had Robotic instead of laparoscopy method as the arms in Robotic moves much better than laparoscopic and they are more flexible.

I hope all goes well with your surgery and if you need more information, please feel free to write to me. I wish you the best of luck and i will keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

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• By taylor1
• Posted February 13, 2009 at 7:36 am
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i just read my reply and i am sorry if i scared you about the gas. It did last long for 4 days not 4 weeks.

Good luck.

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• By erinleigh8
• Posted February 13, 2009 at 10:51 am
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I had a radical trachelectomy with the DaVinci Robot, and can say that the process went smoothly. I had some complications with nausea and lack of appetite post-op, but other than that, I healed very well and in about three weeks I was back on my feet able to walk around fairly easily. I have five small incisions on my stomach, the largest is a little less than an inch. Some of them are barely noticeable, but bikini season is going to be a little different for me this year, since you can't hide them!

The most uncomfortable things after surgery was the catheter, which I had to have for one week, and the swelling in my stomach. It felt like my organs were aching as they settled back into their places (as my wonderful, amazing doctor told me, this was true, because they had to move everything out of the way to get to the cervix and then put everything back). Overall, the robotic procedure was the way to go for me. It definitely made my recovery quicker.

I wish you the very best on your surgery! Let us know what method you decide on.

Erin

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• By kiminmo
• Posted February 14, 2009 at 8:29 am
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Thanks for sharing your experiences. I am definitely leaning towards the DaVinci method. There is a lot of research out there pointing to quicker recovery with the robotic surgery.

I'm definitely not looking forward to the catheter....I had to have one for the PET scan and it was very uncomfortable. But in the bigger scheme of things, a small period of discomfort is a small price to pay to be cancer free!

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• By sgtbolt
• Posted March 22, 2009 at 5:42 pm
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My wife was in stage 1A2 adenocarcinoma cervical cancer. She had a modified radical using the robot We got home on 03-21-09. If you have any questions email us.
She stayed in the hospital for two days and I never left her side. We would be very happy to share with you our experience but we would prefer to know what exactly you would like to know so not to over load you with what things that are not a concern to you right now. If you have already had the surgery before us maybe you can answer share with us your postop experience. sgtbolt@hotmail.com

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• By MingoLover
• Posted April 18, 2009 at 5:16 pm
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I had a radical hysterectomy via daVinci on April 10 as treatment for stage 1a1 cervical cancer (no further treatment needed...YES!). I went home the next afternoon. 8 days post op...and I feel pretty darn good. As people have mentioned above...the catheter is a drag, but I'm looking at it as a small inconvenience in the grand scheme of things. I go for my first post-op appointment in 3 days and will have the cath removed at that time. If you have a choice, I'd definitely recommend going daVinci.

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• By betterat50
• Posted May 6, 2009 at 2:01 pm
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I did not have cancer, but did have numerous fibroids and adenomyosis. After years of trying to control things with birth control pills it was time to try something different. My doctor hoped discontinuting birth control would roll me right on over into menopause, but alas that was not to be. My uterine size made tradational laproscopic surgery not an option since my doctor said there was no room for the instruments.

I found another doctor in my area that is now doing DaVinci surgery. I had a total hysterectomy with ovaries and tubes removed. My surgery was in the afternoon and by late that evening they had my catheter out and encouraging me to get up and urinate. My doctor had strict criteria I had to meet or the catheter was to go back in. Fortunately I drank and used the bathroom enough. The next morning the nurse helped me get up and get a shower, and they started walking me. I had to make 4 short walks before I could be dismissed. Having a dedicated nursing staff to back up your doctor is so important. I wish I could have found your post earlier and told you how well my surgery went.

I went home 24 hours after my surgery, made my own tuna sandwich for supper and went to bed. My pathology report showed a 4 times normal size uterus. Of course I had quite a bit of gas, and the pain of things re-arranging themselves. 7 days post-op I made a short trip to town in my car and about a 30 minute outing. That was exhausting. Each day I improved by leaps and bounds. I was fortunate to have church friends and family who brought in food and my husband and son took care of housework so I could rest and recover. 10 days post-op I was doing my own laundry and dishes and day 11, I went back to work. I do sit at my computer and have very flexible working conditions so I could have gone home at any time should I have felt like it. I really had to rest well the next day which was a Saturday and also just went to Church for class Sunday morning came home and rested. The next week I worked all week. It was important that I get plenty of rest in the afternoon. Also, I might add that much of my day I work from a computer giving IT support to my co-workers who are also very supportive of me.

I am so thrilled that I had the DaVinci surgery. I know it's not right for everyone and my surgeon warned me ahead of time that if there were significant blockages that he might have to resort to traditional open surgery. I'm just so glad that I didn't have to go the old-fashioned way. Now I can enjoy my summer gardening and working in the yard instead of recovering from my hysterectomy.

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• By kzach
• Posted May 7, 2009 at 10:38 am
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I am goig to have a radical hysterectomy via da vinci soon. I have not heard anything about the catheter...can you give me an idea of what to expect? Do I go home with one? How many day would I have it? Thanks.

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• By MingoLover
• Posted May 7, 2009 at 4:33 pm
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kzach: I think it depends on your specific procedure as to whether or not you'll go home with a catheter. During my surgery, it was necessary to sever the parasympathetic nerve (the nerve that lets you know when your bladder is full). I'm not sure that happens in 100% of daVinci radical hysterectomies--so I would definitely check with your doctor. I had no idea about this either, until I was at a pre-op appointment and my gyn-onc said something about me coming back for a post-op appointment to have the cath removed. I said "Um...I'm not coming home with a catheter". He said "Yes, you are"...and proceeded to tell me about the nerve being cut during surgery. I had the cath for 10 days, and while it was uncomfortable at times, it really was no big deal considering my ultimate outcome of no further treatment necessary! :)

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• By kzach
• Posted May 11, 2009 at 12:45 pm
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Thank you for the heads up and quick reply.... I see my dr. today, so I will be sure to ask. :-)

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• By brettogirl
• Posted June 11, 2009 at 12:31 pm
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Hello. I was diagnosed with Adenocarcinoma in late April and just had a radical hysterectomy using the DaVinci Robot on June 1. I am 39 and in overall good health. In my opinion, and experience, if you have the opportunity to go with the DaVinci Robot I would. I had my surgery on a Monday afternoon; and I was discharged the next day at 5:00 p.m. (after I proved that I could walk around the corridor). The next day, Wednesday, was a very difficult day: mostly from the nausea. When I took the Percocet that night I had an allergic reaction and couldn’t stop itching so I stopped taking it and didn’t need an alternative for pain. I have seven puncture areas, covered with dissolving tape. I went home with a catheter (and was told I would) and was given an appt. to come in to have it removed the Friday after my surgery (about 4 days). Unfortunately, they removed it but I wasn’t able to urinate (2.5 hours later) so they had to re-insert and I kept it until Monday. This was a very uncomfortable weekend, very sore area and difficult to sit. Today is about 10 days post op and my biggest challenge is gas and constipation. Kashi cereal, prune juice and water are helping; for me Gas X did nothing. I returned to work on Monday (7 days after), but I work from home and have a desk job. I tend to get a bit tired mid day, similar to coming off of having the flu. I am very pleased with my Dr. and with the DaVinci procedure; I even have lovely color photos! And I’m cancer free now.

Hope this was helpful, I came to this website before my surgery and it helped a lot. Thanks all!

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• By Kat-t
• Posted June 12, 2009 at 8:53 am
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MingoLover,
How is your bladder doing now? I had a radical hysterectomy with the Davinci Robot on Feb. 23.
My bladder is still not working. I've been to uro-gyn.
He put me through a test called urodynamics, and
decided that I had nerve damage. He said it could take
up to 6-9 months for nerves to heal (if their going to heal). Right now I have to self-catheter. He said an
option I have is to have interstem theropy, which is kind of like a pacemaker for the bladder. I decided to wait a while to see if bladder starts functioning again.

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• By bfly37
• Posted June 12, 2009 at 2:09 pm
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I had a radical hysterctomy by a doctor that performs that type of hyst in California. I did not have that type done though. 8 years later I am still HPV positive. Please try to get rid of your HPV as the Hysterectomy does not in many cases and can cause changes in your vulva or vagina. This is not to scare you but to educate you as no one did many yrs ago for me. There are natural supplements you can take to help with the HPV, email me if you would like.

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