Scheduled for Surgery

Hi Fressia,

Like a lot of things in Melanoma worlod the answers to your uestions are it varies between individuals and with age , health and fitness.

A GA is nothing to be scared of- but they have to give you the normal risks and warnings. Rule of thumb- longer youare under- longer it takes to be rid of effects. Due to masks , tubes etc you might have dry cracked lips and a bit of a sore throat. Drink plently following the GA but start gently as you don't want to trigger sickness. I always go to theatre with some lip salve on. Drinking helps flush the drugs from your system and helps prevent constipstion that goes with opoid painkillers and your gut being slowed down during the procedure. Don't expect to fully bounce back for a few days but after effects may be something like not thinking as clearly and not feeling on top form.

Never had a node biopsy. Primary excision pain depends on how easy it is for your surgeon to get margins and how deep they have to go- easier if there is "spare skin"..if easy they go for an eye shape and join the margins- more difficult a z shaped scar- if really difficult a skin graft. Scar will be longer than you might think to get the contours right and save puckering and really does fade amazingly well after 12months. Might nave lots of tiny stitches.

Primary lower left back- the blue dye they inject to trace lymph drainage could be unpredictable – as it varies between individuals- but there is a possiblity it could drain both to left and right sides so you may end up with more than one node biopsy.

Would leave off the weightlifting for a while- at least until the wounds have healed and movement does not pull on the scars.

Pain should be temporary and full mobility should be resumed fairly quickly but as the procedure does involve removal of lymph nodes the lymph does have to find new routes and a lump of stranded lymph fluid sometimes happensin the space left by the lymph node removal. Ice and pain killers may help and raising the affected limb might also help. Be kind to yourself- trust the messages your body gives you and try not get ahead of yourself- you sometimeshave to let things happen at their own pace and rushing can delay healing in the long run.

Hope all goes well with clear snbon Friday.

All the best

Deb

Hi Fressia,

Like a lot of things in Melanoma worlod the answers to your uestions are it varies between individuals and with age , health and fitness.

A GA is nothing to be scared of- but they have to give you the normal risks and warnings. Rule of thumb- longer youare under- longer it takes to be rid of effects. Due to masks , tubes etc you might have dry cracked lips and a bit of a sore throat. Drink plently following the GA but start gently as you don't want to trigger sickness. I always go to theatre with some lip salve on. Drinking helps flush the drugs from your system and helps prevent constipstion that goes with opoid painkillers and your gut being slowed down during the procedure. Don't expect to fully bounce back for a few days but after effects may be something like not thinking as clearly and not feeling on top form.

Never had a node biopsy. Primary excision pain depends on how easy it is for your surgeon to get margins and how deep they have to go- easier if there is "spare skin"..if easy they go for an eye shape and join the margins- more difficult a z shaped scar- if really difficult a skin graft. Scar will be longer than you might think to get the contours right and save puckering and really does fade amazingly well after 12months. Might nave lots of tiny stitches.

Primary lower left back- the blue dye they inject to trace lymph drainage could be unpredictable – as it varies between individuals- but there is a possiblity it could drain both to left and right sides so you may end up with more than one node biopsy.

Would leave off the weightlifting for a while- at least until the wounds have healed and movement does not pull on the scars.

Pain should be temporary and full mobility should be resumed fairly quickly but as the procedure does involve removal of lymph nodes the lymph does have to find new routes and a lump of stranded lymph fluid sometimes happensin the space left by the lymph node removal. Ice and pain killers may help and raising the affected limb might also help. Be kind to yourself- trust the messages your body gives you and try not get ahead of yourself- you sometimeshave to let things happen at their own pace and rushing can delay healing in the long run.

Hope all goes well with clear snbon Friday.

All the best

Deb

Hi Fressia,

Like a lot of things in Melanoma worlod the answers to your uestions are it varies between individuals and with age , health and fitness.

A GA is nothing to be scared of- but they have to give you the normal risks and warnings. Rule of thumb- longer youare under- longer it takes to be rid of effects. Due to masks , tubes etc you might have dry cracked lips and a bit of a sore throat. Drink plently following the GA but start gently as you don't want to trigger sickness. I always go to theatre with some lip salve on. Drinking helps flush the drugs from your system and helps prevent constipstion that goes with opoid painkillers and your gut being slowed down during the procedure. Don't expect to fully bounce back for a few days but after effects may be something like not thinking as clearly and not feeling on top form.

Never had a node biopsy. Primary excision pain depends on how easy it is for your surgeon to get margins and how deep they have to go- easier if there is "spare skin"..if easy they go for an eye shape and join the margins- more difficult a z shaped scar- if really difficult a skin graft. Scar will be longer than you might think to get the contours right and save puckering and really does fade amazingly well after 12months. Might nave lots of tiny stitches.

Primary lower left back- the blue dye they inject to trace lymph drainage could be unpredictable – as it varies between individuals- but there is a possiblity it could drain both to left and right sides so you may end up with more than one node biopsy.

Would leave off the weightlifting for a while- at least until the wounds have healed and movement does not pull on the scars.

Pain should be temporary and full mobility should be resumed fairly quickly but as the procedure does involve removal of lymph nodes the lymph does have to find new routes and a lump of stranded lymph fluid sometimes happensin the space left by the lymph node removal. Ice and pain killers may help and raising the affected limb might also help. Be kind to yourself- trust the messages your body gives you and try not get ahead of yourself- you sometimeshave to let things happen at their own pace and rushing can delay healing in the long run.

Hope all goes well with clear snbon Friday.

All the best

Deb

Hi Fressia,

Like a lot of things in Melanoma worlod the answers to your uestions are it varies between individuals and with age , health and fitness.

A GA is nothing to be scared of- but they have to give you the normal risks and warnings. Rule of thumb- longer youare under- longer it takes to be rid of effects. Due to masks , tubes etc you might have dry cracked lips and a bit of a sore throat. Drink plently following the GA but start gently as you don't want to trigger sickness. I always go to theatre with some lip salve on. Drinking helps flush the drugs from your system and helps prevent constipstion that goes with opoid painkillers and your gut being slowed down during the procedure. Don't expect to fully bounce back for a few days but after effects may be something like not thinking as clearly and not feeling on top form.

Never had a node biopsy. Primary excision pain depends on how easy it is for your surgeon to get margins and how deep they have to go- easier if there is "spare skin"..if easy they go for an eye shape and join the margins- more difficult a z shaped scar- if really difficult a skin graft. Scar will be longer than you might think to get the contours right and save puckering and really does fade amazingly well after 12months. Might nave lots of tiny stitches.

Primary lower left back- the blue dye they inject to trace lymph drainage could be unpredictable – as it varies between individuals- but there is a possiblity it could drain both to left and right sides so you may end up with more than one node biopsy.

Would leave off the weightlifting for a while- at least until the wounds have healed and movement does not pull on the scars.

Pain should be temporary and full mobility should be resumed fairly quickly but as the procedure does involve removal of lymph nodes the lymph does have to find new routes and a lump of stranded lymph fluid sometimes happensin the space left by the lymph node removal. Ice and pain killers may help and raising the affected limb might also help. Be kind to yourself- trust the messages your body gives you and try not get ahead of yourself- you sometimeshave to let things happen at their own pace and rushing can delay healing in the long run.

Hope all goes well with clear snbon Friday.

All the best

Deb

Hi Fressia,

Like a lot of things in Melanoma worlod the answers to your uestions are it varies between individuals and with age , health and fitness.

A GA is nothing to be scared of- but they have to give you the normal risks and warnings. Rule of thumb- longer youare under- longer it takes to be rid of effects. Due to masks , tubes etc you might have dry cracked lips and a bit of a sore throat. Drink plently following the GA but start gently as you don't want to trigger sickness. I always go to theatre with some lip salve on. Drinking helps flush the drugs from your system and helps prevent constipstion that goes with opoid painkillers and your gut being slowed down during the procedure. Don't expect to fully bounce back for a few days but after effects may be something like not thinking as clearly and not feeling on top form.

Never had a node biopsy. Primary excision pain depends on how easy it is for your surgeon to get margins and how deep they have to go- easier if there is "spare skin"..if easy they go for an eye shape and join the margins- more difficult a z shaped scar- if really difficult a skin graft. Scar will be longer than you might think to get the contours right and save puckering and really does fade amazingly well after 12months. Might nave lots of tiny stitches.

Primary lower left back- the blue dye they inject to trace lymph drainage could be unpredictable – as it varies between individuals- but there is a possiblity it could drain both to left and right sides so you may end up with more than one node biopsy.

Would leave off the weightlifting for a while- at least until the wounds have healed and movement does not pull on the scars.

Pain should be temporary and full mobility should be resumed fairly quickly but as the procedure does involve removal of lymph nodes the lymph does have to find new routes and a lump of stranded lymph fluid sometimes happensin the space left by the lymph node removal. Ice and pain killers may help and raising the affected limb might also help. Be kind to yourself- trust the messages your body gives you and try not get ahead of yourself- you sometimeshave to let things happen at their own pace and rushing can delay healing in the long run.

Hope all goes well with clear snbon Friday.

All the best

Deb

Hi Fressia,

Like a lot of things in Melanoma worlod the answers to your uestions are it varies between individuals and with age , health and fitness.

A GA is nothing to be scared of- but they have to give you the normal risks and warnings. Rule of thumb- longer youare under- longer it takes to be rid of effects. Due to masks , tubes etc you might have dry cracked lips and a bit of a sore throat. Drink plently following the GA but start gently as you don't want to trigger sickness. I always go to theatre with some lip salve on. Drinking helps flush the drugs from your system and helps prevent constipstion that goes with opoid painkillers and your gut being slowed down during the procedure. Don't expect to fully bounce back for a few days but after effects may be something like not thinking as clearly and not feeling on top form.

Never had a node biopsy. Primary excision pain depends on how easy it is for your surgeon to get margins and how deep they have to go- easier if there is "spare skin"..if easy they go for an eye shape and join the margins- more difficult a z shaped scar- if really difficult a skin graft. Scar will be longer than you might think to get the contours right and save puckering and really does fade amazingly well after 12months. Might nave lots of tiny stitches.

Primary lower left back- the blue dye they inject to trace lymph drainage could be unpredictable – as it varies between individuals- but there is a possiblity it could drain both to left and right sides so you may end up with more than one node biopsy.

Would leave off the weightlifting for a while- at least until the wounds have healed and movement does not pull on the scars.

Pain should be temporary and full mobility should be resumed fairly quickly but as the procedure does involve removal of lymph nodes the lymph does have to find new routes and a lump of stranded lymph fluid sometimes happensin the space left by the lymph node removal. Ice and pain killers may help and raising the affected limb might also help. Be kind to yourself- trust the messages your body gives you and try not get ahead of yourself- you sometimeshave to let things happen at their own pace and rushing can delay healing in the long run.

Hope all goes well with clear snbon Friday.

All the best

Deb

Hope this helps and if you have any further questions, feel free to ask!

Lauren

Hope this helps and if you have any further questions, feel free to ask!

Lauren

Hope this helps and if you have any further questions, feel free to ask!

Lauren