Klatskin Tumor
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Ritchie, I had a left lobe hepatic resection almost two years ago, and I didn’t have much pain at all, in spite of some impressive incisions. The sent me home with morphine tabs when I was discharged, and I think I might had used two, just to make sure I slept OK the first two nights home. Other than infections in the incision lines, my recuperation was entirely uneventful and painfree. Just some minor digestion problems in the first week and limitation on food volume.
I can’t comment on laproscopic surgery, since I haven’t heard anything about it, and it clearly wouldn’t have been possible in my case, given all the plumbing changes. I would be inclined to ask how many such procedures have been done successfully by your surgeon.
Good luck to you.
Ritchi…re: your question of laparoscopic Klatskin surgery….we have not had any reports on this site. I am hoping for someone perusing the discussions to come forward and share some thoughts with you.
If not then you might want to ask your physician whether he/she could put you in touch with one of the previous patients who, have undergone this procedure.
I am sending all my best wishes your way,
MarionHi Ritchie, so glad to hear the itching problem is better and it is good to hear they are going to proceed with the Klatskin surgery. I can’t help with Klatskin as Teddy had a Whipple. They can do so much these days with key hole surgery, its amazing. I am concerned with the amount of pain you are still having, not just for the pain itself but it zaps all your energy. Have you talked to your ONC about it? I do have one suggestion for surgery pain. I had major surgery Oct. of 2009, another very rare cancer in the stomach. I asked for a spinal injection (does not hurt, sounds worse than it is) and that kept the surgical area numb for the first 2 days. You have already been in so much pain and discomfort perhaps the discomfort from surgery will not be as bad as you think especially with all the meds the hospital has. I can understand your apprehension as this CC puts us in such an unknown world. Best of luck on your ERCP and heart tests. Please let us know how you are doing.
Hi Ritchie,
I can’t help much either re your questions on surgery as my dad never had any type of surgery for his CC, but we do have a resections board here that may have relevant discussions that might be of interest to you. Also, have you used the search function to look for other discussions by the members here that may also be of interest to you? One thing I have read by members who have had surgery is to have a pillow ready for after the surgery, as this could help with the pain. I think they said that pressing the pillow against your abdomen when coughing might help. I’m sure others who have had surgery could confirm if this is correct or not.
What pain medication are you on right now? And if this is not working as you say then perhaps it would be worth speaking with your doctor to see if you could try another type of medication. My dad had the itching as well, and he had that a lot. Once he had his stent inserted then it cleared up pretty quickly and he was so grateful for that as the itching drove him mad. My dad had a metal stent as his CC was deemed inoperable, but have you spoken with the doctor about getting a plastic one as that would not rule out the possibility of surgery?
I hope that your heart tests go well and that surgery can be done if you want it and that you can get some relief here. And I am sure that others will be along soon who will be able to share their experiences of their surgery with you. Please let us know how everything goes.
My best wishes to you,
Gavin
Hi Ritchie, Sorry I can’t be any help about surgery, my husband was not a canditate. I am concerned about your pain, though. My husband tried a few pain killers before he found the one that worked for him – hydromorphone. Everyone is different, but I am sure there is something out there for you.
I will be praying for you on your upcoming surgery. Usually surgery done laproscopically has less risk because it is less invasive. I’m rooting for you.
NancyMy rash is better. At least it looks better. The prednisone has taken care of the outward appearance. I use Sarna, baby oil on a hot wet wash cloth, prescription creams, and take Atarax for the itching. I still itch. I also ache all over (pain medication doesn’t seem to help); and feel as weak as a kitten. The Gemzar and radiation really did a job on me.
I’m too weak, at the present time, for surgery. They have, however, set up an appointment for pre-testing my heart to see if I can handle surgery. They also are setting up an appointment for me to have another ERCP (They want to see if there has been a change since radiation and chemo). When I asked the surgeon about inserting a stint at that time, he stated that it wouldn’t be necessary because I would be having the surgery shortly thereafter. The Klatskin surgery is to be on May5Th with me being admitted to the Riverside Methodist Hospital (Columbus Ohio) on May 4Th.
The surgeon plans to do the work laproscopically, and then make an incision lower on the abdomen to remove the resected part of the liver. Have any of you had Klatskin surgery done laproscopically, or know of someone who has had such a procedure???
Knowing that everyone is different, I would like to find out (from people who have been there) as much as possible about my up-coming surgery. With Laproscopic Klatskin Surgery, how long will it be before I can get out of bed? Is there a lot of pain with the surgery? The doctor said that I would be really sore. Is there anything that I can do to help myself with the pain? After release from the hospital, what is home recovery like, and how long does it take? Is there any more danger of infection when surgery is done laproscopically than when done otherwise?
I’m still wondering IF I should even HAVE the surgery. That’s why I suggested that a stint be inserted during the up-coming ERCP.
I would appreciate information from any and all who can help me.Sincerely,
Ritchie
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