surgery /// recovery

HOSPITAL

The first evening in the hospital after waking up from surgery wasn't so bad really. Of course, I was super groggy from the slowly subsiding general anesthetic, but whatever pain meds were coursing through my system were absolutely doing the trick and I was able to get to sleep easily. Unfortunately, the meds started to wear off overnight and it was definitely a rough night.

Those first 12-24 hours, I was pretty much totally immobile. Bathroom breaks were via bedpan, and everything else needed to be done by the nurses or my angel of a mom. When I did first get up from the hospital bed, roughly 24 hours after surgery, I was shocked at how little strength I had in my legs and the pain I felt in my abdomen / inguinal area. I struggled to make it down the hallway of my recovery ward and back, hobbling and out of breath like an old man. I was not mentally prepared for that.

The first news I got that my hospital stay would be extended beyond just the 1st night as originally planned came the day after surgery. This extension was more of an unhappy coincidence - the day after my surgery happened to be a public holiday in Germany. One of the tests I had to do after surgery was a CT scan, to check for metastasis (i.e. cancer spread). Unfortunately, no CT scanning appointments were available on public holidays, so I was told to just stay an extra night rather than try to mobilize myself and come straight back to the hospital the next day.

The following day (i.e. surgery + 2), I was wheeled in for my CT scan. This was a much more pleasant and rapid experience than the MRI scan from my initial diagnosis: over in a matter of minutes and no claustrophobic tube to lay in with my thoughts. The results came back pretty quickly - I'll get into more details about what my testing program and results look like in a dedicated post, but while the results from this test were mostly good, the bad news was that the CT scan showed some strange air pockets inside my inguinal area. This was apparently why I was experiencing more pain than they were used to seeing patients in at this point. The doctors weren't sure the cause, but wanted to make sure it wasn't air being produced by some kind of infection as a result of the surgery... and so I was told I'd be staying another additional night. We had our fingers crossed that the minor "air" complication from the surgery would just go away on its own. Or, as my darling fiancé Joanna put it, that I could "just fart it out". By then, my mobility was slowly improving: I could make it fully around the ward, was taking my bathroom breaks in the bathroom, etc. Getting in and out of bed was still a huge effort, but it was encouraging feeling my body healing.

On June 1, 3 days after surgery including those 2 unplanned nights in the hospital, I was discharged and ready to go home - the strange internal air had cleared up on its own. I definitely came away with an immense appreciation for healthcare professionals, I cannot express how much I appreciate the care I received at such a vulnerable moment in life!

HOME

The next couple of days didn't look so different from the hospital: I spent a lot of time horizontal - reading, watching Netflix, even coloring - but at least it was from the comfort of home and my own bed. Energy levels were still very low, but I was able to slowly up my activity levels, walking around the block on the first day home, then adding a few more blocks and taking my dog Noli to the park nearby a couple of days later. I was advised not to lift anything and to really limit physical activity during those first days and weeks, which is difficult for a busy body like me. Thankfully during those first few days I was in the care of my mom, and had constant expressions of support pouring in from friends and family... care packages, gifts and gift certificates for Uber eats, gifts, cards, lovingly prepared meals, and whatsapp messages / phone calls expressing support. It was really amazing, and a huge shoutout to everyone in my life who stepped up during this period and made me feel so loved.

Amazing care packages and shows of support

By day 6 or 7 after surgery, I was walking around more or less comfortably, just a bit slower than usual and making sure to take breaks if needed. During week 3 I went for my first light run, and continued to add distance and pace from there. After week 4, I was back in the gym and able to partake in sports again, and generally felt fully myself again.

NUTRITION

Apart from telling you to "take it easy", there weren't many instructions from the doctors, particularly around nutrition. While I fully admit that the science isn't fully baked on the impact of nutrition on cancer / healing, I do think nutrition is one area of the cancer journey where taking some control is possible (during a period where you have so little control).

My soon-to-be-wife Joanna was a rockstar when it came to researching nutrition, buying cookbooks, supplements, and finding other ways to make sure we optimized diet to help my body heal, but also in case there were still cancer cells in my body, to give me the best chance to fight them off. Here's a few of the things I did in the 2 months after surgery:

• Fasting: as soon as I returned home I did a broth fast for 3 days. This meant no food or drink except for water, tea and a light vegetable broth (recipe courtesy of a friend who runs a fasting clinic in Spain), and thereafter continuing my pre-existing intermittent fasting routine (16-18 hours per day fasts)

• Alcohol: none!

• Processed / inflammatory foods: very little if any - focusing on whole, natural foods

• Plant-based: for the 5-6 years prior to cancer I had already been eating a heavily plant-based diet - not eating meat Mon-Fri; and I continued this approach
  

my diet after initially leaving the hospital - broth fast

My diet evolved later in the cancer journey, but most of those principles held. Ultimately, reducing sugar, inflammatory foods, and processed food together with intermittent fasting seemed to help with my healing process. But, as I said, the science is not conclusive here so if you are battling cancer, do your own research and/or consult your doctor.