Tumor on my adrenal gland.

[Sarabanara]

HI Guy's

I am having surgery in 5 days and i am extremely nervous!! I am getting married in 2 months and even though I am almost done the planning im worried it's not going to happen due to my surgery.
They found a large tumor on one of my adrenal glands and i am having this removed.They will be trying the laproscopic way but might have to do it through big incision if the first way doesnt work as the tumor is around 7 cm.

Here are my fears:


1.I am scared of the pain and do not like the idea of going under anesthetic.
2.I am a smoker and cannot smoke 24 hours before my surgery,.. I have tried everything to quit!! and I am having major problems conquering it ... and I am scared that if i do not quit there will be major complications during surgery but if I do quit within the 24 hours my body will be under allot of stress and that might be worse for me in the end!.
3.they will not be doing the biopsy until the mass is out and I am worried of it being malignant...

I know I sound extremely paranoid but i have NEVER had surgery and this tumor was found by complete accident!! Now my world is turned upside down and I am suppose to be getting married in 2 months...so under those circumstances I am overly stressed!

Any answers would be greatly appreciated :)

[rumpled]

Hello.
I have had both adrenals removed.  I have had 12 surgeries so I am kind of a veteran (my adrenal surgery was #11) but no surgery is fun. Abdominal surgery is not the best - so before surgery - try to get slip on shoes, and move things that you need to above your waist so you don't have to bend over for a while.

I hope you have a very experienced surgeon - the open surgery will take a lot longer to recover from while the laproscopic one is pretty easy (had some open, some laproscopic so been there, done that. My adrenals were enlarged but not that big. They go in from the front and I have mostly tiny scars except for the larger one where they removed both adrenals from one side. The gas is the worst after but it passes (they use it to blow up your abdomen to see better).

It is important to not smoke so the anesthesia has the best chance for no complications. The surgery is not a long one and luckily you are only doing one side. Can you try the gums or patches?

Have they done any testing to determine the nature of the lesion - it could be a benign one - or a hormone producing lesion. Get copies of everything and best of luck to  you.

[Red_Star]

Excerpts from Smoking and Surgery - Cancer Council Queensland:

"When you quit:

At eight hours your heart rate and blood pressure will begin to return to normal.

At 12 hours the nicotine and carbon monoxide in your body will drop dramatically.

At one week the cilia in your lungs will have begun to recover and will start cleaning mucus out of your lungs.

At two weeks your throat and the large airways in your lungs will be less reactive, causing less problems with breathing during surgery.

At three weeks your body’s ability to heal wounds will have begun to improve.

At four weeks the small airways in your lungs will be working better and will continue to improve.

At six weeks your lungs will produce a normal amount of mucus, which will help your breathing during surgery.

At eight weeks your risk of lung complications will be lower than a continuing smoker. Your blood will be less thick and sticky and your blood flow will improve. Your risk of wound complications will be much less than a continuing smoker. Your immune system and your response to anaesthetic drugs will also improve. Your rate or extent of recovery may also depend on
other things such as whether you already have an advanced smoking related illness.

After surgery, it is important you do not start smoking again, even if you only quit 12 hours before surgery. Allow your body time to recover and heal properly.  Smoking makes recovery harder by stressing your heart, affecting your blood pressure, reducing oxygen in your blood and body tissues and damaging your lungs.

What are the risks?

If you continue to smoke right up to the time you have surgery, you will be more likely to:

• Starve your heart of oxygen.
• Form blood clots in your veins.
• Have difficulty breathing during and after surgery.
• Increase your risk of infection.
• Impair the healing of bones, skin and wounds.
• Change the breakdown of certain drugs in your blood."