(Surgery Review and Tips) Cancer Surgery/Recovery Review and Health Recovery Tips "Walking 10,000 steps, drinking a glass of water on an empty stomach, and making sure to eat breakfast"

I am a cancer patient.

In May of last year, I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and underwent a complete open surgery in June.

A surgery was performed to remove the head of the pancreas, gallbladder, and bile duct, and to connect the stomach to the small intestine.

A surgery was performed to remove a malignant tumor mass larger than 5 centimeters.

 

A heavy stomachache that felt like indigestion started from the morning of May 1st.

I took some medicine for indigestion and thought I could endure it for a while, so I was holding on.

Late at night, the pain became so severe that I could no longer bear it.

While the children were sleeping, I moved to the emergency room with my husband and called my mother to ask her to take care of the children.

 

And at the local hospital emergency room, they said the gas was trapped, and I received a prescription for an antacid.

The next day, I was really clutching my stomach, unable to stand up properly or walk properly.

Mom who came before the second bowel movement saw it and thought it wouldn't work, so she suggested going to a larger hospital emergency room...

Since that day was the second birthday, I had to prepare a birthday table, and I had to leave the children with my husband before going.

I only went to a slightly larger hospital in the neighboring city late in the evening because my fever was over 38 degrees.

First, the COVID-19 patient was taken into the dedicated emergency room and an emergency CT scan was performed...

There is a large mass behind the upper back, it seems to be an inflamed lump. They told me to perform an immediate operation...

And the next day, through an endoscopy, they said they would pass a needle through the stomach wall to remove the inflammation...

When I actually punctured it, it wasn't pus... it was a lump... The tissue was removed, and the next day the doctor came and said... "malignant tumor."

I heard that... but for some reason, the doctor has pancreatic cancer, but it's not the kind of malignant tumor we know.

I experienced it three years ago, and I realized that it is almost identical to "gastrointestinal papillary tumor," which has only recently been recognized as pancreatic cancer... For some reason, did that make me feel relieved?

The tumor, which was over 5 centimeters, underwent necrosis inside, causing inflammation levels to rise and resulting in abdominal pain.

Fortunately, only that mass is undergoing necrosis.. First, perform a PET CT scan for metastasis examination.

I received antibiotics to control the inflammation and spent a week in the hospital room.

My house and my in-laws' house are in chaos... Pancreatic cancer...

I looked into all the professors who are famous for pancreatic cancer in Seoul, and fortunately, I was able to quickly schedule an outpatient appointment at Seoul Asan Medical Center.

When I met with the professor at Seoul Asan Hospital, it seemed more like a neuroendocrine tumor than a type A high-grade tumor.

Fortunately, the prognosis is quite good. They said to schedule the surgery date as soon as possible...

 

By a stroke of luck... not the "adenocarcinoma," which accounts for 90% of pancreatic cancers and is the most malignant...

It is a neuroendocrine tumor, which is the cause of pancreatic cancer that has a 10% chance of occurring and led to Steve Jobs' death.

Fortunately... this is less aggressive, and if the surgery goes well, the prognosis is good...

Steve Jobs... tried to endure without surgery, but eventually the cancer metastasized, and he had surgery too late, they say.

Thanks to God's help, I didn't have to undergo radiation or chemotherapy.

The surgery was successful enough to warrant annual follow-up observations.

 

So I really had surgery, and after the surgery, the duodenum, the responsible bile duct, and the gallbladder disappeared, and the head of the pancreas disappeared.

I directly connected the small intestine and the stomach... but this stomach couldn't adapt, so it couldn't digest even the small amount of food I ate up to the "m" stage, and I died shortly after eating a little.

After vomiting day and night for three days and enduring about a week of hardship... I truly decided to recover with all my might! and started exercising.

 

Since recovering in mid-June, I have been walking 10,000 steps every day without missing a single day until today.

Whether it's rain, snow, or wind...

I walk very diligently because I worry that if I don't reach 10,000 steps, the monster called cancer might raise its head again.

But.. walking 10,000 steps at once is difficult.

And walking after meals is really beneficial.

So, after returning to work in January, I started working to some extent in the mornings.

When others are having coffee or cigarette breaks, I take 10-15 minutes. I also go up and down the stairs and walk about 3,000 steps in the morning.

And I walk for 30 minutes after lunch. I always walk.

When it rains heavily, I walk back and forth in the indoor first-floor lobby corridor.

If you walk diligently for 30 minutes and go about your daily activities, you'll reach 8,000 to 9,000 steps...

After work, I have to take care of the kids, do the grocery shopping, and handle various other things... before I know it, I easily walk 10,000 steps in a day.

And on weekends... in the morning when my husband and children are sleeping.

I tried to go out and take a walk whenever possible... If I didn't walk in the morning, I would walk in the afternoon.

If needed, I walked briskly for 30-40 minutes on the apartment gym treadmill.

 

This is my pedometer record after surgery on June 3rd last year.

On the day of the surgery, I could hardly walk the next day, as I mentioned earlier.

During the recovery process, when transitioning from eating porridge to eating rice, the stomach was upset.

After struggling for a few days and finally recovering, I started walking more than ten thousand steps every day.

For the recovery of the surgical site approximately 20 centimeters in size,

The organs that had been completely removed had to walk in order to find their proper place again.

Pedometer records from June to July of last year...

 

 

Records of walking at the company after returning to work in January...

If I didn't reach 10,000 steps right before bed, I would walk around the living room in circles to make up for it.

This March and May, there were days when I walked over 20,000 steps.

Walking a lot is not good.. It's not good for knee joints..

Walking about ten thousand steps a day seems to be good for health.

 

 

 

 

And the good thing about walking 10,000 steps...

They say you can find peace of mind while walking and listening to music.

You can see such a wonderful scenery like this.. Scenes you can't see if you don't walk!!

If you don't move, you'll miss out on the wonderful scenery...

 

 

And since around April, I also started running 3 kilometers more than 2-3 times a week.

Walking alone is not enough for muscle strength, so even a little bit to build muscle.

And you know from your health check-up, right? How many days in a week did you exercise to the point of shortness of breath for 30 minutes?

How do you all check? I used to check that I didn't have any days off, but now I confidently check that it's been more than three days. Haha

 

 

 

And I weigh myself when I wake up early in the morning.

I always drink a glass of water on an empty stomach.

The reason for weighing yourself... Is it that your weight suddenly drops? Well, that could be the effect of dieting!

You should also consider that there might be something wrong with your body...

My weight suddenly started to drop, so I thought the dieting effects were finally showing... but...

That could be causing the illness to worsen, so... be sure! If your weight drops rapidly,

Regular check-up! It's necessary~

Since I am quite short, around 150 centimeters, my current weight is just right for me...

My belly fat is still there... haha, maybe because I've been walking steadily for ten thousand steps and moving my body.

My body has recovered, and my digestive ability has almost returned to normal, and I have been maintaining this state for over a year now.

 

 

And third!! I never skip breakfast!!

Make sure to eat breakfast every morning. I used to do that even before I got sick; back then, I would just bring a piece of bread and have it with coffee.

Now I make sure to bring fruits and try to eat healthier foods...

If you ever want to eat flour-based foods in the morning, set a limit of about 2-3 times a week.

Did you know that eating breakfast is also effective for dieting?

Eating breakfast gives me energy for the day, and I don't overeat at lunch and dinner.

And after drinking a glass of water on an empty stomach and the body's organs start to move

You need to get energy in the morning~ It seems to help boost your vitality and strengthen your immune system~~

 

 

 

Hello!! I introduced my health tips: "Walking 10,000 steps, drinking a glass of water on an empty stomach, and always having breakfast."

And I also shared my experience after pancreatic cancer surgery.

 

The CT scan results are still clear after one year.

So I am working hard at my company, doing my job, and also taking care of my child.

I go to the hospital every weekend to get immune injections.

I'll take good care so that my kids never become friends with this kid again until they reach my age~ haha