Vulval cancer - Recovering from vulval cancer

When recovering from surgery for vulval cancer, you may experience numbness and changes in sensation around your vulva. These feelings should pass within a few months.

Depending on the type of surgery you had, the appearance of your vulva may have changed quite a bit.

Some women are not particularly bothered by this. Other women can find these changes in appearance deeply upsetting.

If you are concerned about looking at your vulva for the first time you may want to do it in the company of a nurse who will be able to explain the changes.

The first few days

When you wake up after surgery it is likely that you will have a drip in your arm to provide you with fluids.

Usually a thin tube known as a catheter is inserted into your bladder in order to drain urine out of it. This can usually be removed after a few days.

You may also have a tube in your groin to drain away excess fluid as a result of your lymph nodes being removed. This can usually be taken out after a week.

The site of the surgery will usually be sealed with disposable stitches that should disappear once the wound heals.

You are likely to be in some pain for the first few days after the operation and need painkilling medication, which can be given as a injection, in tablet form or pumped directly into your spine. This is known as an epidural.

You will be encouraged to perform some gentle exercise as soon as possible after the surgery as this can help prevent problems such as blood clots in your legs (deep vein thrombosis).

A nurse or physiotherapist will show you what types of exercises are suitable for you.

Going home

Depending on the type of surgery you have it may take anywhere from a couple of days to a few weeks before you are well enough to leave hospital.

You may be told not to lift any heavy objects as this could damage your wound. You may also be told to avoid driving for four to six weeks and it may be a number of months before you are well enough to return to work. 

Sex

It is normally safe to have sex around six to eight weeks after surgery, but many women do not feel ready for sex even after this time.

Both the stress of living with vulva cancer and the impact of surgery can have a obvious impact on your feelings about sex that may take some time to comes to terms with.

You can read more information about sexuality and vulval cancer on the Macmillan Cancer Support website.