Alla was supposed to have surgery. She did not make it in time, the war broke out. She found help in Kraków

Was I scared? Of course – and the war and departure to Poland, but most of all this cancer – says Ałła, 56, who was operated on at the Hospital in Klinach in Krakow. It was very difficult for me – I knew it was cancer and I must have an operation as soon as possible, that I would die if I did not. I was registered for surgery in a hospital in Lviv, but the war broke out.

1. Alla found out that she has endometrial cancer by accident – on the occasion of the pain caused by inflammation of the gallbladder
2. The woman was supposed to be operated on, but she did not manage to do so. Before it was her turn, war broke out and all planned treatments were canceled
3. Ałła found out that she can get help in Poland. When she heard that it was free, she couldn’t believe it
4. What’s going on in Ukraine? Follow the broadcast live
5. More current information can be found on the Onet homepage.

To cure cancer, she fled the war. «We said: we are from Ukraine. They took care of us »

Alła comes from the vicinity of Ivano-Frankivsk – pre-war Stanisławów. It was in the hospital in this city in December last year that Alla was diagnosed with cholecystitis. Earlier at home she was in a pain. At the same time, troops were standing near the border of Ukraine, and Putin was wagging his finger and talking about the war. The hospital doctor confirmed the stones in the follicle and said surgery would be needed. Ałła had a month to do additional tests and return to the hospital for surgery. She started with an ultrasound and when the doctor accidentally moved the head of the apparatus to the uterus, she saw a large lesion – endometrial cancer. Further tests were commissioned that gave the final diagnosis.

What’s next? They started looking for a hospital that could do the operation. Lviv seemed to be the best because the daughter lived close. The operation date was set for the end of February. Only a visit to the anesthesiologist remained. – I visited this doctor, but it was then that the air raids on Ukraine began. My hospital canceled all planned surgeries, the staff, as they themselves said, were under the war regime. Even when someone was hospitalized for elective surgery during this period, he was discharged home without it.

1. Check also: They escaped from the war. “I was learning how to administer chemistry from the Internet”

Together, in a family circle, they made a decision – going to Poland, to Krakow. We learned from a doctor in Lviv that the Hospital in Klinach in Krakow operates endometrial cancer patients with the use of the da Vinci robot.

– The daughter checked this information and called the hospital. Still from Lviv, she sent them my medical documentation. And then we waited, I was in tears, because there was cancer and war outside the window. They wrote back that the operation was possible, that there was a deadline, that they were waiting. We do not have such robots in Ukraine. We asked how much this robotic procedure will cost us. The daughter heard that the operation would be free, because the hospital supports patients from Ukraine and has funding from the European Union for such procedures. For the whole family: me – grandmother, daughter, grandchildren, we stood in line for many hours at the border crossing with Poland. Then we got to Krakow, straight to the hospital. It was Monday. We said: We are from Ukraine. They took care of us. I stayed in the hospital, the family was organized a hotel. On Thursday I was already after surgery. Before that, we asked for the money again and we heard again that it was free. My daughter says that in Poland you probably have different anesthesia or have other medications – laughs Ałła – I felt very well after the surgery, and my daughter did not take the anesthesia very well before. For me, everything went so easily, so well that we cannot believe it together.

As she emphasizes – there are no words of gratitude. Before the operation, every detail of the procedure was explained to her, conversations with the doctors gave the woman a sense of security and reassured her.

– Then the doctors and nurses kept asking me how I felt. They brought food and water, because you wanted to drink after the anesthesia. It was so nice. There are tears in my eyes as I talk about it. I am grateful for everything. I am also grateful for this support and understanding for us Ukrainians. He is silent for a moment and adds – I do not know how we will pay back …

There are more consultations ahead of Ms Ałła, now the follow-up ones, but maybe also radiotherapy. She wanted to return home immediately after the procedure, but the doctors persuaded her to finish the therapy in Poland. As she says herself, she misses her home very much, even when they are shooting next to him.

Finally, he asks you to write: – Thank you to all Poles – a low bow for all that you do for us!

Cancer treatment with a robot. Doctor: “These are important benefits for patients”

A patient from Ukraine could benefit from treatment with the Da Vinci robot. What are the advantages of this method? Dr. Maciej Olszewski explains.

– In the case of Ms Ałła, the surgical treatment of endometrial cancer using the da Vinci robot was performed free of charge thanks to a program financed from EU funds – explains Dr. Maciej Olszewski. – Each month, the hospital can perform about 10 such procedures for patients from Poland and abroad, including Ukraine. The possibility of using the da Vinci robot is a significant benefit for patients. It is primarily the precision of the procedure, and at the same time its minimally invasive nature, which allows the patient to maintain the quality of life comparable to that before the procedure. Other benefits include less pain, less blood loss during surgery, and fewer intra- and postoperative complications compared to conventional surgery. In addition, robotic surgery is a chance for obese patients (obesity is one of the main risk factors for developing endometrial cancer) to benefit from a minimally invasive procedure, and thus to avoid problems with wound healing and the formation of typical and frequent for this group of patients. abdominal hernia – emphasizes the specialist.

Ms Ałła was able to benefit from assistance in Poland thanks to the program prepared by Szpital na Klinach in Krakow.

—Kraków Szpital na Klinach joined in helping people from Ukraine. We have prepared a program under which patients can count on free gynecological consultations, a package of laboratory and imaging tests, and smear tests. Our help is needed, among others, by cancer patients who were unable to undergo surgery in Ukraine due to the war. In the case of neoplasms, each patient requires an individual approach, appropriate qualification for surgical and adjuvant treatment. Unfortunately, due to the war, the possibility of diagnostic tests in Ukraine is limited, therefore we propose the completion of diagnostics and treatment in Poland. Psychological support is extremely important, and access to it is also possible during oncological treatment. In Szpital na Klinach, oncological patients from Ukraine can count on such organization of medical services – adds Dr. Olszewski.

We encourage you to listen to the latest episode of the RESET podcast. This time we devote it to the problems of the perineum – a part of the body just like any other. And although it concerns all of us, it is still a taboo subject that we are often ashamed to talk about. What do hormonal changes and natural births change? How not to harm the pelvic floor muscles and how to care for them? How do we talk about perineal problems with our daughters? About this and many other aspects of the problem in a new episode of the podcast.

Also read:

1. Free medical assistance for people from Ukraine. Where can you find help?
2. She interrupted her treatment to escape from Ukraine. Polish doctors implanted a 3D prosthesis
3. A pharmacist from Kharkiv survived the bombing. Works despite severe facial injuries