I am Wan Hasemah Wan Yaacob , and I am 50 years old.  I have been working as a Financial Controller for the past 3 years at a transportation company based in Puchong. I am single and love travelling, both locally and overseas, to relieve work stress and maintain a so-called “work life balance”. 

For six months, I have been experiencing heavy menstrual flow, which worsened in June 2023.  After undergoing dilatation and curettage (D&C), I received a report revealing I had cancer of the womb.  This prompted me to start looking for possible treatments for the disease. It has also impacted my emotions and lifestyle, as I became more concerned about what I am eating and restricted my movement. Initially, I thought that these symptoms were normal before menopause. 

Consultant Gynaecology Oncologist, Dr Andi Anggeriana, was then introduced to me for further management at Sunway Medical Centre, Sunway City. She explained to me in detail the types of next treatment options available, along with the pros and cons of each procedure. Robotic surgery was something I had never heard of before, but after Dr Andi’s explanation, I was convinced.  I immediately opted for robotic surgery because it offered a fast recovery period with less complications compared to conventional surgery.  I needed to recover fast as I had a heavy work load and also travelling plans, which I had confirmed and planned ahead of time. She also mentioned that robotic surgery is very precise and is a better option, particularly for cancer treatment.

Dr Andi informed me that I have to undergo full systematic Pelvic Lymph Node Dissection due to the aggressive nature of my cancer. Robotic surgery provided better control in dealing with delicate areas, especially around large and fragile blood vessels.  The surgery will take almost 4 hours, and would be even longer if done laparoscopically for me. With regular laparoscopic surgery, the doctor would not have full control on camera and retraction of the vessels during the process of retrieving systematic lymph nodes. She also explained to me that robotic surgery provided 10 times magnification of anatomical organs, giving the doctor confidence in clearing up any metastatic diseases on the lymph nodes or adjacent organs. Not only that, the robotic procedure reduces tremor and fatigue, allowing surgeons to go on for unlimited hours to clear metastatic cancers and this is the ultimate goal for good outcomes for my cancer surgery. Robotic surgery, according to Dr Andi, offered flexibility and makes seemingly impossible surgeries possible.

After undergoing 4.5 hours of surgery, the very next day, I could walk around the ward with assistance from the physician.  Dr Andi is a very caring, professional and passionate surgeon, and the nurses at Sunway Medical Centre, Sunway City, are experienced and very helpful during my recovery period. I did not feel much discomfort and had minimal pain after surgery, and was discharged on the second day after surgery after being was warded for only three days. l am very happy with the recovery period, and most importantly, managed to start working again early and proceed with my trips as planned. 

I am very thankful that I opted for robotic surgery. I would recommend other patients and their families facing similar diseases to go for robotic surgery, especially for the precision and fast post-surgery recovery it offers.