Sandra Lee Gives Update After Hysterectomy: 'Surgeries Are So Brutal But I'm Still Glad I Did It'

The Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee star underwent a hysterectomy earlier this week, seven years after surviving breast cancer

By

Dan Heching

Published on March 4, 2022 07:16 PM

Sandra Lee is continuing to update fans and followers regarding her condition after undergoing a hysterectomy on Tuesday.

The Food Network star, 55, shared a selfie to Instagram from the hospital on Friday and talked about her recovery in the caption — specifically her experience on Thursday.

"Surgery is never fun but the third day for me is always the worst day for me. Yesterday (my 3 day) was quite aggressive," Lee wrote.

"All I can remember is I threw up all day," she continued, describing how she was "so sick, I threw up and cried" and how her boyfriend Ben Youcef did his best to care for her, "trying to get me to drink or eat or anything."

"Was not an easy day for either of us," Lee added. "So by 5 I was on my way to the hospital — of course. The head of ER (who I love) said I had some kind of infection and my kidneys were only working at 30% (from being overly dehydrated I guess)."

The Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee star went on to say she was waiting for culture and blood work to be done and that being treated at the hospital made her feel "much better."

"Surgeries are so brutal but I'm still glad I did it. Once they got the IV in, wonderful anti-nausea meds I felt much better," she wrote. "Ben stayed with me as long as he could, he was so patient. To take my mind off of what was going on we researched beautiful villages that we could drive to this summer. I have such Wanderlust. No amount of time on this beautiful planet will be long enough."

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She ended her note with a call to action, telling her followers to "go wander around somewhere new, even if it's just a local park or pathway and even if it's snowing.. why not. For me I cannot wait for summer and to get home!!"

The post comes two days after Lee's last post-operative update, in which she admitted the surgery was "a bit rough" but that she's feeling "grateful that this is the end of one chapter and the beginning of another."

On Tuesday, the Emmy Award winner explained she was having surgery in a social media post shortly before the operation, sharing a lengthy and emotional caption alongside a smiling selfie.

The procedure comes seven years after Lee underwent a double mastectomy, which resulted in an infection that initially put off reconstruction surgery.

Lee underwent a double mastectomy in May 2015 after being diagnosed with breast cancer in March of that year.

In August 2015, Lee was rushed to the hospital with an infection following the mastectomy, for which she was treated with antibiotics. "She has tried hard to avoid surgery, but with no luck," her rep said at the time. "She just wants to finish this part of her life and be healthy and well. She would like to fast forward to the future."

In a Facebook message to fans at the time, Lee said: "I did my very best to avoid this (when I tell you I did everything, I mean everything – modern, Eastern and holistic) but infection is an incredible monster."