Question:
Thanks Alison - not only are you a 'veteran' on this board but also a real brick. I haven't got your temperatures yet which I envy, but at least the snow has gone.............one day the Bahamas!!!
Answer:
We will keep you in our thoughts and prayers , larbo's wife
Answer:
Firstly my thanks to all who supported me on this board with all the good wishes and secondly my profuse apologies for not having got back to you all before now.
Surgery took place and was all OK. Officially I had an 'Anterior Resection' which basically removes part of the colon near to the rectum and the remaining colon is stretched out and sewn back on again. Operation with sedation etc took about five hours. The operation was performed not by the 'consultant' but by his assistant 'registrar' thankfully who was a helluva sight more caring, I'd say. Beautiful scar now from breastbone to scrotum which healed up perfectly. (I offered to buy him a steel ruler for the next time so that he might get it in a straight line). Absolutely no pain whatsoever afterwards thanks to an 'Epidural' in my back for two days which blocked of the lower part of my body. After that two days was up and walking and aware of others in the ward who were much worse off than I was. I was equipped with PCA ( patient controlled analgesia ) which basically allows you to squirt Morphine into your blood stream at the rate of 1 mg/minute up to a maximum of 12 squirts in an hour. I found that 4 an hour was enough for me because at five I would drift in and out of a funny sleep with attendant funny dreams. If that's what morphine and heroin do for you, I'm glad I missed out - and I'll stick to Whisky.
Anyway got home after 6 days as I was too fit and they needed the beds. Truth is that as soon as you confirm that wind is passing then your off as there is nothing more they can do for you. And that's where the trouble starts. After the catheter, I suppose, I got a urinary track infection but it took my (nurse) wife to pick this up although I'd been having a high temp every second day since my op. Antibiotics from my doctor fixed that but it pulls you down and also having no one else to think of and worry about but myself also pulls you down. It took me a day or so to appreciate and realise this and pull up my socks.
So that's my poor attempt at an apology for not updating this sooner, but here I am now four weeks since the operation and getting stronger each day. I'm now awaiting the call back for a post op consultation and the subsequent chemo but Easter has been and gone so that will have delayed things a little.
If anyone has any questions about my type of surgery and the feelings that go along with it then I'd be happy to answer them but if I start here, I run the risk of boring you all.
Answer:
I am so glad to hear from you that everything went well and that apart from the uti, you are healing well. This is the time to rest, heal and eat a good balanced diet so that you are in top form for the next stage of treatment....chemotherapy! I am sure that with your positive attitude and supportive wife, you will do fine. Do keep us posted....don't worry, you will not be boring us at all!
Answer:
dss... Glad your surgery went well. Keep up the positive attitude now for the chemo and you can poke your tonuge out at the doc taht said "months"
(hugs)
Maz