Hi Rayb

just been through this had FLOT april and may operation in june  its a long journey but stick witk it.

It may all sound a bit frightening at first i would recommend you read up on your treatment the FLOT is bearable and the operation is not really a worry although it is a major operation i will say that at no point in my journey have i really suffered any major pain and i am 90  percent recovered as of today if i can offer you any help or advice please contact me as it is always good to hear from someone who has been through this procedure recently , our NHS will take care of you by far the best care you can get ,trust me.

do you know what a plo is in an operation? 

would be grateful if you have any idea

sorry to hear about your diagnosis x

Hi Tabnabs,

It's not been your lucky week! My Dad had covid and pneumonia in February whilst in the middle of a chemotherapy cycle- he felt really weak for a couple of weeks but slowly improved -plenty of liquids is what the hospital kept saying and slowly but surely he made a good recovery.  Good luck and stay strong. 

Lee 

Hi Leo25Daisy,

Well I'm a shocked if work are giving you hassle, they should not be doing that at all! Good on you for thinking of moving but you shouldn't be penalised for being unwell. 
 

Regarding diet my husband was prescribed the compact fortisips which suited him better as it was a smaller amount. Milk is a good option and Sally on this chat suggested condensed soup as it contains more calories. Hopefully the Advanced Nurse Practitioner has helped.

Keeping the faith

Milly

Well the ANP said she was very surprised that Endoscopy took biopsies and did nothing more on on Sunday so has spoken with the GP. They've advised a full barrage of blood tests to be undertaken with a review with the GP once they come back. Earliest I can get a blood test in the community is on Monday, so will have to book to see the GP after that.

Don't you just love chasing around a diagnosis and trying to find it? I almost feel like if that's going to be works attitude then I may as well just go on long term sick leave. I've applied for two other roles one in my old department and one on reception and I've worked with both their team leaders before so hopefully one of them will come through.

With stress being a seizure trigger it's really important for me to be in a role where I feel supported, so at the moment gynaecology isn't really doing it for me. 

Guess I'll see what happens when I get in with GP. X

Yeah, not too bothered about France tbh, as you say easily rebooked. Physically feel as rough as guts, but taking full advantage of feet up with not feeling guilty.

it'll be interesting to hear what Nurse specialist will suggest, go for the other job too, they don't sound terribly sympathetic where you are! 
Andi, I'm sure like everyone else on here wishes you all the very best for tomorrow, I hope your bath was totally lush, plenty of bubbles, candles, rose petals the lot! Cos' you're worth it ;)

Tabnabs

Thanks Tabnabs - it was wonderful . Needless to say I am the only one on the list tomorrow - theatre at 8am!! In hospital now xx

Hi Lee,

thanks for good wishes, yes, glugging down tons of liquids! 
how's your Dad doing at the moment.

Tabnabs

God bless you for tomorrow, you'll be absolutely fine and can wake up out the other side of it and just focus on recovering from the op, and listen to the physio team - get up and walk about, even if it's just small steps as soon as possible, it really helps !

Dont worry about it ... you'll walk down chatting to the team putting you at ease and before you know you'll wake up out the other side of it.

Let us know how you get on !

Good luck Andi, we are all thinking of you

Sally X

Tabnabs, so sorry.   That's awful.   Pure shiite in fact.   Hoping things get better soon, surely they must.

Sally X

Hi Sally,

How are you and how is your husband doing after his last FLOT? Kev is beginning to feel better this second week.

Keeping the faith

Milly
 

Hi Sally,

How are you and how is your husband doing after his last FLOT? Kev is beginning to feel better this second week.

Keeping the faith

Milly
 

Hi Milly, so glad that Kev is past the finishing line and starting to feel a bit better.   My husband is a wee bit better, but struggling to eat anything solid.   In fact he hasn't been able to eat anything remotely solid.  The oral thrush, which has been difficult to clear up despite nystatin drops and fluconazole, is making it difficult to swallow.  Luckily he still has the jej feed and has that at night whenever needed.   It's a big relief that the chemo is over now anyway, and mentally that is a big hurdle.   I was away last week working, so he was quite glad to have me out the way and get some peace!   
Sally X

Hi Sally, 

Hopefully the thrush will clear up so he is able to eat more. Presumably the dietician is helping with advice too.  A week away albeit work sounds good! Yes it is a big relief when chemo is finished.

keeping the faith

Milly

Wow, 

I've only been away 2 days!!! A flurry to catch up on.
Oh Tabnabs- bless you, red emoji with lots of -'fkgjgjgjt, coming out of mouth. You're holiday will keep until you are feeling better I'm sure. Rough as guts, not heard that one for years LOL. Used by my cousin a lot when describing his brother's girlfriends!!!! What a guy!

Leo - if you are getting messed about at work, then long term sick is the only way to go, but you are clearly mentally and physically 'run down' , you can't eat etc, surely that is a 'good enough' reason to be off!!!! 
 

Andi, you are probably done by now, coming around wondering what the dickens has just happened- you'll be fine- we are 'monitoring' you (:

Sally& Millie- that last round , recovery feels endless- I don't know what it is, but wow is it weird, you are stepping off the rollercoaster, but the final bend seems the longest, really bizarre when you think "where is my chemo this week" , oh , I've finished, what am I going to do now! From our travels I would say this is when recovery really begins, both physically and emotionally. Sal, if the jej tube is still in, husband found that putting a couple a pints of water down it a day really helped. He was so nauseous, with loads of blisters, he couldn't eat, but putting the fluid in and the overnight feed really really helped and when the nausea passed, he started to eat fairly well. Shoving that down the jej also takes the pressure off eating and drinking when you feel absolute shheeeeite. And thrush, such an absolute pain. Blighter to kill and itchy foul taste, but die it will (:

Lee- hope y'all are trucking along.

Everyone else - keep it up and keep that old faith

Hilts

Everything happens when you disappear Hilts. 

Yep I've made contact with a few team leaders I've helped in the past and one let slip that a supervisor position in my old department that I only missed out on by 1 point when I went for it before is coming up, so I'm going to keep my eye on that one. 

But for now I shall sit at home and enjoy the time off. 

Yes - all done. Remarkably pain free. Have horrid cough and lung refuses to inflate. Still in ICU xx

Glad to hear you're pain free at least. How annoying about the lung though! Have they given you any timescales on how long you could be in ICU for? Xx

Hi Andi,

I've been thinking of you so it's good to hear that you've had the op. Everyone is different but I'm sure they will sort you out. My husband had a longer stay in ICU as you know and had lung problems after his second op but he's doing well now. ICU  staff are highly trained.

Keeping  the faith

Milly

Oooo whoop whoop Andi yaaaay 

Huge bunch of hand clapping emojis .

You're DONE.

congrats.

Yep, post op is 'interesting' . Opiates help an awful lot (:. Lung will reinflate- the hospital will give them no choice (: Honestly, though the care is soooooo darn good, any blips will soon be put in their place.

So - 2 days post op?  They'll have you up soon (:, then sips of water etc. Small steps every day (:

Husband was there on ICU for 2 days I think. Chucked out on day 8 ish.

I bet you can't belive you're all done, slept through the lot(:

Take care and keep posting

keep the faith

Hilts.

Well done Andi!   Thanks for letting us know!   Hope everything carries on getting better, and your lung starts behaving itself soon.   You are in the best place for the best care.   Thinking of you

SallyX

Hi Andi

Welcome back. My lung was a bit on the slow side to inflate - and that cough should start to sort itself out when you are up and around on your feet (although I did feel like the weight of the world on my shoulders at the time).  The one perk for me shuffling around on my feet was that I didn't bang my head when I walked through a door.  Minor story - on a contract a few years ago at SSE during my welcome meeting, there was a consultation at the time when it came to health and safety whether I should wear a hard hat when I was in the office.  I managed to persuade them that I was used to ducking.

Hope you are having a better day - it will be "baby steps".  :-)

cheers

bfg