Hello All,

A settled day for dad, no progress but not any worse! His kidneys seem to haven taken a hit, but also common for a big surgery? 
 

Sorry to hear your dad is back in ICU [@leechap]‍ , this is a certainly a rollercoaster and I know how you feel! 
 

[@Andi1947]‍  it must be so tough for you but please take strength in knowing that you here fighting on is giving me hope at the begining of this surgical journey! I told my mum to tell dad today that Andi's back. If you can do it he can too (big love heart emoji!)

So many new OC members and as an onlooker it's so hard. But as all have said the NHS is a wonderful thing and we have so many skilled professionals who really know what they are doing! We just have to "Keep the Faith" 

Hi all,

Well it's been busy on here. Everyone's journey is different so please take heart that it's not easy but doable. For the 'newbies' on here if you read through the threads you will find lots of info. The timescales vary my husbands start of treatment looks like the longest on here about 14 weeks from  27th October 2020 until 29th Jan when chemo started. As BFG said weekly MDT so due to timing we sometimes had to wait almost two weeks between tests. However the NHS is brilliant and of course the second lockdown came in during all this. 

Andi/ Scott/ Kee as I've said before my husband was 5 week. Like you guys one step forward, two back. Then a considered risk sending him home to recover enough for a third emergency op! He also had oxygen for a long time after the internal bleeding/pneumonia/pleural effusion/pleural empyema! So Andi don't apologise for being down - you must feel institutionalised! 
BUT here we are in Torquay on a Turkey and Tinsel weekend!

Im not going to say it's been easy for him. As BFG said relationship with food changes and this has been a challenge this weekend. Evuhavibg 3 courses and my husband one but he's coped. Being away in a group has been fun al ex RR employees. I tell you this to give you all hope.

keeping the faith for everyone and as RayB says keeping it real

Milly

Andi

Thanks Milly. I've learned so much already, I'll be doing lots of background reading for sure. 
 

the conversations about her smoking have picked up - any tips to share on this front? She's smoked since she was 14 and also has COPD so obviously it's doing a lot of damage already. Can anyone share the impact of continuing to smoke or anything that has helped them stop. I have to say the health scares aren't enough, neither are the vapes etc etc. I think it's more about her managing anxiety and obviously that is at the highest at the moment. 
 

Love to everyone! 

Hi leechap - they certainly monitor everything post-op and went into a complete panic when my heart-rate wouldn't come down one day.  Lots of junior surgeons, doctors and nurses were flapping so much, they nearly took off. My surgeon swept in, decided to treat as an infection - took me off the oxygen mask, put me on an antibiotic drip - blood tested me for all kinds of stuff which had to be cultured for 24 hours before it was shown to be an infection.  All part of the rollercoaster, and as I like to say - with the odd bumper car thrown in for good measure.

cheers

bfg

Hi Andi - 2 steps forward, 3 back - sounds familiar - but you will have days when its just the 2 steps forward and after a while you realise that generally - it's going forward.  :-) 

cheers

bfg

Hi Scott - the GA messes the body around no end - even my missus who was only out for an hour a couple of weeks back took a few days to get over it.  I don't know whether he is on a liquid diet yet, but when he is all of the water that will be drunk should help.

cheers

bfg

Hi hopingforhope - you already know the answer to this one.  All of the current testing regimes are to see if your mum is suitable for surgery.  If she is, then the surgery is long at between 6 - 10 hours and involves deflating one of the lungs. 

There is a fitness test prior to ensure the heart can withstand the surgery and a significant risk of pneumonia afterwards.

The majority of the recovery from the op is in the 6 months after with incremental improvements for another 6 months after that.

I wouldn't like to pre-judge the MDT team, but I would say that it would be a factor in determining suitability for surgery assuming everything else is ok.

Thank you for this - didn't know any of this info yet so I'm feeling more prepared and it'll help me have the conversations with her

Hi BFG

I know - but day after day sitting here in hospital is soul destroying. I actually woke up crying this morning - never happened before.   Having a bad day - but I'll pick myself up again. 9 weeks today since I came in - the first just over 7 are a bit of a blur in ICU, but on the ward the days are so long!! 
 

I know I'll get there - it's because I feel so much better that I'm bored!!

Andi xx