Hi all,

Thought I’d give you all an update on my other half. It’s now nearly 7 weeks since his surgery and he’s doing really well! Everything has healed nicely! 

We were given the news that it’s stage 3 cancer, they removed 30 lymph nodes during the surgery and they found evidence of cancer cells in one of the nodes and the blood supply which means he needs chemotherapy to make sure the cells aren’t going anywhere else. He starts chemo next Thursday and will have 4 rounds.

Hope your all doing well and had a lovely Christmas xx

Hiya...so good news your husband doing well..could I ask if he is back to normal so to speak.. ie feeling as well as he did before? I'm a little bit uncertain how long I'll need off work when recovering.. and also how long he needed painkillers for? 

Good he is starting chemo this week and hopefully that will be all he needs to make sure everything covered..

How are you doing? It is a lot I think being strong and caring too...I'm very well aware the worries my partner, son, sister and mum as well as other family and friends have over me...hope you and rest of family are OK xx

Honestly you will be fine, I think that I would have coped much better with the 2nd dose if I had been able to just have that the same night so I think it will be much better doing it the way you are. I spilt it into 125ml doses and alternated between the plenvu and water with apple diluting juice.  

That’s good that you are having both procedures one after the other, I’m sure with sedation and the throat spray you will do great. Remember you can always ask for some more sedation etc if you are struggling. 

i always find that the thought  of these things is worse than the reality! 

Will be thinking about you xx 

Hi Becca, gosh sounds like you've not had a good couple of months..but is good waiting for colonoscopy and so on is not too long.. altho from experience all waits feel so long..

I know what you mean about the plenvu but first drink is not as bad as I feared it would be and the ice pop or drinks straight after really help as does holding your nose..2nd dose my stomach did not tolerate well but didn't seem to matter as bowel was clear...I agree it is not like having an upset stomach and does not hurt at all but more like passing urine.. 

I've had 3 colonoscopies as part of all this and never found any painful or even uncomfortable..I did have sedation for each.

I do hope you get your biopsy results soon and that news is good..worry is so hard isn't it, and I do hope you find things out soon..altho I didn't have great news and have had to go through surgery and so on I think the worry beforehand was harder to cope with..

I know that the medical and clinical teams review all cases and results at their weekly multi disciplinary meetings so suspect that this will be the case for your results and they'll ring you after they hold the meeting..my NHS Trust has theirs on Wednesdays so was always a bit of a tense wait on that day to see if I got a call.. 

Anyhow do let us know how you get on and I would def say my worries about procedures were all proved a bit wrong as they have all been not as bad as I dreaded, take care Helen x

It was the second dose that was worse for me. And it was after the 2nd dose that's when it really kicked in with the toilet etc. You need to be pretty close to a loo as your not holding it in. It's like a hosepipe! 

Fingers crossed you get good news though. 

Hi Becca , gosh you’ve had a time of it over the past few months.  Thankfully you’ve been seen now and all the relevant tests etc under way. 

I’ve had three colonoscopies over the past five years , and can only add to what the others have said.  The procedure itself really isn’t a problem, the prep can be “ full on “ but that’s the point of it, and personally as I knew what to expect thanks to others experiences it wasn’t that bad.   Stay very close to the toilet as it’s like turning on a tap !    Also plenty of wet wipes / Vaseline after each bowel movement as the frequency can leave you very uncomfortable.   I kept my prep in the fridge and think it helped.   I also brought the time of the second one forward an hour so I could get to bed a bit sooner.  

wishing you the best of luck.  I only had colonoscopy and was told there and then that everything looked ok.  Hopefully you won’t have too long to wait.   Take care.   

Thank you Thistle!! I have my drinks made up and in the fridge, first lot is at 5pm and I have been and bought a nice selection of clear fluids and some ice lollies. 

X

Thank you Helen. I've got the drink prepped in the fridge ready for 5pm and a nice selection of clear drinks and ice lollies. I think the prep is what I'm worried about more than the actual procedure! 

Thanks Steve, thankfully I live in a very small flat so I can get from my bed to the loo on about 8 steps! 

Thanks Eve. I've got it in the fridge cooling ready for 5pm. It's the prep that I'm worried about more than the actual procedures altho not looking forward to the gastroscopy at all.

You’ll be absolutely fine, in my ( limited!) experience the thought was much worse than the reality. Obviously it’s not how you would choose to spend the evening but it’s not torture either. 
really am wishing you lots of luck and best wishes for tomorrow. 
if you are feeling up to it please do come back on and let us know how you got on. 
X 

Thank you and I will do! I've had the delightful Mango Plenvu, how.somwthinh can be so sweet yet so bitter at the same time is astonishing! 

Thank you and I will do! I've had the delightful Mango Plenvu, how.somwthinh can be so sweet yet so bitter at the same time is astonishing!