Life After Cancer

More to Come

Tue, 26 Jul 2005 17:32:00 +0200

I am writing this in reverse, I started with events as the unfolded back in 2001 and will bring it up to the present day with me being disabled and all but housebound in chronic pain 24./7, but this will take time so check back often...

Thanks a million for taking the time to view my Blog

Glen

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May to September (Better grouped and told this way)

Fri, 20 Sep 2002 21:24:13 +0200

Fingers Hurt will type this update tomorrow.....

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January to May 2002

Sat, 11 May 2002 21:16:32 +0200

Well from my discharge from hospital to the 11th of May things went from bad to worse and better again, Some days were really painful and others no so, I was on a cocktail of medication, but the 11th of May is a marked mile stone as I was to return to work on this day (Yippee.

I had a week before this met with my boss to arrange this return to work, I was to have an assistant for a few weeks/months whilst I got my strength back, but this did NOT happen I was left alone, and being a computer engineer I was being expected to lug heavy machinery about and to cope with a 20 mile drive to and from work and all the driving I did during the day around the customers sites, it was shear hell.

But I plodded through the first day, and was promised help for the second day! We will see I was not holding my breath.

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Money, Money, Money

Sun, 10 Feb 2002 21:21:22 +0100

Well what a surprise today I got from the postman, two cheques turned up on was for a claim I made against my mortgage insurance and the other?? Well it turned out that not only had I taken Ill Health insurance out on my self due to the mortgage my employer had also done the same thing as just a perk for it staff, the two cheques totalled some £70,000 if I could I would have jumped with joy..

The first thing to pay off the mortgage, yeah I still had a few debts but with working still nothing I could not handle.

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Released

Tue, 08 Jan 2002 17:00:00 +0100

Well over the past few days the tubes were slowly removed and I was allowed to move about, boy was moving very difficult and VERY painful, but the day had come to go home - They gave me a kit to remove the staples this was to be given to the district nurse when she came to my home to care for me and the wound.

The journey home was HELL I had never felt pain like it being jostled around in the back of a Black Cab was NOT what I needed at all.. Any way I got home and got into my favourite reclining chair.

I got very tired from all of this, they told me that after the operation and only having on Kidney that I would tire very easy for a few months whilst my body adjusted, so I went up stairs to get into bed, this was a very big mistake the pain was out of this world, I all but passed out, so back down the stairs and in to the reclining chair, I then spent the next 6 to 8 weeks both day and night sleeping in the chair!! It was comfortable and almost pain free.

Click for photo of me in chair with Spud my cat (Now Deceased)

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Bath Time

Tue, 08 Jan 2002 12:00:00 +0100

Today the nurse came and removed the epidural from my spine, and put me onto tablet form pain killers now as I was eating and drinking A OK now. Then she said for me to put me dressing gown on and she brought a wheel chair and took me to the bath room, where she run a nice hot bath, I was lowered into the bath on a special seat, she helped me wash all the bits I could not reach.

Boy did I smell, she said the smell is a result of all the drugs they have pumped me full of the antibiotics and the stuff in the epidural.. Oh well who cares.

She said later she would take me for a wander to the front door to get some fresh air.

About 1500hrs she came back and she escorted me to the front door, this was the first time I had moved in quite a while and it was very difficult and VERY painful, she said I had to do the walk we were doing at least 5 times every day now, dragging my catheter bag with me!!

When I got to the front door, Oh God the smell was bad it made me heave my guts up, it was the smell of people smoking, something I had not done for 8 days now, and in fact some thing I had not even given a thought to in 8 days!! Hay have I kicked the habit?!?!

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Dressings Come Off

Sat, 05 Jan 2002 14:00:00 +0100

Nurse approached me with a handful of bits and pieces and a silver bowel - She said it was time to remove the dressing and leave the wound open to dry out, she slowly pulled the sticky tape off that was holding the dressings on, I felt nothing due to the epidural completely numbing that area.

I almost passed out with shock and horror when I saw what was under the dressings, not a nice little 3-4 inch scar but a 15 inch incision going from just under the sternum down to the left middle of my left hand side hip! it had 34 staples holding this wound together, I must be honest though there was no blood on the dressing and the wound was sealed together very very well indeed.

I was dreading the staples coming out I thought this is going to hurt.

Click here for a picture of the wound with all the Staples - Be warned this picture will be to some of a VERY GRAPHIC NATURE!

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A Good Nights Sleep

Fri, 04 Jan 2002 13:57:42 +0100

My idea of sleeping in the chair worked a treat I slept very well despite the hourly checks the nurses made on me taking blood and checking my stats (Pulse, blood sugars, blood Oxygen levels) etc,

I still had all the tubes in me the large one in my neck, the catheter, the drain tube in my Tummy, but today they took the tube out of my nose, and I was allowed to wet my lips and tongue with a strange sponge on a stick, you dipped it in water and then just wiped it round your lips and gums, but I was still not allowed to swallow any liquids or solids. The food lady asked me every morning if I wanted to order food for the next day but I had to say NO!! Funny thing though I did NOT feel hungry in the slightest.

I was in some pain around and below the incision area, other than that I was fighting fit and wanted to go home.

late in the after noon one of the lovely nurses came in holding a very large bouquet of flowers, thinking she was showing of what some one had given her, it turned out that they were for me, they were from my employer. A very nice gesture.

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What a Night

Thu, 03 Jan 2002 13:51:54 +0100

Last night was HELL I started a fever, so had to be bed bathed with ice water every 10 min's the nurses aimed 3 fans at me and ran them at full pelt, they also removed all the bedding with the exception of one sheet for decency - My temperature finally returned to a safe level at about 6am this morning, so they stopped the bed bathing and left me with 1 fan but no extra bedding.

The day was good I was sat in a chair and I found this along with the epidural kept me pain free, I had many visitors which did wear me out some what, so I spent the evening sitting in the chair still as it was so much better than laying and I watched TV, A friend brought me a 48 hr viewing card.

I decided that I would NOT get into bed tonight but that I would sleep in the chair in a sitting up position, I put a pillow under my bum to make it more comfy and that worked a treat.

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Wakey Wakey Time

Wed, 02 Jan 2002 15:30:00 +0100

I come round from the operation to see a Nurse either side of me sitting there looking down at me like vultures, smiling, 'Hello' says one of them I remember trying to speak that Is when I realised I had a tube going up my nose and down my throat into my stomach, I lifted the covers and saw a VERY large dressing covering 90% of my Tummy, and another tube coming out of a hole they had made specially! a Drain tube to the site where a kidney used to live.

I was also catheterised, and I had a Hickman line this is a tube into the main artery in the neck, on the end of the tube is a multi connector so that they can administer drugs if needed and fluids as I am now not allowed to eat or drink for 3-4 days, this fitting also has a line direct to my heart in case of it stopping! (It did not), despite how horrid this fitting going into your neck sounds I did not feel it at all, by day 4 it was a little sore but that is all.

I was being fed water via the tube in my neck at about 2 litres per hour this is to keep the kidney area and the remaining kidney well flushed.

I was taken down to the ward, and the first thing I did was phone my partner to let him know I was all OK and feeling fighting fit... I was very surprised how quick I recovered fro the operation after nearly 5 hours under I was awake and watching TV and phoning friends within 2 hours of waking up...

The ward was wonderful as were the staff, each bed had a private TV and Phone on an arm at the side, you brought vouchers to watch so many hours of TV and for phone calls, I hasten to add it was not cheap but worth it and a VERY good idea should be in all hospitals.

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The, Under The Knife, Day

Wed, 02 Jan 2002 07:00:00 +0100

The nurses woke me at just before 6am and said I can go and shower now and gave me some stuff that I had to shower with rather than soap and water. The first thing I did was to nip out side and have 2 fags I was so nervous, this is a major operation, they are taking part of ME away forever! OK so I came back in showered and got my self ready, the nurse gave me some compression stockings to put on, just time to nip out for another fag or two.

The men with a trolley can ad dead on 8am for , they wheeled me round the COLD hospital corridors and up in a lift to the much warmer theatre waiting room, then some one else came and took some blood, finally at 8.15 a guy came and took me into the pre-med room, this is where the anaesthetist tried for 10 mins to get the epidural into me, I had opted for this to manage the pain after the op, but after much pushing and poking she failed to insert the tube to her satisfaction, so she asked me to lay down and she would insert it when I was out, the next thing I knew was 5 Hours later!

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The day Cometh

Tue, 01 Jan 2002 19:30:00 +0100

Well I had my New Years Day dinner as normal, I am a big fan of New Years rather than Christmas, so I was really Glad that I could have the slap up meal and a little booze before I had to go to the hospital.

We arrived at the hospital a little late but no one seemed bothered I was given my bed, and settled in a friend had brought me to the hospital along with my partner, they both stayed for about an hour and then the barrage of Doctors can to see me to confirm what they were doing and still they say a 3-4 inch scar on the left, I opted for the epidural to help manage the pain after the operation, the anaesthetists advised me that she would put the epidural tube into my spine whilst I was awake, as it always seemed to work better if the person was awake when it was put in.

I slept well that night even if it was after many many trips out side with a fellow patient to have far too many fags!!

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The appointment comes

Thu, 20 Dec 2001 10:15:00 +0100

The post brings this morning the appointment for the operation - I have to attend the ward on the 23rd for a pre admission assessment, and I am to report to the ward at 1800hrs on the 1st Of January 2002 for the operation at 0830 on the 2nd of January 2002

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Results of all the Kidney Lump Tests

Thu, 13 Dec 2001 15:00:00 +0100

Today I saw my Kidney consultant - He told me that I had a Malignant Growth on and in my left Kidney, the lump was 33% the size of my Kidney in total, and the best course of action due to my Young age was to remove the whole Kidney and the surrounding area to be 100% sure, I agreed to this he also told me that the scar would be about 3-4 inches in size just above my left hip, he indicated that the operation would be early in the New Year (2002)

After telling us all this he walked out the room and just left us sitting there, no support was offered I went home and dealt with the trauma of being told I had Cancer and could die all on my own!

I had already been off work due to the Kidney Stone for 5 weeks I had been back for 2 days and now I am off sick again I just can not focus my mind enough to , drive and work.

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Bored In Hospital

Sat, 03 Nov 2001 17:06:12 +0100

Apart from the pain which was coming and going I was fine and bored silly in hospital!

The doctor came to see me this lunch time, he said that they were going to just let the stone pass on it's own, it was only 4mm in a 5mm tube so should pass without any trouble, so he said I could go home - YIPEE - visitors arrived at 1600hrs and I was packed and ready to go..

The stone caused great pain on and off as it moved down the tube, it took 3-4 weeks to pass.

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Kidney Stones!

Fri, 02 Nov 2001 05:00:00 +0100

I woke at 4am in a lot of pain, I thought I had laid wrong, so I got up and staggered around for a bit but the pain just got worse and worse, so I went down to the kitchen and took some pain killers, 40 mins later these had not worked in fact the pain was still getting worse.

I woke my partner by this time I was laying on the lounge floor bashing my fist on the floor and cry in pain, I thought I was going to die - My partner (Grant) dialled 999 and the ambulance came and took me to hospital - as soon as I arrived they gave me a injection of Morphine which eased the pain.

I underwent test after test for the next 12 hours, finally they told me I had a kidney stone, and they were admitting me to hospital due to it's size and due to the lump on the other Kidney, better safe than sorry they said.

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So what is wrong with my Tummy?

Thu, 25 Oct 2001 17:38:58 +0200

Well after all the test that were originally to find out what was causing all the pain in my Stomach and surrounding area, and generating feelings not much different to a Heart Attack.

The results are that I have Gastric Dysfunction and Oesophagus Spasms, the Oesophagus spasms are what feel like a Heart Attack, as the Oesophagus runs over the top of the heart and they share the same nerves to a certain degree.

So now I have been given two different tablets to take daily and it seems (Touch Wood) to have almost stopped all the pain from my Stomach.

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The Lead up!

Wed, 25 Jul 2001 16:26:26 +0200

There I was laid on the bed with my abdomen covered in jelly and the Ultra Scan Professional was busily scanning my Tummy to try to find out why I was getting so much Tummy pain, but she could find nothing wrong with my stomach! She continued to scan the rest of my gut it was then that things changed, she found a 4 by 4.5 centimetre lump on my left Kidney - She printed loads of pictures of this lump and took them to the Doctor on duty - She returned and told me that the lump was taking on blood and that this is very bad, she would refer me for a CT Scan, with this she walked out and left me and my Partner sat there, in what turned out to be an empty department - So I cleaned up and went home rather stunned and to say more than a little worried..

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