My stay in Southmeads was a little truncated! I expected to be discharged this morning (Friday) but they very kindly let me go last night.
I had the operation on Wednesday on schedule. What a weird feeling it is – chatting away to folks in the ante-room and then waking up a couple of hours later with no recollection of what went between. just as well though eh? Because my last operation 5 weeks ago was on my throat they decided not to put tubes down my throat – thankfully! But it did mean a team of three anæsthetists as well as the consultant surgeon, his senior registrar and a couple of house surgeons – quite a gathering!
Evidently the operation went well – the incision wound is only 3” long – not bad! They took away “stuff” that shouldn’t have been there – about the size of a man’s clenched first – so significant I’d day, and fortunately they had to take much less of the scapular away than they had feared at first, which means I will have better movement in my arm when all is healed up.
Whilst I was “on the table” the team evidently had a brain wave about the groth on my ribs, and thought of a procedure known as radio oblation. Thus involves inserting a micro probe under a local anæsthetic and blasting the carcinoma. They spoke to my oncologist and radio therapist and told me later on Wednesday that this was all going to be fixed for this coming Monday. But the plans have changed, as they couldn’t fit me in next week – but it may be that we’ll come back to that further down the line if necessary.
I am now going to be admitted to the oncology department of Bristol Royal Infirmary (BRI) on Tuesday coming for the full radioiodine treatment which will mean total isolation for ten days (February 3rd – 12th) I am allowed to take my mobile and laptop – so hopefully will be keeping gin touch electronically – but I will not be allowed any visitors at all. So a bit daunting – bit I guess I will be feeling fairly tired with it all, but if I’m up to it, will have time to catch-up on some reading and getting on with writing my biography – which I started in Germany – a racy piece of literature I can assure you!
So home again for a few nights. Martin is here for the weekend to lend a hand, but I will be spending the next three or four days very quietly, recovering from the last op and preparing for what lies ahead. I’m a bit stiff and sore – but not dramatically so! And the painkillers are keeping the worst at bay. I’m sleeping quite well, but my appetite is a bit suppressed – no bad thing probably!
The good thing is I’m now back on track – all seems to be going ahead on schedule – and I’m still keeping my fingers crossed for getting back to work in early March – please God! Many thanks again to all who have sent messages of good wishes and prayers – keep on wearing out those knee patches!
I will be updating again before I go into hospital on Tuesday – and no doubt whilst I’m an in patient Fiona will be giving some of the latest news – though I can’t imagine it being very dramatic can you?