30-01-2021, 01:50 PM
21
Re: Operations.
Originally Posted by carol
->
I've been to hospital many times with broken bones - about 7 in all I think.Operations though - where I've been put to sleep - I've only had two.
They were both for removal of lipoma on my throat.
Complications with the second op last September & had to stay in hospital overnight.
30-01-2021, 01:55 PM
22
Re: Operations.
Emergency op to fit a cholestomy, cut from pubic line, through navel to just above , hole in left side where stoma was, same op six months later to remove everything and put back to normal, wound came open whilst in hospital so back in to theatre to be re sewn, couple of years later had an hernia op, I think I’ve had my fair share of operations don’t want to be greedy, someone else can have some...
30-01-2021, 02:03 PM
23
Re: Operations.
Just the one.Or two if you count the dentist taking out some teeth to make room (?) when I was youngererer.
If you don't want a lengthy explanation of what happened to me, move on now.
But pauline3 did ask and if it helps somebody else or if it provides a bit of reassurance, I'm all for it.
I went more than 50 years without a hitch, not even needing to take any medication except a very occasional painkiller or antacid, and even more occasional antibiotic in all those years.
Then one day out of the blue I choked when I was eating; nothing overly concerning on its own, but a bit of a fright.
Turning blue can do that.
A year or so later a worse episode which led to hospital and investigations, mostly by way of endoscopy - a camera down the throat.
Unpleasant but bearable, the first one showed potential problems in that I was soon diagnosed with Barretts Oesophagus.
Those odd episodes of indigestion were, unbeknown to me at the time, an early indication that problems lay ahead.
So if you or someone you know suffers from frequent bouts of indigestion please get it checked out.
Barretts Oesophagus is (to simplify it greatly) pre-cancerous changes to the lining of the oesophagus which have a high risk of becoming cancerous, so from then on I had to have a check endoscopy every six months or so.
Within a few years one of these checks showed early signs of cancer, and things moved on quickly after that.
My consultant was (and remains) truly excellent, with both he and the specialist nursing team explaining the options (which by now I had researched into myself); either a long and complicated life-changing operation or face the inevitable within a few short years.
So in May 2019 I spent almost ten hours under the knife followed by almost a week in ITU (which was a sign of how well I recovered since the norm is ten days or more) having undergone what is known as the Ivor Lewis procedure.
My consultant said that my operation was one of the most difficult he had ever faced because I didn't have much that was unaffected left to sew together.
That didn't surprise me; I never was an easy one.
Another week or so followed on a hospital ward, in which I had to re-learn how to breathe effectively (a lung is collapsed to perform the operation) and how to sleep in a raised position as well as how to eat with my newly-altered upper digestive system, after which I was given the order of the boot and returned home.
Above a week earlier than expected too; bonus!
I must say here that without exception the staff in hospital were brilliant; all of them, from being on first-name terms with the porters for example to explaining to a junior doctor why he couldn't see what he was expecting on a scan of mine.
Even the head Radiologist who spun me upside down and round & round while strapped to a torture-chamber-like table while she took fancy pictures of my newly-formed upper digestive tract while I drank green goo, when I hadn't even stood properly following my operation at that time!
How I didn't faint or wasn't sick I don't know but they got what they needed, and it all helped to hasten my recovery.
It took a while to adapt (in some ways I still am) and about a year to fully recover from the op., and now I still have to have annual CT scans etc. and visits with the consultant (by phone recently) but I'm here and I'm alive.
Although I am alive though, I have far more .......... problems might be too strong a word; minor difficulties, let's say ........... than before my operation.
They range from having to use a wedge to raise my head in bed to avoid reflux (which is ruddy awful when it happens, and it does - especially when I've got a cold) to not being able to have vinegar on chips or crust on bread!
Oh and I can't eat much in one go either.
And I suffer with (being polite) bowel problems too.
But I'm here and generally otherwise healthy.
I'm only too well-aware that many are not so fortunate.
And I am grateful for what I have, especially having had my first child so late in life that I can observe him growing into a fine young man (he will be twelve soon).
Those of you that read the above; thank you.
I know it's quite lengthy but I shortened it to that.
It's not intended to garner support but rather to show that sometimes poop can happen to anyone, and that when it does it need not lead to an entirely negative outcome.
I hope it might give someone else a bit of reasssurance, especially if facing the unknown.
30-01-2021, 04:45 PM
27
Re: Operations.
Originally Posted by Artangel
->
Ha! I remember elderly people, in conversation would reel out all their illnesses, ailments and operations. I vowed then that when l got to a certain age, l would never ever talk about my illnesses, ailments and operations...
Then on this thread, l broke my vow and sang like a canary!!
|
|
