Op and home

My op was carried out successfully on 29 September and I came home on Saturday evening 1 October. Just a short stay this time! I had my own room again on the same ward C2. Some of the nurses and doctors were there from my visit last year and they remarked on how well I was looking even though I just had surgery. I can never speak too highly of the medical team on that ward who are extremely skilled professional and have the extra time to make you feel like you are important. Even though I could not fault the hospital facilities it is always so much nicer at home!

I did recover from the op well and put this down to my pre op preparations of Reiki and Cranial osteopathy which were both so important in making me feel much stronger. I wish I had gone to Reiki especially during my chemo as I think that I would have benefited immensely.

I have spent the last week at home recovering and feeling better every day. Going to the loo again has taken some getting used to¬! Going so often will continue to take some getting used to! That will improve as my digestive system all begins to settle down which there are signs of it doing more and more. My appetite is coming back slowly but the portions are still very small. Little and often is the key!

Penny Brohn Cancer Care - a delayed posting as I went here at the end of August

I went to the Penny Brohn Cancer Care Centre at the end of August which is in Bristol. This is one of the UK's leading charities which offers specialist support including complementary therapies, advice & counselling for people living with cancer & their supporters. All services are offered free of charge.

I attended The Living Well course  which aims to provide people living with cancer and those close to them the essential information on how to support health and wellbeing.  It explores the different ways in which cancer impacts on your life and teaches the tools to help you manage change positively.  There is time to share experiences and learn from others, information on healthy eating and healthy cooking, and ideas on how to manage stress through simple relaxation and breathing exercises.

These courses have been developed in partnership with the National Cancer Survivorship Initiative at the recommendation of NHS Cancer Reform Strategy, and focusing on recovery, health and well being for all those living with and beyond cancer. 

The Living Well course was run as  a 2-day residential, based at their centre just outside Bristol.

The Main House at Penny Brohn

The support is complementary, and can be used alongside  main stream medical treatment. A medical team will focus on treating the disease; while their specialists focus more on the whole person.

Founded 30 years ago, today Penny Brohn Cancer Care  has supported many thousands of people affected by cancer through a range of therapeutic courses and information services.  The Charity continues to set the standard in complementary cancer care and has the backing of leading oncologists, healthcare professionals and complementary
therapists.

My early morning walk along the river.

Me !

Beautiful Lace cap hydrangea

I cannot speak highly enough of the course or my stay at Penny Brohn. I met some wonderful people who are all at different stages of their journey with cancer. I really benefited from my visit and left feeling empowered that there are things that I can do myself that will reduce the risk of the cancer coming back. A lot of the information I already knew but it was great to bring it all together and get a reminder how important it all is and to embed it as my way of life and not as a theoretical exercise. Since attending PB I have become even more aware of what I eat and looking after myself especially making sure that I get time to really relax and switch off and just be, When you get into that zone it is bliss! 

 Off to meditate!!!

Surprise Celebration Friday 16 September

Neil told me we were going out for dinner to a local foodie pub called the Baillywick on Friday evening. But before we left we had to drop a DVD into Sara & Allan who are our dear friends who live next door. When we knocked their door they seemed to be ready for going out and said that they were giving us a lift in their car. I thought this was a bit odd but went along with it. We stopped at Bluebells a restuarant less than 3 minutes away and I thought we were going here for dinner - but just as we were going to get out of the car, he drove off and turned back to Sunningdale. Strange I thought - they must have forgotten something or we were going somewhere closer to home. We passed their house again and turned into the next road. Allan parked outside Sally's house and I twigged the four if us must be going to Sally's for dinner.  When we went in to the dining room Rosemary & Ruth were hiding and surprised me!

 Sally & Sara had arranged a surprise  celebratory dinner for us. I was overwhelmed as no one had ever done this for me before. What wonderful friends I have that would do this - of course I shed a tear - emotional moi!!! 

This was such a perfect way to celebrate at the end of a landmark week full of tears, laughter and lots of messages, texts and phone calls from all my friends. Thank you for all your best wishes and messages of support and congratulations - it has meant such a a lot to me.

We had a lovely dinner. Rosemary had prepared smoked salmon starters, Sara a delicious fish pie for main and Sally did the veggies. Two yummy desserts were made by Ruth - the Mars Bar Cheesecake was too delicious!

Sally had done a brilliant job decorating the table -  and there was even a helium ballon in the shape of a champagne glass  - which is still inflated and sitting on my dining room table.

Me - with celebratory glass of Fleurie at Sally's House.

Feom left to right - Sally, Sara, Me, Ruth, Allan & Rosemary

From left to right - Neil, Sara, Me, Ruth, Allan & Rosemary.

Sharing a laugh with Sally

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Sara, Ruth, Sally, Me with my celebration balloon ( no it is not a glass of fizz), Allan & Neil - at the end of the evening

Sara, Ruth Sally, Me, Allan & Rosemary

A most memorable & wonderful evening and thank you so much.

Date for op - 29 September

I now have a date for my operation to reverse my ileostomy - Thursday 29 September - which is only a week away. Probably at this time next week I will be in theatre having the op. This date is much earlier than I anticipated but it is excellent news as this means that my return to full health after the all clear is now much closer.

The operation will be back at Basingstoke with the same team that performed the initial operation and I am very happy with this. It will be a 40 minute operation so no where near as long as the other op.

I went for my pre operation assessment yesterday which seemed to go well. I bumped into two of the nurses from when I was in hospital last year and they remarked how well I was looking.

I am feeling well - my energy levels are returning with the help of some Reiki and Cranial osteopathy that I was recommended to try as it helps to return your immune system , well being & energy back to normal. It seems to be working as I have not needed a nap in the afternoon .My legs seem lighter after walking Colin rather than the heavy achy feeling that was there before. This increase in energy will hopefully help me with a speedier recovery after the op.

Scan Results now received.

Late yesterday afternoon I received the results of my CT Scan by email - see below:

"Dear Brian

Your CT has finally been reported on and I am very sorry that you have had to wait so long. It is a completely normal scan with NO evidence of any disease in the bowel or anywhere else in the body J

If you are waiting for a reversal, then it can be arranged via your next outpatient appointment (so good news)"

I began to panic when I saw the phrase "I am very sorry" but then quickly realised that it referred to the wait for the results. 

I was so delighted, happy & relieved that I burst into tears - so when I rushed downstairs to tell Neil he thought something was wrong. He started to cry with me and then Colin jumped up on us  - so we had a family hug. The relief was immense as after all the treatments, op & emotional journey to now know that I was cancer free made it all worth while. A big thank you to you all that have been encouraging me along this journey - I really have appreciated it.

The rest of the evening just disappeared in phone calls, texts and emails. We celebrated with a glass of red wine which was delicious!

So Happy just now!

Scan Results still awaited.

Just a quick update ............. my scan results are not yet available so there is no news today of what the results of the scan are!

Maybe more tomorrow!

Patience is a virtue ---------- more deep breathing required I think.

Scan Date

It has now been confirmed that the date for my CT Scan is this Thursday 8 September at 11.15 am at Heatherwood Hospital. I will not get the results until the following week. I am keeping positive about the results and that there should be no signs of the cancer. But there is a slight worry at the back of my mind which I am trying to keep in perspective with the new skills that I learnt at Penny Brohn Cancer Centre ( more later on this).