First
of all – THANKS! – I asked for some help and got loads of offers – you guys
make life so much more bearable.
Things
moved rapidly again this week – and it’s only Tuesday. I spent ages on the
phone to the hospitals yesterday to find out what the schedule was for the next
few weeks – here goes:
6th
August – I thought I was just going for a dental assessment, but in addition I
met with the surgeon doing the operation. Teeth first – so now’s the time to ‘fess
up that I’ve had dentures for several years, and just this year had a new set
made up as I had two more teeth removed. So it was no real surprise to hear
that all of my remaining teeth will need to come out. What was a surprise was
that the two wisdom teeth have to go too – and one of them has a cyst on the
root – and that is affecting a nerve – which when removed will cause a loss of
sensation in my lower lip and part of my chin. And the next bit is very hard to
swallow – I can’t have the dentures remodelled for 6 months at least ‘cos the
mouth and jaw will continue to change shape throughout and after the
radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Do you mind if I swear now? ‘struth!
7th
August – a trip to Luton for a pre-operation assessment – and we’ll make it a
double header by nipping down to Mount Vernon cancer hospital to get a feel for
the journey.
8th
August – I’m going to visit work – probably for the last time this year.
Afterwards Row and I are joining some of my department for a ten-pin bowling session
up in St. Neots.
9th
August – My last meal for a while at 7am then to Luton and Dunstable University
Hospital at 11am. The surgeon will (hopefully after I’m anaesthetised) take out
my teeth – and now the gore – he then cuts from behind my right ear down the
side of my neck and round to the base of my chin – and perhaps a bit more down towards
my throat – then the fun begins: First he removes the major muscle (sternocleidomastoid)
connected to my right shoulder – this will prevent me putting away food onto
the top shelf of the larder – it will also hamper my backswing, but should
prevent the yips. Next he dredges the material between my skin and my arteries
which is where the lymph nodes hang out. There are at least 30 nodes – but the
surgeon says his current record is to find 86 of them. Apparently all 5 levels
of nodes are to be removed. There’s more, that I didn’t know about before today
– the cancer may have leached out of the lymph nodes into surrounding areas –
in which case he’ll remove, I can hardly bear to write this – he’ll remove the
jugular vein – luckily I’ve got another on the left side. And there is also a
chance that he’ll remove either deliberately or by accident, the accessory nerve
which is connected both to the muscle being removed and the trapezius muscle.
There’s another nerve that might cop if – one that gives sensation to the ear
lobe – so if anyone wants to buy me a 40ct diamond earring it won’t be money
wasted.
10th
August – pain, pain, pain. Well probably morphine, morphine, morphine. The
surgeon assures me it will be nothing like as bad as my tonsils out. Oh, he
said, I forgot, you’re having a cyst and wisdom teeth out too – that hurts.
11th
August – Sunday – a day of rest – I’m really sorry to be missing the Silverado
tournament at Crondon Park.
12th
August – I’m double-booked – I have an appointment for an operation at Lister
Hospital called a PEG – which is a tube put through my belly into my stomach so
that when things get worse, I’ll be able to feed through it. We’re trying to
get this rebooked to happen preferably at the same time as the main op, but
otherwise while I’m still in Hospital.
13th-16th
– still in hospital – although hopefully I can come home on the Friday.
17th
– start of footie season – Come on you Reds!
18th
– Row’s birthday and hopefully we can have our punting trip on the Cam.
After
that – well in another 3 weeks I should be fit to start the Radiotherapy
journey – which will see some horrid side effects – of which I’ll write more
later.
Chin
up!
Frank
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