Hey! It's been a while!
So since we last posted we've been getting ready for surgery. I'll write another post shortly about the surgery and explore that in more detail.
We've had 2 meetings with the surgical team since we got the go ahead for the surgery, one with the surgical team, and one with the surgeon who will be performing Tony's operation.
I've mentioned in previous posts that compared to the Oncology side of things, the surgical team seem to be a lot less..... Fluffy, shall we say. We had been warned to leave surgical appoinments feeling like you've been hit by a train or swamped with negative stuff, and our first appointment certainly did!
The Doctor we saw for the first appointment seemed to be pushing us towards a palliative treatment plan, rather than the curative one our oncologist recommended. He wasnt happy that Tony hadn't had the prescribed 4 rounds of chemo pre op, and called the surgery ''sub-optimal''. We found this very upsetting as we'd been told by our oncologist that the surgery was the best route forward, and chemo was ''sub-optimal''. This left us feeling utterly defeated.
If both options aren't good enough, then which one is right?!
Tony was quite firm in pointing out that we were folowing our oncologist's advice, aiming for a cure and having as much of the cancer, if not all of it, removed.
The doctor then went on to explain all of the possible side effects and complications. He gave us images that explained and showed the procedure, how things internally will change and where they will enter tony's body. After all of this was explained to us we went ahead and signed the consent form.
Going for surgery of any kind is scary, they all carry risks, and many, just like this one, are life changing. Potentially life saving.
Going through the consent form process is emotionally draining. Try and go prepared. If you feel comforable, do a little research before hand, come to terms with what could happen during and post surgery. Familiarise yourself with the procedure, the risks involved and the recovery time / process. Oh and don't be afraid to ask questions!
In the 2nd of our pre op meetings we met the surgeon who will be performing the procedure. This meeting was a breath of fresh air! He was so positive!
We walked us through the procedure in imense detail, he took the times to sketch how Tony's new stomach / oesophagus will look. He also took the time to explain to us that not having had 4 lots of chemo pre surgery isn't uncommon. He explained that many patients don't complete the pre op chemo cycles, either because of the side effects, or because of complications such as blood clots, or heart episodes.
I can't explain how much of a relief it was to hear that!
We left with a better understanding of the operation and minds at ease knowing the surgeon was confident, happy and unphased by the lack of chemo.
We've been focused on gettin Tony as fit and healthy as possible for the op. He's generally quite fit anyhow, but we've been doing a lot of walking to improve his aerobic fitness which is really important for this surgey. We've also been doing all we can to get some healthy weight on him in preperation for any weight loss after surgery. Fresubin shakes are great for this and are available on presctiption. You can drink them as a shake or used them in meals, there's a ton of recipes and ideas online.
On monday we head for surgery and I'll do my best through that process to write as much and as often as possible.
Ciao for now!
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