I am new here but have been following your posts

[dianne65]

my partner has had Ivor Lewis op today and I have learned so much from you to hopefuly be able to make life easier for him.thankyou

[Mauser1905]

Good luck with his recovery. Remember first 48 hours post surgery are most crucial.

All the best wishes your way.

[dianne65 in reply to Mauser1905]

thankyou,there wasnt an icu bed available so he is in recovery in theatre at the moment,will see him tomorrow dont really know what to expect

[Mauser1905 in reply to dianne65]

He will be up and talking, physio will want him in the chair propped up as well. Keep an eye on him, I would say to see if anything out of normal, so you can ask ITU staff to look into it in time.

[yorkshirerose]

Hi Diane

We are all different and will progress at different stages, but one thing I will say and sorry if I'm being too honest, you both have a long road ahead, sometimes it will be difficult, but with the help you will get on here will be invaluable. I am now 8years post op and my life has changed a lot with the new plumbing BUT it does get easier, you learn to cope with what you can and cannot eat. Love and patience from a loving partner got me thru the hard times, he'll rely on you a lot so take care of yourself too. And can I just say the best thing we ever bought was an electric bed 😊

Good luck

Edwina xxxx

[dianne65 in reply to yorkshirerose]

thankyou for responding Edwina,so glad you are doing so well,Sean is doing well so far,pain in shoulder is the worst but he does have an epidural,I have thought to get electric bed but will try the frame first xx

[Ramipls2004 in reply to dianne65]

There is nothing better than to invest in a electric bed. It has been a lifesaver for my bike reflux at night. Expensive, but worth every penny!!! If you are looking into a bed of this sort, make sure you get one that has individual settings for two people. Blessings and a speedy recovery

[PhysioD]

Hi Dianne. My father in law had his operation yesterday too. Hope you are ok and we are in this together. Lots of love. Dawn xxx

[kiddy in reply to PhysioD]

I hope your father in law is doing well too. Slow progress little steps.

Best wishes

Debbie

[dianne65 in reply to PhysioD]

Hi Dawn hope they both do well,we know we could face problems but lets hope they are little ones.Sean is doing very well he started on 30 ml water every hour yesterday he was so happy about that,hope your F.I.L. is comfortable xx

[PhysioD in reply to dianne65]

Aw that’s great news Dianne! All these little milestones add up to great things. Every one brings more confidence and relief doesn’t it. Thanks for your well wishes. I’ll pass them on. He is still on the HDU ward but doing ok. He’s been sitting out and of course watched the footy last night but he is also shattered (understandably). One day at a time though! Keeping positive! Lots of love. All the best to you and Sean. Xxx

[kiddy]

Hi he should be awake and connected to a lot of tubes/drains. ICU will take care of him . I stayed in there for 5 days then transferred to a normal ward. Gradually losing some of the tubes/drains. He will be well medicated on pain relief. They like to get you out of bed straight away into a chair.

Good Luck with his recovery.

Debbie

[dianne65 in reply to kiddy]

Hi Debbie,how long since your op? hope you are recovering well,Sean prefers the chair to the bed so they let him stay in it to watch the match last night,hope he didnt turn the air blue when they lost xx

[kiddy in reply to dianne65]

Hi Dianne good for him watching the football. I am 2yrs 4mths and doing well. Had a few ups and downs mostly with dumping and bowels. It is a long bumpy road ahead. The food does become an issue when he starts weaning onto it. That is how you have to look at it weaning like a baby. A couple of spoonfools will probably be all he can cope with at first. Little and often. Read up on dumping syndrome. The dietician should give him information on this along with what to eat etc.Exercise too walking a round the ward attached to all the equipment first with the physiotherapist then they leave you to do it. I now walk as much as possible. Losing the tubes and drains will be what he will look forward to and getting rid of the staples holding the scars together.

It is a life changing op but he will find a new normal.

Good luck

Debbie

[Npride]

Welcome to the group and wishing your partner a speedy recovery.

[dianne65 in reply to Npride]

thank you so much xx

[tanseyj]

Hi Dianne. Hope all is going OK with your partner? It is a very serious operation and will take much time to recover. I was up the next day with tubes and drains also. They should have him walking by now? Love and prayers will help! Never get discouraged as things will change each day. Recovery can be slow, painful, and even discouraging to both of you. But time will heal. His body will change to adapt to the new changes. It may not be easy? But it will be worth it for the future. Have you seen my 'journal'? freewebs.com/tanseyj/Cancer...

Skip through to see what I have gone through and my thoughts at the time. One thing, since cancer I have never once thought of dying! Always be optimistic, and have a sense of humor, both of you. That, I believe is the most important! Read a joke a day or see an old comedy show or movie (YouTube, Bing or Google has them for free) and get some good laughs! It may not be easy at times? It will not always go the right way day by day, but stick with it, it will work out. I feel very lucky! For the most part all has gone well. You will see that I did have serious problems like the stent falling down...Lol! But keep trying and listen to the medical people. There is information on the webpage as to contacting me. If you ever feel you need some help I am available! I have been through 'hell'? But I keep the faith and thankful for every day. Cheers, Jim

[dianne65 in reply to tanseyj]

thanks for response Jim,looked on your site but will have to go back when i have more time,there is a lot to read lol,but i will,Sean ok so far but Iknow it is early days x

[annewfield]

Prayers for all. Blessings of a successful outcome, strength, and healing to all.

[Shazandsis]

Hi Dianne my sister had her full IL op 2 years ago but had a few complications (anastomotic leak) I won't bore you with but she is now fine. She can't eat spicy or too much at one time but really from the moment she could eat (she was nil by mouth 12 months) she could enjoy poached eggs with tomatoes/scrambled egg smoked salmon...mashed potatoes gravy. We started off with tapas size dishes and worked up from there. I found small is best crammed with as much extra cals as poss when her appetite wasn't there. Trying to get cals into her is a challenge but she is getting the hang now so don't despair....just deal with what is front of you and you will be amazed how you will cope. We too watched Michael McIntyre or John Bishop to cheers us up..ad thank God for NCIS and CSI repeats!! We got a bit obsessed with Frozen too! Re the painful shoulder we were given Lidocaine patches which helped I also found having 1 x paracetamol together with 1 tramadol worked better than 2 x tramadol on their own. Diclofenic sulpositories were great and Oramorph..but we tred to get off the opiates as soon as poss. Gail is now pain free except the odd indigestion when she has tried to eat a whole ribeye steak..or a spicy kebab!! She gets tired very easily...sleeps a lot and she doesn't need to sleep upright now...so I would hang fire on the special bed til you see how hubby is...a few pillows or blow up support to start with may be ok. I don't often reply on here but just thought I would share our good news story. There were times I didn't think she'd make it...but here we are...counting our blessings and actually laugh about our Bette Davis/Joan Crawford style relationship we had for two years like Baby Jane!!

Good luck and try not to let dark imaginings keep you awake and fast track to when things will be much much better. Best of luck Sharon & Gail x