I was told I had a tumour in my oesophagus on the 29th Jan 2010. I had my first appointment with consultant ten days later, we had a chat and he did an examination. I was booked in for a more in depth investigation which involved cameras in the abdomen and throat. I was then told it was big and pushing into my aorta and they wanted me to have a medical to see if I could have chemotherapy. I couldn’t have chemotherapy as my body was damaged and it would do more harm than good. By this time it was the end of February and I was put on the operating list, I had my operation on the 20th March 2010.
Spent 10 days in ICU and step down and then moved onto the normal ward for a further 7days. My bed was next to a window and all I did for the first couple of days was stare out of that window and grin. I had been told that they had managed to remove everything and I was clean but, not in the clear yet. The view out of that window became the best view in the world, I had been given yet another chance to live. Having no stomach and a painful shoulder was a very small price to pay for getting my life back.
Took a bit of time getting used to eating and sleeping, I became a grumpy old sod for a bit until I got my eating and sleeping habits sorted out. Now that I have I do not use any medications for any reason. I’ve also put on weight, I haven’t used any special diets, mainly because I didn’t want to put that pressure on my wife, I just eat what I’ve always eaten just smaller portions more often.
For me getting back to a normal life was very important, not only for me more importantly for my family and to show my consultant and his staff they hadn’t wasted their time. I took it easy for the first month with plenty of rest and exercised my right shoulder to stop it seizing up. I then went back to work and started competition fishing again. It wasn’t easy, I did get tired and because I use a wheelchair my shoulder gave me grieve. I was back doing what I’ve always done and my head was in a good place and I could push through the pain. We went to the Isle of Wight Festival in June and had a great time with no ill effects. I also went to the Shetland Isles in September and tested my fitness. This year we did pretty much the same thing and next year I plan to do a lot more.
There was a specialist nurse assigned to my case, she turned up to the weekly meetings the staff had and gave a nurses view – she never met me. She did once phone me at home to say she was going on holiday and I would have had my operation by the time she got back and was there anything I needed. I confirmed there wasn’t, that was my last contact with a specialist nurse and to be honest I never had reason to contact her.
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Free_Wheels
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It cannot have been easy to have the complications of wheelchair life to be added to everything, but it is really good to hear how you have progressed after the surgery. It is not easy to have the energy to be positive and cheerful at times. You have certainly travelled further North than I have!
Is that that picture of you pre or post op? If it was post op it must take a hell of a lot of upper body strength to wheel along the sand and just goes to show how far you have come. I want to take the gear box out of the car but am struggling with strength on my right side so it may be a little awkward to attempt on my own.
Hi Alan, I only have a wheelchair life so, I have to adapt and make the most of what I do have. I owe it to my wife, family and friends to always have the energy to be positive and cheerful. It's not hard, I've had the cancer removed and as far as I'm concerned I'm not living with or alongside it any more. I've worked hard to make sure my recovery was quick and as painless as I could make it. You do have to work at your recovery, lying in bed thinking woe is me
ain't going to do you or anyone else any good.
I love the Shetland Isle and would recommend a visit or two to anyone.
Hi Steve, the picture was taken on St Ninians beach, Shetland 6 months after my op. I had taken delivery of that wheelchair just 2 weeks before I heard I had a tumour. Pushing yourself across a muddy field loaded with fishing tackle is hard
Exercise, I never stopped working my right side. Even when I was in ICU I worked on my arm and shoulder, I turned my bed into a weight trainer, it was very painful to begin with and bought the odd tear to my eye. I know from past experiences that if you don't exercise you are going to find it very hard to get back to a normal state.
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