Re:Back to work today

2 minute read time.

After having had 34 fractions of radio therapy and nearly dieing from lack of food and water intake i am glad to say i am fit enough to resume work where i left off back into a routine of checking and rechecking cctv and vehicle pass details.

gettibng back to the sustenance thing came out of hospital after having the last 11 fracvtions while being cared for by Waddington Unit Lincoln hospital, very very good nurses very understanding and caring for me whilst oi was there my thanks to them, i nwas discharged and 8 days later was back in the emergency admissions unit in same hospital after various attempts to give me food through a nasal gastric tube which i sicked up on the times they put it in, so before i was allowed back onto the waddington unit i was taken to x ray dept to have a PEG tube fitted, which i tell you is a godsend and shouild have been fitted before my treatment, hind sight is a good thing being given all the potions and lotions to put on the outside and to gargle with.

I lost over the period of the treatment and there after  lost over 77lb in weight thats the equivalent to 1.5 bags of spuds. weight was literally dropping off i asked during the treatment for a tube to be fitted i think they thought i was kidding, i have lost all confidence in a certain oncologist at lincoln i wont name him as i am undecided whether or not to take the matter further, am going to see my union solicitor sometime next month when they can find the time to come and see me.

I started work today with the tube still in my stomach the fresubin supplements are great different flavour every 3 hours and a big bag of fed at night tides me over, i have suffered a bit over the past months and my advice to those with a similar cancer is to get the PEG tube fitted before the treatment starts insist on it its your body they are violating, its uncomfortable to start with but after a few days you get used to it being there, i used to long fopr food sausages bacon and egg butties but now i dont seem to be bothered. Am not 100% and dont suppose i will ever be that for a while to come.

Would love to hear from others who may have suffered the same problem

I would also like to thank Dr Lucy Collins of Alex ward in Lincoln Hospital for not relenting with her pressure to get the tube fitted, and the nurses on the same ward thanks for saving my life

Biggles13 (aka Not so big Al)

Anonymous
  • FormerMember
    FormerMember

    I hope you're enjoying your return to work.  Stay well xxx

  • FormerMember
    FormerMember

    Lovely to see you back Al - albeit in a smaller form.  Look after yourself, take it easy, dont do too much. xx

  • FormerMember
    FormerMember

    Hi am happy to hear you are finished your RT and its wonderful that you are back at work so soon an amazing inspiration for all and myself who is just into two treatments of RT after 2 5day chemo cycles with 3 drugs and an overnight last night of cisplatin home now but every worried about how my eating will be have a big box of drink suppliments am over weight right now on purpose so if i lose a few stones it will bring me back to normaL FOR MY SIZE BUT EVEN IF I HAVE TO DRINK 5 ENSURE DRINKS A DAY AND CAN MANAGE A LITTLE FOOD I AM HOPING TO STAY AWAY FROM THE NASAL TUBE AS IT SCARES ME AND THEY DONT FIT THE PEG HERE ..AND SAY THE NASAL TUBE IS A VERY LAST RESORT ..SO FINGERS AND EVERYTHING ELSE CROSSED ...SORRY ABOUT TEH BIG LETTERS MUST HAVE HIT THE CAP BUTTON

    HOPE WORK IS A GOOD THING FOR YOU AND WITH TIME YOU FEEL MUCH BETTER IT DOES TAKE A FEW MONRTHS SO DONT DO TOO MUCH ..

    lOVE AND HUGS

    jAN X

  • FormerMember
    FormerMember

    Hi Al so glad to hear that you are as fit as can be in the circumstances and back at work.

    It doesn't seem that long ago when you were starting out!

    As your dad would have said to you " You'll be alright lad" Well he would have been right you have come through it all and you are back where you started.

    Take care and all the best for the future.

    Love Julie xx

  • FormerMember
    FormerMember

    Hello Al. Hope that you are now beginning to recover from your treatment and well done on returning to work. It's almost thirty two months since I completed twenty fractions of RT following surgery to remove a carcinoma from the floor of my mouth. As with yourself, towards the end of treatment I was unable to eat / drink due to the side-effects - however, when I was admitted on the ward I was given the nasogastric tube. Once I got used to the tube it didn't present any problems and I was just glad to get some nutrition / hydration and medications down. When I was discharged from hospital, my main ' meal ' was the huge overnight feed - I broke it up during the daytime, too. When my mouth had healed a bit, the tube was removed and I survived on Ensures for a while - yes, I used to dream of bacon butties, too ! But it's a step at a time just now and slowly but surely I feel that I am getting there. So keep positive, Al, as you will recover - best wishes and take care. Love, Joycee xx