Wow! What a time this has been…….so much has happened, my dad is now post op!
It’s now 10 weeks since my dad was referred by the dentist for an emergency appointment at the hospital
The appointments include…..
Consultants, 3 scans, multi disciplinary team, operation, home, removal of staples.
Every single person we met, has been so lovely and positive, explained everything in such a way that we knew the steps to take and would come out the end ok.
I understandably could not go into the scan rooms.
We only found out, from about one radiologist (just after he left) that he does not talk to anyone, usually comes into the room, performs the scan and walks out. Well, my dad went to shake his hand, the radiologist automatically put out his own hand to shake, realised he shouldn’t (Covid - minimise patient contact) Their hands missed, the doctor smiled and the nurses burst out laughing, and he actually chatted to my dad, the nurses said that it was definitely out of character for him.
Another time…. My dad sat in the waiting room, there was another man and wife in there, my dad started to play eye spy with my little eye, and they joined in lol. That’s my dad
.
Before the op, I so much wanted my dad not to have to go through this, it’s not fair, it has to be done, so scary, although fully explained, I imagined all sorts of things, but the support we felt from the team, was so positive. In hindsight I should not have looked at Google…I did stop checking and just listened to the team.
We we’re told, they would remove the cancer at the back of the tongue, with a 1cm margin, remove 49 lymph nodes (wow that is precise). He said thin of the cancer like a fried egg….the yoke is the cancer, the white is the bit they will also remove.
I was thinking, how much of the tongue would they take? Will he talk? Will he eat ok? how will he cope?
The operation was 6 hours long, the surgeon telephoned me when he was in post op…..he’s awake, and talking…. Me: what he’s talking?! She laughed and said yes, and asked if they would all like to go bowling with him…..that’s my dad! (he can’t remember that).
my dad has given me permission to use his photo (my mum visiting dad, only one visitor allowed for 1 hour, once a week. I was sat on the windowsill outside….good job it wasn’t raining lol
8 days in hospital, feeding tube, IVI, 2drains …. all gone. Will continue with the blog very soon xxx
