Two weeks ago now, 8th December, I was lying in ICU having spent 8 hours in OR. When I came round I was happy to hear that they had left me with 20% of my stomach. They had managed to perform the sub total gastrectomy by keyhole surgery which was a huge relief. My surgeon had told me that was the plan but also gave me the spiel about how things could change when they put the camera in for a look. I know that they have to prepare you for the worst.
Next day the surgeon popped by to say that he was pleased at how well the op had gone and that the pre-op chemo had shrunk the tumour by around 50%.
I did not have a lot of pain from the surgery but I did have severe pain in my shoulders. This was an old problem that reared its ugly head a couple of days after surgery. I had some physio in hospital which helped a bit.
I was discharged from hospital on 16th December. It was nice to be home. I had already moved on to a semi-liquid diet.
I had a bit of a blip on Sunday which I think may have been down to a combination of dairy overload and trapped wind. I also felt like I had a stitch in my side. It seemed to ease off when I started to walk about a bit.
I've gradually been introducing other foods into my diet but have been very cautious about portion size.
I'm hoping to manage a little bit of Christmas lunch and my surgeon said that I could have a glass of Champagne. This news cheered me no end.
I had an appointment with the oncologist yesterday but he had not yet received the pathology report. He'll contact me in the New Year to decide on our next plan of attack. I am determined to see off this blighter!
Merry Christmas.
