The Ultrasound endoscopy coincided with my having to do a 300 mile round trip later that afternoon to pick up my children - so, even though anaesthetic was offered, I opted for a liberal throat spray which meant I could drive straight afterwards... Though the ultrasound tube was a little thicker than the normal jobby, there was nowhere near the hideous discomfort of the biopsy... though Dr Jones was in there looking around and taking measurements for quite a bit longer... so... if you've been through the biopsy, the this is a complete doddle and don't even think about being knocked out for it! From my viewpoint, there's not an awful lot to see, though Dr J did talk though it...
The PET scan happened at Stoke and the facility is a complete "mare" to find... having got over that, the process is as straightforward as the CAT scan - only this time with radioactive dye which attaches itself to rapidly growing cells which will then show up on the scan.
The flexi sig or rectal ultrasound was a real treat involving a massive laxative the day previous and nothing to eat... when I was lying there on the table with my posterior hanging out of a hole in some specially designed vanity shorts, I realised that dignity was something that happened to other people and I began to relax... also nobody laughed which helped - and my heart rate was around 70bpm throughout. The grey area turned out to be a large polyp - which looked pretty much like a sausage full of ancient shredded wheat under the microscope - nice - the nurse with the hose took some samples to make sure.... I wont mention it again as it's pretty much secondary to the man event.
Just time for coffee and cake at Tesco then off to Shrewsbury to meet Mr Beardsmore the surgeon - who we spent about an hour with going through the next steps.... He explained the growth and how it had affected the lymph nodes and that there was no sign of spread to other areas... radical surgery would be required involving the removal of the esophagus, some lymph nodes and top of the stomach - then re attachment of the remains of the stomach to the throat... this involves opening up the chest cavity and collapsing a lung so radical really is the word for it - a 2 week say in hospital and long recuperation following... Chemotherapy would be required prior to and following the operation to corral any stray cells which may have escaped into the lymphatic system.
Before that though, in order to make sure exactly what was going on with those pesky lymph nodes, I'd need a laparoscopy exam and physical test to make sure I was fit enough to stand up to all the fun and games.... I also think I may need my brain feeling at this point.
