Final meeting with my surgeon

Excellent news . Your final step to getting through surgery and putting this all firmly behind you .

I guess you could ask about the recovery process , pain meds , duration of stay etc . More about the surgical procedure itself and and complications they might encounter and how they manage them . Some hospitals use a fast track discharge program so you might want to find out about that .

They are normally really good at going over everything with you ? 

Are you having a stoma ? If so is great with what to ask regarding that area .

Hope it all goes well and I am sure they will have lots of information for you ,

take care ,

Court 

Hi Jools63

Good news now you can see the light at the end of the tunnel of course you will have many questions and hope these will help

What questions should I ask before signing the consent form?

It is important that you understand what will happen and why, and you should be given a chance to ask questions. To help you think about what you want to ask your doctor, you may find the following questions helpful:

About the operation

• Why is the operation necessary?
• What does it involve?
• What are the benefits?
• What are the risks?
• Will the operation change the way I look?
• Are there any alternative treatments or operations?
• What are the risks if I decide to do nothing for the time being?
• Will I have a stoma, will it be permanent or temporary?

About the anaesthetic

• Who will give my anaesthetic?
• Do I have to have a general anaesthetic?
• What type of anaesthetic is best for me?
• Is this type of anaesthetic used often?
• What are the risks of this type of anaesthetic?
• Do I have any special risks?
• How will I feel afterwards?

About my stay in hospital

• How long will I need to stay in hospital?
• What should I bring with me into hospital?
• How can I expect to feel after the procedure?
• Will I have any pain?
• If I feel pain, how long it is likely to last?
• What pain treatments will be best for me and how do these work?
• Will I need to take time off from work? and for how long.

Who do I contact if I have any questions before my surgery?

Get

• Contact names
• Contact details telephone and email

Some of the above may not be appropriate to you but these are the questions that consultants are used to answering so please cherry pick the ones best suited to you.

If you don't understand ask for clarification in terms you can understand.

Take someone with you as a note taker, you won't remember everything afterwards.

We'll be here for you to fill in any blanks from now onwards, please ask us anything we've all been there. 

Good luck on Thursday, let us know how you get on and keep in touch with us.

Ian

Thank you so much for your response. I’m freaking out now. I’ve been in a lot of pain for the last 3 days. It’s so hard to understand why the treatment so far has made me ill, when the cancer wasn’t.

That’s a tough one for sure . My mum was without any symptoms prior to diagnosis and picked up on a screen . Started treatment and was so ill I thought it was the disease advancing . She stopped treatment and after a period of time felt great again . You would not believe how a small pill can impact your entire body.

take care ,

Court 

Good morning!

I’m at the hospital awaiting a stent as I have a problem! My tumour has shrunk really well so I’m relieved. If the stent can’t be done I’ll be having my full surgery today. Slightly apprehensive, but grateful to be getting such great care.

Morning Jools63. Glad to hear that you sound to be in good hands and hope everything goes well. Let us how how you get on when you get chance.

Take care

Karen x

All the best Jools63

Glad they are taking good care of you . Sounds sore though . Hope it’s resolved soon .

take care,

Court