oesophagectomy tomorrow

Hello Dean (and all)

Sharing that everything went very well today from what the surgeon says. We weren’t expecting to hear from him at all but I had a very upbeat and definitely a little high on the drugs call! He was smiling and happy the op was done which was lovely to see. 

so relieved it went well and now hoping the pain isn’t too bad. For anyone reading about to go through this bit, Dean is right, the surgeons are amazing and so are the nurses in ICU. 

Thanks again for the messages of reassurance.

Best,

Ileana 

So good to  hear that all went well we hope the recovery goes well.

Sending love 

Vonn

Hi Ileana

That is such great news that the op went well. Even though you feel tired and sore it is a relief to know it's been done and all is ok.

All the staff are amazing and yes especially ITU ,only had one night in there but the care they give you was exceptional.

It's a slow and steady process but just take it a day at a time and hopefully he will be home soon.

Wishing you all the best

Dean

Hi Nic123

Just wanted to wish you and your dad lots of luck for today. Whichever hospital you are in they will take great care of your dad. Be reassured that the surgeons are brilliant, your dad is in good hands. It is hard not to worry but he is in the right place and I will be thinking of you both today.

If you can please let me know how it goes

Best wishes

Dean

Hi dean , I’ve just seen your message from today as well but it won’t let me reply to that one so I’ll reply here!! Thank you for sending a message today!! It’s a really big day and we are all very worried!! My mums been told she can’t see him now until tomorrow afternoon and that he wouldn’t really know if we was there or not until tomorrow anyways!! Just hope he’s not to scared and on his own in away when he wakes up … 

dreading the phone calls already but just want it to be done asap and the next 24 hours to fly by to see how is he!! … 

im so glad to hear your doing well and they managed to get rid of it all!! That’s amazing!! I’m so happy for you! … ( I was following your stuff since I came on here and it’s really helped so thanks for replying! ) 

and yes I think you will get another 4 rounds of chemo won’t you to blast it all! As that’s what they mentioned to my dad. 

did you have a CT scan after the operation to make sure there was no cancer left? 

can I ask …. Where all the tubes removed quick soon? As we have been told he will be covered in them at first! 

I will keep you posted on how dad does over the next 24/48hours!

Hi Nic123,

I know your message is to Dean but just wanted to say I’m thinking of you and your family today as you await news from your dad. I was there yesterday and know how scary it is. We were all so worried too and didn’t expect to hear anything from him yesterday (the day of his op). I had a call from him yesterday evening and he was in very good spirits, making jokes and everything!

My stepmum is there today and although there are some tubes, it’s nothing too scary and he’s again in good spirits. 

Of course I know no patient is the same, but do hope this brings some comfort and that everything goes smoothly today. Try not to let yourself spiral too much (I definitely did). 

Sending lots of strength x

Hi Nic

So nice to hear from you. I know it's very worrying and the waiting is so stressful, my wife said it was the worst part.

Your dad will go to ICU where he will be very well looked after until he is ready to go to the ward.

When you do see him there will be a few tubes. I had 4, a neck line , two chest drains and one up the nose plus a catheter as well. For me the chest drains came out after 3 days and the catheter and the nose drain a couple of days later. 

It will all depend on how your dad recovers. I also had an epidural for pain relief which was really good.

The nurses are so good and will keep your dad as comfortable as possible.

I really hope it all goes well for him and yes please let me know how he is but only when you are ready. If you need to chat on here I'm here for you ok.

I think it's good to share experiences it really helped me a lot

Best wishes

Dean

Hi IP20

It sounds like the op went really well, so pleased for you all. The waiting is the worst part, my wife said it was very stressful when I was in.

He will be well looked after and they usually try to get you home in 7-10 days providing there are no complications.

I wish you all the best and hope his recovery goes well.

Best wishes

Dean

Hi Nic123

Hope everything is ok and your dad's op went well. It's a lot to take in especially straight after the op. There is no rush but if you see this would like to know how it went, I'm here to support you if you need me.

Best wishes

Dean

I was terrified before my husband went in back in June. I had watched the op done on a BBC documentary, that was a mistake. He is 55 and never been ill before the cancer. His op was going to be 8 ish hours. It was hard sending him off to be cut in half when he looked so well. The op ended up being 11 and a half hours as it had spread between scan and op. The waiting was the worst, especially when it got to 8 hours and they didn’t phone. I ended up calling at 9 hours and again at 10 and then at 11! They couldn’t do the epidural due to issues in his back so they worried about his recovery. He was kept asleep until the following day as the op over ran. So I couldn’t see him until the following day, that was hard, but they gave regular updates. When he woke he managed his pain and the ITU staff were amazing. He was in ITU 3 days. On the ward for  4 days and then home. They were amazed with his recovery. His second lot of chemo was 8 weeks after the op. The recovery at home is hard, but just keep on the painkillers at regular intervals, don’t wait for the pain to kick in to take them. Fingers crossed for a straight forward op and recovery.