Admission Day

What have I got in common with the Virgin Mary ??

NO ROOM AT THE INN (ward)

That's what !!

When we arrived this afternoon we went to the designated ward only to be told that there wasn't a bed available, so I had to wait around in the day room for a couple of hours before being shipped to another ward. However I have to say that this ward, The Colman Unit, is very nice and I have settled in nicely.

The inmates are the usual mix, there is the Asian guy opposite me complete with all his immediate and distant family including two very young boys who run around screaming and generally causing havoc. They have also taken over the day room where the TV is. However there are two programmes that I want to see later so I'll be going in there to chuck them out. Well it is for the patients and not visitors !!

Also opposite me there is a guy having knee joints replaced, and it turns out he's done time in prison. Can't think what for, but perhaps he was knee capped in the past !!!  Well you never know.  Apparently he was "fitted up" of course he was !! I didn't argue with him.

See what your all missing by not being in hospital.

I've had a blood test and one of the surgical team has marked up my right leg with a great big arrow pointing to the tumour area. I'm No 2 on tomorrow's operating list so I should go to theater around 10.30, and hopefully back on the ward by midday, that's if all goes to plan. If I come round, and I'm able I will do another post tomorrow. So now it's nil by mouth from midnight, and no liquids from 03.00

News Update

As promised the hospital phoned today. The first call was from the pre-admissions nurse who said that as I would be coming in soon for an operation she needed to go throu a list of questions to ensure that I was fit and healthy for the operation. She had no information regarding my admission date, but gave me the telephone No of Mr Skinners operation scheduler and said I should phone her after 3.00 if I hadn't heard anything.

Soon after that call the phone rang again with the news that I would be going in on Tuesday 30th. Brilliant !!

A little later I received another call to say that I had an appointment booked for 12.15 at The new Macmillan Cancer Center at UCLH to see Dr Seddon and discuss the possibility of radiotherapy after the operation.

All in all a good day, and as a very good mate of mine, Mr Abbott said, "now there's a light at the end of the tunnel" to which my reply was "its been a bloody long tunnel"

The Saga rolls on

Today I had an appointment with Mr Skinner in London to discuss the outcome of last weeks biopsy on the lump in my right leg (stump)  Two weeks ago when I was at the same clinic Mr Skinner had injured his back and was unavailable. Today however he was there, and just about on time at 2.00pm I was called in to see him.

The result of the biopsy showed that the lump was was indeed a Sarcoma tumour. We looked at the MRI scan of my pelvis which was taken last Monday and it was completely clear and showed no signs of any tumours. This was good to learn. So back to the tumour in my leg. Mr Skinner offered two choices that were open to him, the first was to surgically remove the tumour, and the second would be to amputate the remainder of the leg back to hip level. We both decided it would be best to just remove the tumour with surgery at this point in time. He did however think it would be good to speak to Dr Beatrice Seddon, the Consultant Oncologist at University College Hospital London, to see if radiotheraphy either before or after the operation would be beneficial.

I asked when the operation could take place and was pleasantly suprised to hear that next week was a possability. Mr Skinner promised that I would be contacted by phone either Tuesday or Wednesday with the outcome of his discussions with Dr Seddon. Because of the possibility of surgery next week I attended a Pre-addmission clinic before I left. At the Pre-addmission clinic they do various tests and take samples to ensure you are fit for surgery, ie blood pressure, heart rate, blood and urine samples, and swab samples from various parts of your body for MRSA.

So now just waiting for the phone call to see which route we go down.

Check up at Brompton

Today I had a routine check up at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London. The appointment was for 11.00am with Mr Jordan's clinic.  We arrived in good time and I was sent for a chest X-Ray prior to the appointment. I was seen by one of Mr Jordans registrars. We looked at the X-Ray and compared it with one taken prior to the lung surgery. Today's X-Ray was completely clear in contrast to the earlier one.

The Doctor was pleased with the result of the surgery and confirmed that several of the nodules which had been removed from both lungs were cancerous (Sarcoma) however both lungs now looked clear. After listening to my lungs with a stethoscope, she confirmed that both lungs were good. I was signed off and no further appointments at the Brompton were necessary.

Just after we got home this afternoon I received a phone call from Stanmore to say that the team had discussed the results of the the biopsy during their Friday meeting and that an appointment had been made to see Mr Skinner on Monday 15th at Bolsover Street in London. They never discuss anything over the phone, so I have to wait until Monday for the outcome.

Biopsy & MRI

Last week after my appointment in London I had a phone call from Stanmore to book the biopsy for Monday 8th at 11.15am. The following day I had another phone call to say that they wanted me to also have an MRI scan on my pelvis and booked it for Monday at 8.30am.

As we normally look after little Harry, our niece's youngest on Mondays, my good friend Doug volunteered to keep me company on the day. This meant an early start leaving home at 6.15am. The drive to Stanmore was uneventful and we arrived early at 8.15. I was straight in and the MRI was completed by 8.45.

With just over 2 hours to wait before the biopsy I decided to drive to the local Morrisons supermarket and treat myself and Doug to breakfast. Full english and a decent cup of coffee set us up nicely, and we got back to the hospital in good time to be at the X ray department for 11.00. The team doing the biopsy's were running about an hour late due to problems earlier in the day. However this was not a problem and we just sat in the waiting area people watching and occasionally nodding off to sleep.

When I was called in at about 12.10 the doctor gave me a local anaesthetic and then took 3 small samples from the lump to be sent off the the pathology laboratory for diagnosis. Hopefully the results will be available for Mr Skinners team to discuss at this Fridays team meeting. I should then have some news early next week.

Rest and Recuperation

Still taking it easy and resting. The back is improving every day, so another week or so should see me back to some normality.

Last Thursday 27th I went to Stanmore Hospital for the MRI on my stump. I hadn't said anything before, but when I was in The Royal Brompton Hospital having the final lung operation, I had noticed a couple of what felt like lumps in the stump. This is not what you want at this stage.

I mentioned this to the Brompton team and they arranged for a portable Ultrasound machine and operator to take a look for me. The resulting images were inconclusive and they phoned the Orthopaedic team at Stanmore. After I got home from the Royal Brompton I received a call from the Stanmore team to say that they had arranged for the MRI to take place on Thursday 27th. The Stanmore Orthopeadic team meet on Fridays to discuss their  patients, and on Friday afternoon the 28th I received a phone call saying that they would like to see me at Bolsover Street London for an appointment on Monday 1st October. Bolsover Street has been undergoing redevelopment and is now a really nice modern building.

Yesterday I went to Bolsver Street. Doug, a good friend came to keep me company, and Tom met us at Liverpool Street. We arrived Early and after a coffee in reception we went to the waiting area. I was seen a little after my appointment time by one of Mr Skinners team. It transpired that Mr Skinner had recently injured his back quite badly and will be out of commission for some time. This will present a problem as he is only one of two consultants who operate on Sarcoma's.

During the appointment we looked at the MRI scan. One of the lumps which is on the front didn't show up at all, and the doctor dismissed it as scar tissue on the bone. The other lump which is on the inside of my leg showed up, but the doctor was unsure of its nature. He said that had it been a tumour it would have possibly shown up as a different shade of grey on the screen. The only route would be to have an Ultra Sound Guided  Biopsy taken. He arranged for the biopsy to be taken this week either Wednesday or Friday at Stanmore.

I'll update with a posting when I know more.