Its a bit daunting stepping into dad's shoes to write this blog - I have to remind myself that people's main reason for reading it is to keep abreast of dad's progress and his creative writing skills are simply a bonus!
So in my own way (apologies in advance for spelling errors) I'll update you...
For those with limited time (I have a tendancy to ramble), in summary the surgery went very well with no surprises. Dad is doing well and looking good, despite being in some pain. Read on for the long version....
Dad, Di, Joe and myself arrived at the QE hospital at 6:45am, and went straight to the new Admissions Department. This consisted of a waiting area with a few chairs and glass-fronted booth containing an assortment of nurses. So we settled down to wait. After a while dad was ushered away for what I assume were some simple pre-surgery checks and to get into his lovely hospital gown (or as I liked to call it, dress) and his dressing gown. Then he returned to us and we settled back in to wait again.
Around 9:30am we were brought out of our lethargy by a sharp rapping of knuckles on the glass of the nurses booth and dad and Di were summoned to speak to the surgeon. When they returned I could tell immediately the mood had shifted and not for the good. The surgeon had apparantly informed them of all the things that could go wrong and additional scenarios that might happen - spleenectomy, chest drain, further evidence of metastesees in local organs etc. This really brought home to me how the positive everyone has been the last few weeks since their visit to Dr. Jane Plant in London and now we were struggling to find that again. They were told that the surgery would kick off around 10:30/11am so we resumed waiting.
A little while later another surgeon came out to talk to us and this one had a much warmer demeanour and positive manner (he was also rather good-looking which helped also - well helped me anyway, I'm not sure it had any effect on dad). The surgeon spent a little time talking about the operation and what would happen and told us it would all be happening very soon.
By 12pm it became clear that the original estimate of a 11am start time was a little off and we started to look a little enviously at the other admissions we had arrived with at 7am as they were all wheeled or walked away. Dad however seemed perfectly happy to be reading his paper and not in surgery! Back to waiting and around 1pm we were told they'd changed the 'order of play' and he might be moved up to the ward before the op but currently there wasn't a bed available. Finally by 2pm he went in to pre-surgery and a little while later he was wheeled away, with Di looking on, for anaesthesia.
Fast forward to 8:30pm and Di found out that he was back on the ward and doing ok. We found out today that he didn't have a spleenectomy, there is no chest tube, he didn't need intensive care and they didn't even have to remove the rib they thought they would have to. No one has talked about any new metastesees so we're taking that as good news also. I went in to visit him earlier today and all in all he's doing very well. He is in some discomfort but his colour is good and he is (mostly) lucid. I have just heard from Di that tomorrow they hope to have him up and about a little. They hope to have him home by Tuesday or Wednesday next week.
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