(To read my cancer story from the beginning start here – April / May 2018 – You Have Cancer)

It’s Not Me You Want to Thank

If you have read my previous posts you will know I’d had 3 operations that week and was now back on the ward.

With my trachy out I was able to speak again and the next time my consultant/surgeon Mr Walton came round I thanked him and his team for all they had done for me – He then looked me in the eyes and said “It’s not me you want to thank”

He never said anymore but I got the impression he thought I was really lucky that the flap had been successful.

I was feeling more comfortable now, the elastics on my teeth were still bloody annoying and I was still only having my fortisips through my PEG and little tubs of ice cream or custard.

I decided to have a good look in the mirror for the 1st time, I was still very swollen and scarred, especially my lip
(this photo was taken about a week or two later)

I also decided to start reading again, but as my mum hadn’t bought my Famous Five books in yet I carried on with Caught by Harlan Coben.

It was still tricky reading as I still couldn’t concentrate properly but persisted until I got to the chapter about Christa Stockwell

Christa Stockwell we learn is the skeleton in the cupboard of Dan and his friends. years previously there had been an accident cased by Dan, and Christa Stockwell was referred to as Scarface, Harlan Coben goes on to describe quite graphically her facial scarring and how Dan had caused it.

Lying there reading it after my 3 Head and Neck operations and with my stitches still in, it was the final straw, I couldn’t read any more of Caught and put it in the bottom of my bag (eventually finished it about 6 months later after I was back home).

Fortunately, that evening my mum and Elizabeth visited me and had bought my Famous Five books in, my bit of advice for anybody spending time in hospital, take in some childhood books, they were brilliant.

It was like reliving my childhood, waiting for adventures, ginger beer, fruit cake and freshly made sandwiches from ruddy faced shopkeepers 🙂

I spent more time having little exercises walking around the ward, but my leg was still all bandaged up, I still had metal studs and stitches in face, leg and belly and still had those damned elastics.

Continues here – Time to try solid foods

Recent Posts

• My Christmas Tree From Christmas 2018
• Nothing to Worry About
• Just Muscle and Fat
• A New Lump to the Collection
• 3 Years After Operation for Jaw Cancer
• 3 Years After Being Told I had Jaw Cancer
• Still Wobbling On
• 2 Years on from Hearing I Had Cancer
• Early 2020
• The Last Months of 2019
• The Summer of 2019
• Be Careful with the Suntan Lotion
• Getting Ill When Recovering from Cancer
• How Stupid is the Tax Credit System Cancer Sufferers
• 12 Months on From Being Told I Have Cancer – A Brief Summary
• Can a 16 Plus Stone Man Become Anorexic
• Cancer Free and no more PEG
• Lymphatic treatment and having my PEG out
• Beginning My Return to Normality (Almost)
• Will I be Home for Christmas 2018
• Swelling, Lumps and Puffiness The Cancer is Back
• No More Radiotherapy
• Last Couple of Weeks of Radiotherapy
• The Bad Radiotherapy and Chemotherapy Weeks and Back in Hospital
• Early Stages of Radiotherapy
• Radiotherapy – What’s all the fuss about?
• My 1st Radiotherapy and Chemotherapy Sessions
• Back at home, the calm before the storm
• Having a Radiotherapy Mask Made
• Drips, overnight feeds and blood transfusions
• Back in Hospital
• 2 days at home then a near trip in the Air Ambulance
• Removing the elastics and going home
• Stitches out, Temperatures and Infections
• Time to try solid foods
• It’s Not Me You Want to Thank
• 3rd operation of the week
• The Infections and that Damned Heat
• Back on the Ward
• I Never Liked Lifts
• My 2nd Operation in a Week
• My 1st night after my operation
• The Day of the Operation
• My 1st Night in Hospital
• Pre Op Arrangements
• Having a Feeding Tube Fitted – Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy (PEG)
• Telling Your Family You Have Cancer
• Coventry Warwick Coventry
• April / May 2018 – You Have Cancer