valjee

Hi all – again!

Thanks so much for your replies – I’ve been doing some reading of posts & feel like I’ve ‘come home’. Everyone understands! Marvellous! It may take me some time to read everything I need to though.

Marion, thanks, the wound infection was/is staph aureus but not MRSA, I’ve been tested for that ad-nauseum too.

Yes, I also have major problems with allergies to dressings. I’ve known for many years that this is a problem for me, I think we’ve pretty well exhausted all dressings known to man or woman in the UK currently, but I’m surviving with Mepore Ultra with lavish applications of Cavilon barrier spray on first. And Betnovate (steroid cream) when I get a ‘breakthrough’ skin breakdown. I will check out any other postings on this subject – thanks again.

Julia, a big hug to your sis (& you of course!). I had a 5 month wait before my surgery so I know how the waiting goes. Long story short, I had ‘gallstones’, one of which had ‘obviously lodged in my bile duct’ causing jaundice, last December. Er, no, no stones. A ‘manky’ gall bladder but no obvious stones. To be fair, my hepatologist (trained at Kings, which I understand is THE place to be) did suspect CC at that point but said the ‘blockage’ was so small they just didn’t know what it was.

I had a drain inserted (sorry, the scrambled brain just looses stuff in the filing system since the anaesthetic!) a trans something… between the ribs, through the liver, into the bile duct bypassing the blockage – vicious nasty procedure, but effective, bye bye Marge Simpson fairly quickly after that! The ‘is it’? ‘isn’t it?’ carried on for another two drain changes/cholangiograms and finally surgery was scheduled for May with the docs still not entirely sure what ‘it’ was.

I think it’s somehow easier to cope when you’re the patient as it’s the relatives/friends the the ripples spread through when the stone is dropped in the pond.
Did I say ripples? More like a bloody tsunami! Apologies, I’ll desist with the ‘colourful’ language.

I consoled myself (some would call it denial) that there was no point worrying myself to death until I knew whether it was cancer & that I would deal with that when the time came. And by the time I knew it was, it was gone (Please, PLEASE it really has gone!), so then there’s no point worrying yourself to death until as & when.

I’m so pleased your sis had some time out of hospital with you & ‘normality’ for 24 hours.

The histology on my tumour wasn’t back for at least three weeks after the operation (the frozen section done during the op was inconclusive) so don’t be surprised if the docs aren’t able to tell you for sure what it is. They really may not be stalling for time!

There, I’ve rambled on, enough already, very best wishes for Tuesday, I’ll have everything crossed for you all. Any other info I can help with please please just ask & I’ll try my best to help.

Night all, Val x