Arrangements are being made for me to have a stent fitted into my oesophagus on Thursday morning. These are to be confirmed as the care will involve two different hospitals.
The stent is a springy device that will sit in my oesophagus and hopefully make it easier to eat. This will help me to broaden what is a very limited diet and will also help raise my energy levels on the assumption that I will be able to consume more calories.
Whilst this is a fairly straight-forward procedure I will be kept in overnight to ensure that the stenting has worked. As the bulk of the tumour is at the junction of the stomach and oesophagus there is a danger that the stent can slip downwards.
The other issue is how the stent is put into place. This is done via an endoscopy (i.e. a tube into the mouth and down the oesophagus). This an unpleasant experience normally but is very unpleasant when you have a long and thick tumour running a good length of the oesophagus.
Some of you will have read my previous experiences. The first experience was a simple endoscopy as a diagnostic to test me for an ulcer / coeliac disease. This was the original line of enquiry. I elected to have the procedure without any form of sedation, which was a mistake given the then unknown factor that I had a large tumour present. I am not a fusspot, but that experience has scarred my mind and put fear in there.
The second endoscopy I had was a an ultrasonic endoscopy to measure accurately the tumour size and nodal infections. For this I had heavy sedation, which included an analgesic and and amnesiac but it still was not a pleasant experience.
All in all I am not looking forward to it and wonder what it will be like to have a substantial foreign body permanently situated in the oesophagus.
I have no qualms about going forward though as it has to be for the best.
Swordfish wrote:
ReplyDelete"All in all I am not looking forward to it and wonder what it will be like to have a substantial foreign body permanently situated in the oesophagus. I have no qualms about going forward though as it has to be for the best."
Good man !
Don't forget to keep talking freely and openly with the medical team about your concerns and feelings. Even on the phone.
They will have previous experience with the emotions encountered by patients facing such a procedure.
A problem or fear shared, becomes less. And a little reassurance from the professionals that do the job each week is helpful to the mind.
Keep *talking* with the team, my virtual friend.
:-)
R.
R - Am I correct in assuming that is "The Reckoner"?
ReplyDeleteWith a large tumour down there this procedure is like being crucified on the inside, though much of this is a mental footprint from the first time when I chose not to have any drugs unaware of my condition)
I have discussed it with my cancer nurse and she advised me to ask for the sedation to be as heavy as possible.
It will be the closest that I have got to a night out for a while :-)