St Helier A&E and The Royal Marsden
Today was our first appointment with The Royal Marsden in Sutton.
Scared, apprehensive are just two of the words to describe the feeling of shitting yourself about what you are going to be told today.
(Don't read this bit if you are eating)
I awake on the Friday morning, still in loads of pain from the operation, but something isn't right. I'm wet - must be a major sweat?? Nope. My pyjama bottoms are wet - So I immediately think I've wet myself. So, hugely embarrassed I make the attempt to get out of bed (which I have been needed help with all week) and manage to escape. Weirdly - I have a full bladder so have a pee (still sitting down) and then catch a whiff of my pyjamas. The liquid isn't urine but It stinks. My dressing is full and is leaking. What the hell is going on!
I return to the bedroom to a towel and bed, covered in this ooze. I am so glad we bought a mattress protector ! After clearing the bed, we change the dressing - all whilst trying to get the kids out the door to school and Nat going to work.
We start to apply some pressure to my groin area, the river started to flow again, it appears that the pressure had built up so much overnight, my body said "Enough" and let it out. So, it wants to come out - then get out ! Gentle pressure for 20 minutes and it was still coming out but much slower now. We patched up the wound.
Maria over the road took Ollie into her house early and took him to school for us - Lewis dispatched himself as normal and so we pop to St Helier A&E to checkout the leak ! By the time we arrived at St Helier, checked in and waited for the triage nurse - we had about an hour until my appointment at The Marsden.
The triage nurse took a look and said that I had an infection and that I would need to be seen by Urology - however that wouldn't happen before my appointment.
So - we agreed that she would patch me up and then I could return after the Marsden.
We get to the Marsden and check in to reception and take our place in the waiting room. It's interesting to see so many people checking in, men, women, children, teenagers, blokes like me, old people. I'm quiet, Nat knows I'm worried, I won't admit it.
We go in and see the Urology team - they look at the operation scar and tell me I have an infection, so we tell them the story of the past day and how we are going back to St Helier.
They then talk us through the scan results and confirm that I have testicular cancer. I felt sick - however - the Professor also tells me that we are in this for a cure.
The testicle they removed was cancerous but there was nothing in the tube attached (which they removed some of) so that was good. There was nothing reported in the biopsy from the left testicle - this is also good. I do however have something showing up on one of my lymph nodes. Then I welled up - I think Nat did as well. But was told we are in this for a fix - cue tears or fear combined with happiness.
I think we talked briefly about the options, however nothing was happening until the infection was gone. Apart from bloods - they love taking blood samples. So I acted pin cushion again and then we made off to St Helier.
En route - I called the St Helier Urology reception and told them I had an infection and was on my way. They said they would page the on-call Urology Doctor.
I checked into A&E again, went into triage and saw the same nurse. The Urology Doctor had been down to triage and requested swabs and bloods be taken. "I'll just put an cannula in to take your blood samples Mr Cook." Really ??? I'm not going home today....
My paperwork landed in the A&E majors tray as I was asked to wait in reception.
I was transferred to majors and seen by the Urology Doctor who confirmed that I had a post op infection and I needed to be on IV antibiotics - I was checking in.....
I was transferred to an assessment ward for a couple of hours and then onto a post operative ward within the same hospital. Me and three other blokes - all who snored or we bordering on insane.....
I however was the only one that was partly mobile so could take myself to the toilet or shower which was good. I stayed in for the weekend and had IV drugs and was discharged on the Monday morning to my huge relief. I left with a ton of dressings and a further 2 weeks of antibiotics.
A massive THANK YOU to my parents. I called them up Friday morning and told them what was going on. They dropped their plans and came down on the Friday afternoon to give Nat and the Boys all their support. Just by being there, to help, to listen, to chat, to take the Boys and amuse them was a massive help for us. Love you loads.
Scared, apprehensive are just two of the words to describe the feeling of shitting yourself about what you are going to be told today.
(Don't read this bit if you are eating)
I awake on the Friday morning, still in loads of pain from the operation, but something isn't right. I'm wet - must be a major sweat?? Nope. My pyjama bottoms are wet - So I immediately think I've wet myself. So, hugely embarrassed I make the attempt to get out of bed (which I have been needed help with all week) and manage to escape. Weirdly - I have a full bladder so have a pee (still sitting down) and then catch a whiff of my pyjamas. The liquid isn't urine but It stinks. My dressing is full and is leaking. What the hell is going on!
I return to the bedroom to a towel and bed, covered in this ooze. I am so glad we bought a mattress protector ! After clearing the bed, we change the dressing - all whilst trying to get the kids out the door to school and Nat going to work.
We start to apply some pressure to my groin area, the river started to flow again, it appears that the pressure had built up so much overnight, my body said "Enough" and let it out. So, it wants to come out - then get out ! Gentle pressure for 20 minutes and it was still coming out but much slower now. We patched up the wound.
Maria over the road took Ollie into her house early and took him to school for us - Lewis dispatched himself as normal and so we pop to St Helier A&E to checkout the leak ! By the time we arrived at St Helier, checked in and waited for the triage nurse - we had about an hour until my appointment at The Marsden.
The triage nurse took a look and said that I had an infection and that I would need to be seen by Urology - however that wouldn't happen before my appointment.
So - we agreed that she would patch me up and then I could return after the Marsden.
We get to the Marsden and check in to reception and take our place in the waiting room. It's interesting to see so many people checking in, men, women, children, teenagers, blokes like me, old people. I'm quiet, Nat knows I'm worried, I won't admit it.
We go in and see the Urology team - they look at the operation scar and tell me I have an infection, so we tell them the story of the past day and how we are going back to St Helier.
They then talk us through the scan results and confirm that I have testicular cancer. I felt sick - however - the Professor also tells me that we are in this for a cure.
The testicle they removed was cancerous but there was nothing in the tube attached (which they removed some of) so that was good. There was nothing reported in the biopsy from the left testicle - this is also good. I do however have something showing up on one of my lymph nodes. Then I welled up - I think Nat did as well. But was told we are in this for a fix - cue tears or fear combined with happiness.
I think we talked briefly about the options, however nothing was happening until the infection was gone. Apart from bloods - they love taking blood samples. So I acted pin cushion again and then we made off to St Helier.
En route - I called the St Helier Urology reception and told them I had an infection and was on my way. They said they would page the on-call Urology Doctor.
I checked into A&E again, went into triage and saw the same nurse. The Urology Doctor had been down to triage and requested swabs and bloods be taken. "I'll just put an cannula in to take your blood samples Mr Cook." Really ??? I'm not going home today....
My paperwork landed in the A&E majors tray as I was asked to wait in reception.
I was transferred to majors and seen by the Urology Doctor who confirmed that I had a post op infection and I needed to be on IV antibiotics - I was checking in.....
I was transferred to an assessment ward for a couple of hours and then onto a post operative ward within the same hospital. Me and three other blokes - all who snored or we bordering on insane.....
I however was the only one that was partly mobile so could take myself to the toilet or shower which was good. I stayed in for the weekend and had IV drugs and was discharged on the Monday morning to my huge relief. I left with a ton of dressings and a further 2 weeks of antibiotics.
A massive THANK YOU to my parents. I called them up Friday morning and told them what was going on. They dropped their plans and came down on the Friday afternoon to give Nat and the Boys all their support. Just by being there, to help, to listen, to chat, to take the Boys and amuse them was a massive help for us. Love you loads.
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