Update – Operation date and next steps 9 Oct 2013
10 Nov
Movember has kicked off this week and my moustache has started to establish itself on my face although my chin has been cold this week without any of its normal coverings! Already have been given £50 of sponsorship, so you want to sponsor me go to http://mobro.co/neiljeremy1.
Earlier in the week I had a letter confirming the date of Thursday 21 November as the date for the main operation, which will take place at Guys hospital and yesterday 8 October I met up with Mr Obholzer to to review the results from the balloon occlusion test I had on the 24 October and the results as I have already mentioned on previous blogs were good. But he is looking at the possibility of having another procedure similar to the balloon occlusion test, that would block off some of the arteries feeding the tumour before the main operation, but this would need to be done a couple of days before 21. So I wouldn’t know about this till nearer the time.
He did go over some of the issues, one being the small risk of a stroke which has been reduced due to the balloon test and they other being that there is a strong possibility that they will have to sacrifice the hearing in my left ear to get at the tumour. Whilst this isn’t 100% certain it is a real possibility. I’m likely to be in hospital for between a week and 2 weeks and tube feed for at least the first week and I could also have issues with swallowing and talking for a while and the nerves in the left side of my face might also be temporary damaged causing my face to be a bit lop sided, but this could hopefully get better over the next 6 months or so. So at least the family will enjoy the quiet for a time.
So whilst I’m glad to have a date for the operation and to get it over with, I can’t say that I’m looking forward to it and to the time I’ll need to get back to normality afterwards. But I do appreciate all the support and prayers so may of you have given us as a family and I also know that the results of the balloon test was so positive because of all the prayers that so many of you have made on my behalf and my faith keeps me going as I know God is looking after me.
Please continue to prayer over these next few weeks that the operation might go according to plan and that there might not be any complications during the operation and afterwards the healing might happen quickly and that the doctors might be amazed at how well everything has gone so well.
Thanks again for continuing to read this blog and supporting us as a family.