N3il’s Blog – Page 13 – On a journey together

Update – 25 Oct 2013

Written by Neil

Hi everyone

I hope you was all as impressed as I was that Sue managed to post an update on the blog yesterday whilst I was still in recovery, there’s nothing like getting the news out on the day especially when I’m not up to doing it myself, thanks Sue. I also wanted to say a big thank you to all our friends and family who have been praying and supporting us through our journey, we believe that the good results of this operation are a direct result of this support and knowing that God is in full control all the way and it’s really encouraging to know that we have this sort of support around us.

Thanks especially to friends Maurice Clarke and Mike Lacaille, Maurice took us to the station at 5.45am yesterday morning, we then missed the train as the platform changed without any announcements, which meant we was gonna be late at the hospital. So we called Maurice again and he got back out of bed and came straight over and took us straight up to Kings in his car, arriving on time. Mike then came along in the afternoon to pick us up, this was so greatly appreciated as I wasn’t feeling too good, as the scars were sore and a migrate had come on since the operation which didn’t make the journey home too good. Thanks guys.

As for the operation, Sue blogged yesterday to say the operation went very well, which it did. So I’m just gonna fill you in with some of the details. I was awake for the whole procedure with a local anaesthesia in my groin where they inserted the tubes which was still a pretty painfully experience. After the operation the surgeon talked me through what they had done and he was very happy with the results, saying that the whole procedure couldn’t have given us any better results. During the operation they temporary blocked off the left carotid artery to see if in doing so blood flow could find other routes around my brain and they could see from the results that the blood flow was easily dispersed around the brain though other arteries. These results are positive for me, in that the risks of having a stoke during the main operation have gone down from 30% to 5%.

The main surgeon Mr Obholzer was sent the result yesterday afternoon and he will hopefully review these and set a date for main operation and I am hopefully meeting up with him again on 6 November to discuss the next steps.

So after 20 hours my groin is still tender, but I am now feeling a lot better and now just need to take it easily for 48 hours.

Operation Went Well

Written by Sue Jeremy

I hope I’m doing this properly, Neil will be amazed if I do!

Just to let all you Neil watchers know that his operation has gone really well. This feels like the first piece of good news in months! His blood vessels passed all the tests and this should be good news for the main operation. Thank you to everyone who has been praying for us today.

God is good! Sue x

Update – All systems go! 23 Oct 2013

Written by Neil

[dropcap]W[/dropcap]ith less than 24 hours to go and the operation is firmly on, even had a call today Wednesday 23 to confirm this from the admission ward!

Yesterday Tuesday 22 November I had a call from Dr Hart the doctor doing the ‘carotid balloon occlusion test’ tomorrow and he has given me a few more details about the day and he has talked through what they will be doing. I need to be at Kings hospital by 7am in the morning and I am first on the operating list for the day. The procedure should only take about an hour and hopefully I will be able to come home the same day. Sue has also been given the day off to come up with me.

The procedure will involve putting in 2 different tubes into both carotid veins in my groin, these veins run up the whole length of my body to my neck. One will have the balloon to temporary close off the vein, whilst the other with be to monitor the blood flood when the other one is closed off during the test. This test is being done because the surgeons doing the main operation, need to take out the carotid vein near the tumour and they testing that there is sufficient blood flow around the rest of my skull without this vein. This test is really for my safety and benefit and reduces my risk of having a stroke. So I can’t complain as it for my good.

I am in the hands of a great team and a great God who is with me every step of the way. So I trust that God will guide their hands and that hopefully the rest of the veins in my skull will be able to manage this extra blood flow.

So if you believe like me that God is in control and that he can ultimately heal this tumour, please pray with me that this procedure might go well and with no complications. Mr Obholzer the main surgeon will be reviewing the results of the test hopefully on the day and I am then schedules to meet up with him to review this at his clinic on 6 or 8 November and hopefully by time I see him he will have arranged a date for the main operation.

Thanks again for your love, prayer and support.
Neil

Update – New date for test 24 Oct 2013

Written by Neil

After emailing my consultant on Tuesday to tell him the test was cancelled, he wrote back to say ‘I agree that this is completely unacceptable’. He has since been sorting out a new date and I am now booked in for the test next thursday 24 October at Kings, with the stipulation from on high that this is not to be cancelled under any circumstances.

He will then if possible review the results on the same day and then make plans for the next steps, which hopefully will be to book a theatre date in November.

So after another frustrating week, the plans are starting to happen again.

Thanks again for all your support and prayers.

Update – 3th op cancelled AGAIN with 2 days to go! – 15 Oct 2013

Written by Neil

Another operation at King’s hospital this Thursday for the ‘carotid balloon occlusion test’ has been cancelled with 2 days to go!

Someone from Kings called me at 3.15pm to say the operation was cancelled again and again giving the reason that they didn’t have a bed for me on Thursday.

A date for the main op still can’t be put into the diary until we have the results from this test, so it’s seems it just a waiting game for the time being and life just carries on as normal!