Hi, so just a little catch up, seeing as I’ve just decided to start this blog now.
For the past year I have had pain in lower right section of my abdomen. I initially went to A+E thinking I had appendicitis but was sent away after some tests showed I didn’t. I then went to my gp who told me I had a grumbling appendix, this I believed and consequently just ignored the pain.
After marrying my beautiful wife Emily on the 7th of January 2012 we registered at our new doctors after moving in together. I went and saw him and he sent me for an ultrasound scan.
On my wife’s birthday, February 10th, a doctor from my old gp surgery rang me up because the hospital had sent the results to them and said I have a lesion on my liver which may be cancer, not a great present for my poor wife.
I have BUPA cover from my employer which i am very grateful for so decided to go private to investigate this whilst the gp arranged follow up through the NHS.
Very soon after this I went to see a liver specialist in the Chaucer hospital in Canterbury, who promptly arranged a ct scan. The ct scan itself was fine but it was at this point that I was going to find out that my veins were difficult to get cannulas into, over the next 3 days there were 7 attempts to get my veins for just one ct scan and an MRI scan!
When myself and my wife went back for the results of the ct scan, the consultant said he was 90% certain this was a hemangioma, basically a large blood blister on the liver but that he was to send me for an MRI scan because of the 10% uncertainty.
MRI scan done, I went back for the results and when he called me in he said “oh is your wife not with you?” this immediately made me suspect the worst. Emily couldn’t be with me as she was working and we were 90% certain all was ok! So the consultant then went on to explain that he was not happy with the MRI results and was going to refer me to a surgeon in London. All of this took a little over a week!
The following week, after having been put on half pay by my employer, forcing me to return to work, even though I was in severe pain, we went to see the surgeon in London at kings college hospital. After some initial discussion he asked me what I knew so far, I told him not a lot! He then told us that I have primary liver cancer. This knocked me sideways. I was in shock and so was my poor darling wife. He then went on to explain that because the tumor is inside my liver, there is too much risk in doing a biopsy for fear of spreading the cancer but that a liver resection would be needed. Basically the man was telling me that he was going to cut out half of my liver and that I had a 30% chance of 5 year survival.
Driving home was traumatic!
I told my employer the diagnosis and, to be fair, they have basically told me not to worry about money now as this changes everything.
I then had to go and have a PET scan at st.Thomas’s hospital, this again was fine apart from the vein issue! I looked at the images on the cd they gave me and decided that actually I didnt have cancer 🙂
I then got a phone call confirming my operation for Sunday 18th of march 2012 and admission on the 17th. I am currently in kings college hospital private ward, nervous as hell lol but grateful for my wonderful wife and that the operation can be done.
I have just spoken to a doctor who has told me that the operation will last 6-8 hours and that I am not going to know much about the next few days. Suits me! I will update this again as I go along.
Love to all my family and most of all to my amazing wife.
Adam.
Big Bloke Running 