"I’ve Got a What?"
"You have an Ademocarcinoma in the Rectum". These words were spoken to
me, by
Dr John Freiman, having performed a colonoscopy that afternoon. I had
no idea
as to the implications surrounding such a diagnosis and inspired the
question,
"I’ve got a what?" He replied with the dreaded word CANCER and I was
struck
with sheer terror. This was the last straw I felt. To understand why
it was
the last straw that broke the pack-horse’s back, you will need to know
a little
of my past history.
On New Years Day 1994, I was admitted to St George Public Hospital
suffering
Osteo Myalitis at L3 and L4, a condition not recognised by my then GP.
In fact
I was being treated for Arthritis thus allowing the condition to become
chronic. Septicemia and an epidural abscess had developed along with
Septic
Arthritis of the left knee (was treated as gout!), heart enlargement
surrounded
by fluid, and by then, a fever and pneumonia.
During the following three weeks in intensive care, drifting in and out
of
consciousness, bloated with skin cracking, peeling and unable to move
because
of the intense pain, two large bedsores developed and became Staph
infected.
Renal failure followed and resulted in dialysis. The left knee was
Arthrascoped twice, finally removing the badly infected cartilage and
tendons
altogether in an attempt to save the leg from amputation, and three
clean up
surgery procedures of the spine at L3 and L4. Twice during this time my
Wife
was to bring my family in because I was not expected to live through
it.
The Intensive care staff literally saved my life with their around the
clock
care and attention. I believe too, that I was anything but a
co-operative
patient. I still regret very much of making their work that much
harder.
Finally, though still "not with it", I have no memory of being in
intensive
care, I was transferred to the renal ward where I began my return to
the real
world. About this time a pulmonary embol appeared in my right upper
lung to
complicate matters. Then there was a series of transfers around the
hospital
to various wards, Orthopedic, Cardiac, Chest, Rheumatology and
Rehabilitation,
with the exception of maternity seemingly every ward the hospital had.
Two
days before Good Friday of that year, I was allowed home. I was using
a wheel
chair then because the spinal problems had left me with very little
feeling in
my legs and foot drop of both feet and walking any more than half a
dozen
wobbly steps without assistance was out of the question.
In December 1994 Dr Ron Sekel performed a Spinal decompression, a
lumbar
laminectomy and fusion of L3 and L4 enabling me to leave the wheel
chair and
progress to crutches which I still use. During the long operation an
added
complication of lung lobe collapse of the right lower lung made things
more
difficult. My first of two total knee replacements was performed by Dr
Ron
Sekel in February 1995; the second being performed the following
November.
Both of these were wonderfully successful. In between the two TKR’s, I
had a
TIA (Mini stroke) in March 1995 just to balance the year.
July 1996 saw my first brush with cancer, a Carcinoma being removed
from my
right leg leaving a nasty hollow scar.
For some time I had been plagued with very high blood pressure and was
the
cause of the TIA. Readings like 210 systolic and 115 diastolic. Dr
John Kelly
arranged a Saline suppression test, angiogram for adrenal vein
sampling. The
diagnosis was primary Hyperaldosteronism and his subsequent treatment
was
successful and the blood pressure came under control.
In August 2003, in order to be relatively free of back pain for an
overseas
holiday trip, Dr Mark Davies arranged a Periradicular block injection
at L2 and
L3. This worked quite well for a limited time, but enabled me to enjoy
a
wonderful Alaskan holiday and cruise followed by a trip to Calgary
Canada to
visit our daughter and her family.
Since this was so successful, Neurosurgeon Dr Mark Davies in April 2003
performed a lumbar laminectomy at L2 and L3, Pedicle screw internal
fixation
and Interbody fusion using his recently developed minimal invasion
keyhole
surgery technique. Again the same right lung lobes collapsed and
resulted in a
couple of days in intensive care. To me, the results of this surgery
were
euphoric. I was pain free when I walked or sat for the first time in
many
years. However, while in intensive care, Dr Myburgh was unhappy about
a
distended abdomen and said then that a colonoscopy should be performed
as soon
as possible.
A colonoscopy had been ordered by my GP some weeks prior to the Spinal
surgery,
but I chose to hold off until after the surgery in case my long awaited
operation had to be postponed. Symptoms had appeared in the form of
mucus
beginning some 12 months before, and when the urge to attend the toilet
presented itself, I had to get there very quickly or suffer
embarrassing
consequences. Because of all the spinal problems speed is not one of
my better
actions. Finally I was seeing a pale watery blood showing and while I
wondered
about it, Cancer was the farthest thing from my mind. Hah! Hemorrhoids
are
playing up was my dismissive diagnosis....
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