Viewing 38 posts - 1 through 38 (of 38 total)
  • Cancer operation done, back home
  • cakefest
    Free Member

    It’s a chilly November day about 3C outside, with fallen leaves everywhere and a fire keeping me warm in the lounge. My Dad has just arrived and is taking over care duties from my brother Andy who has done an incredible job over the last few days since I arrived in Ludlow on Saturday.

    I’m glad to say that all went well with the big operation a week ago today. I was under for about 8 hours starting at 10am and the early reports are that the surgeon removed all of the tumour, and we will get the full pathology results on Wednesday 16th back in London to see what the margins are. The really good news is that I can open my mouth 40mm, so that’s good enough to get food in. So, my ability to eat normal food and an increasing appetite has helped me recover much more quickly than the surgical team, and we, were expecting. Without a shadow of a doubt my strength and conditioning from all the exercise I’ve been doing played a critical role in getting up and about, and creating new goals and targets each couple of days. I felt the Shropshire Hills underneath my strong thighs as I pushed hard to get out of the bed on Day 2, and each lap of the hospital ward with my Zimmer frame reminded me of countless miles I’ve done over the last months in sun and rain. I don’t think I really knew at the time how much they would help me.

    The right side facial nerve has been removed as expected so I have a drooping right side of the face. Two lengths of nerve were grafted in from my right ankle to try to restore movement, and the theory is that as the nerves grow 0.3mm a day it will take around 6 to 24 months to get this back. My right eyelid has maintained connection to other nerves somewhere and is able to close 95%, which makes sleeping and hygiene a lot easier. My vision is fine, with slight blurring in the right eye due to the creams that are put in every 4 hours to keep it clean and infection free. Talking is fine, as are taste, and swallowing. My right side hearing is temporarily blocked to about 10% by padding. This is because to get access to the base of the facial nerve to make a good connection for the graft they drilled into the bone behind the ear, and as is usual in this procedure they drilled through the ear canal creating a hole. We don’t want infection getting into the ear canal then to the site, so that’s why it’s packed while the hole heals and seals. At one stage last week the packing was removed, and my hearing was better than it has ever been, so in 10 days when they take the packing out I’ll be looking forward to bionic hearing. In fact if anyone is in need of a Six Million Dollar Man for parties, I should have the red tracksuit sorted in about two weeks.

    Lara and my great friend Robin were waiting when I was rolled up to Wilson Ward where the staff took great care of me (favourite meal by far was Friday night Fish and Chips with Morphine) for the next 6 days until Saturday just gone when my brother picked me up in his car and drove me home through the sunshine to Ludlow, accompanied by a suitcase filled with NHS drugs. The elation I felt standing at the front of the house looking at things like the drain pipe that dips and fills with water that I need to fix, smoke coming out from the chimney, and my beautiful wife and son welcoming me home was on a par with George Bailey returning home at the end of ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’. Buckets of tears flowed from my eyes.

    So, that’s all for now. Computer time is limited per day, as it’s quite tiring. I saw some scary things and had some tough times through last week, but all your incredible positive messages of love and support in the last few months kept me focussed.

    Best wishes, Ashley.

    footflaps
    Full Member

    Well done Ashley – you’re a braver man than me.

    Good luck on the recovery.

    wwaswas
    Full Member

    Glad it’s all looking positive for you 🙂

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    jonahtonto
    Free Member

    😀

    surfer
    Free Member

    U R Da Man Ashley! Good luck fella.

    TandemJeremy
    Free Member

    Good luck- sounding positive.

    Karinofnine
    Full Member

    Great stuff! I hope you continue to recover in the same style x

    mcboo
    Free Member

    Nice one. Good on you fella.

    iDave
    Free Member

    live long and prosper

    noteeth
    Free Member

    Well done you. Take it steady.

    ononeorange
    Full Member

    With that attitude, you’ll be back pedalling in no time. Keep it up!

    Very best wishes.

    Harry_the_Spider
    Full Member

    Awww crap. Got dust in my eye.

    toby1
    Full Member

    Was the morphine in place of vinegar?

    🙂

    Good to get positive news on an otherwise dull Monday – keep reliving those rides.

    Elfinsafety
    Free Member

    Credit to you that you are able to be so positive, and to write your thoughts down as well. Because that helps the rest of us to try to understand what you’ve bin through, and to be able to better empathise with others who are suffering and recovering.

    X

    wors
    Full Member

    Best Wishes to you, stay strong and positive (easy for me to say, i know)

    xiphon
    Free Member

    Put your feet up, and have a cuppa. Sounds like you deserve it.

    RustyMac
    Full Member

    Great news, fingers crosed the recovery continues as smoothly as it seems to have started. What you have gone through would have scared the crap out of me.

    Good luck

    captaincarbon
    Free Member

    😀

    Coyote
    Free Member

    Good luck dude. Sounding very positive there!

    ourmaninthenorth
    Full Member

    *high fives* cakeman 😀

    Nice one, Ashley. Keep the reports and updates coming..!

    Esme
    Free Member

    Brilliant news – thanks for sharing!

    orangeman5
    Free Member

    Great news Ashley !! 😆

    stumpy01
    Full Member

    Sounds positive…. 😀

    5AM
    Free Member

    Really amazing that you sound so positive and up beat; you are an inspiration to us all.

    bigyinn
    Free Member

    You have made something fly into my eyes and they’re now watering something terrible! 😳

    All the best with the recovery, if you can keep this positive you’ll be back on the bike in no time. Fingers crossed for the 16th and try not to brood. Well done on getting this far.

    fatsimonmk2
    Free Member

    good luck and stay positive as someone who has had a lump of flesh removed from my left leg due to skin cancer i can tell you that you should get back most of your feeling after a few years(took about 3years for most of the feeling to come back in my shin area)be warn tho its a very weird feeling when it does kinda tingle with slight icthy feeling very weird 😀

    ti_pin_man
    Free Member

    Great news sir!

    i had a cancer tumour removed, along with a kidney, when I was only 3 years old. Not many people survived it back then but I managed and am still here!

    Keep us informed as you get better and we’ll support you all the way… at least until the day you start beating us up climbs and down mountains! Then youre on your own! ;o)

    jokes aside, inspirational.

    willard
    Full Member

    Excellent news! Glad you are home safe, and good luck with the recovery!

    Bunnyhop
    Full Member

    Brilliant news that your operation went so well.

    I like you, truely believe that mtbing is perfect for the body and soul.
    Don’t try and rush your recovery too much, as those trails aren’t going anywhere.

    alp_girl
    Free Member

    Fish and Chips with morphine sounds yummie 😉

    Will be thinking of you on the 16th. All the best and stay on that great road singletrack to recovery!

    johnikgriff
    Free Member

    Sounds like your going the rightway.

    🙂

    bullheart
    Free Member

    Good stuff.

    Well done.

    singletrackhor
    Free Member

    Great news and all the best for a speedy recovery.

    deluded
    Free Member

    Good man.

    All the best mate.

    RichPenny
    Free Member

    *Thinks about low profile cake varieties*

    *Drools*

    Good news fella, sounds like it all went to plan. Back on the bike in time for the dusty trails then 🙂

    althepal
    Full Member

    Good work chief. Thoughts are with you and your family.
    ( just back down from the dusty loft!)..

    muddydwarf
    Free Member

    Excellent news – see you at the Marshbrook round of the CRC Marathon series next year then? 🙂

    paulosoxo
    Free Member

    Good man. Write a blog, keep a note of how you feel. The reason I say this is someday soon(ish) you’ll feel like you’ve stopped getting better. Looking back from where you’ve came from will make you realise how far you’ve really came

    Brave, brave man!

    X

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