I was admitted to ward 11 at Ninewells on Sunday 22nd March.I was given my own room ,with a view of some lovely cherry blossoms,my favourite tree-"must be an omen", I thought!
The day was taken up with lots of questions from medical staff and nursing staff. My surgeon came in to see me to explain the procedure again and to get me to sign the consent form.He fully explained all the risks,including the risk of heart attack or dying on the table, but I felt that , as it was a rather expensive procedure , he wouldn't be doing it if he thought I might die-silly , I know!
I then had the most horrendous bowel prep I have ever tasted! It consisted of lots of bottles of Lucozade (which I hate),Dioralyte sachets ,( which I hate ), and Kleen Prep (which I hate) . A couple of enemas were thrown in for good measure , so , all in all, it was a pleasant way to spend a Sunday-NOT!
Having said that , I managed to get a good sleep and was wakened at 6am to get ready for theatre . It is strange , but true , that I never felt nervous . I think this is because I had met the surgeon and anaesthetist and had total faith in them.I was wheeled to theatre in my bed and met up with the theatre nurses and anaesthetist. He said he would put an epidural in my back which would help with pain relief after the operation . He had seven attempts and eventually got it in- apparently nurses' backs are notorious for getting epidurals in due to the wear and tear and calcification -at least , that's what he told me!
The next thing I remember is waking up in ICU , twenty four hours after I had gone to theatre! I still had the ET tube down my throat , which I found quite uncomfortable , as I couldn't speak . There were loads of machines bleeping away , doing what they were supposed to , and a couple of nurses and an anaesthetist looking at me . I felt no fear at all- I actually felt very safe as all these people were here looking after me . I couldn't move , so couldn't check my wounds to see what had been done , but I felt no pain , so wasn't really bothered . In the afternoon , the anaesthetist decided that the ET tube could be removed ,which was nice - at least I could talk ! I had an N/G tube in place - not my favourite thing , and was on 100% humidified oxygen - another of my least favourite things ! It's not that they are painful , just a nuisance!
I also had a central line in the right hand side of my neck , which had five lumens in it for various uses, an arterial line in my arm , my PCA via epidural , and a urinary catheter in place. I checked under the covers and saw this lovely operation scar from my chest down to my bladder , and an ileostomy on my left side . There were also four drains in place .
I was told that the surgery actually lasted nearly twelve hours , so my poor family must have been out of their minds with worry .
My time in ICU was short , as I was making good progress , so I was moved to HDU the following day. This was a bit busier than ICU and I had to share my nurse with another patient - oh , the humanity!
My surgeon came and spoke to me and said that the operation had gone very well and all the cancer was removed - I could have hugged him , if I wasn't connected to all these tubes , etc. I had to concentrate on getting better now , but my condition was classed as "critical" because of the major surgery. I must admit , that shook me up a bit , but I am not one for feeling sorry for myself , so I just went with the flow !
I was on IV antibiotics , anti emetics , steroids , ( because I had chemo during surgery ) , antacids , but,as they all went via my central line , it didn't really bother me.

All the staff were tremendous-very professional and knowledgeable , and I felt very safe at all times . I didn't really sleep very well , but the Morphine via the PCA gave me some weird visual hallucinations- it was probably exacerbated by the steroids - it was like watching people moving fast frame -not pleasant at all !
About eleven days after my operation , my drains were all doing what they were supposed to , apart from one which had started to drain some bile . The surgeon was a bit concerned by this , so i had to go for a CT scan to check what was going on.That was a bit like a pantomime - I was wheeled along in my bed , monitors bleeping , IV infusions ,catheter and the rest . I was wondering how they were going to get me from the bed to the scanning couch , but I said I could stand up and transfer myself - they were a bit surprised , but I managed it with a lot of help!
It went ok , and I was soon back in HDU . The result showed a small pocket of fluid gathering around my small bowel . The surgeon said that it could be a suture that had come loose , or a fistula in the bowel . He said he would observe how things went over the weekend , but that I might need to go back for more surgery .
The weekend passed and there was more bile in the drainage bottle , so the surgeon came in and said I would need to go to theatre - I asked when that would be as my husband was travelling up from Glasgow to visit - he said I would need need to go to theatre in ten minutes ! I managed to phone Bill before he left , and told him what was happening - more worry for the family ( sorry !).
Ten minutes later I was in theatre going through the same rigmarole to get the epidural in again -the previous one had been removed a couple of days before , as I was doing so well.
Next thing I knew , I was in the recovery area . I had only been in theatre for three hours this time , so was soon taken back to the ward . The surgeon came and told me that there was fistula formation in my small bowel , so he had to perform a resection and anastomosis . I had more drains in , but felt fine , as usual.
This kind of slowed down my progress for a few days , but these things happen . I gradually got better every day , with tubes getting removed as things improved .
I will continue the saga in my next post x

Well,where have we got to ....Oh yes, that's right ! I went up to Dundee on the Sunday and was admitted to ward 11, surgical wing. Very pleasant staff , on all levels. Had full check up before being told I was fit for anaesthetic - thank goodness I am fit for something! The senior registrar came and spoke to me about the procedure I would be going through the following day - it was called a staging laparoscopy and would determine if I would be suitable for the HIPEC . She said that if I was to get the HIPEC , I would need to build up my stamina and eat well - as if I was preparing for a marathon !  The anaesthetist came to see me to explain the role he had. it turned out he comes from the same place as me ...."of all the gin joints".........
I was told I could drink water from midnight-gone are the days of fasting pre theatre! I was first on the list , so would be down there for about 9 am.
Monday morning came , and I was all checked out for theatre and given TED hose to wear to help prevent DVT . I was allowed to walk to the theatre ,which was unusual , but actually very nice ! I don't remember much about what happened after the anaesthetist put the Venflon in my arm zzzzzzzzzzzz ! Next thing I remember is being in my bed in the recovery area , feeling fine , if a little tired ! Everything had gone according to plan , so I was taken back up to my ward . Bill had accompanied me to Dundee , and was booked into an Apex hotel about twenty minutes from the hospital.He came to see me at visiting time and I think he was a bit surprised that I was wide awake ! The surgeon came in to see me and said that everything was ok and suitable for the the big op . I had some sutures in two puncture wounds , but was not in any pain . I was allowed to go home the next day .
I mentioned that Bill had accompanied me and was staying at the Apex hotel - I think he got the better deal when it came to

Bedroom in the Apex , Dundee

Bedroom in the Apex , Dundee

beds , but I am eternally grateful to and for the NHS !                  












The following Sunday , I went to the Glasgow Hydro with Claire and Rosie , to see Spandau Ballet - had great seats and it was a great night! I didn't care that I had stitches in my abdomen and was waiting for major surgery ! I have never been one to look on the dark side of life and am a very positive person - I cannot stand people who are negative and miserable all the time - keep away from me !
I got word this morning that I am being admitted on Sunday 22nd march for the big one ! I can only hope my family don't worry about me too much , as I am in good hands .
Chloe is getting big- she is nearly six months now and is ready to get some solid food ! Here she is , sitting in her high chair , waiting for mummy and daddy to feed her x x x

Oh well , as I have said before , Shit Happens ! Chemo was stopped half way through as pharmacy were refusing to dispense any more of their wonderfully expensive drug without first seeing some improvement on scans.I had the scan and,unfortunately,there was no improvement at all,so chemo was discontinued . At least I get to keep my Portacath in place !
I went to see my oncologist and he was at a loss what to do next , but suggested there might be a surgical procedure which could be suitable for me . I would need a PET scan beforehand so that we were fully aware of what was actually going on inside me .
I had the PET scan the following week , and was not at all concerned about getting it as I had had one before . The results didn't really show any nasty surprises , so my doctor referred me to the surgeon who does this specific surgery . It is called HIPEC , and is only done in one place in Scotland  (Dundee) and a couple of places in England.
While waiting on an appointment to see the surgeon , I spent a very enjoyable day with Bill , babysitting Chloe-she was a wee dream !

She is five months old now-time definitely does fly!

I was down in Manchester to see Phoenix Nights at the arena-was a terrific show , and I laughed from start to finish-was also nice to catch up with our Paul again.He showed us round his work place at Real radio XS.

Bill and I also went to see the stage show Return To The Forbidden Planet-fabulous show - would love to see it again.

I got a call last week to go and see the surgeon in Dundee , so Bill came along with me - we took the train up and met the surgeon and a couple of nurse specialists . They were all really nice people . The surgeon explained that , as scans do not really give a full picture , he would like to do a laparoscopy to see for himself a couple of areas which were not too clear on scan . 

The upshot is , I go in to hospital this Sunday and have the laparoscopy on Monday !

Let's get this show on the road !

1st January 2015-Happy New Year !
Well , I'm still here and fighting fit! Half way through my new chemo regime and the side effects are not too bad.The peripheral neuropathy seems to be the worst-real pains in hands and feet when in contact with anything cold-trust me to get my chemo during winter in Scotland! I am also unable to take cold drinks , which is a real bind as I love cold water with ice cubes-just need to adapt-I quite like warm diluting orange or Ribena-comforting and soothing!
I went to a couple of concerts - I usually go to a lot of concerts , but sometimes the chemo has other plans for me !
Went to a lovely concert featuring the music and songs from all the Bond Movies.Went with Bill and Rosie-was a great show with great singers and musicians.
I also went to see the final tour of War of The Worlds at the Hydro. This was a great version , with a hologram of Liam Neeson , instead of the late Richard Burton . I was disappointed that Justin Hayward wasn't in this version as I have seen it twice before and he sang the songs that he made famous . Brian McFadden was a surprise replacement and was actually very good. Jason Donovan was also in it and sang well too-all in all , a great show.
My next concert was The Who ! Fantastic stuff-they played all their greatest hits and the crowd was jumping , well , apart from me! I don't need to jump around to enjoy my music any more !
I have a few concerts lined up for next year-Dolly Parton,Foo Fighters,Frankie Valli,Peter Kay in Phoenix Nights......Spandau Ballet.......
December is a busy old time for me - not just because of Christmas , but I have three birthdays to celebrate , viz. Claire, Alan , and Steven.Alan was 21 this year and wanted us all to go to Pizza Express for a Countdown studios in Manchester ! He is a real fan of the show and I managed to get tickets via my friend Dafydd ,who does a lot of charity work and manages to get tickets for almost anything !

Alan's 21st birthday

meal- it was a lovely evening and he got a lovely surprise- a trip to
Paul had a few exciting gigs in Manchester,interviewing a few favourites -John Cooper Clark , Chas Hodges , Slash.....I could go on .

Chloe and granny Annie!

Chloe is progressing well,turning in to a beautiful wee girl-makes everyone happy with her big smiles .
I went to visit my

My workmates celebrating Sheila's 60th!

workmates just before Christmas -they were putting on a tea and cake and candy stall and all the proceeds were going to charity-they decided on two charities-Crisis at Christmas,and Bowel CancerUK.Each charity got in the region of £340-excellent work by all concerned-they really are the best people to work with.
I have been trying to write this for most of the morning but keep getting interrupted by text messages from friends and family , wishing me all the best-I am not complaining-I am truly blessed !

Got a date for my new Portacath-Monday 20th october at 11 am - that's today! However , I got my new port in on Friday due to the forward thinking staff of the NHS . There were talks of a strike by radiographers , and it was set for today , so the charge nurse from interventional radiology was checking the lists and phoned to see if I would be able to come in sooner. I went for blood tests on Thursday to check my clotting screen was ok , and had the procedure done on Friday morning . The staff were incredible , as ever , so I am now in my own house waiting for the incision sites to heal up , and will start chemo next week - bring it on!!!
A bit of a sad day today , as the actress Lynda Bellingham has died following year long treatment for bowel cancer . Unfortunately ,when her disease was found , it had already spread to lungs and liver . I had a few conversations with her on Twitter , and she always seemed upbeat and positive . God bless her x

My little

Chloe

granddaughter is over four weeks old now - time flies ! She is the apple of our eyes and a real delight !

I should really keep this up to date , because so much happens that I forget about!
I had two doses of chemo , and everything was going well until the second week of my second  chemo. I noticed on the Wednesday  that the area over the portacath was quite pink looking.I had never noticed this before, and it didn't feel uncomfortable , so I just ignored it! The next day it looked a bit worse so I phoned up the Beatson helpline for advice. They advised me to go in to the hospital and to bring an overnight bag in case I was kept in.
I got expert attention from the moment I arrived , and was subjected to a lot of different blood tests , mainly to find out if there was an infection anywhere . I was started on IV Vancomycin and IV Gentamicin , which meant regular blood monitoring to check I was receiving the correct dose . I was kept in hospital for eight days , which I wasn't really happy about , as I wanted to get out and visit my new

Chloe Harper

granddaughter .
I always hear lots of complaints about hospital food , but I must say that the food was always tasty and warm ,and i even put on weight while I was in !!

Chicken and mushroom casserole ,with Brussels Sprouts and baby potatoes-Hospital food is good!

Roast pork,with potato croquettes and broccoli - lovely!

 After about a week , the doctor said that my portacath would have to be removed , because , by this time , there was a lot of pus oozing from the site . The prof who inserted the device came to see me on the Thursday afternoon and said he would remove it that day. He was true to his word and removed it on the Thursday evening .
I was getting quite impatient about being in hospital , despite the excellent care I received. I had tickets for Still Game at the Hydro and had been looking forward to it for so long . The doc had said that they would let me out for the evening if need be . As it was , I was discharged in the afternoon and was able to make the show , and it was hilarious !

We got a new wee arrival to our family on Friday 19th september 2014.A beautiful wee girl called Chloe Isabella Harper was born.A first grandchild for Bill and me.She was a couple of weeks early,but is perfect in every way.well done Paul and Claire!

Chloe Isabella Harper

Proud grandpa Bill

Proud gran Anne

proud parents