Professor Primrose, the surgeon who did the liver resection, visits my bedside. “You are not going to like this; there is good news and bad.” “Go on” I encourage him with a wry smile. His sense of humour is difficult to resist, and for a surgeon he really is quite human! “tell me your worst."
“It is obvious you have a leak; far too much is draining into the bag. In the future you will probably need an op to sort it out but you aren’t ready yet and it may be several months down the line. In the meantime we need to find a way to redirect some more of the bile into your gut to help you absorb the goodness from your food so you get stronger.” The good news is that he believes it can all be sorted out but it will take time. He tells me they will attempt a procedure in radiology which should help. The aim is to insert another drain through the rib and straight into the liver. I am in extreme discomfort for a week following this procedure and it is not helped when Prof tells me that it hasn’t worked well enough. They have targeted the leak with another scan and some dye. This Friday they will try one more time using the opposite rib and removing the failed drain. I beg to be given something to make me sleepy this time so I am not so terrified and uncomfortable and the Prof promises that will happen. This time I am on more effective pain killers and the Friday passes in a haze of sleepiness. Unfortunately the new drain is once again taking too much fluid. This time they need me to recover for a week before they try once more to re-route the drain via my stomach. It’s how I manage a week’s leave from hospital. One of the nurses arranges ambulance transportation for me. I am to be taken all the way from the ward in Southampton to my front door in St Helens without having to take a step. With all these drains and so much discomfort it is a huge relief. Though I look upon next week’s procedure with dread in my heart knowing what I have to face in the way of pain it is nonetheless exquisite to be in my own home! I am enjoying every minute.
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