Page 3 - Matt Carter Story

Page 3 of 6
Matt Carter’s Storey
3 - The Penultimate Step in Matt Carter's Journey
In this third part of four, I describe my time
in the Churchill hospital under the knife. The
operation was followed by four days of
intensive care and a week recovering on the
Upper GI ward.
Leading up to the operation I was scheduled
for the full oesophagectomy, a highly
invasive procedure requiring access to the
entire body cavity via a 'shark bite' lookalike
incision from the belly button around the left
side under the ribs and up to the shoulder
blade. In certain circumstances a smaller
keyhole operation is sufficient but for me
full access was needed. The aim was to
completely remove the tumour located at the
juncture between the lower oesophagus and
the stomach, requiring the entire oesophagus
to be taken out and the stomach to be
reconstructed. It's a daunting thought for
anyone to contemplate but given the
alternative I felt extremely grateful to have
this option and simply wanted to get on with
it.
On the day of admission my wife stayed
with me to the final door, a really hard and
emotional moment for both of us, even
though we had utmost confidence in the
surgical team because we knew that my
surgeon has a 100% wake-up rate.
The operation was well described. I felt very
well informed. Receiving the general
anaesthetic was the last thing I remembered,
opening my eyes some nine hours later in an
intensive care bed.
My surgeon being the absolute star he is,
immediately phoned my wife to tell her I
was ok. She didn't hold back the tears.
Perhaps the biggest surprise was waking up
with eleven tubes and drips poking in all
directions. But that didn't stop the team
getting me out of bed two hours after the
operation. I sat up sipping water watching a
six nations rugby match while peddling
slowly on a small exercise bike.
My wife was allowed to see me straight
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away which made me so happy.
I don't recall having any acute pain
whatsoever with only a few aches and
awkward moments trying to move about.
Yes, the drugs are strong because they need
to be but I didn't experience any serious pain
to worry about. On day two I was sipping
tea. The ICU consultants and nurses were
amazing, so incredibly professional and
caring.
Arriving on the Upper GI ward was a great
relief. It felt like recovery was just around
the corner. The team on the ward are simply
fantastic. I'm also so grateful to friends and
family travelling to see me, mostly in a haze
of gentle hugs and drugs, though I do
remember dignified assisted showers with
Hilda 'the shower queen', what a Trojan she
is! Another star visiting me was Jackie, ex-
oesophageal cancer patient and founder
member of OOSO who now inspires me to
work with her to help others through what
are very difficult times.
Ok the food wasn't the best memory nor the
disrupted nights having regular checks
receiving medication, but I felt increasingly
better and within a week it was time to leave
for home.
Since my days on the ward two years ago
the clinical team have introduced an
advanced recovery programme called
'ERAS' (Early Release After Surgery) which
aims to help patients recover even faster and
seems to be working really well. My overall
stay lasted ten days and now the typical
duration is around seven to eight days.
I'm pleased to say my time in the Churchill
was a good experience. Yes, ok I had a
tough few days, but given the seriousness of
the operation my story is testament to the
brilliance of our NHS. And yes, there are
always things that could be done better, but
those fantastic people saved my life and
thoroughly deserve honest, heartfelt positive
feedback.