Hi my name is Patricia Massey, I’m 78 and live in Sneinton, Nottingham. I help run the Nottingham OPA in the Maggie’s centre at the city hospital, every third Thursday of the month.
In 1995 (23 years ago) I was enjoying lunch out with a friend, when my food got stuck, wasn’t choking, but could feel it. My friend pointed at me and said “go and see a doctor”, I said “why”, “just do” she told me. So, as I live next door to the surgery, I went in, the doctor saw me straight away. He sat there looking at me, I thought, he thinks I’m mad. “Take this to the hospital now” he said, “now” I said, “yes now!” he said.
So off we went to the hospital, I was told there was a 6 week wait for tests. But the next day I got a phone call, to come straight in. This was the end of April, they did lots of tests, it was now they told me I had oesophagus cancer, I didn’t know I had a oesophagus, to me it was my gullet. I was booked in for 22nd May, had my op on the 26th. It took 11 1/2hrs, was cut from the middle of my shoulder blades, under my left arm and finished under my bust, and down the front, I lost nearly all my oesophagus, 3/4 of my stomach, my spleen, and a rib. Was in intensive care 12 days, then onto a high dependency ward and finally on to a normal ward. Home June 17th.
The only information I was given, was stop eating before you feel full, because 20mins later you will feel full and be ill, and don’t drink with food. Also you can’t lay flat in bed, try and be propped up. I didn’t know when I was feeling ill it was dumping syndrome. I could never gauge when I was full, so had dumping syndrome a lot.
It’s now 23 years, and I’m enjoying life. When my husband died 7 years ago, my son who is a landscape photography, said “mum if I go anywhere do you want to come”, to which I replied “I’d love to.” This year we had two weeks in the Lake District, and two weeks on the Isle of Skye. I met some great people and made many friends, including my special friend Mary, 87, who had her op 18yrs ago.
