claire's Cancer Blog
May 6, 2008
It took 11 hours to clear the whole aorta and heart from all the tumor! I paced every corridor in that hospital! Simon went onto the life support when he came out of theater as his lungs collapsed when they took him off the heart bypass. I don’t think I was ready for what I saw. I’m 30 and I have never seen anyone so sick before. 5 doctors stood by his bed all night long.He did not look like My Simon? Simon’s Brother held me up when my legs gave way, not sure if that was from fright or just sheer exhaustion! Simon stayed on life support and in a coma for just over a week. The doctors finally woke him up for a few minutes every day and Simon just looked furious with us (like we did that to him!) they had opened him up from neck to groin! We all call him zippy now. (we are evil!)
After about 2 months Simon came home only to go back into hospital 3 weeks later to have the bad kidney removed!
Simon is still in a great deal of pain, I wish i knew how long these big ops take to recover from?
Three months ago a mass was found during his follow up scans on his liver. We should find out in a couple of weeks time if this has grown at all. If it has then I think this maybe the calm before the storm!
I will freely admit….I’m scared. I just cant tell him that. Do we all find the strength somehow? I read about these people who support the ones they love with cancer and I think…wow you are amazing. Can we all be amazing when faced with these things? I have a lump in my throat 24/7. Anyone out there have that lump or that sick feeling?
May 5, 2008
Me, Him and his Cancer
Hello
This is my first ever blog. i decided to start a blog as Im just one of those women who need a creative font…(mostly for crap)! but please try and stick with me!
My Partner Simon is upstairs ion bed, He has Renal cell cancer.
So strange to write that because Cancer is something that happens to other families of the stuff you read about in those womens magazines 9you know the ones… women sleeps with goat, I married my brother) you never really think i t is something that you will have to deal with.
We Found out in July when Simon was climbing the stairs. He was breathing really hard,
I said to him that at 46 he should not be getting so out of breath. I had to do some shopping in town that day so I told him to go and see his Doctor and that I would meet him for coffee after his appointment. At 10:30 I was in Dorothey Perkins when my mobile rang and Simon said that the doctor was sending him to the hospital for an ECG of his heart. I threw my armful of sale crap (that i dont need or have room in my wardrobe for) and legged it up the high street for a taxi. When I got to the hospital to meet him they had already done the tests they needed. The found a blockage in his Pulmonary artery so they kept him in as they were worried about the risk of him having a heart attack….well i was a wreck and in danger of having one myself! Luckily simon has a great Dad, Brother and Sister-in-law who made sure my caffine levels were unaturally high! I must admit, I smoked Fags like the Goverment were giving them away! They kept Simon in the hospital for about a week without really knowing what was going to happen or what had caused the blockage. One evening i visited simonwhen he started vomitting this awful green stuff, talking to his Mum (who passed away a few years ago) he had trouble breathing and I remember at one point I practicaly pinned hi Sister-in-Law up against a wall begging her to promise me that he would be o.k (Dawn, if your’e reading this then Im ever so sorry!)
He was placed in the High dependancy unit to be on the safe side. the next day i realised that their really was a risk of losing him wahen his solicitor arrived to amend his will!
simon was trasferred to The Bristol Royal Infirmary as they have all the scanning equipment they needed to find out what was really behiend all this. After another week I went fo my ususl daily visit when Simons doctor (who we now call georgeous Brian) turned up. I was sat on Simons bed stealing his biscuits when gorgeous Brian told us that Simon had renal Cell cancer and it was very advanced. the Doctors had never seen this kind of cancer develop this was or so quickly and that they had no idea how Simon was still alive!
The cancer had started in his left Kidney and travelled up his aorta and into the left hand side of his heart.
Simon took the news so well, he didn’t cry or get angry like you would expect however, I cryed, screamed swore! Gorgeous Brian then explained that they would have to operater to get this tumor out or simon would only have a few more days to live ! (what if he had not have gone to his G.P!)
Two days later Simon was Prepped for theatre, Simon’s dad picked me up at 6am and we made the trip Bristol so I could be with Simon before the operation. When we got there Simon had been given a pre-med so he was pretty out of it, he pulled his gown over his head and told me very loudly that the nurses had stolen his underwear!
The last thing Simon said as he was wheeled into theatre was that this was the biggest day of his life!
So I am to assume that sleeping with your brother’s goat causes cancer?
That was too funny, and calling surgery a theater, how cool is that.
Seriously….Welcome too you and to Simon, may your journey through this be peaceful and may you be loved.
Mac
Posted on How did Simon’s surgery turn out? it was so lovely reading your U.K. English. I am in California and your terminology is a delight. I am praying for you both. I believe most of us agree that the shock and the sudden upheaval of your life is so difficult. You never expect it to happen to you. Please keep us all informed. We care, and we have been, or are, experiencing the same things.
Posted on 
Thanks for your support - 
That sounds like an extremely rough couple months. I am impressed by your strength. You are amazing.
Sorry to hear you are having such a rough go. I will add you to my list of prayers.
It does sound as if your Simon is a fighter and a rather tough one at that. GOOD! Cancer is no wimp, but he does get his tail kicked daily by the people here and by many others the world over. Never, ever admit defeat.
The lump in your throat may not go away, but like so many challenges in life you learn to soldier on and overcome.
Hank tight to each other and love.
Mac
I guess a Theater there is just an operating room here. But if I ever need another surgery I want it in a theater. With a dancing bear and red velvet on the walls.
Your girls are beautiful! I have 3 kids. 19, 16 and 13. I will keep them in prayer as well. This ordeal must be tough for them.
How is Simon healing?
Have good days
Mac
Claire,
I am so glad that you found us here in the US. You are an amazing woman and Simon is so blessed to have to at his side. I have been successfully winning the fight against leukemia for 14 years. I have been divorced for 22 years so I never had someone at my side and I tried to be brave for my 3 very scared children. I never imagined that I could do this for so long and with my bone marrow biopsy in June showed that I am in monecular remission! Another Miracle. Keep the faith! You have such beautiful daughters. I will keep you and Simon in my prayers. You are so much stronger that you think. Patty
Hi, I am 43 female, I had a partial nephroctomy of my right kidney 5 years ago. Before I was diagnosed with renal cell then my only symptom then that I thought it was stress related was shortness of breath. I did not see may Dr. last year because he did not think it was necesary. but since a month ago I am again experiencing shortness of breath, and today I decided to search the internet for it and I dicovered this. I am concern as I been feeling that something is wrong. I am afraid!