So the process began – to the BRI this time for both operations, therefore, all the pre-op appointments were there.  I was fortunate, in that our elder daughter and family live in Gloucestershire and she insisted that I stay with them rather than a Hotel.  Her home is nearer than Yeovil, but was still a distance away, but in retrospect it was good to be with family, but when not visiting Rex during the afternoons I spent a lot of time on my own in Bristol and Gloucestershire.  My support network was back in Yeovil.  Churches are my refuge, so I could be found sitting in quite a few churches or churchyards during this time.

On arrival home, following Rex’s liver operation, he became VERY ill and during this time, I found I was checking him every few minutes, while he slept to make sure he was still breathing.  This was an extremely worrying time, not helped by the fact that I understood that Drs don’t come to the house any more, so with great difficulty, I was getting him dressed, downstairs, into car, out of car, into the surgery and then the reverse to get him home.  After it all, I was told I should have explained and asked for a home visit.  I had explained but not asked!  I then had a call from the Dr to say Rex had to be back in the BRI in one hour!  We packed, shut up the house (I remember emptying the contents of the fridge into a box to take with me), contacted our daughter to say I would be back to stay, and we managed to get back to Bristol in one and a half hours.  There are always funny things that happen as I found I had packed enough pants for a month but not enough other clothes to last a week!

Rex had been told that three weeks after his liver operation, during which he had also had his gall bladder removed as well - “while we are in there we may as well” – he would be back for the removal of half a lung.  Because of his complications it was four weeks before he returned to the BRI, but a miracle happened in that the surgeon found he could remove the growths without removing any part of the lung and Rex was back home within the week.

Meanwhile, his Carer was on a roller coaster of emotions.  Staying with the family was good, but I didn’t want to pass on my worries, so while with them I did all I could to be ‘normal’.  Friends kept in touch by email and certain of those friends made it their business to keep everyone informed, which helped enormously.
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