"My diagnosis & treatment of colon cancer"

I attended VHK Seal Unit for a colonoscopy carried out by Dr Wilson. It is very difficult to be given a cancer diagnosis but Dr Wilson showed me such empathy & compassion & that made all the difference.

I was privileged to be referred onwards to the care of Mr Ekatah & the excellent Colorectal Team. Mr Ekatah is a brilliant surgeon highly trained in robotics but he also explains everything so well, he is professional courteous caring & kind. I have been very thankful to have him as my consultant.

I then underwent major surgery & was cared for by a wonderful team both in theatre & in recovery. I was grateful to have as my anaesthetist Dr Sturrock, his calm patient manner really helped to put my mind at ease going into surgery & owing to his skill with local anaesthetic injections post op I experienced a comfortable overnight stay in Surgical HDU. I was very thankful to the staff there especially to HDU consultant Dr Jordan for her kindness & words of encouragement & to staff nurse Helen who looked after me so well

Following my cancer operations on both occasions I was admitted to ward 44. The staff there were caring & compassionate & I will always be so grateful to them for their help with my recovery. In particular I wish to thank SN’s Pam, Corrina, Dona, Kayleigh, Dora & Jen and HCN’s Debbie & Helen who looked after me. Special thanks to auxiliary nurse Margaret for her care & companionship during a very difficult few days of illness and to Graham who cleaned my room so thoroughly each day, vitally important in a hospital setting

After the initial surgery I was looked after by the Stoma Nurses. What a precious resource these nurses are, they have such valuable skills & expertise. It is a very unnatural experience to have to cope suddenly with an ileostomy so I really appreciated their help. They were always easy to contact by phone or email & I was seen urgently whenever I had skin problems or just needed reassurance, nothing was ever any bother. They gave advice about dietary issues, sourced support appliances & helped me to prepare for the stoma reversal surgery. Lyndsay even came to see me on the ward after the surgery, she was kind & encouraging at a time when I was feeling very unwell so I really appreciated her visit.

Doubtless extra staff would help to alleviate some of the pressure on our NHS, patient demand is seemingly insatiable with theatre lists & wards constantly full. But what I witnessed in every department were teams of dedicated professionals working hard to provide consistent care of the highest standard. I was treated with dignity, kindness & compassion so a huge thank you to the staff at VHK, I owe them my life.