A different kind of road trip

To much spare time. That's going to be something I need to come to grips with. Waiting an extra week for the MDM was frustrating. But I've realized that this is just the start. Throughout this journey there's going to be numerous periods of downtime. I think finding and doing things to keep busy is only part of the answer. I know I have to become more comfortable within myself so I can manage the quiet times without constantly dwelling on the "maybes" and "what ifs". 

Wow!! This got pretty heavy really quickly. Onto the road trip.

So... the plan we had originally that we postponed when the MDM was put back a week is still in place and as I write this it's Sunday night and we're sitting in a motel in Auckland after spending the day with the kids.

The first night we arrived in Auckland - Thursday - we were booked in to the City Towers Motel in Epsom. This was arranged (and paid for) by the HB DHB. Another reason to congratulate our Public Health Service. The lady (Carol) at reception was very friendly and helpful and the motel was great.

The next morning we wandered up to the hospital - about a ten minute walk - and found our way to the sixth floor. As soon as we walked out of the elevator we thought - been here, done this. 

Back in 2013 we attended an MDM in Auckland to formulate a plan to remove cancer from my nose. I don’t think it had an acronym then. It was just called a meeting with the multi-disciplinary team. I think the acronym they use now isn't right. It should be called the MDT meeting.

Actually, a more correct acronym would be… “AGFPPFPROM” – or, to give the meeting it’s full title… “A Gathering of friendly, professional people, focused on planning the right outcome for me”.

The way in which this team goes about dealing with us mere mortals is, in my mind, simply magnificent. During yesterday’s meeting Denise and I were spoken to by ten different ladies and, without exception, from the receptionist, to the lady who offered us a cup of tea, to the dental specialist and the ever attentive nurses, we were treated with respect, empathy and consideration during every interaction. Over and above that, we were interviewed by three different doctors who discussed the situation with us in a very attentive and considerate manner, while giving us time to absorb and decipher the information we were given.

At the end of the day we left with a comprehensive understanding of where we are now, but perhaps more importantly, a clear understanding of the way forward. We couldn’t have asked for more, so here's gist of it...

On Monday 11^th March Denise and I will go to Auckland and I’ll be admitted that day. The next day, Tuesday, I’ll be busy all day, lying on my back. The surgery is going to take between 10 and 12 hours and will be performed by two different teams.

The first team cuts out all the cancer they can find by taking away my right cheek and upper cheekbone, and the lower part of my right eye orbit. They then cut the Infraorbital nerve back as close to my brain as they can get.

When they’ve done that they get to go home, and the next team takes over.

They’re going to construct a new lower orbit and cheekbone from titanium and superglue it into place. Then remove skin, fat and blood vessels from the inside of my left arm, almost from the elbow to the wrist, and use that to rebuild my cheek. They’ll also cut up into my neck to connect the artery from my arm to an artery in my neck to create a blood supply for my new cheek.

The next step is to remove a long strip of skin and fat from my left thigh and use this to rebuild the inside of my left arm.

Are we all clear so far?

Finally, when everyone’s finished the sewing bee, I get to spend a day or so in the High Dependency Unit and if I’ve been a good little patient, they’ll move me to a ward.

Now… the thing that’s really bothering me – given my wife’s navigational skills – is how Denise is ever going to find me in a ward? So, if anyone’s planning on visiting me, as you come into the hospital keep your eye out for a pretty little blonde/pink haired lady with a confused look on her face, carrying a handbag the size of a small truck. Take her in tow and bring her with you.

Right, so now that we've got that out of the way, let me tell you about the worst Motel on the North Shore. When we left the MDM and collected our car from the motel in Epsom, we drove to the motel we'd booked for the three nights in Auckland. We're usually pretty good at picking motels, but this was a total failure. The fridge and kettle were both poked, only one towel in the bathroom. No shower curtain and the cutlery drawer was falling apart. But the biggest failure, in my mind, was the stained wash cloths and the dirt and grime throughout the kitchen and bathroom.

When I went down the next morning to tell them about the fridge not working, this was the response... "Oh! we know. It's going to be replaced soon. You can bring your food down here and put it in our fridge if you like."

We didn't, so after a few choice words they decided to move us to another room. We went and had a look at it - seemed OK so we moved our stuff over. It was a stinking hot day, so we turned the aircon on and went out to spend the day with the kids.

When we got back, the room was stinking hot and stuffy. The aircon had been busy all day blowing hot air into the room.

Back to reception and another discussion with the poor lady behind the counter. This discussion resulted in the Owner/Manager of the motel having an animated discussion with an aircon tech in a language you might often hear on the sub-continent, in our room as Denise and I watched on. After what seemed like a few days, they decided it was a lost cause and our options were...

1. They would bring up some fans for us to use overnight.
2. They would move us to another room.

"Why don't you come and have a look at the other room?" they asked.

So we did... 

What the...

The upshot of all this was that we packed our bags, put them in the car and drove off to book into a real motel. 

A rather interesting side note to this story is: when they tried to refund the accommodation costs on my credit card, they couldn't because they had reached their credit limit. Does this mean that while we were busy whinging and playing "Let's swap rooms again" that other guests were getting refunds?

Now, here's another sad tale of woe. Google have decided to stop Google+. That means that I'll have to change blogging platforms. It's probably going to be Wordpress, but time will tell. Once I've sorted myself out I'll let you know the plan going forward.

When this journey I'm on comes to an end, I think I'll get a tattoo - probably on my arm where they've taken stuff to rebuild my cheek. Here's what's caught my eye. What do you think?

In a world where you can be anything...

Be kind.