‘starter’ I was miserable as sin!
Yes, my life has changed considerably and
I’ve had to make allowances, but what the
hell, I’m alive. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t
miss my fags, but I’m grateful that my
beautiful wife has also given up smoking to
support me.
Read Phil’s full response online
http://tinyurl.com/philresponse
?
Observations
on being a
laryngectomee
It’s sad to read some of the comments on
being a lary. Some of my friends suffer with
problems, like emphysema and asthma
which make the situation far worse. Some
have had recurring maintenance troubles
with their valve and stoma… but we’re
really all very lucky. We’ve been given
another chance.
We should try to give more hope and
encouragement to new larys. After all, life
is partly what you make it. We can all look
around and see people worse off than us.
My wife and I attend two lary clubs, and a
division of the ‘Let’s Face It’ organisation
for people who have suffered facial
disfigurement. We see lots of very cheerful
people with half their face replaced by a
prosthesis. They think we are worse off than
them!
But I feel pretty well off. I have a wonderful,
boisterous springer spaniel, Molly, and I
thought I would never walk her again. In
fact I almost re-homed her. Although it can
be quite an effort to take her out, I always
think how lucky I am to be able to do it; and
to see the fields and trees, and to cherish
this time I might not have had.
Molly and I are good mates again now.
When I was ill, I lost my place as the alpha
male! She wouldn’t even allow me to
groom her. But now I’m back on my feet,
and we’re out walking again. We’ve even
made some new friends since I became a
bionic man! I find that most of the people I
meet are very kind and helpful.
Dealing with your troubles is an attitude of
mind. So for example, if my wife complains
about the awful weather, I always come
back with my motto: “I’m not complaining,
I’m still alive”.
Of course, our partners carry a lot of the
burden. I would have had trouble surviving
had it not been for my wife. I kept a stiff
upper lip during my hospital treatment,
and managed very well, but as soon as I
went home I fell apart. I was frightened
by the trouble I might have with a voice
valve, and relied on my wife and the District
Nurses for all the maintenance. I got so
depressed that I made up my mind to have
the valve taken out. But fortunately, my
wife talked me out of it.
I received great help and support from
our GP and my Speech Therapist. They
both sympathised and were happy to talk
through my concerns with me. I should
also add that ordering prescription items
through Countrywide helped enormously.
And I’ve been able to give a little back
too. We’ve got a new GP now, and we’ve
become good friends. I’ve even been to
talk to student doctors at the surgery to tell
them about my experiences and needs as
a lary.
John F George
Continued in the next edition of The Voice
?
Autumn 2011 | THE VOICE
35