{"id":1599,"date":"2024-06-21T03:49:26","date_gmt":"2024-06-21T03:49:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/34884743a225f0cf9229a5a69511d7c8-15412.sites.k-hosting.co.uk\/?p=1599"},"modified":"2024-06-21T10:02:22","modified_gmt":"2024-06-21T10:02:22","slug":"after-a-laryngectomy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hnchelp.org.uk\/?p=1599","title":{"rendered":"After a Laryngectomy"},"content":{"rendered":"

A laryngectomy is a major surgery. It takes many months for recovery and a future life with serious challenges – finding a new way of speaking and managing a neck stoma.\u00a0<\/em>
\nMany laryngectomees benefit from a clear goal such as getting back to work or developing the ability to continue key aspects of their life despite the changes after surgery. Fred’s passion was cycling, here is how he coped as he worked to return to what was his “normal”<\/em><\/p>\n

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When I was initially diagnosed with cancer of the larynx I was treated with Radiotherapy at the Royal Berks hospital.\u00a0 I decided that once I was recovered, I would try climbing Mount Teide in Tenerife.\u00a0 It proved to be quite a challenge, but I did achieve the goal.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, the cancer returned and the team at the Royal Berks referred me to Professor Winter at the Churchill in Oxford.\u00a0 Professor Winter asked what was important to me.\u00a0 Amongst other things I talked about my passion for cycling.\u00a0 He thought it would be worthwhile attempting a partial laryngectomy which, if successful, would enable me to return to cycling at a similar level to before.\u00a0 A full laryngectomy would affect the volume of air I could process and my diaphragm would be weaker so power to the legs would be reduced.\u00a0 That would particularly affect me going uphill.<\/p>\n

In the end, the radiotherapy had done so much damage to the tissue that the partial laryngectomy kept leaking.\u00a0 Eventually, we opted for a full laryngectomy.<\/p>\n

It took quite a while to recover from the surgery, I had been in and out of hospital for three months.\u00a0 When I first got on the bike, on my turbo trainer, the amount of power I could produce was pitiful.\u00a0 I kept persevering and power output gradually increased.\u00a0 Some cycling buddies accompanied me on my first ventures out on the road.\u00a0 It was just so good to be out in the fresh air riding again!<\/p>\n

As I got stronger, I started riding with my cycling club with the retired riders group.\u00a0 I could generally keep up on the flat, but not on the hills, I still struggle on the hills.\u00a0 We regroup at the top of a climb which allows stragglers to catch up.<\/p>\n

I had an opportunity to go to Italy on an organised and supported trip to climb the mountains which the Giro d\u2019italia often climbs in northern Italy.\u00a0 I just love the mountains, nothing quite like it, the challenge, the amazing views, the sense of achievement at the summit and of course the reward of the descent.\u00a0 We climbed the iconic climbs of the Passo dell Stelvio at 2758m the second highest paved pass in the alps, the Gavia 2621m, Col Du Petit Saint Bernard, 2188m etc.<\/p>\n

It is important to recognise your limits when you have had a laryngectomy.\u00a0 The other riders did two big climbs a day, to my one.\u00a0 They will be riding hard but within themselves whilst I was at my maximum.\u00a0 That takes more recovery, which is why\u00a0 I only did 1 climb a day.\u00a0 That was a very rewarding holiday.<\/p>\n

Since then, I have been on two trips to Puerto Polliensa in Majorca with my cycling club, Reading CC.\u00a0 It is quite a mixed ability group but there were enough of us so that there was a suitable group to ride with each day.\u00a0 On the flat it was fine, but as usual I couldn\u2019t keep up on the climbs.\u00a0 I used to worry about spoiling my clubmates\u2019 rides by them having to wait at the top of a climb, or when I have to stop to clear my stoma.\u00a0 In fact, they are very supportive and appreciative of the fact that I am still riding.<\/p>\n

It’s not all a bed of roses, when I\u2019m cycling I find it difficult to talk, I can hear the chatter in the peloton which I can\u2019t join in. At the lunch stop It\u2019s not easy to talk whilst eating ( I did have a pharyngeal pouch which may be the reason)\u00a0 and it takes time to recover.<\/p>\n

I try and live the same life as I did before cancer, go out socially, take part in my chosen sport of cycling and talk to anyone who wants to know about living with a laryngectomy.\u00a0 When I meet new people, I generally explain about my need to periodically clear my secretions, when cycling, I have to do this at the side of the road, so they know what to expect.\u00a0 It is no good being embarrassed about our disability or its side effects.\u00a0 We have to live and enjoy life to the full.<\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A laryngectomy is a major surgery. It takes many months for recovery and a future life with serious challenges – finding a new way of speaking and managing a neck stoma.\u00a0 Many laryngectomees benefit from a clear goal such as getting back to work or developing the ability to continue key aspects of their life … Continue reading After a Laryngectomy<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1599","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hnchelp.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1599","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hnchelp.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hnchelp.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hnchelp.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hnchelp.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1599"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/hnchelp.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1599\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1602,"href":"https:\/\/hnchelp.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1599\/revisions\/1602"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hnchelp.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1599"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hnchelp.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1599"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hnchelp.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1599"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}